Story by
Pioneer Press, St. Paul, Minn.
Wild sign Michael McCarron to six-year extension worth $20 million
- Story byPioneer Press, St. Paul, Minn.
- Wild sign Michael McCarron to six-year extension worth $20 million
Every NHL team is looking for skill and grit, especially at center. If those two attributes come attached to a 6-foot-6 frame, even better.
On Tuesday, the Minnesota Wild secured some size, skill and grit for the next half-dozen years, agreeing to a contract extension with Michael McCarron that will keep him under wraps through the 2031-32 season.
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Acquired from Nashville at the March trade deadline, McCarron, 31, played 20 regular-season games and 11 more in the playoffs for the Wild. Nicknamed "Big Mac," he proved to be a versatile center, playing everywhere from the first to fourth lines and filling key special teams roles.
"I worked a long time to be able to get this kind of opportunity, and for it to happen this early in the summer and to have it happen with the Minnesota Wild, it's pretty exciting," McCarron said in a Zoom call with reporters.
"There was no point in looking elsewhere in free agency," he added
The six-year contract is worth $20 million, paying an average annual value of $3.33 million for the Michigan native who was a first-round pick of Montreal in the 2013 NHL draft. League-watchers predicted that McCarron could have gotten more money had he become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, but Wild general manager Bill Guerin said the negotiation process was relatively painless.
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"We just really wanted to get this done. We didn't want Mike to get to market," Guerin said. "We know he was going to be a very popular guy, but we just felt a fit with us."
Speaking to reporters at the end of the Wild's playoff run, McCarron expressed a desire to stay in Minnesota, but he also made it clear he was seeking a raise from the $900,000 he was paid last season. The Wild sent Nashville a second-round draft pick to acquire him.
He said the six-year term and the dollar amount were both important in offering long-term financial security. McCarron, who had never been past the first round of the playoffs until last month, also said the Wild's postseason left him with a hunger to be a part of what Guerin has called a window of opportunity for this franchise to chase a Stanley Cup.
McCarron came to Minnesota with a pre-loaded dislike of Dallas from his time with the Predators, and getting past the Stars was a nice bonus.
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"To be able to beat them was a big step in the right direction for us as a group," McCarron said, confessing that watching the playoffs has been tough, thinking the Wild should still be playing.
"Obviously we left some meat on the bone, especially in the second round against Colorado," he said. "I think moving forward we can learn from that. But yeah, getting a playoff win was special."
Guerin praised McCarron for quickly becoming an integral part of the team and playing a role in the Wild winning a playoff series for the first time in more than a decade.
"When you saw us get plagued by some injuries, Mike had the ability to move up the lineup for short periods of time and did a really good job," Guerin said, adding that the relatively modest average annual value for McCarron's new contract will help the Wild stay within NHL salary cap limitations.
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Briefly
Detroit Red Wings forward Dylan Larkin, who last week announced his wish to be traded, has reportedly included the Wild on his short list of desired destinations. Per multiple reports, Larkin identified Minnesota, Florida and Vegas as three places where he would prefer to be moved if the Red Wings are able to deal him.
Larkin, who turns 30 next month, would certainly fit Guerin's need for a top-line center, having proven to be a durable a productive two-way player since joining the Red Wings from the University of Michigan in 2015. In a decade in the NHL, he has played in the playoffs just once.
Larkin currently makes $8.7 million per year on a contract that runs through the 2030-31 season.
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