Wild re-sign Kyle Rau, Matt Bartkowski to one-year deals

The Minnesota Wild have re-signed forward Kyle Rau and defenseman Matt Bartkowski to one-year deals. Both extensions are two-way contracts, for the two skaters that spent all of last season with Iowa in the American Hockey League.

Bartkowski and Rau were set to be unrestricted free agents this Friday.

Bartkowski, 32, played 55 games for Iowa last season, scoring two goals and 18 points. The shutdown minor-league defenseman is going to have his third season in the Wild organization, after spending significant time with the Boston Bruins and Calgary Flames systems.

The native of Pittsburgh, Penn. played two games for the Wild in the 2018-19 season, scoring one goal.

Rau, 27, just finished his third season playing in Iowa and most recently scored 14 goals and 43 points through 51 games. The forward played four years for the University of Minnesota and spend his last two as the Gophers’ captain.

After his graduation, he signed an entry-level contract with the Florida Panthers, the team that drafted the forward in the third round in 2011. Two years in the Panthers organization and 33 NHL games later, Rau signed with the Wild and has played a total of nine games.

This is just the beginning for the Wild, who appear to be a major play prior to free agency opening this Friday.