ST. PAUL -- Minnesota Wild general manager Bill Guerin talked to reporters on Monday morning shortly after inking winger Matt Boldy to a seven-year, $49 million contract. The final question was simple: Can this type of commitment from the organization help Boldy be more confident on the ice?
That was enough to make Guerin chuckle before he even had a chance to deliver the punchline.
“A deal like this?” Guerin said. “He better be the most confident guy walking into that rink.”
That friendly ribbing from Guerin paled in comparison to some of the chirps Boldy got from his teammates.
There was Ryan Reaves heckling Boldy while he held court in front of his locker. There was Ryan Hartman suggesting that Boldy buy his linemates some designer luggage. There was Marcus Foligno joking that Boldy had better be buying dinner on the road.
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“Oh, I’m sure I will be,” Boldy said when made aware of Foligno’s demand. “We will see how that goes.”
The Wild play at North Carolina on Thursday. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. CST.
The jokes aimed at Boldy this week were in good fun and showcased the presence Boldy already has in the locker room.
“I’ll keep an eye on him and make sure he stays the same,” Marc-Andre Fleury said with a laugh. “He picked up some pucks out there at the end of practice, so it’s not going to his head already. No, he’s such a great kid. He’s very polite, very respectful, and obviously a very talented hockey player.”
This isn’t something Boldy is taking lightly. He understands the pressure that comes with being rewarded with such a big contract. Now he wants to prove the organization was right to commit to him.
“You want to be the player that makes a difference,” he said. “I’m going to go out there and play well and score goals and help this team.”
His teammates have no doubt about that.
Asked what type of player he thinks Boldy will be when the deal runs out, Foligno replied, “You’re seeing a lot of it right now.” He referenced Boldy’s playmaking ability, as well as his potential to be a dominant force in the offensive zone.
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“It’s a smart move by Billy,” Foligno said. “We’ve got a lot of great young, promising guys and a core group of guys that we’ve got to lock down, and Bolds is definitely a big part of it.”
As for the chirping about Boldy’s bank account, and how he should spend his money, it’s clear his teammates couldn’t be more happy for him.
“They don’t just hand out that type of money and that type of term to guys who don’t deserve it,” Hartman said. “He deserves every dollar of it, and I know he’s going to keep working to prove it as well.”
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