Niklas Backstrom could have his contract bought out by the Wild this summer, Michael Russo of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

Backstrom could have his contract bought out by the Wild this summer, Michael Russo of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

Analysis:

Backstrom is a long-time Wild icon as the franchise record holder in wins (194) and games (409), but he's outlived his usefulness for the organization at this point. The 37-year-old's $3.4 million cap hit forced the Wild to carry three goalies for much of the season, with Backstrom not seeing any appearances after Jan. 13 due to the outstanding play of Devan Dubnyk. The Wild plan to re-sign Dubnyk in the offseason and have another developmental option in Darcy Kuemper under contract for 2015-16, offering little incentive for the team to keep Backstrom around and eat up a roster spot. The team will probably first attempt to explore trading Backstrom, but given his age, large cap number, and sub-.900 save percentage over the last two seasons, it's more likely the Wild will be forced to unceremoniously release him.