Wild's Ballard, Leopold inching toward retirement
Minnesota Wild veteran defensemen Keith Ballard and Jordan Leopold may have reached the end of their respective NHL careers, according to Michael Russo of the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
Ballard was limited to just 14 games last season after receiving a concussion following a hit from New York Islanders forward Matt Martin on Dec. 9. The Minnesota native is an unrestricted free agent after seeing his two-year, $3 million contract expire in July.
"I'm just trying to get healthy," the 32-year-old Ballard told the newspaper. "If I make a full recovery from this one, I'll chalk it up to good luck. But I will admit, if I’m hit like this again, I’m a little freaked out about what would happen the next time."
Fellow unrestricted free agent Leopold famously received an assist from his 11-year-old daughter in aiding with a trade from the Columbus Blue Jackets. The 35-year-old doesn't have his agent making calls to teams and appears resigned to having finished his NHL career, Russo reported.
A Twin Cities native, Leopold collected one goal and three assists while playing in 43 games with the Blue Jackets, St. Louis Blues and Minnesota in 2014-15.
(h/t Minneapolis Star Tribune)
