Boudreau: 3 unsigned RFAs are 'glue that's going to hold' Wild together
The Minnesota Wild have some unfinished business to take care of.
With August quickly approaching, restricted free agents Mikael Granlund, Nino Niederreiter, and recently acquired Marcus Foligno remain unsigned, and head coach Bruce Boudreau reiterated the trio's importance to the team's success.
"They're the glue that's going to hold us together," Boudreau said Friday via the team's website. "All three of those guys had great years last year, so we're looking forward for them to be part of the Wild organization for a lot of years to come."
Related: 5 notable remaining restricted free agents
Boudreau acknowledged it's only a matter if time until the players are signed, but appears keen to see pen put to paper.
"It's a waiting period till at least August 3 and 4," Boudreau added, referring to arbitration dates set for Niederreiter and Granlund, respectively. "Right after they're done, training camp is right around the corner.
"As an organization, we just want to see what we have and what our team's gonna look like. We think we know what it's going to look like, but until we get all three of those guys signed, we're not 100 percent sure."
Niederreiter and Granlund are coming off career years, while Foligno - who came to Minnesota as part of the Marco Scandella trade with Buffalo - recorded 13 goals and 10 assists in 80 games for the Sabres last season.
The Wild finished second in the Central Division in 2016-17, but were knocked out of the playoffs in the first round by St. Louis.
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