The Wild announced they’ve signed forward Nicolas Aubé-Kubel and goaltender Calvin Petersen to one-year deals and signed defenseman Matt Kiersted to a two-year deal. The club also confirmed yesterday’s reported signings of defenseman Ben Gleason and forward Tyler Pitlick to two-way deals.
Aubé-Kubel lands a two-way deal ($775K NHL/$500K AHL), as does Kiersted ($775K NHL/$450K AHL); Petersen’s is a one-way structure for the league minimum $775K. Michael Russo of The Athletic was the first to report Petersen’s signing.
Aubé-Kubel, a Stanley Cup champion with the 2022 Avalanche, continues a journeyman career that will now see him play with seven NHL organizations in the last five years. He split last season between the Sabres and Rangers after signing a $1.5MM contract in Buffalo in free agency that yielded disappointing results. The bottom-six grinder saw his lowest NHL workload since before the pandemic, recording two points and 40 hits in 22 games with a minus-five rating.
He could land a roster spot out of camp – he has 304 games of NHL experience, after all – but it’ll be a tight competition for an extra forward spot as names like Pitlick push for an NHL return while top prospect Danila Yurov is ticketed for a place. He could very well end up back on waivers and could play a big role with AHL Iowa if he clears.
Kiersted’s and Petersen’s signings are made more with Iowa in mind and less in terms of their ability to compete for an NHL roster spot. Kiersted, 27, was an undrafted free agent signing by the Panthers out of North Dakota in 2021 and has been with the organization ever since, finally reaching unrestricted free agency this summer.
He’s recorded seven points and a minus-five rating in 39 NHL games for Florida over the years, averaging 12:01 per game. He’s mostly been a depth piece logging minutes for AHL Charlotte, where he posted one goal and 28 assists with a league-leading +34 rating in 64 games. The Minnesota native will look to bring that strong two-way presence to his home state’s farm club, which has struggled to be competitive in recent years.
They’ve also inked Petersen, who’s expected to take over as Iowa’s starter with top prospect Jesper Wallstedt likely taking over for Marc-André Fleury as Filip Gustavsson’s backup this season. The 30-year-old is now freed from the three-year, $15MM deal he signed with the Kings that he never came close to living up to. While it gave him incredible guaranteed compensation for a goaltender who spent most of the deal in the minors, it also limited his maneuverability.
The Iowa native will almost certainly clear waivers in the fall and return home. He logged a 3.14 GAA, .885 SV%, and a 13-15-3 record in 31 appearances for AHL Lehigh Valley last season while with the Flyers organization.