The Minnesota Wild were a starless team in need of a big-time jolt to get the franchise back to the point of being worthy of playing in “the State of Hockey.”

The jolts don’t come any bigger than this.

The Wild landed not one but both of the NHL’s top prizes in free agency, signing forward Zach Parise and defenseman Ryan Suter on Wednesday. Each deal is for 13 years and $98 million, according to three people familiar with the contracts who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the team did not release details.

“WE GOT ‘EM!” the Wild announced on their Twitter account early Wednesday afternoon, sending shockwaves across the league and through a devoted fan base that was starting to show signs of apathy after missing the playoffs for a fourth straight season.

Parise, the former New Jersey Devils playmaker, and Suter, who paired with Shea Weber on the Nashville blue line, were regarded the cream of what was a thin free agent crop, and each had spent the past four days poring over numerous offers from several teams before making a decision.

“This is a great day in the history of the Minnesota Wild,” GM Chuck Fletcher said in a conference call.

Maybe THE greatest. The Wild have had a relatively non-descript existence aside from one stirring run to the Western Conference finals in their second season.

Parise knows the history well, having grown up in the Twin Cities. So he recruited his friend Suter to come help out the hometown team.

“We kept in touch throughout this whole thing and we decided that we thought for both of us that the best fit would be Minnesota,” Parise said in a conference call. “We’re excited that it worked out and we get a chance to play with each other.”

One person said that even the breakdown of the contracts is exactly the same, with both players getting $12 million in each of the first two years. The deals then go down in value, with each player making $1 million in both 2023-24 and 2024-25.

“My parents were so excited when they knew that I was considering coming back home,” Parise said.

“When I made the decision they were real excited as well. That played a big part. I grew up here, I love coming back here in the summers and I thought ‘We enjoy it here so much it would be great to be here year round.”’

Parise was the best forward on the market. He scored 31 goals and 69 points last season in his first year as the Devils’ captain. He also chipped in with 15 points in helping the team’s surprise run to the Stanley Cup finals, which ended in a six-game series loss to Los Angeles.

“There’s no question we’re disappointed,” Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello said. “It’s a very unfortunate thing when you have a player of his stature that comes right through the ranks and, at this given time a decision is made to go elsewhere. But right now there’s nothing we can do about that and our plans are going forward.”

Lamoriello said he met with Parise and his representatives in Toronto on Saturday, and made what he called a competitive offer. In later discussions with Parise, Lamoriello said, the player made clear he wanted an opportunity to play in his home state.

“Zach told me that if it wasn’t going home to Minnesota, it would be coming to New Jersey,” Lamoriello said.

 “I respect that.”

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