George Richards, FHN Publisher
For years, it was rumored Nick Bjugstad was coveted by the Minnesota Wild and on Friday, the former Gopher and Minnesota Mr. Hockey winner did indeed go home again.
Bjugstad’s NHL career will get a new start in the place it all began as the former Florida Panthers center was traded from Pittsburgh to the Wild.
The price tag, for the Wild, was not steep: Minnesota gave up a 2021 seventh-round pick for the former U-Minnesota captain.
Bjugstad’s career has been hampered by injuries as he went from being one of the Panthers’ core players to being, basically, a salary cap dump by Dale Tallon during the 2018-19 season.
Florida dealt Bjugstad and Jared McCann to the Penguins in 2019 to clear out some cap space in preparation for the spending spree the team would go on later that summer.
“It’s never easy, I like the kid a lot,” Tallon said at the time of the trade. Tallon picked Bjugstad 19th overall in his first draft as Florida GM in 2010.
“I know his family and we have been through a lot together. … But, you have to keep the job in mind and it’s about winning. You have to personal feelings aside and do what is right for the franchise. That’s what you have to do. It may be hard to do sometimes, but necessary.”
On New Year’s Eve in 2014, Bjugstad signed a six-year, $24.6 million contract extension with the Panthers of which he will be paid $5.25 million for next season.
Pittsburgh will retain about $2 million of that salary. Bjugstad can become a free agent following the 2020-21 season.
“It’s a great deal and sends a great message that we’re committed to our young players,” Tallon said when the contract extension was announced.
“Not only is a he a really good hockey player, but he’s a tremendous young man of character. That’s important to us.”
Since being moved to Pittsburgh, Bjugstad has only been able to play in 45 games because of injury. In May, he had back surgery after playing in just 13 games this past season.
For Minnesota, bringing back one of their own — on the cheap — is a low-risk move especially if Bjugstad can return to form.
“Just pumped,” Bjugstad told Mike Russo of the Athletic on Friday night.
“I’m feeling 100 percent and more excited than ever to get back on the ice.”
Said Wild GM Bill Guerin: “Nick definitely has something to prove. He’s motivated. He’s in the last year of his deal. Bringing a guy home, there is some risk involved in that, but I’m confident that Nick’s going to be a professional. This is not a homecoming for him by any stretch. He’s coming here to play for the Minnesota Wild and to help us win. And that’s what I expect and I know that’s what I’m going to get.”
Bjugstad is one of the most decorated hockey players in Minnesota history and his picture hangs inside Xcel Center in St. Paul as the 2010 winner of the Mr. Hockey award.
After leaving Minnesota following his junior season, Bjugstad signed his ELC with the Panthers and joined the team at the end of that season, burning the first year of his contract in the process.
The Panthers had planned to send Bjugstad to the minors to start the 2013-14 season but he suffered a concussion in training camp.
Upon his return, the Panthers were desperate for scoring and then-coach Kevin Dineen convinced Tallon to keep Bjugstad with the big club.
It paid off.
“I’m excited to play my hometown team because I know I have a lot of family and friends back home watching,” Bjugstad said before he played the Wild for the first time in 2013. “I grew up watching these guys.”
Bjugstad had 16 goals in his first full season and then got what remains a career-best 24 in his second. Injuries which started in 2015 began to take their toll.
In 2016-17, Bjugstad was limited to 54 games but bounced back that following season with 19 goals and 49 points as he played in all 82 games.
In 2018-19, the season he was traded, Bjugstad had just five goals and 12 points in 32 games with the Panthers.