Plethora of not much stuff regarding Gaborik, Parrish, Foster and Walz
Posted on August 13th, 2008 – 3:15 PMBy Michael Russo
Good afternoon from sweltering Boca Raton, where weather.com says it “feels like 99.”
I went down to Miami Gardens last night to check out Misty May’s husband’s Marlins take on the Cardinals. After a hurricane caused a two-hour rain delay, Matt Treanor & Gang pulled it out 4-3 to pull 1 1/2 back of the Phils. I got to know Treanor while I covered the Fish during the lockout, and he’s one of baseball’s good dudes. I also got to do a story on Matt and Misty during Spring Training that year, which was fun.
Four things:
Uno — Marian Gaborik. I don’t expect any news until Doug Risebrough and Tom Lynn return from Slovakia-Czech Republic and give us scribes the minutes and audio tapes from their meeting with Gaborik :). They did meet up Tuesday in Trencin.
Regarding all these rumors that Gaborik’s going to sign with a Russian team any day now, remember there is one massive difference between Alex Radulov and Gaborik. Radulov was going to make 860K and change this season with Nashville. Gaborik has $7.5 million on the table and is year from getting a Brink’s truck load of cash from somebody.
Makes no sense to me, at least for the near term.
Gaborik’s going to make a lot of money in the NHL during his career, whether it’s in Minnesota or elsewhere. I just don’t buy that he wants to play in Russia. Now, does that mean his agents aren’t scoping the landscape? Nope.
Dos: Mark Parrish. He’s got his charity celebrity auction/dinner/concert this weekend and should be closing in on a deal with some team eventually. I talked to a reporter from CKNW in Vancouver today, and agent John Vollan confirmed to him that the Canucks have shown interest.
Parrish just has to stay patient. Remember, two of the teams interested in him have other things pending and he’s Plan B. In other words, if Mats Sundin turns down Vancouver’s reported $10 million-a-year offer or simply retires, Parrish will get an offer. If Radulov indeed does not return to the Predators, Parrish will likely receive an offer from Craig Leipold’s old team.
Tres: Kurtis Foster. Returned to Minnesota with a ring on his finger yesterday. He says he’s getting much better from his broken femur and “almost walking totally normal now.” He hopes to get on the ice for a twirl in September and is still aiming for a Nov. 1 return.
Cuatro: Wes Walz. Proved how gullible I am. Honestly.
Wes Walz actually convinced me yesterday that he was chased by an alligator. I literally almost called the Strib on deadline last night during the Marlins game to get space.
Yes, I am indeed a moron.
It took about a half-dozen text messages before I realized he was kidding. I fell for stuff like, “I didn’t know gators were that fast. I thought I was fast … not.”
Finally, he yelled at me to “take the hook out. I can’t believe how hard you swallowed the hook.”
Anyway, Walz is doing very well getting situated in Tampa Bay as assistant coach to Barry Melrose. Two thing’s for sure: It’ll be a fun year down in Tampa, and I am truly an idiot.
173 Responses to "Plethora of not much stuff regarding Gaborik, Parrish, Foster and Walz"
So it’s hot in Florida?
My sources tell me (ok, I read an internet source, no, not eklund) that the Wild’s going to offer 6 years, $8.2M per, and teams asking about Gaborik’s availability are being shot down.
Wild are going to turn down any and all offers until they know what Gabby’s interest is and what he does with the offer.
Russo - did you know there was a misprint in the last Websters and the word gullible isn’t in there?
So it’s hot in Florida?
BREAKING NEWS…. THIS JUST IN…
Have you heard about the Lindberg baby?
Is that the dancing one from the videos?
Russo - did you know there was a misprint in the last Websters and the word gullible isn’t in there?
Heehee.
Ohh, Rat’s Mouth! Fun.
I like to think that gullible people are just nicer people.
Sincerely,
Queen Gullible
KiPA:
Well, as long as its not Eklund. 
It sounds more plausible than any other speculation out there.
You got the link to that Misty-Matt article?
Wild’s Hockey Blogs tackles: Is Lemaire the father of the trap?
http://boards.wild.com/index.php?automodule=blog&blogid=2&showentry=236
Should be an interesting read.
You suppose Lynn really writes those or he’s got some lackey who does it? He certainly has a candid way about him if it’s really him.
From the hypothetical trivia question department: If Wes Walz would have actually been chased by a ‘gator, how many months would he have gone AWOL to contemplate his abilities to be an effective NHL Asst. Coach????
Not much happening, nobody has anything provacative to write about?
Come on Gabby, sign the dotted line buddy. Thanks for the update as usual Russo! You may be an idiot, but you do keep us informed! 
Sign Gabby sign!
If the Canucks sign Parrish, that would be at least 5 former Wild players that moved to Vancouver after playing for the Wild: Park, Chouinard, Mitchell, Demitra, and Parrish.
Please trade Gaborik soon! Time to end the pain of watching him loaf in the defensive zone until a puck squirts free and then watching him make another stupid move on a breakaway. Overrated!!!
Sunshine, the Avs have done pretty well signing former Wildies too, and heck, don’t they need a winger to replace Brunette?
Next up: Russo is going to Gitmo to interview former terrorist, now Rangers prospect Salim Hamdan, who is said to have a wicked slapshot.
Vancouver.
If you think the Wild have problems, just say that word and it should bring a smile to your face.
Vancouver.
I saw an article on that Hamdan guy. He skates like he’s in quicksand.
Walz — 1
Russo — 0
Does anyone have a clue what that first paragraph is about?
Dos - Sundin doesn’t sign so their next logical choice of who to go after is Parrish?! Pickings must be slim! I mean MP’s a good guy and all but he’s no Sundin.
Tres - Good to hear Foster’s doing well. Thanks for the update on that Russo!
From Tom Lynn’s blog on the Wild message board (thanks for the link sunshine!): It even has some high priests among a cell of the Twin Cities media who need MapQuest to find downtown St. Paul.
zzzzzziiiinggggg!
Yeah, that was the line that I kinda went, “Whoa! Bitchy!” LOL
I never new that plethora meant “four.”
Weird.
*knew
OK. It’s not JL’s left wing lock or neutral zone trap. So tell me Tommy boy, why can’t we put up some goals, eh? Points for his writing skills, but he certainly does come off as brash, arrogant and impressed with himself.
Stoned, we can’t put up more goals cuz we suck and all the goalies are hot.
Or if you don’t like that answer, try this one: The trap won’t HURT a good offense, but it won’t FIX a bad offense either.
Agreed that Tommy doesn’t play well on paper. But I appreciate that they don’t edit it down to the usual corporate blandspeak with no sense of personality.
Just like decimate means “to kill every tenth person”.
Gabby: 5yrs, $41.75 million
Before anyone panics, the above statement was just something I am hoping for, not a news item that I came across. Sorry for any potential heart murmurs it may have caused.
DB, that works to a cap hit of 8.35 per. Would salary be heavy at the end of the contract or about level throughout?
Still, the puts him at #3 in the league for cap hit. Is Gaborik really that good? Or, are we willing to overpay for fear of him walking?
I think Goody asks the all important question. I love Gabby but is he (or will he become) a complete enough player to warrant a top-5 contract?
I do worry that DR’s failure to land Hossa or Jokinen (not that he didn’t try) might make him more willing to overpay. I certainly hope they keep Gabby, for all his flaws he is one of the most excting players in the NHL to watch.
I think in this situation, you have to pay him if that’s what it takes. Is he that good? No. Is he that valuable to this team? I think the team’s performance without him indicates that he may be.
I, for one, would like to see him back. Someone has to get all those lazy Minnesota fans out of their seats. 
DR not getting Hossa or Jokinen had very minimal effect on what the Wild would have been offering for him.
They would have still given him at least $8 million. Elite players like Gaborik who don’t have much significant ties to a team or on a Detroit, you can’t dink them around. If Brian Campbell can get $7 million for 8 years, Gaborik can get more than that. In FA, Gaborik will receive at least $8 million as a starting bid.
And don’t you think that Vinny’s contract would have been $8 million if it wasn’t stretched out for 11 years until he was 39 years old?
The Wild does not have the luxury of stretching Gaborik’s contract until he is 39 years-old because its likely that he will not want to stay with the team his whole career or he won’t play that long.
Ah, but Iggy, if he weren’t here the other players might not expect him to be the scoring man. They might actually work harder to score themselves. I think a lot of our players have fallen into thinking “Gabby’s here to score, I’m here to do other things.” When Gaborik isn’t around, nobody picks up the slack. Without him around (permanently), they’d figure out they’ve all got to pick up a little bit of the slack. Maybe that’s wishfull thinking…
Also, you’d have to believe that DR would replace him with someone or someones.
It’s back to putting all your eggs in one basket. Is that really what wins cups?
Just because someone else will pay a player $8 mil, it doesn’t mean that player is worth $8 mil.
I’d like to add that getting Hossa or Jokinen would have made it easier to re-sign Gaborik. It would save us from all the Gaborik trade rumors too.
True, it doesn’t mean that league-wide he is worth $8 million but on this team and the ones who will give him $8 million, he is worth it.
I do not agree with your speculation into the psyches of his teammates, Goody. Scoring in hockey isn’t exactly a burden players try to avoid. Tell me one hockey player who doesn’t love to score. If anything, having a high-scoring player on your team ought to be more motivation for you offensively.
I hear what you’re saying about DR trying to replace him via a trade, but I think most would agree that the return to the Wild would not be equal in terms of immediate scoring/impact. Maybe 3 years down the road it would be, but that is also a question mark.
And I agree, it’s not a good idea to put all your eggs in one basket. Fortunately, the Wild has more than 8 million eggs.
Gabby was #3 in the Conference in goals a year ago; is truly the team’s only legit scoring threat every game; assisted as much as he scored and was thought of enough by JL and staff to get the “C”. Folks need to relax if he isn’t the shutdown forward that The Quitter was. Gabby is not on this team to shut down the other team’s top scoring line. Gabby is on the team toput 40-50 goals in the net and try to change the complexion of the game with his speed. The “argument” that he struggles on breakaways or in shootouts, so trade him, is laughable. The young core of Schultz, Mikko, Butch and Inglewood Jack is really nice. It will be even better when Gabby signs on the dotted line.
8 mill may be a lot now but in 5 years it’s going to seem like a bargain. Burns may be commanding 8 mill in 5 years (if Campbell is going for 7 mill per now and Burns has the potential to be much better).
On your point about the other players depending on Gaborik, I think the playoffs were a kick to the rear ends that as a team you cannot count on one player to always bail out the team. That sometimes, the other players need to bail him out.
We saw Koivu step it up. I think it was Russo’s article on Burns in which Burns himself said that after seeing Gaborik always streaking to make a goal that he said to himself, paraphrasing here, “why does it have to be Gaborik when I have the chance, I can score and make an impact, too.” That kind of thinking changed his game.
Players need to find it in themselves to step it up and say the same thing Burns said. Bouchard needs to find it and say “Why pass when I have a good opportunity for a goal?”
sunshine, depends on the player also. I certainly don’t want to see Skoula rush up the ice to take an offensive chance with his 22 mph slapshot getting blocked and seeing a 2-1 or 3-1 rush the other way. Burns has the speed to get back, Skoula not so much.
Plus too many blown chances and you could end up in JL’s chateau de bow wow!
Is Nick somewhere in the cities as we speak?
Bandgeek, when you are down on your luck, here is a cheap night out for you and Mr Bandgeek … From the Pioneer Press:
Bargain Corner: 75-cent tacos at Tom Reid’s There’s a 75-cent taco bar from 6 p.m. to closing Wednesday and Thursday at Tom Reid’s Hockey City Brew Pub (258 W. Seventh St., St. Paul; 651-292-9916).
Of course there are limits for some players, but you still want them to have that fire burning to want to score in them.
Walz was known to say that he appreciated Gaborik more when he saw Gabby blocking shots or backchecking. I would like to think that Gaborik appreciates it if other players would score too so he is not pressured to get that tying goal or winning goal all the time. He would still be upset if he wasn’t scoring goals because he is wired that way but if the team is winning, its one less pressure to deal with.
Is Nick somewhere in the cities as we speak?
Yes. Yes he is. But I never heard if there was going to be the guest of honor at a Russoville hazing, er … gathering.
Iggy, in the metaphor, I meant eggs = goals not $$.
I’m just thinking we know that JL demands the guys be defensively responsible. As such, if Gaborik’s playing they may fall into thinking ‘Gaborik will get us the goals, I need to play defensively and avoid coach’s doghouse.’ When Gaborik isn’t there, they may realize they have to put the puck in the net, but if they’ve played game after game after game of thinking defensively (passing, clearing the zone, etc) when they get the puck when Gaborik’s not around their first instinct isn’t to skate it down, shoot and score. Their first instinct is to play defensively - and the goals don’t get scored.
IMO, it is almost worse to have him in a situation as outlined above than to not have him at all.
Essentially you are saying that lacking a more talented player will make the rest of the team better. That is not very logical, but you are entitled to your opinion.
Yes, in certain situations losing a more talented player can bring out different qualities in the remaining players.
For instance, might we see PMB score more goals this year as he will no longer be playing with Rolston? In the past one of his first instincts may have been to carry into the zone, curl back, wait for Rolston to come in undefended and feed his slapper. It was a good play, it worked quite a bit. No more Rolston may = PMB carrying it around the defender and putting it in the net himself.
Yes, our “beloved” NiNY should be at Parade as we speak. Maybe they’ll have the goalies doing yoga and he’ll be able to tell us all about it when he gets a chance.
I say we need to pony up the cash and sign Gabby. Unless of course he asks for the league max then show him the door. You can bet some other team is going to throw the kitchen sink at Gaborik so if he doesn’t get paid here he sure will in free agency. If we can keep Gabby and add another top level scoring threat we could really have something going here. Seriously.
As far as the team picking up the slack if Gaborik leaves… how often does that happen when he gets injured? What is our record without him? .500 or lower.
Last season, PMB only factored into 1/3 of Rolston’s goals just as Rolston factored into 1/3 of PMB’s goals. It could mean that Rolston doesn’t help PMB score as much as PMB helps Rolston.
Also, PMB’s problem is he wants to be the playmaker not the scorer for anyone who plays with him. He needs to be a scorer as much as he is a playmaker.
I wouldn’t get your hopes up of PMB becoming more of a goal scorer. He is and has always been a play-maker first. That is his bent.
I do think he has the talent to score 25+ goals, but I won’t hold my breath.
I think Lucky nails it about the scoring if Gabby is gone.
Someone has to get all those lazy Minnesota fans out of their seats
do the democrats in the 200 level ever get out of their seats?
do the democrats in the 200 level ever get out of their seats?
Are they watching a hockey game?
I am not asking PMB to be a 30 goal scorer. 20-25 goals for him is doable with 50 assists. That is all I am asking from him. 13 goal campaign was very low for him.
I blame him and I blame Rolston for not doing a little more playmaking. Gaborik for all talk about him not using his linemates has done a better job of creating plays over the years — granted he had no where but to go up from where he started. Rolston could have done a little bit more on that end.
Yes, you would think Rolston would have been able to get more assists from playing point on the powerplay.
Just for laughs, and I mean belly-aching laughs
Proposed Trade from Hurricanes poster:
“Ruutu,Pitkanen, Mcbain+ for Gaborik, Schultz, and Foster”
Oh my crap. What an awesome deal!
Ruutu,Pitkanen, Mcbain+ for Gaborik, Schultz, and Foster
We’ll trade you Sydor for Gaborik and Schultz. If that’s not enough, we’ll throw in Eric Godard.
Green*…yes, the 200 level actually does stand up an cheer. We’re just so damn far up there that you cannot see for certain.
Like it or not, Gaborik will dictate exactly how this plays out. The Wild cannot afford to let him get away for nothing and really cannot afford to anger him either. He will get much more $$$ than he is worth no matter where he goes.
Didn’t he sign the current deal after the Demitra trade? Where is his incentive to stay? Nolan? Miettinen?
He’s got to be re-signed before the season…or traded before camp starts.
Bouchard needs to find it and say “Why pass when I have a good opportunity for a goal?”
Ahhh, Sunshine gets it! The very best of the playmakers work so well because they are a legit scorer themselves. It leaves the D in a quandry (look that up in your Websters) - if they commit to the shooter (PMB), he can dish it off to the open man to score, or if they lay off, he can take the shot or play give and go. The trick is to know just what to do in that split second of an instant.
Does PMB have that? That’s the real question.
I spelled quandary wrong too lol! My bad!
KiPA… Completely off the record here, would you go for either of the following:
Gaborik and an 09 1st rounder for Malkin and the 09 2nd rounder?
or
Gaborik for Staal and the 09 and 10 1st round picks.
Ruutu,Pitkanen, Mcbain+ for Gaborik, Schultz, and Foster
Maybe Jesse Schultz and Adrian Foster, but still pretty unlikely….
Why would we need to look that word up, Michael?
Well, we don’t know if we have A. Foster anymore.
Regardless, BNAG, that was pretty funny.
Ha ha, nice one BNAG!
Jesse Schultz and a 12 pack of Foster’s in lieu of Adrian?
Still kind of pricey, maybe a 6 pack.
Versus schedule is out. Here is MN:
Mon Oct. 27 Chicago at MN 7 p.m. CDT
Tue Nov. 18 MN at Pittsburgh 6 p.m. CDT
Mon Nov. 24 Washington at MN 7 p.m. CDT
Mon Dec. 1 Colorado at MN 7 p.m. CDT
Tue Jan. 6 MN at Boston 6 p.m. CDT
Mon Jan. 19 MN at Chicago 7 p.m. CDT
Tue March 24 MN at Rangers 6 p.m. CDT
Tue April 7 Dallas at MN 7 p.m. CDT
Gaborik and an 09 1st rounder for Malkin and the 09 2nd rounder?
No.
Gaborik for Staal and the 09 and 10 1st round picks
Are you giving us two first-rounders or are we giving them up? If you’re giving two to us, maybe. If we’re giving two to you, no. If you’re giving us one and we’re giving you one, maybe. Depends in part on Staal’s willingness to become a winger.
Even the maybes are pretty iffy. I don’t know if I’d want or be able to pay Gaborik what he’d want. That’s like $25M at least for three guys, unless Gaborik takes a big paycut.
per wiki…. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foster’s_Lager
In 2008, Foster’s Scuba was introduced, in which a widget is placed into the can to ensure good mixing. This variant is only currently available in the UK.
Insert your own Skouba humor here…
Hey, stop trading away my Aeros. Even if one of them is on the side of a milk carton…
Here is the full TV schedule — its at the bottom.
http://www.nhl.com/nhl/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=379694
KiPA.. The 2nd one was Staal and Pens 1st rounders for 09 and 10. Staal wouldn’t become a winger, either, so that wouldn’t matter.
They were gonna pay Hossa the same as they would have to pay Gaborik, so I don’t think the salary would matter much, but the real issue is Staal - Pens can’t afford him, Malkin and Crosby beyond his RFA tenure. Crosby and Malkin are signed through 2013, and Staal becomes an RFA end of this year. So, could they afford to keep Staal at 4-5 Mil? Pens currently have 41.9 Mil against the cap for next year, on only 11 players. After this year, someone’s gotta go, and seeing the commitments they’ve made to Fleury, Orpik, Malkin and Crosby, who’s left out?
Gaborik would be cheaper than Malk
I know its hard to believe but the Wild (8) has one more game on Versus than the Pens and Caps (7 each).
Pittsburgh has none on Versus after the All-Star game which means NBC (Nothing but Crosby) will air most of their games.
Sorry, KiPA, just stating a fact here.
Staal’s becoming a winger is dependent on his future in Pittsburgh. That’s something they’re considering. They’ve supposedly offered him 4 years at $13.5M but that’s a starting point.
They offered Hossa less per year than what he got from Detroit. Gaborik’s expected to get over 8. When you get to that point, 1M’s kind of a difference. If they’re allowed to negotiate a contract with Gaborik and he’d fit under the cap, then maybe, but I wouldn’t give up two first rounders AND Staal for him. Not if Gaborik’s the only thing I’m getting back.
Of course Gaborik would be cheaper than Malkin, but so is everyone except what, two guys? Three?
You mention the cap hit for next year, and so your solution is to trade for a more expensive player?
MUP — Gaborik is not going to be that much cheaper than Malkin.
Maybe $300K-$500K cheaper but not more than a million dollar cheaper. Gaborik might be willing to take a two year discount ($7-$7.5 million) for a chance at the cup but he will want his money afterwards.
Its better for the Pens to sign Malkin to his long-term contract.
No problem, sunshine. I’m on record that I hate the overexposure we get because of the sentiment elsewhere: everyone hates Crosby and us just because of who he is.
Crosby and Malkin are signed through 2013, and Staal becomes an RFA end of this year. So, could they afford to keep Staal at 4-5 Mil?
I am confused by this. If they can’t afford Staal, how do they afford Gaborik?
Ms. C…
Little piece on the aero’s zamboni driver…about halfway down. http://www.jhvonline.com/default.asp?sourceid=&smenu=236&twindow=Default&mad=No&sdetail=&wpage=&skeyword=&sidate=&ccat=&ccatm=&restate=&restatus=&reoption=&retype=&repmin=&repmax=&rebed=&rebath=&subname=&pform=&sc=1291&hn=jhvonline&he=.com
Exactly Iginla.
GAGE! Wow, Mitch, thanks for the link!
BNAG said:
“In 2008, Foster’s Scuba was introduced, in which a widget is placed into the can to ensure good mixing. This variant is only currently available in the UK.”
Too bad the widget can’t be inserted in the SKOUBA can as well to achieve proper thinking…
And, Oh yes, I wish he was in the UK…or the KHL…or anywhere but here!
(/end Skouba rant) 
Michael-
Thanks for the laugh and admitting you’re gullible. Walz is still my hero!
You guys have to get over to Nicks blog and read about his travel woes. Poor Nick. But at the same time really funny. Hope the actual trip went better than the packing.
So do you guys think we’ll be able to sign Gaborik or will we be forced to trade him?
Pick a day and I’ve got a different feeling about it. I *almost* don’t care anymore, but I still kinda do. Today I’m feeling like we’ll get him signed.
I just want some closure on this Gaborik situation or many in Wild nation will be going bonkers.
I’m just not looking forward to this dragging on into the regular season. I have a feeling Risebrough might let him start the season without a contract. Don’t get me wrong I keep hoping to jump on here and see an update saying we’ve signed him but Douggie has been dropping the ball a lot lately…
Hey, I was wrong earlier — the Pens have 8 games on Versus.
The Wild has the most games on Versus of all the Western Conference team. The East has Buffalo, Bruins, Pens, and Rangers also with 8 appearances.
If Gaborik starts the season without a contract, at least we have the games to distract us. Now, we have nothing so we are more focused on the contract situation.
I don’t know about that. I think if he shows up without a new contract we are going to hear trade rumors with Gaborik headed to every team possible. He’ll be worse then the Hossa circus last season.
I don’t think that DR will let Gabs start the season without a contract. I really believe he’ll be traded if he can’t be signed.
Gabby will not start the season, at least in Minnesota, without a contract extension. If an extension with the Wild isn’t signed by Sept. 15, he will be dealt. Look for the announcement on the 5 yr, 41.75 million dollar extension on Wednesday, or Thursday of next week.
I wonder if Gabby isn’t here right now. According to the web site he’s supposed to be at Parrish’s charity thingy tonight. Maybe the discussion in Slovakia was to get straight what everyone would like to see and then thye will meet up here when DR and TL get back. I don’t see him playing without a contract extention, no one wants this to be a Hossa situation.
Parrish was on 93 X this morning, I unfortunatly only caught the very tail end of the thing when he was plugging the charity event. I wish I’d caught more of it.
Anyone know when the track and field events begin in the Olympics?
I’m looking forward to the pole vault competition…
Track and field starts today — tv coverage that is.
BG: That’s alot of Minnesota Wild players that are expected back in the Twin Cities. I am surprised that some are coming back so soon. I was thinking they would trickle in starting in the first week of September. Most of these guys don’t have school-age kids either like Bouchard, Koivu, Schultz, and Gaborik.
BG: you can listen to the morning show on their on-demand feature. I’ve used it to listen to Nick Schultz’s interviews.
Ugh. I’m so hockey-starved, I just did the unthinkable and went to Eklund’s site and read some of his nonsense?
How does that douchebag get so many readers to follow his drivel?
I50g: In response to your pole vault link: GOOD CHRIST!
Yes, she’s breath-taking isn’t she Deep Breath?
Unfortunately, I don’t know if she actually made the Olympic team this time around.
Michael up North says:
August 14th, 2008 at 2:09 pm
KiPA… Completely off the record here, would you go for either of the following:
Gaborik and an 09 1st rounder for Malkin and the 09 2nd rounder?
or
Gaborik for Staal and the 09 and 10 1st round picks.
I’d do the Gabby for Staal trade. Because Gabby will not be here in 2009-2010, so we might as well get the max we can in a trade now.
Plus he is only a top 20 player in the league (There is more to being a top player than scoring 40 goals) There is no way he deserves to be paid the same as the top 5 players in the league.
How about a Gaborik, Pouliot and a 3rd round pick for Dany Heatly and Vermette?
HOLY SNIKES!!
That polevaulter makes me feel all warm and fuzzy.
I think I need to quote Billy Madison here …. “so hot, want to touch the hieny”
Wow Iggy. Do we need to stage an intervention? Friends don’t let friends read Eklund…
It won’t happen again, ms. conduct. I am too ashamed. And I feel like I need a shower.
It’s okay, iggy. We all have weak moments. That’s when I turn to my lord and savior, Goalie Fight videos on YouTube.
Oh, well then perhaps I should turn to Jesus. He’s kind of like a goalie…
Hmm. I prefer Hextall, but each his own.
Parrish said this morning that Schultz had to pull out of doing the event due to a family emergency. I had heard earlier in the year that a lot of guys were sticking around the cities more this summer. I know Boogie was because he was doing more with the team docs to work on his back, Fossie was sticking around until the wedding for the same reasons (only his leg duh, not his back).
MsC, any kind of hockey fights are good for the soul when things get crappy. When I got laidoff I watched the You Tube clip of Burnsy pummeling Phenuf like 8 times. Made things feel much much better.
Ohhh, I love that Burnzie. I had a picture from that fight as my wallpaper for the longest time.
My favorite clip is Gaborik’s 5 goal game. I could watch that over and over again. Another one I like is James Sheppard vs. Adam Hall. Not that it was a good fight. I was just so shocked to see Sheppard dropping the gloves so willingly.
I think I’m hitting my Russo’s Rants summer wall.
Anyway, sorry to bring the bad news, but no Stokke in the pole vault in Bejing. I’m sure there’s still plenty of bad pole vault euphemisms and puns that could come into play regardless.
Eight games on VS this season? That’s a pretty good number compared to previous years. I guess they finally figured out that there’s a decent national Wild fan base out there (and they’ve been in the playoffs the past two seasons so that probably helps).
Thanks for crushing my hopes and dreams, toivo.
Sorry. I was disappointed too.
How about a Gaborik, Pouliot and a 3rd round pick for Dany Heatly and Vermette?
Seriously?
It thought maybe that was a joke too, Kevin. Why would Ottawa want to trade Heatley, in the first place? What’s in it for them?
The sports agency training camps start next week, that’s why all the guys are coming back into town.
Sunshine, I thought I saw somewhere that Lundbohm replaced Adrian Foster, that he only had a one-year AHL deal last year.
Claire, I think it was you or another poster who said that A. Foster had signed a 2-year deal last year.
ms.conduct has been trying to find info about A. Foster and his deal because of the NHL.com article and trying to flush out the Aeros’ roster. She got an email from the Aeros front office saying that they weren’t sure what was up with Foster either.
A-Foz is in Bermuda drinking rum swizzles. It’s just a feeling I have.
Now I have The Boys are Back in Town in my head… Hmm. That’d be a good Guitar Hero song.
I can’t wait for traing camp or hockey season…
Yeah, I was wrong on the two-year deal, that was what his NHL deal was supposed to be, but he was released from that, signed an AHL deal, which was one-year.
Gotcha, Claire.
I stand by my rum swizzle theory.
My guesss is he ends up on tryout in another training camp or in the KHL.
Yeah, I think the deck may be stacked against him a bit here with the addition of these 4 new forwards. He seems like a decent guy so I’d rather lose him to some org. that can use him. Time in Europe might not be a bad idea. At the end of the season, there was talk of several guys using the Aeros connections in Europe to get a change of scenery, but as yet, Thelen’s the only one who’s gone.
In Bermuda is better than quitting hockey and joining the circus.
Why all the fuss about Adrian Foster anyway? Kind of mediocre, isn’t he?
He was pretty good in Houston, Iggy. I really thought he might be one of the guys to get a deal with the Wild. But you have a point. The Aeros offensive corps put on a mediocrity clinic most games. Didn’t take much to look good.
KiPA: I think I found your internet source. Could it be
http://www.theinsideronpittsburghsports.com ?
[ Forward Marian Gaborik will not be traded this summer. Prior to training camp Wild GM Doug Risebrough is expected to make Gaborik a 6yr offer in the range of 8.2 million per season. Teams inquiring about Gaborik have been shot down, according to a source. If the Wild don’t sign Gaborik by the time training camp is over then the team will start listening to offers but for now their focus remains solely on resigning their star forward. ]
The Mr wants to know if Cuddy is the Fossie of the Twins? The poor guy gets cleared to return from a hand injury, gets sent down to Minors to rehab a few games and shake the rust off and breaks his foot…. it all reminds the Mr of Foster’s string of odd nose breaks and black eyes.
Michael Phelps 7 for 7 golds! Ties Mark Spitz’s record.
Very interesting and believable Sunshine! Good Old Wally thinks it’s true that it is certainly possible he would have no interest in playing for the Wild when a more complimenting style of hockey exists elsewhere like the Eastern Conference.
One would think that DR believed at one time that by bringing in some Slovakia players like Branko and Demitra he was trying to make it easier for Gabby in Minnesota. No Demitra or Branko now, If DR thought it was important for Gabby to be surrounded by familiar kind and now none exist ??
Reasons to leave
Does not think the coach is best for his game
Eastern Conference in more about scoring and less about tight checking
He will get abused less in Eastern Conference, No Calgary
Gaborick can test his skill amongst the other top flight point getters in the NHL like Crosby, Malkin, and Ovechkin
Nothing attaching him here other then he likes Bruno. No girlfriend I don’t think… you get the picture
Reasons to stay
Fan Loyalty and team loyalty
I dont think much reason exists for Gabby to return unless bigger dollars exist and we doubt this is about the money
I like the grammar Good Old Wally, I can see the English classes have improved your blogging. Nice post Dawg !
You geniuses make a good case for Gabby leaving I will give you that guys. The one problem though is who does DR get in return?
Better yet boys let Mister Know It all tell you how it is
JL is the coach; this year will be back to old time Wild Hockey, except with more talent than the olden days. They will play JL hockey this year or JL likely won’t be back next year. When DR announced JL is coming back you knew heads were going to roll, Demitra, Parrish etc.
Since we know that Gabby will not be going to a team in the western conference as that would be more of a lateral move, you can assume it’s an Eastern Conference team he would be going to. With that in mind what teams in the Eastern Conference would best suit the Wild for a trade ? New Jersey or Montreal comes to mind.
I would not be surprised if the Wild traded for 1 or 2 top notch prospect
Yeah sunshine, I learned of that site at the trade deadline, via a blog that Hockeydad linked to.
Though the guy’s credibility is being SERIOUSLY questioned right now (he said the Pirates signed their top draft pick at 10:30 tonight, but as of 12:22 a.m. there’s no official word, and that they were optimistic about signing their No. 2 pick, while a reporter at a major Pittsburgh paper says neither has happened, even that it was unlikely the No. 2 guy would sign.)
I just saw an interview of Parrish about being bought out. It was on KMSP.
Nothing new just re-iterated that JL never told him what he needed to do better in order to stay in the line-up. He did mentioned that he spent a lot of time meeting with JL and watching videos. What I found a little funny was that he tried to be one of the first to get to the arena/ice early but the some of the other players got up much earlier than him.
He said, “Man, they get up earlyyy.”
The picture in my head is Parrish, Gaborik, Burns, Koivu, Bouchard all setting their alarm clocks 1/2 hour earlier to beat each other. LOL.
He also said that McCabe was going to the Islanders when everyone else is reporting that McCabe is going to Florida.
So either he knows something no one else does, or he’s Eklund-lite.
Well, at least his rumors are a little more based in reality. He’s not saying that the Pens are going after Gaborik or Bouwmeester.
Eklund comes out of nowhere and doesn’t even pass the smell test.
However, it turns out he IS right about the Pirates’ No. 1 pick signing. So he’s got that going for him.
Which, you know, is nice.
Good points, sunshine.
I don’t follow baseball much though I know enough about the Twins to converse intelligently. I am a fair weather baseball, specifically Twins, fan. If the Twins aren’t in the Pennet race, I don’t really watch it. I do know that the Pirates have a nice new stadium and its something that Twins looked at when they were designing their new building.
That’s great that he was signed. I think the Pirates my need him, right? The team isn’t doing too great or am I wrong?
No, you’re quite right. Working on 16 straight losing seasons this year, no World Series wins since 1979. Great ballpark though, and yes, the draft pick was sorely needed.
I only brought up the baseball issue in regards to the TIOPS credibility.
Just a quick question, does the Pirate have a similar fan following as the Cubs and Red Sox
Jarret Stoll and Rachel Hunter are engaged. She married a man who was as old or almost as old as her father. Now she is going to marry a guy 13 years younger. Good for them.
Yes and no. Pittsburgh’s really a fair weather town, except for the Steelers. Pirates’ ownership and management has also been so incompetent and cheap that they’ve driven away a lot of fans from going to the park, but there’s still a large following. The years of losing, and often it’s HUGE losing (they haven’t even sniffed .500 since 1997 when they had a $9 million payroll) has also done a lot to beat down the fan base. And I mean SHEER incompetence. I have so many examples I could write a book.
This signing creates a lot of optimism though. The fans will come back to the park in droves I think once they start winning, which may be soon (and that’s a thought that hasn’t been uttered in years).
Cubs fans are nuts. They just like taking days off from work and drinking, since the Cubs almost always play at home in the afternoon. Red Sox I think also had attendance issues until they started several years ago, though I have no figures to back that up at this time. They’re a bunch of band wagoners as well.
who is 13 years her junior.
Hunter, 38, confirmed her engagement to 26-year-old
38 - 26 = 12?
(She turns 39 next month, but I just find that particularly bit of writing amusing. Maybe they should’ve said she turns 39 in a few weeks.)
$9 million payroll? Are you kidding me? I don’t think even the Twins went that low.
I think the Red Sox have been solid at the gate KiPA. Even in leaner times.
But, no city is immune from attendance problems when losses start piling up.
And, it is one thing for losses to pile up but sometimes teams just plain stink.
Oh, remember awhile ago we were trying to figure out what type of car that Gaborik bought for half a million dollars.
Well its a Porsche. Here is a picture that a Wild board poster found of his new car.
http://www.pluska.sk/images/gallery/sport/2008/06/o_m-gaborik10-4.jpg
Yeah, you’re right, Iceman. Can’t remember where the heck I heard that. They’ve been over 25,000 since 1986, over 30k since 1999.
They’re just way more obnoxious and overbearing in the last few years, and the bandwagon’s wheels certainly collapsed under the weight since 2004 when suddenly everyone was a Boston fan.
[…] in a start up league? Now lets hope that our favorite GM Doug Risebrough can get Gabby signed. Uno — Marian Gaborik. I don’t expect any news until Doug Risebrough and Tom Lynn return from Slovakia-Czech Republic and […]
Morning all…I don’t have much, but this is what I got:
Slightly Stoopid & Pepper Show at Red Rocks:
Tickets - $50
Beer - $40
Limo Driver - $30
Afterbar - $ ???
Tripping on Shrooms and seeing the Lion King spewing a waterfall out of his mouth while Jesus and Mary are making out to the side of him in the rocks at Red Rocks, while they’re undulating and mist is drifting around them - PRICELESS
Sorry if that offends anyone
You live large, my friend.
Michael Phelps 8 for 8 gold medals!
It was destiny Beijing 8.8.08 at 8 pm - Michael Phelps 8 gold medals - Bob Costas.
The wife and I watched all of Phelps’ swims. Needless to say he is a BEAST. Incredible stuff.
Gaborik’s meeting with DR and TL
If all DR and TL did was show Gaborik charts, my hope of Gaborik re-signing just dropped considerably. Are you kidding me?
I hope there was more meat to their 4 hour talk. Someone please tell me I am wrong.
The purpose and discussion points of that meeting reveal that the rumors about Gaborik not wanting to resign with the Wild were true. The question now is, were their stats and indepth discussions on team management give Gaborik a reason to reconsider. DL seems to have focused on the “play for an eastern team” issue and on the “poor team roster management” concern.
Seems the fan base has had a good grasp of this situation. The meeting and time to reconsider before an offer is made is telling. Hopefully they will tell us it worked and Gaborik has signed a major extension.
In 2006, his last contract talks, it was more clear that Gaborik wanted out because he was tired of losing and the owner/mgmt of not spending money to bring in good players. And he wasn’t afraid to air it. He also wanted to play for a playoff/cup contender team.
This time around, its less clear about Gaborik’s intentions. The team has been winning but not winning playoff rounds. He might be willing to chance it with the Wild or he might go to teams where their division is not quite a battle as the NW.
I think it was smart of the Wild to gauge his feelings about where he saw himself in the next 5 years. Gaborik is a totally different animal than say Iginla or Lecavalier or even Ovechkin. Also, different from Burns, PMB and Koivu. I felt strongly that PMB would re-sign but he had alot of concerns. With these guys, there is less doubt about them wanting to stay with their teams.
Gaborik being so aloof and he doesn’t seem to have roots in the community. The other guys seem to have built those roots in their community. He’s been here 8 years but fans don’t really get a good sense of who he is. We seem to “know” Burns, Koivu, Rolston, and some of the other players. Gaborik — shrug your shoulders and sigh loudly.
I think his personality and the revelations of 2006 contract talks help feed into the rumors that he wants out.
I was listening to a Parrish interview on the Matt Thomas show and Thomas asked Parrish about his thoughts about Gaborik re-signing. Parrish said that he hasn’t talked to Gaborik about it but said that Gabby has expressed his like for Minnesota, the team, and playing at the X. However, all that matters zilch. Its cliche talk from all the players.
Also feeding these rumors are that contract talks with Gaborik has not been the easiest either. They have been holdouts and going down to the wire for filing arbitration. Its drama by itself.
And my last point… IMO, for Gaborik, its less about Lemaire and more about where the team is heading and the perception that the Wild can’t attract big name FA. Within the next two seasons, Lemaire will likely retire and will be a non-factor. He might stay with the team on a consulting basis but will still be a non-factor.
*The team has been winning but not winning playoff rounds.*
Surely he accepts some of the blame for that this past season with his mega-disappearing act. Whether it was his hip bothering him or whatever, surely he sees that we can’t have our top scorer so quiet.
I highly doubt they spent 4 hours showing him stats. That was just the best card they had to play, so that’s the one they’re talking about. They’re going well out of their way to make sure we all know they’re trying.
Today’s prediction? Gabby’s a goner.
I don’t even have the wrong insight on the Gaborik situation but I can tell you this: the Wild’s minor league broadcast talent just took a step back:
Former Augsburg College goaltender Jason Shaver, 35, grandson of retired hall of fame former North Stars play-by-play voice Al Shaver and son of Gophers hockey play-by-play voice Wally Shaver, has been hired to do play-by-play for the Chicago Wolves of the American Hockey League. Last season, Jason broadcast for the Wild’s Houston Aeros team
