Rau signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Wild on Saturday, Chris Long of KSTP-TV Sports reports. The 24-year-old center will make $700,000 in the NHL or $200,000 if he's assigned to AHL Iowa.

EDGE Analysis

Rau hails from Eden Prairie, Minnesota, so this will be a homecoming of sorts for the speedy pivot. He wasn't given much of an opportunity in the NHL with the Panthers the past two seasons, scoring twice with a single assist over 33 games. Still, this is a guy who added 164 (67 goals, 97 assists) points for the University of Minnesota between 2011-15, so the potential is there for him to make an impact with the Wild in due time.