St. Paul, MN – The Minnesota Wild retained their starting goaltender, agreeing to terms on a three-year contract with Niklas Backstrom on Monday.
Backstrom, who was set to become an unrestricted free agent in July, went 24-15-3 with a 2.48 goals-against average, .909 save percentage and two shutouts over 42 appearances for the Wild this past season. The 35-year-old also managed to set a franchise mark with his eight-game win streak from March 14-30
However, an undisclosed injury suffered during warmups prior to Game 1 of the first round against the Blackhawks kept him from the ice during the postseason. Backstrom then underwent successful surgery to repair a sports hernia in mid-May.
A 2009 Vezina Trophy finalist and all-time club leader in victories, Backstrom has racked up a record of 184-124-45 with a 2.43 GAA, .917 save percentage and 28 shutouts in 369 games for Minnesota since 2006.
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