Bonino's veteran presence helped Wild on and off the ice

Nick Bonino has a reputation of stepping up his game when it matters. Whether it was scoring in double overtime in high school to win a state championship at Farmington High School in 2005. Or captaining the Avon Old Farms 2007 New England Division 1 Prep Hockey Champions. Or in 2009, when his Boston University team was losing 3-1 in the national championship with under a minute to go. First he assisted on a goal with 59 seconds remaining, before scoring the game-tying goal with 17 seconds left in the third period. BU went on to win the national championship in overtime.

In the NHL, he has won two Stanley Cups and has scored 12 playoff goals. Six of those goals have been game winners, with three of those coming in overtime.
He has always risen to the occasion when his team needs him and that is exactly what Bill Guerin was looking for in the offseason.
On Day 2 of the NHL Entry Draft in October, before the team's first pick of the day, Bill Guerin decided it was the right time to make a move. He traded Luke Kunin and a fourth round pick to Nashville for Nick Bonino, a second round pick and a third round pick.
Bonino and Guerin were already familiar with each other, as the two overlapped for two years with the Penguins when Guerin was an assistant GM. In two seasons together, the Penguins won two Stanley Cups.
After making the trade, Guerin was very optimistic that Bonino would have an both on and off the ice, helping to build the Wild culture.
"I like what he brings to the dressing room," Guerin said in October. "I like what he brings on the ice. He's extremely versatile. His hockey sense is real strong and so is his competitiveness. I just like the full package of what Nick brings."
Bonino got off to a slow start, recording only five points in his first 24 games in a Wild sweater.
But as the season went on, Bonino's impact became more apparent. From April 14 to the end of the regular season, Bonino lead the team with 11 assists and was tied with Kirill Kaprizov for the team-lead with 17 points. His plus-7 goal differential was tied for the team-best among forwards with Joel Eriksson Ek.
Unfortunately, Bonino could not get his name on the scoresheet in the playoffs, as the Wild lost to the Vegas Golden Knights in seven games.
"We actually talked about this in our series with Vegas, people say you have to lose to learn how to win, but obviously we will learn from this," Bonino said. "We were right there, Game 7 against a team that was tied for the most points in the league. Game 7's can go either way, it was 2-2 there and they started to pull away a bit. I thought we could be playing in Colorado now, they just scored those big goals. I guess we'll learn from it, but a lot of guys took big steps this year. That's always nice to see."
Now, after one season in Minnesota, Bonino is an unrestricted free agent, but if he can fit into the team's salary cap plan and he wants to come back, a return for Year 2 is hopeful.
"I think everybody here knows how I feel about those guys," said Bill Guerin on Bonino and Ian Cole. "And, we really love what they brought to our organization. I think they had a big hand in improving the culture here. And, bringing a winning attitude. And, they're two of the guys that have been there before and have won."

There are most likely going to be a couple of hurdles before the Wild and Bonino can come to a deal.
Bill Guerin has said the team's main priority this offseason is signing three of the team's restricted free agents: Kirill Kaprizov, Kevin Fiala and Joel Eriksson Ek. Those moves are expected to use much of the team's available money this offseason.
"Those guys, like the other guys, we'll speak to their agents, but they also understand the business side of it," Guerin said. "And that we have these younger guys that we have to prioritize. They've been through it before. There's no real rush."
The other thing standing in the way is the Expansion Draft. Every team must submit their protected list to the Seattle Kraken by July 17, before the Expansion Draft takes place on July 21.
This will affect how teams handle their own free agents, as signing a player before the expansion draft means one more player you have to protect from Seattle.
Most moves will happen after the Expansion Draft to avoid that scenario.
Bonino would like to remain a member of the Wild, but with all the obstacles in front of it, he is just going to let the process play out.
"You always want to stay with a team as long as you can," he said. "I don't envy Billy's situation right now, obviously he has a bunch of RFAs to sign, juggling the expansion draft, so there's a lot that goes into it. Being unrestricted, there's pluses to that. We have a month and a half now to figure it out, we'll definitely be talking to Billy and see what happens.
"We've only had one expansion draft in my lifetime. To be honest, it's interesting because as a UFA you want to extend, have security and get a deal. But the closer you get to free agency, you always want to see what is out there too. You're that close to 31 other teams having the option to sign you, so I think the longer it goes, the more UFA's might see that as an opportunity to test the market. But then again, you built relationships with your players and I know Billy pretty well, and my agent does too. I'm sure there will be some discussion before the Expansion Draft."

Bonino's performance during the year proved Guerin's October statement to be true. His ability to impact the team on and off the ice was noticeable. He has always seemed to find a way to be on a winning team, and to contribute. And for the Wild, he lead all forwards in penalty kill minutes and blocked shots, while also recording a team-high 17 points during the final month of the season.
He credits his success and his fit with the Wild to the players he shared the locker room with.
"Just personally, I approach every new opportunity or adventure as positive as I can, he said. "Coming in I think it was a great of guys, they were accepting. I love the relationships I built with them and yeah just a lot of fun with these guys."
Related:
- Normalcy will wait for Wild, Guerin ahead of busy summer - Parise eager to prove he's got plenty left in the tank - Fiala eager to take the next step in his career, and do it in Minnesota - Evason ready for Wild to take the next step - Kaprizov's rookie season smashed Wild's tempered expectations - Eriksson Ek takes strides in contract season - In his first season with the 'C,' Spurgeon is rightfully recognized - Season wrap up: What Guerin and Evason had to say - Season wrap up: What was said around the locker room