Wilderness Walk: Martin Hanzal retires

That’s Wild

• Even though he only appeared in a total of 25 games for the Minnesota Wild, long-time NHLer Martin Hanzal has announced his retirement from professional hockey. 12 years, 608 games, 127 goals and 338 points later, the Czech’s curtain has closed.
• In case you missed it, we’ve rejuvenated our Top 25 Under 25 series and the first profile of a ranked player will be published later today. [Hockey Wilderness]
• Michael Russo sat down with Austrian hockey legend and one-time Minnesota Wild forward Thomas Vanek, to give his thoughts on fellow countryman Marco Rossi heading to a familiar franchise. [The Athletic]

Off the trail...

• Another day passes and another restricted free agent is signed, this time in Buffalo as the Sabres re-sign goaltender Linus Ullmark to a one-year, $2.6-million contract. [Die By The Blade]

• A look around the league at truly how much each team has left to spend with the unique cap situation they’re all under. [The Athletic]
• The Pittsburgh Penguins shuffled the pieces around in their front office, relieving assistant general manager Jason Karmanos of his duties and hiring former player Trevor Daley as a Hockey Operations Adviser. [Pensburgh]
• Speaking of spending, there’s still some value left in free agency for teams to grab. [The Athletic]