The Minnesota Wild re-signed left wing Guillaume Latendresse to a two-year, $5 million contract on Thursday.
Latendresse came over in a trade with Montreal for Benoit Pouliot in a deal exchanging disappointing draft picks, and he emerged as one of the Wild's best offensive players on a team lacking scoring punch.
Latendresse had 25 goals and 12 assists in 55 games with the Wild after the Nov. 23 trade, finishing with a career-high 27 goals for the season. The move seemed to energize Latendresse, who played with a lot of pressure in his native Quebec. He recorded his first career hat trick at Phoenix on Jan. 16.
Latendresse was to be a restricted free agent, but the Wild extended him a qualifying offer to retain his rights and put together a deal to keep him in place. Latendresse will make $2.4 million this season and $2.6 million next season. The 23-year-old has 73 goals and 49 assists in 287 NHL games.
