The Minnesota Wild signed forward Frederick Gaudreau to a five-year contract extension with an average annual value of $2.1 million, the team announced Thursday.

The 29-year-old has a career-high 17 goals in 81 games this season. His 36 points rank sixth on the Wild, while his 52 blocked shots are second. He paces the NHL in shootout goals with eight, and his four shorthanded goals are tied for third league-wide.

Gaudreau has blossomed into an NHL regular with Minnesota over the past two seasons. He tallied a career-high 44 points in 2021-22 after scoring a combined 18 points in 103 previous games with the Nashville Predators and Pittsburgh Penguins.

The Quebec native inked a two-year contract worth $1.2 million per season with Minnesota in July 2021. He was set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer.

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