Josh Harding Re-signs with Wild
The Minnesota Wild announced that they have signed goaltender Josh Harding to a one-year contract. Harding was a restricted free agent and played back-up for the Wild last season.
Who is Josh Harding?
Harding began his professional career in the Western Hockey League by playing three seasons with the Regina St. Pats and the Brandon Wheat Kings. Harding had a successful junior career, winning both the Del Wilson and Four Broncos trophy in 2003 as the best goaltender and most outstanding player in the WHL. Harding’s strong junior career did not go unnoticed as he suited up for Canada in the 2004 World Junior Championships, winning a silver medal.
Harding was drafted 38th overall by the Wild in the 2002 National Hockey League entry draft. In 2004-05 Harding went to the Wild’s American Hockey League affiliate the Houston Aeros. Harding had a good first year with the Aeros, winning 21 games and posting a 2.01 goals-against-average. The following year, Harding played three games with the Wild, but posted spectacular numbers in the AHL winning 29 games with a 2.99 GAA and .922 save-percentage (SV%). The following season Harding continued his strong play with the AHL squad, and would finally get brought up in 2007-08. Over the next three seasons, Harding had a difficult time winning games but posted strong numbers for a subpar Wild team.
What this Means for the Wild
For the Wild, hanging onto Harding was a good decision. General manager Chuck Fletcher did well to hold onto the 26 year-old goaltender. Although the Wild have all-star goalie Nicklas Backstrom, Harding has performed well as a back-up. In Harding, Fletcher gets a very reliable back-up capable of playing over 20 games a season, all for a low price. In addition, Harding still has some upside as goalies generally do not come into form until their late twenties and early thirties, giving Fletcher a couple more years to check Harding out and see if he can rival Backstrom for the starting job.
Fletcher also gets Harding at a good cost. Being an RFA, it is unlikely that he will make much over $1.5 million next season. Harding can also provide Fletcher with trade bait. There are several teams around the league who may be willing to part with a player or draft pick in order to get their hands on a goalie with Harding’s potential.
What this Means for Harding
For Harding, this may not have been his first choice, however as he was tied to the Minnesota organization as an RFA it was pretty well his only one. He gets to spend another season or two behind Backstrom, learning and growing. Harding also gets enough starts to help make a name for himself around the league. Already considered one of the league’s best back-ups, if he is able to continue to post strong numbers he could end up as a starter somewhere. If he had his choice, it is likely Harding would have enjoyed being an unrestricted free agent this off-season. With a lack of goaltending talent in the free agent pool, it is likely he could have been given an opportunity, along with better pay somewhere else. Nevertheless, Harding should be subject to trade rumors if his numbers stay strong.
The Harding signing is a good one for Wild fans as they help to re-enforce one of the league’s best goaltending tandems, while at the same time getting a longer look at a kid who has showed promise his entire career. For Harding, it is important to keep playing well behind Backstrom. It is possible he could start on another NHL franchise, and you know Fletcher will be on the lookout for any possible deals throughout the season.
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