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  • Wild Prospect Officially Signs With OHL Team

    Image courtesy of © MIKE COPPER/ERIE TIMES-NEWS / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
    Thomas Williams

    By Thomas Williams -

    While it might have been an obvious conclusion after he was selected second overall in the CHL Import Draft, it's been made official. Minnesota Wild prospect Adam Benak has signed with the OHL's Brantford Bulldogs and will be leaving the USHL behind.

     

    The Wild's fourth-round selection in the most recent draft, Benak is seen as a dynamic playmaker that can also be responsible in all three zones. The only issue for his projection to the NHL is his below-average size, but that isn't an issue at the moment.

    Benak makes the transition from the USHL's Youngstown Phantoms, where he scored 17 goals and 59 points in 56 games, to one of the top teams in the OHL. Led by Seattle Kraken top selection Jake O'Brien, the Bulldogs should be a dangerous squad despite losing top-end junior goalscorer Nick Lardis as the Chicago prospect heads to pro hockey.

    More importantly though, this doesn't lock Benak in to one development path. A step into the OHL is a fairly large and important step for the Czech forward and he should find a good amount of success. And, if Benak is suddenly too good for the OHL after one year, he can make another developmental leap and head off to play in the NCAA for the 2026-27 season.

    Of course, that's all projection, but it's promising to see this step taken by possibly one of the more underrated Wild prospects.

    • Can Kirill Kaprizov become the Minnesota Wild's first Hockey Hall of Famer? [Hockey Wilderness]

    Off the trail...

    • Now it's looking like Matthew Tkachuk might be so banged up that he starts the Florida Panthers' season out of the lineup. [TheScore]
    • Top 2025 pick Matthew Schaefer has signed his NHL entry-level contract with the New York Islanders. Now it is just NHL or back to the OHL's Erie Otters for next season. [NHL.com]
    By Thomas Williams  

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    raithis

    Well, Florida is over the cap.  Of course there will be a player that ends up starting he season on LTIR so they can have their cake and eat it too.  That's apparently how teams win the Stanley Cup these days, by exploiting every loophole.

    Looking forward to the CBA going into effect next year.  Yes, I realize that will have little effect on this sort of thing in the regular season, but I'm just really irritated with the teams who go into the season with a hurt player who magically gets better in time for the playoffs and then they are able to ice a team that's $8-12M over the cap in the postseason.  One less loophole is a good thing.

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    SkolWild73
    50 minutes ago, raithis said:

    Well, Florida is over the cap.  Of course there will be a player that ends up starting he season on LTIR so they can have their cake and eat it too.  That's apparently how teams win the Stanley Cup these days, by exploiting every loophole.

    Looking forward to the CBA going into effect next year.  Yes, I realize that will have little effect on this sort of thing in the regular season, but I'm just really irritated with the teams who go into the season with a hurt player who magically gets better in time for the playoffs and then they are able to ice a team that's $8-12M over the cap in the postseason.  One less loophole is a good thing.

    Sounds like Tkachuk will be out the first half the season.

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    MNCountryLife

    We have $9.4M in cap space.  The cap will increase by $8.5M in 26-27. Let's say Rossi signs for $6M.  Next season Kirill will likely be at $15M for an additional $6M. $4.7 (Tara) and $4.1(Zuc) may come off the books.

    $9.4M (current Cap) + $8.5(Cap Increase) - $6M(Rossi) - $6M(Kirill) + $4.7(Tara) + $4.1(Zuc) = $14.7M of available cap space if all other players sign on at the 25-26 levels.

    Jiricek will need a contract but I doubt he commands too much.   After years of being in cap hell.. we appear to be in cap heaven.  We have play money.  Will be fun to watch how we spend it.  We could be a very attractive team at the TDL for teams looking to off-load heavy contracts for the next 2 seasons.

    I would think BG really likes the cap position we are in.

    Edited by MNCountryLife
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    Kato AK
    1 hour ago, MNCountryLife said:

    Jiricek will need a contract but I doubt he commands too much.   After years of being in cap hell.. we appear to be in cap heaven.  We have play money.  Will be fun to watch how we spend it.  We could be a very attractive team at the TDL for teams looking to off-load heavy contracts for the next 2 seasons.

    Gus needs an extension next year as well, which will probably start with a 6, so the Wild really have $7-8 Mil. Not great, not terrible.

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    MNCountryLife
    1 hour ago, Kato AK said:

    Gus needs an extension next year as well, which will probably start with a 6, so the Wild really have $7-8 Mil. Not great, not terrible.

    His existing contract is $3.75M so it would only be an $3M off roughly.  $11.7M

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    Kato AK
    16 minutes ago, MNCountryLife said:

    His existing contract is $3.75M so it would only be an $3M off roughly.  $11.7M

    I don't mean to be rude, but whatever girl math or farm algebra you are using is wrong.

    As it sits now, for the 26-27 season (next year), the Wild have $44 mil in cap space. If you factor in the need to/probably should re-sign players that don't have contract; KK - $15mil, Rossi - $6mil (it'll be higher), Jiricek - $3mil, and Gus - $6mil.

    That is $30mil in contracts bringing the cap down to $14mil and if you include Tank and Zuccy for $9mil (as you suggested), that leaves $5mil in cap space.

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    MNCountryLife
    16 hours ago, Kato AK said:

    I don't mean to be rude, but whatever girl math or farm algebra you are using is wrong.

    As it sits now, for the 26-27 season (next year), the Wild have $44 mil in cap space. If you factor in the need to/probably should re-sign players that don't have contract; KK - $15mil, Rossi - $6mil (it'll be higher), Jiricek - $3mil, and Gus - $6mil.

    That is $30mil in contracts bringing the cap down to $14mil and if you include Tank and Zuccy for $9mil (as you suggested), that leaves $5mil in cap space.

    As I originally stated in my first comment about the cap.  $14.7M of available cap space if all other players sign on at the 25-26 levels.  

    You took my comment out of scope.

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