Justin Kirkland
#23 · Centre · Minnesota Wild
Born Aug 2, 1996 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, CAN (age 30) · 6'3", 183 lb · Shoots left · Drafted 62nd overall in 2014 by NSH (round 3)
Compare with a similar player
The forwards closest to him in points in 2023-24. Pick one to see the two side by side, or choose someone else.
Adam Gaudette
STL ·
0 P in 2 GP
Andrew Poturalski
SEA ·
0 P in 2 GP
Brett Murray
BUF ·
0 P in 2 GP
Brian Halonen
NJD ·
0 P in 2 GP
Egor Afanasyev
NSH ·
0 P in 2 GP
Career
Regular season games only. Pick a season to see its game log below. Cap hit is what he counted against the salary cap that season, where it is known.
Points by season. The darker bar is the season shown below.
| Season | Team | GP | G | A | P | +/- | PIM | Shots | Hits | P/GP | Cap hit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 | ANA | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -3 | 0 | 5 | 8 | 0.00 | $750K |
| 2023-24 | ARI | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0.00 | $775K |
| 2024-25 | CGY | 21 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 11 | 9 | 45 | 0.38 | $775K |
| 2025-26 | CGY | 20 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 29 | 0.10 | $900K |
| 4 seasons | Career | 50 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 4 | 13 | 26 | 87 | 0.20 |
2023-24 season totals
| GP | G | A | P | +/- | PIM | Shots | Hits | P/GP | Shooting % | Avg TOI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0.00 | 0.0 | 7:14 |
Contract
His cap hit for the whole season, set against what he did in the regular season. Lower is better value. In a season still being played the cost per point starts high and falls as the games add up.
The contract
Signed by the Arizona Coyotes on Jul 15, 2023, as a new contract: 1 year and $775K, beginning in 2023-24. It runs through 2023-24, so this is its last season, after which he is an unrestricted free agent.
| Season | Cap hit | Base salary | Signing bonus | Performance bonuses | Paid in all | Clause |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-24 | $775K | $775K | $0 | $775K |
Each season of the contract, with this one marked. The cap hit is the same every year; what he is paid is not. The pay is as written when the contract was recorded in October 2024, so a later change, such as the rise in the lowest salary for 2026-27, is not shown.
Contracts he has signed
| Signed | Signed by | Kind | Seasons | Years | In all | Cap hit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 1, 2026 | Minnesota Wild | New contract (two-way) | 2026-27 to 2026-27 | 1 | $850K | $850K |
| 2025-26 to 2025-26 | $900K | |||||
| Jul 3, 2024 | Calgary Flames | New contract (two-way) | 2024-25 to 2024-25 | 1 | $775K | $775K |
| Jul 15, 2023 | Arizona Coyotes | New contract | 2023-24 to 2023-24 | 1 | $775K | $775K |
| Jul 14, 2022 | Anaheim Ducks | New contract | 2022-23 to 2022-23 | 1 | $750K | $750K |
| Aug 25, 2021 | Calgary Flames | New contract | 2021-22 to 2021-22 | 1 | $750K | $750K |
| Sep 28, 2020 | Calgary Flames | Extension | 2020-21 to 2020-21 | 1 | $700K | $700K |
| Jul 1, 2019 | Calgary Flames | New contract | 2019-20 to 2019-20 | 1 | $700K | $700K |
| May 16, 2016 | Nashville Predators | Entry-level | 2016-17 to 2018-19 | 3 | $2.775M | $718K |
Every contract on record for him, newest first, with the team that signed him to it and the day it was signed. The one covering 2023-24 is marked. An extension is signed while the contract before it is still running, often a year ahead. A row with no team or date is a contract known only by its cap hit, most often one signed since October 2024.
2023-24 analytics
Rating
The goals he added to his team's goal difference, compared with a spare-part player given the same ice time. Each part is measured against the league, so zero is an average skater. A full season is about two-thirds the player and one-third chance. He has played fewer than 20 games, too few to be ranked.
On the ice
What happened at five-on-five while he was on the ice. What these numbers mean
These are left plain: he has not been on the ice enough to be ranked. That takes at least 200 shot attempts with him out there, about six or seven games, and a quarter of what the busiest skater has. Over a game or two these numbers are mostly chance.
Who he played with
| Forward line | GP | Time | CF% | xGF% | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liam O'Brien · Justin Kirkland · Michael Carcone | 2 | 8:43 | 66.7 | 55.8 | 0-0 |
| Liam O'Brien · Justin Kirkland · Matias Maccelli | 1 | 1:39 | 25.0 | 94.4 | 0-0 |
| Justin Kirkland · Matias Maccelli · Dylan Guenther | 1 | 0:58 | 50.0 | 0.0 | 0-0 |
| Justin Kirkland · Dylan Guenther · Logan Cooley | 1 | 0:42 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0-0 |
The lines he spent the most time in at five-on-five, with the team's share of the shot attempts and expected goals, and the goals for and against, while they were out. The two shares are coloured as above, against the league's lines that played a fair amount together. Hover over one for its percentile.
Chances and finishing
Expected goals adds up how likely each of his shots was to go in, judged by where it came from, what kind of shot it was and whether it was a rebound. All situations, leaving out shots at an empty net.
Each bar shows the share of forwards he is ahead of, among the 438 who played 300 minutes or more this season.
His goals and his expected goals as the season went on. When the goals line pulls away above, he is scoring more than his chances were worth; below, less.
Where he shot from
Every attempt he took this season, in all situations, attacking the net on the right. There is a dot for each attempt, bigger for a better chance. "Show as heat map" shades the ice by where the attempts came from. Click a goal for its details.
Game log
| Date | Opponent | Result | G | A | P | +/- | PIM | Shots | Hits | TOI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 9, 2024 | vs BOS | W 4-3 (OT) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 07:04 |
| Jan 7, 2024 | vs WPG | L 2-6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 07:23 |