Wild re-sign defenseman Zach Bogosian

Zach Bogosian is sticking with the Wild.

The team re-signed the veteran defenseman to a two-year extension worth $2.5 million after trading for him earlier this season.

Bogosian is on an expiring contract and would have been a free agent in the summer.

Since the Wild acquired him from Tampa Bay on Nov. 8 in exchange for a seventh-round draft pick in 2025, Bogosian has been an effective addition.

He has enhanced the blue line’s toughness and steadiness while chipping in a goal and eight assists through 43 games. The 33-year-old has 51 shot blocks and the second-most hits among Wild defensemen with 80, while averaging 17 minutes, 36 seconds of ice time including action on the penalty kill.

That repertoire combined with his experience — Bogosian won the Stanley Cup with the Lightning in 2020 — could have made Bogosian a target for teams ahead of Friday’s NHL trade deadline. But the Wild didn’t want to split up what has been a successful partnership with Bogosian, who returned to the lineup last week after missing three games with an injury.

Now in his 16th NHL season, Bogosian has also played for Atlanta, Winnipeg, Buffalo, Tampa Bay and Toronto, posting 58 goals and 164 assists for 222 points in 830 games after being a first-round draft pick in 2008. But Bogosian was familiar with Minnesota before joining the Wild: The New York native made Minnetonka his offseason home eight years ago and skated with a handful of Wild players during the summer.

His new deal, which doesn’t include any trade protection, gives the Wild six defensemen under contract for next season. The team also has Jonas Brodin, Brock Faber, Jake Middleton and Jon Merrill signed, plus captain Jared Spurgeon, who’s out for the season because of hip and back issues. Declan Chisholm, Alex Goligoski and Dakota Mermis are eligible for free agency.