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Welcome back: Wild claim Prosser off waivers from Blues

Minnesota Wild v Los Angeles Kings

LOS ANGELES, CA - MARCH 31: Nate Prosser #39 of the Minnesota Wild controls the puck against the Los Angeles Kings at Staples Center on March 31, 2014 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

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The Minnesota Wild brought a familiar face back into the fold on Thursday by claiming d-man Nate Prosser off waivers from St. Louis.

Prosser, 28, signed with the Wild as an undrafted free agent in 2009 and spent five years with the club, appearing in over 100 regular-season contests while making 10 postseason appearances last year.

The former Colorado College standout inked a one-year, two-way deal (worth $700,000) with the Blues in July but was put on waivers yesterday -- along with Peter Mueller -- after both were unable to crack what’s a pretty loaded St. Louis roster.

How Prosser fits in his second tour with the Wild remains to be seen. For more perspective, here’s what the Star-Tribune’s Mike Russo wrote in July when the club opted not to re-sign Prosser:

Prosser proved last year you can easily throw him in and feel comfortable. The question is whether the Wild would be willing to sign Prosser to a one-way contract. That’s what he still wants if he’s going to re-sign in Minnesota. At some point soon, if Prosser is offered a concrete two-way from someone, he may need to pounce though. As I mentioned the other day, there’s only so many so-called “veterans” teams can sign that can play in the minors if those players don’t make the big club. And those “veteran” roster spots are quickly filling up on AHL rosters.

The debate internally, I think, is the Wild is still trying to make a trade for a defenseman before training camp. So if you sign Prosser to a one-way and then acquire another one-way contract, you could be blocking out kids like Christian Folin or Matt Dumba or maybe even have to put a one-way like Prosser in the minors (if he were not to be claimed off waivers).

The Wild never made that trade and currently have 11 d-men on the roster, though Keith Ballard has been dealing with a lower-body injury.