Coach Bruce Boudreau likes players Wild targeted in free agency

The start of free agency has become a spending spree in the NHL, and this year was no different.

A total of 127 contracts were signed Sunday, according to capfriendly.com, with the sum of all the cap hits amounting to approximately $226 million while the combined value soared to more than $785 million.

And a chunk of the change handed out ended up getting collected by depth players.

Their saturation of the marketplace helps explain why; with teams locking up top-tier talent long-term, role players comprise a sizable segment of free-agent pools. Bottom-six forwards and third-pairing defensemen are also more feasible acquisitions for clubs with limited room to maneuver under the salary cap.

Being able to utilize all 18 skaters in a game appears to be another motivating factor, with the importance of a well-rounded lineup influencing the Wild's approach to the signing period.

"You look at the two teams that were in the Finals [the Capitals and Golden Knights], and their fourth lines played very big parts in it," coach Bruce Boudreau said. "You're not seeing forwards playing an average of 25 minutes a game anymore. Your best forwards are now playing 20 and less depending on how good your fourth line is and how you use them. I think that's where the trend was going this year."

Very specific targets were on the Wild's radar when free agency opened; the team coveted new faces for the fourth line, a defenseman for the right side of the third pairing and another goaltender in addition to options for the American Hockey League.

Another theme emerged from these signings: right shots with size who the Wild felt had the speed to keep up in today's NHL.

Of those four skaters, all but Hendricks is a right shot and only Brown is under 6 feet; Fehr is the tallest of the bunch at 6-4.

"Those were boxes that you wanted to check off," Boudreau said. "All three of the things … mentioned are things we thought were necessary for our team to get better."

Boudreau coached Fehr and Hendricks previously when all three were in Washington. Fehr's skating, smarts and penalty-killing ability stand out to him, while he values Hendricks' enthusiasm and energy. He has heard Brown brings a similar presence to the ice, and Boudreau is excited to have a 6-3, 225-pound defender in Pateryn to deploy.

The competition Hammond will bring is also a plus to him.

General Manager Paul Fenton hasn't ruled out the possibility a trade further changes the Wild's roster, but Boudreau is focused on the players that are in the mix for next season. And they are encouraging to him.