Wild GM Bill Guerin confirms two players will not return next season

The Minnesota Wild and general manger Bill Guerin will have to be careful with their offseason salary cap space, given the fact that they only have $1,433,912 remaining following the extension for goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury.  

And following the final round of the 2022 NHL Draft, Guerin confirmed that the team would be bidding goodbye to two members of last years team in the form of Nic Deslauriers and Nick Bjugstad, both of whom will be going to the market when the free agency period opens up next week on July 13. 

Bjugstad, a Minnesota native who was named Minnesota's Mr. Hockey as a high school senior in 2010, is coming off of a one-year, $900 contract that he inked with the Wild last offseason. He scored seven goals and six assists in 57 regular season games, though he didn't appear in the postseason. 

Meanwhile, Deslauriers was acquired by the Wild during last season's Trade Deadline from the Anaheim Ducks in a deal that saw a third round pick in 2023 go back to the west coast. He scored three goals in 20 regular season games played after coming over to the Wild, though failed to register a point in five postseason games.