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ST. PAUL — After weighing his roster options for much of the offseason, Wild general manager Bill Guerin finally nabbed a depth piece Tuesday, signing 24-year-old center Sam Steel to 1-year, $825,000 contract.
Though the move doesn’t do much to move the needle, Steel is quietly coming off a solid season in which he recorded 20 points (6 goals, 14 assists) in 68 games with the Anaheim Ducks in 2021-22, showing he still has potential as a playmaker.
Originally selected by the Ducks in the first round of the 2016 NHL Draft, Steel likely will start this season in the bottom half of the Wild lineup. But if he proves capable of taking on a bigger role, he has enough upside to justify elevating him.
There’s a spot up for grabs after the Wild traded winger Kevin Fiala this offseason.
As for the Wild as a whole, with Steel under contract, they officially have 12 forwards on the NHL roster with top prospect Marco Rossi also expected to make the team out of training camp. There’s a chance winger Jordan Greenway won’t be ready for the Oct. 13 season opener against the New York Rangers, meaning someone will have to fill the void for the Wild up front.
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