Wild sign Roman Schmidt to one-year contract
The Minnesota Wild have signed defenseman Roman Schmidt to a one-year contract with a league minimum cap hit of $850,000.
The #MNWild signed 23 y/o D Roman Schmidt to a one year two-way contract NHL: $850K Minors: $100K Will be RFA upon expiry Rep'd by Dan Milstein @HockeyAgent1 @GoldStarHockey puckpedia.com/player/roman-s…
Schmidt was a restricted free agent after the conclusion of his three-year, entry-level contract with an $805,833 cap hit. While he originally signed the deal in 2021, it only expires now after it slid in the first two seasons, due to Schmidt continuing to play in the Ontario Hockey League after signing the deal, beginning his professional career at the end of the 2023-24 season.
Schmidt’s contract is a two-way contract, meaning he will only make $850,000 at the NHL level. His minor-league salary is set at $100,000 for next season. When the contract expires next season, he will once again be an RFA, and still without arbitration rights.
Schmidt was a third-round pick by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2021 NHL Draft. Now 23, he’s coming off of a season where he was on the move a fair amount, as he started the season in the Lightning organization before he was dealt to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for Ethan Samson in December. He only last a few months there before he was dealt again to the Wild at the trade deadline for Boris Katchouk.
While all the movement could have played a role in Schmidt’s struggles, he didn’t have an overly productive season, as he had just three assists in 48 games in the AHL between the three teams. However, two of those three assists came in the 19 games he played with the Iowa Wild after the trade to Minnesota. That said, as a six-foot-five, 225 pound defenseman, he’s better known for his physicality.
The Wild haven’t had an overly busy summer, as their only additions have been acquiring Blake Coleman and Olli Maatta from the Calgary Flames and signing Maxim Shabanov. The Wild have $1,119,168 in salary cap space according to PuckPedia with three RFAs left to sign.