Minnesota Wild sign Zane McIntyre, Dakota Mermis, and Nick Swaney to one-year contracts

The Minnesota Wild announced that they signed goalie Zane McIntyre, defenseman Dakota Mermis, and forward Nick Swaney to one-year contracts. All three players will earn $775,000 in the NHL, while McIntyre will earn $305,000 in the minors, Swaney to earn $375,000, and Swaney will earn $150,000.

McIntyre is former sixth-round draft choice of the Boston Bruins in 2010. He played eight NHL games for the Bruins in in the 2016-17 season, earning a 0-4-1 record and an unflattering .858 SV%. He played the 2022-23 season with the Iowa Wild in a tandem with highly-touted prospect Jesper Wallstedt. He had a 2.87 GAA and .899 SV% with a 16-12-5 record in 34 games played.

McIntyre has been an AHL goalie since 2015-16, with small stints in the NHL, KHL, and ECHL mixed in. At 30 years old, he will likely never play in the NHL again but is useful depth in the Wild organisation.

Mermis is an undrafted depth defenseman who played two games for the Wild this past season. He played most of the season with the Iowa Wild, scoring 26 points in 63 games as one of their top defensemen. Mermis has played NHL games for three different teams, the Wild, New Jersey Devils, and Arizona Coyotes.

The Alton, Illinois native is a good bet to play more than 60 AHL games year in, year out and put up 20-25 points.

Swaney is the youngest of the trio at 25 years old. He was a seventh-round pick of the Wild in 2017. He played four years for the University of Minnesota-Duluth, finishing his final year there with 28 points in 28 games. He then put up two solid seasons in the AHL with the Iowa Wild, scoring a combined 35 goals and 70 points in 116 games.

He made his NHL debut this past season for the Wild. Out of the three players signed, he likely has the highest chance of becoming a regular NHLer in the Wild organisation.