Minnesota capitalizes on free agency

Photo: Micheline Veluvolu

The Minnesota Wild, parent club of the AHL’s Iowa Wild, announced Saturday that the club has signed defenseman Ryan Murphy to a one-year, two-way contract; agreed to terms with forwards Landon Ferraro and Cal O’Reilly on two-year, two-way contracts; agreed to terms with defenseman Alex Grant on a one-year, two-way contract; and agreed to terms with goaltender Niklas Svedberg on a one-year, two-way contract.

Later in the day, the Wild announced the signing of forward Kyle Rau.

Murphy, 24, tallied two assists in 27 games with the Carolina Hurricanes and one assist in seven contests with the Charlotte Checkers in the American Hockey League last season. The 5-foot-11, 185-pound native of Aurora, Ont., was placed on waivers by Calgary on June 30, one day after being acquired by the Flames along with Eddie Lack and a seventh-round selection in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft from Carolina in exchange for Keegan Kanzig and sixth-round selection in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft.

Murphy owns 37 points (6-31=37) in 151 career NHL games during five seasons with Carolina (2012-17) and has collected 66 points (10-56=66) in 89 career AHL contests with Charlotte.

Murphy, an AHL All-Star in 2015, was originally selected by Carolina in the first round (12th overall) of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.

Ferraro, 25, collected 15 points (7-8=15) and 12 penalty minutes (PIM) in 22 games with the Chicago Wolves in the American Hockey League during an injury-shortened 2016-17 season.

Ferraro owns 11 points (6-5=11) and 29 PIM in 75 career NHL contests with Detroit and Boston, and also skated in seven Stanley Cup playoff matches with Detroit in 2014-15. He has tallied 155 points (82-73=155) and 216 PIM in 292 career AHL contests with Grand Rapids and the Wolves, and won a Calder Cup with the Griffins in 2013.

Ferraro was originally selected by Detroit in the second round (32nd overall) of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.

O’Reilly, 30, recorded one assist in 11 games with the Buffalo Sabres and 50 points (9-41=50) in 62 games with the Rochester Americans and the Toronto Marlies in the American Hockey League last season. The 6-foot, 193-pound native of Toronto, Ontario, added seven points (1-6=7) in 11 Calder Cup playoff games with the Marlies.

O’Reilly owns 49 points (16-33=49) in 144 career NHL contests during parts of six seasons with Nashville, Arizona, Pittsburgh and Buffalo (2008-12, 2015-17), and has collected 450 points (89-361=450) in 525 career AHL games with Milwaukee, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Portland, Utica, Rochester and Toronto, earning four trips to the AHL All-Star Classic (2009, 2010, 2015, 2016).

O’Reilly was originally selected by Nashville in the fifth round (150th overall) of the 2005 NHL Entry Draft.

Grant, 28, tallied 49 points (17-32=49) including six power-play goals and 36 penalty minutes (PIM) in 70 games with the Providence Bruins in the American Hockey League last season. The 6-foot-3, 209-pound native of Antigonish, N.S., ranked second among AHL defensemen in goals, T-5th in scoring and ninth in shots in goal with 181.

Grant has recorded 223 points (60-163=223), 376 PIM and 32 power-play goals in 393 career AHL games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Binghamton, Norfolk, Springfield and Providence, and has collected two goals in seven career NHL games with Anaheim and Arizona.

Grant was originally selected by Pittsburgh in the fourth round (118th overall) of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft.

Svedberg, 27, spent the last two seasons in the Kontinental Hockey League, posting a 14-17-12 record with a 2.99 goals-against average, an .897 save percentage and one shutout in 48 games with Salavat Yulaev in 2016-17.

The 6-foot-1, 168-pound native of Sollentuna, Sweden, won the Baz Bastien Award as the AHL’s outstanding goaltender in 2012-13, and has a career record of 65-24-6 with a 2.40 GAA, a .917 save percentage and six shutouts in 97 appearances with Providence. Svedberg has totaled an 8-5-1 record with a 2.31 GAA, a .920 SV% and two shutouts in 19 career NHL games with Boston.

Rau, 24, totaled three points (2g, 1a) and four penalty minutes in 24 games with the Florida Panthers last season, adding 24 points (10g, 14a) and 32 PIM in 48 games with Springfield (AHL).

The 5-foot-8, 178-pound native of Eden Prairie, Minn., has totaled 58 points (29g, 29a) and 56 PIM in 118 games during parts of three AHL seasons with San Antonio, Portland and Springfield.

Rau totaled 164 points (67 goals, 97 assists) and 85 PIM during four seasons at the University of Minnesota, and was named Minnesota’s 2011 Mr. Hockey after helping Eden Prairie win the 2011 Minnesota State High School League Boy’s Hockey Championship.

Rau was originally selected by Florida in the third round (91st overall) of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.