Gaborik era officially over in Minnesota
Posted on July 1st, 2009 – 7:22 PMBy Michael Russo
(updated: Gaborik unavailable tonight. Jumped on Glen Sather conference call, quotes below)
TSN is reporting Marian Gaborik has signed a five-year deal with the New York Rangers worth $5.75 million per.
If healthy, absolute bargain for one of the game’s great scorers, one who lit up the Rangers two seasons ago for five goals. Put this in perspective. He made $7.5 million last year with the Wild (17 games played), and averaged $6.33 million the past three years.
MAJOR CORRECTION: TSN NOW REPORTS $7.5 MILLION PER…MAKES A LOT MORE SENSE
I think my source was dead-on of Salcer’s 10 year, $75 million asking price, eh? Same contract, just cut in half.
I’d still give Slats Exec of the Year. Gets Higgins and McDonagh for Gomez, and now Gaborik. Like I said, it all depends on Gaborik’s health, but Gaborik is confident the two hip surgeries solves his years of abdominal problems.
Brian Gionta’s signed with Montreal…
Martin Havlat, Alex Kovalev, Alex Tanguay, Nik Antropov, Saku Koivu left. Ales Kotalik probably on the tier right after that (four 20-goal seasons) and Mikael Samuelsson. Ruslan Fedotenko, I put, in a different category because he’s got skill, but not as big a finisher but a proven winner.
But there’s a lot of pressure to get Havlat done if you’re the Wild now.
Sather on Gaborik:
“[Heatley] didn’t fall apart. It was a complicated scenario that we were dealing with. We needed to have more than one ball in the air. I had a pretty good idea he was interested in coming to New York. It took us a very long time to get a deal done, and I’m very happy to get him signed. … We accepted the deal on our terms.”
“Gaborik was the guy we had targeted from the beginning.”
“He scored 13 goals in 17 games. His health was fine. We don’t expect he’ll have any problems.”
“He had a point a game under Jacques Lemaire. It’ll be very interesting to see what he can do under a John Tortorella system. We’re going to have an up-tempo, speed game, and this guy fits the bill to a T.”
284 Responses to "Gaborik era officially over in Minnesota"
See ya!
See ya, Gaby. Don’t let the door hit you in the a** on the way out!
Phew! thought you were dead. jk.
Don’t forget your F1 simulator.
Saku will not qualify as the “big” splash, so I hope they can nail down Havlat.
Lit them up two years ago for five [b]goals[/b]
7.5 per according to Dreger.
Sorry KiPA
Don’t forget your F1 simulator.
POTD.
lol
Your worthless Gabby, That media will eat you alive!
Yeah, I gotta agree. Rangers are looking pretty sharp this summer. On paper at least.
Whoa, TSN free agent tracker has different conract value, saying 37.5 for 7.5 million per. Mistake?
Wow, I did not think he’d head to the Rangers. Oh well… wonder what would have happened if Fletcher had 1 year with him.
How’s that 10 $75 million working for ya now Gabby, should of signed when you had the chance.
Cool - I am glad he went east and the Rags are out of the Heatley chase. Hopefully this clarifies things for Havlat too.
Michael - awesome coverage. Go figure 8 1/2 hours…
Happy birthday to my buddy & hockey mom, J.
haha, now that this has been corrected… good luck Gaborik. You would have had an easier time with that money in LA than in NY, especially the Rangers.
hope the rangers like a play when i want attitude.
na na na na, na na na na, hey hey hey, goodbye!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That kind of money, I’m just fine with a wave goodbye. Course, he is guaranteed to be healthy now.
RoadTripper:
Are you trippin on a certain somethin somethin? Front Office kool-aid perhaps?
All of us who are questioning our offensive options (what is left of them) on day 1 have every right to be concerned when already the best player is off the board.
Cammalleri is gone as well, leaving us with one talented, albeit injury prone scorer in Havlat to pick from. Id say that yes, the criticism and concern is certainly warranted.
Im sorry but Kovalev/Tanguay/Gionta/Antropov are unacceptable for a front office that promised us much more!
Wonder if the real problem here was in
the lockerroom? Don’t think many players respected or liked Gabby’s BS.
Didn’t Walz punch him out in practice
once? I think Wes is a pretty good judge of “hockey charachter”.
Bye Bye Gaborik!
Ah, $7.5MM makes this a bit riskier.
the rangers always look sharp…on paper…
Bend over Wild Fans. Another year of lies and promises. Everyone improves and we sit on our arses again.
wow……. Hossa 5.2? Gaby 7.5?!?! Hossa 100 pts before… Gaby, not so much. And I don’t care if Gaby is younger!
Good Riddance!!
Nice job on keepin’ the info flowin’ today everyone.
A little concerned that we’re out-scoopin’ the Don at times, however. 
Just wait till Gho$t gets a taste of Pronger 6 times a year.
I am shocked tho that he didn’t go west.
Time to do something before the Kings wake up.
ATX:
I said he should take $36-$38 million for 5 years. He got humbled.
Its a lot less in years and terms than what Salcer and maybe what Gaborik wanted.
I hate Risebrough. Gaby walks and we get nothing in return. jerk. worst GM of all time.
@pkne
True very true. And with both Higgins and Gaborik, there’s a fair amount talent with a high injury risk on the roster. But if it pans out, they should be pretty good.
expapre4 :
Look at Hossa for the first 8 years, the bulk of his contract, it averages $7.4 million. Hossa’s deal is a lot better than Gaborik’s.
gionta to MTL 5/25mil
But there’s a lot of pressure to get Havlat done if you’re the Wild now.
I agree but would add or trade for Heatley.
Torts might be blowing his head out because he said on TSN that he wouldn’t want Gaborik on his team as I recall.
Our friend Eklund just said that Heatley has agreed to a trade to the Oilers…
You think the Rangers will be willing to talk trade for Dumb and Dumber?
and Havlat is down to two teams.
No LA or VAN — so that house in Vancouver — wonder if it was a conspiracy to make sure that the Wild really got nothing for Gaborik.
is it possible to get heatley AND havlat now?
So far, I would give Fletcher a big fat F for his drafts and his lack of moves thus far. Sorry, but I can’t see Chuckie doing much of anything to bring us a first round playoff series win this upcoming year…and I had such high hopes.
So Voros starts next year with 10 goals in 10 games, Ghost assisting on all. Ghost blows a hammy, Voros’ well dries up once again, and Sather says, “thanks Smug”.
Look at the musty Rangers roster. They scored less goals than the Wild last year! Who will Grab-the-cash-or-ik skate with– Higgins and Zherdev. Doesn’t exactly sound better than Koivu and Bruno or Nolan? Thanks to Fletcher for not paying that kind of dough for him.
‘Got to believe that if the Wild can’t come away with at least a Marty Havlat and hopefully both him and Mikko’s brother, the free agency signing period will be categorized as extremely disheartening.
Yeah, Mr. Tenderloins didn’t like Jacques, he should just love Torts.
Gabby will score at least 40 goals next year and be fully healthy, thats just how it goes when people leave minnesota for another team. Wonder what Leipold is thinking right now with what he said to the fans the other night as far as the big free agents he wanted to bring in and especially with the Oilers, flames and nucks getting or re-signing big name players.
I’m not surprised after the way Smug treated him.
In short, screw you Doug Risebrough.
Glen Sather looks like a genious….until Gaborik gets hurt. Which I bet happens before the end of November.
Wild officially have NO scorers. Even if they bring Koivu’s brother. They needed to make a big splash. So far, Chuckie is swimming in the shallow end. I will be anyone the Rangers will have more points than the Wild this season.
Havlat won’t go back to Chicago, his money went to Hossa. Heatley won’t waive his NTC until after he gets his $4M from Ottawa tonight, so that doesn’t happen. Then he either goes to Edmonton or stays in Ottawa, and rots on the Sens’ bench.
There is other offense out there, people. Patience is, indeed, a virtue.
So here’s the deal:
Even on a national media level, it’s abundantly clear that there is a tremendous amount of pressure on management here.
So w/o Havlat, there will be some justifiable heat on CL, CF and co.
Ultimately, this team has GOT to get SOMETHING done. And Saku isn’t going to be “it,” I’m afraid.
/rant
‘Got to believe that if the Wild can’t come away with at least a Marty Havlat and hopefully both him and Mikko’s brother, the free agency signing period will be categorized as extremely disheartening.
That’s the best outcome now: Get Havlat, Saku and Scuderi.
He might not like Lemaire or Torts but he plays and most likely won’t ask for a trade.
Slather basically traded Gomez for Gaborik, Higgins and McDonough! Montreal looks horrible right now!
heres to waiting until teams want to “dump” players to make room. this sucks
I predicted AJ Thelen would be a bust….and guess what, Nick Leddy won’t be as bad, but Justin Schroeder will have a significantly better career than undersized Nick. Still give that pick a WTF.
Pronger and Laperriere are going have a field day.
gionta NJ 5/25
Here’s to the Wild’s big SPLASH into free agency. What a joke. We will finish dead last this year.
er, from NJ to MTL.
lol.
Chuckie must be pulling a Billy Smith. Waiting for all the good FA’s to be snapped up and them picking up the bottom of the barrel crap. Just look how great that worked out for Mr. Billy Smith.
The Don just doesn’t post rumors, game on! He has what you might call “journalistic integrity,” which we don’t have to have! 
The two most negative people on here have now said JUSTIN Schroeder will be better than Leddy and the Wild will finish dead last. Credibility anyone?
If we finish last, we probably get #1 pick next year and probably can trade away all our next crop of UFAs at the deadline. It’s a cycle that most teams (other than Detroit) go through.
I can’t speak for the remaining 4 years of his contract but I think Gaborik will do everything he can to stay healthy this season. He wants to play in the Olympics, he’s got to be healthy to do that.
anyone else notice the rangers got brasher earlier in the day? probably what sold twinkletoes on the rangers.
Fletcher is the new Childress.
Don’t worry, Boogaard is on pace for maybe one goal this year! Now we only have to find another 34-44 more, and we will have replaced Gaborik.
Sunshine: sounds like he’ll have to be out the first half resting up then
Gionta $25 million/5 years? Isn’t that a lot?
Not to mention Roloson is now on the Island. He knows all of Gaborik’s moves.
That is an insulting comparison for a guy who has been GM for less than a month. Give him a chance, Minnesota is a hard sell after years of boring hockey.
I know it has been said before, but with the WILD’s luck, Gabor-ick stats with the Rangers will Average for the next 5 years, 75 GP - 40 G - 45 A - 85 Points
WE are cursed. The dill-hole Gabby finally gets healthy (on our team’s medical plan) and now he will hit his true potential playing for another team.
THanks for getting us NOTHING DR, you smug piece of “Burrows”
Everyone is preaching patience. It’s only the first day. I’m sorry, but when the front office states they’re going to make a splash. I expect one on the first day. Not some rocks skipping across the water. You set the expectations. Now is the time to start to walk the walk, not more of the same old regime.
The Don just doesn’t post rumors, game on! He has what you might call “journalistic integrity,” which we don’t have to have!
That’s dead on, WATX. No disagreement there, just wondering how I got that news (from TSN) before he did. Coffee break? Counting vacation hours? lol, jk.
So far, Chuckie is swimming in the shallow end.
This is just ignorant.
Unless you work in the Wild front office, you don’t know what CF has been working on. You don’t know how many irons he’s had in the fire all day.
Justin Schroeder will have a significantly better career than undersized Nick.
Ok. Put the glue down. Leddy is younger and already bigger than Schroeder (5-8/175) at 5-11/179. And he’s still growing, and possibly the best skater in the draft.
We will miss Gabby. I predict a top 10 in points this year. The doubters last year didn’t believe me when I said we would either be 8th or just miss making the playoffs. Wonder if these koolaid drinkers still think the Wild will win the cup this year. Let’s face it. Fletcher has done absolutely nothing, PERIOD. A hanging pinata could have run the club and have been as successful as Fletcher thus far. Sorry, Fletcher is a rookie GM and it shows. And missing the playoffs this upcoming season may seal his fate after only one year. Of course if he manages to make money for Leipold by saving salary dollars (is that there not so secret plan), he will be around for more…ala Billy Smith and the cheap Pohlad clan.
Avery, Brashear, and Gaborik — funny as heck.
So far, Chuckie is swimming in the shallow end.
This is just ignorant.
Unless you work in the Wild front office, you don’t know what CF has been working on. You don’t know how many irons he’s had in the fire all day.
Justin Schroeder will have a significantly better career than undersized Nick.
Ok. Put the glue down. Leddy is younger and already bigger than Schroeder (5ft8, 175) at 5ft11, 179. And he’s still growing, and possibly the best skater in the draft.
Watching Leddy play virtually every home game and being an Eagles fan, I can say that he is good…but NOT a mid first round pick. He is not physical and sure he can skate around high schoolers. Let’s pick up this conversation in 5 years and you will see what I mean.
Hopefully Chuck has something planned.It’s only the first day of free agency but even still it’s heart breaking.I admit I wanted Gabbie gone but we got nothing in return for all the hype
sorry but patience doenst work when all of the best FAs are signed, why trade one injury for another? havlat doesnt do it for me
The flames and canucks must be laughing their arses off at this joke of a team.
I don’t understand people’s angst…we just lost our franchise player and have a completely new regime. We’re going to have to wait a couple of years before we are ready to contend again. Hockey rules…if this stuff makes you give up your season tickets, there are 10 people in line waiting to take them from you.
also not jumping in says more to the potential FAs of the future, why would anyone want to play for a team that wont toss the dice? unless the plan is to wait until the next year to begin, i feel a little betrayed
Also remember Leddy played on perhaps the best EP team ever. He had a great supporting cast. The Rau kid I thought played better than Leddy at times. It was a homer pick, and they chose the wrong homer at that. My opinion, but we will see. That aside, what fantastic move has our GM made. I think someone better put out an APB for Chuckie because he appears to be MIA. Another long and painful Wild season coming up. Sure glad I didn’t waste money on season tickets.
it was reported somewhere that chuck offered cammalleri a multi year deal he just too the offer with the habs…i forget where i saw that…but until players see that his up tempo style of hockey works i agree its going to be a hard sell to get the big name guys to commit to come here
That’s right. 10 more idiots willing to drink the Wild’s kool aid.
HAY GUYS WHY DIDN’T THEY SIGN HOSSA, HAVLAT AND KOIVU TODAY? I AM SO MAD AT FLETCHER. CRAIG LEIPOLD IF YOU ARE READING THIS FIRE HIM NOW!!!!!
GRAAAAAAAGHGHGHGHGH
*pop*
EVERYONE - CHILL! I’m gone. I’ve gone to where every good, no great MN sports player goes - the Boston / NY stage. First, I’m going to hang out with Johan at the ball park - you know, catch a few innings. Maybe an interleauge game between the Mets and the Red Soxs, that way I can see Big Pappa hit and Johan pitch. Then, you know, since it’s the fall, I’m going to hook up with Randy and play a little catch. I’ll throw and he will catch and run like the wind. Maybe have a joint afterwards…….. After that, KJ and I are going to shoot hoops for a while to loosen up my groin. Then, I’ll go and have a skate with Brian in NJ. He’ll help me transition to playing out east, you know, because I’m like going to score a lot more in the east then the west. Have a good season wild! BTW - I LUV YOU SMUGGY!
Havlat seems to be asking for $6M.
And you people who say Fletcher’s breaking his promise to make a splash are funny. For all you know, he offered Gaborik the exact same deal if not better but Gaborik chose to play elsewhere.
GOOD PLAYERS DON’T WANT TO COME HERE !!
This team is blighted around the league. It’s a cancer. Don’t know how it can be fixed.
Call it kool aid or whatever else you want. Fletcher obviously knows more about what he is doing than any of us. Would you rather him spend a bunch of money on marginal players and watch us be the 10 seed. Personally I’d rather go really young, save our money and rebuild for 3-5 years down the road.
Gabby went to the New York Rangers for less money than the wild offered him last fall! It is nice that he left with what pride he still had here. He will make the fans in NY happy now! I wish him the best and hope that he stays healthy and does not ruin that!
craig leipold if u are reading this fire fletcher now. he is a waste of time why didn’t he get hossa and cammaleri today, hmmm? it’s because he’s a loser and worse than doug risebrough. u know this to be true
Hockeerulz says:
July 1st, 2009 at 7:54 pm
We will miss Gabby. I predict a top 10 in points this year. The doubters last year didn’t believe me when I said we would either be 8th or just miss making the playoffs. Wonder if these koolaid drinkers still think the Wild will win the cup this year. Let’s face it. Fletcher has done absolutely nothing, PERIOD. A hanging pinata could have run the club and have been as successful as Fletcher thus far. Sorry, Fletcher is a rookie GM and it shows. And missing the playoffs this upcoming season may seal his fate after only one year. Of course if he manages to make money for Leipold by saving salary dollars (is that there not so secret plan), he will be around for more…ala Billy Smith and the cheap Pohlad clan.
LOL!!!!!!!!!! CLUELESS!!!!
kevin put down the crack pipe.
Sunshine: your 7:55 comment is right on target.
Avery, Brashear and Gaborik…heaven help Manhattan!
gaby is gone — you are too hilarious! Maybe the Minnesota pro sports teams are farm teams for Boston and NY teams?
ANGRY WILD FAN says:
July 1st, 2009 at 8:02 pm
craig leipold if u are reading this fire fletcher now. he is a waste of time why didn’t he get hossa and cammaleri today, hmmm? it’s because he’s a loser and worse than doug risebrough. u know this to be true
BIGGER LOSER!!!!! LOL!!!
Dang you Risebrough. Gaborik leaves and we get NOTHING!!!! And as for Fletcher…better start making some moves or the fan base (yes, even the milktoast Minnesota nice fans) will be in an uproar. We have gone years without a first round playoff series win and we expect this upcoming season to be different. C’mon Fletch…earn your paycheck. Sitting around doing nothing is what Do Nothing Doug Did.
FIRE FLETCHER NOW!!
CHUCK THE CHUCKIE!!
and letting gabby walk for nothing, fletcher is such a n00b why did you not hire someone who knows what they are doing? i know it’s because u want to fleece us all out of our hard earned money. well let me tell u something mister, i am a HARD WORKING REAL AMERICAN and i vote with my pocketbook. goodbye.
For all you know, he offered Gaborik the exact same deal if not better but Gaborik chose to play elsewhere.
+1
Look, the dude just didn’t want to be here. Get over it people.
but Justin Schroeder will have a significantly better career than undersized Nick. Still give that pick a WTF
Unfortunately for the Wild, there was no Justin Schroeder in the draft for them to pick. Any other imaginary people you’d like to see in a Wild sweater?
All the people that are grilling Fletcher for a random quote about a ‘making a splash’ are probably the same people who criticize Chilly for his ‘kick-ass offense’ statement. These are just things that people say to journalists to shut them up…they mean nothing. Let the man do his job, and if we aren’t relevent in 3 years, fire him
I completely agree with your assessment slugrat and was expecting the same message to come from the new front office given the numerous holes that need to be filled. However, that’s not the message they delivered. They said they were going to make a splash. They haven’t delivered, and the fans are tired of hearing this same song & dance for the last 3 off seasons.
Seriously…this is just a total buzz kill. There’s no hope.
OTT keeps Neil - 4 years, 2 per
So far I would have to agree that Fletcher is most like Billy Smith….but let’s give him a few more days before we call him the second coming of that fat stiff Billy Smith.
The third reason why the Rangers shouldn’t have signed Gaborik.
Lemaire might become NJ’s coach again. If he does, he’s going drive Gaborik mad with the trap.
FIRE FLETCHER!!!!
mike u are so smart. get rid of dead weight loser fletchie and get a real gm who can win us a cup next year. we deserve it as minnesotans.
Bye Gabby! Don’t let the door hit you in your glass vagina on the way out! *waves*
Man, the list of people who’s posts I automatically skip over while reading is getting pretty long.
Maybe Hossa didn’t want to come here. He didn’t want to be here when Gabby was. The Wild should have made a strong play for the Pitt defenseman. Gabby couldn’t stay healthy (nobody ever knows if he will)and didn’t want to be here so i wouldn’t get mad at the situation. If the Wild could land Heatly that would be a huge trade, he makes as much as Gaborick now does so why not?
actually, I don’t think Fletcher even bother with making an offer to Gaborik because Salcer likely made it clear that Gaborik won’t be back when they spoke sometime either on Monday or Tuesday.
That’s what Russo reported and what it sounded like in Fletcher’s press conference call.
Fair enough, Tuna…I see your point. But I still believe we need to patient
Not sure about the Habs–Cammalleri, Gomez and Gionta–going quick. Not sure how that will work but at least it’s a theory.
i see all the talented people who should be GM’s and scouts are here on this blog posting and the morons are working right now trying to make this team better
scuderi hasnt signed anywhere yet?
we as minnesotans earned the cup by being good fans and we deserve it now. not in three years, not in two years, now.
i will drive by the xcel center and give u the finger and u will know my rage.
Yes, there was expectations that the Wild would dramatically improve their Roster. Instead I guarantee you that they are sitting on the sidelines hoping to lowball whatever garbage is left. I am beginning to lose faith. And here I was soooooo happy that Risebrough was fired. But our clueless owner hired a rookie GM and rookie coach, so what do you expect. Looks like the ownership may justify this and say we are starting another 10 year plan. Heaven help all Wild fans.
Madden to CHI. Hawks are going to be tough next year
GABBY WOULDN’T HAVE RESIGNED IF THE WILD WOULD HAVE OFFERED 10 MIL A YEAR, HE DIDN’T WANT TO BE HERE, ITS NOT FLETCHERS FAULT!!
FIRE FLETCHER!!! FIRE FLETCHER!!! FIRE FLETCHER!!! FIRE FLETCHER!!! FIRE FLETCHER!!! FIRE FLETCHER!!! FIRE FLETCHER!!! FIRE FLETCHER!!! FIRE FLETCHER!!! FIRE FLETCFIRE!! FIRE FLETCHER!!! FIRE FLETCHER!!! FIRE FLETCHER!!! FIRE FLETCHER!!! FIRE FLETCHER!!!
so it took all of 2 months to turn on CF. lets at least give the guy at least 6 months to a year before we ask for his head on a platter. the offseason is lnger than one day
ok, while i am disappointed so far, i am getting pissed at “the cup” next year crap. that will never happen with a first year gm looking to clean up after someone else’s mess mess (like obama, HA) back to hockey. the reason i am disappointed is that while i understand it is a rebuilding year, can they at least make it look like we are rebuilding?
Yes, Chicago is well run. The Wild…..sigh.
Sounds like the Oil are serious about getting Heatly to give the thumbs up on the proposed trade.
I can’t believe all of the idiots posting here, lol. Go play NHL 09, take a class in economics, business administration, etc. You guys have no clue what you are talking about. Go cheer for Montreal or NYR if you like seeing your team at the top of TSN.
Who is the defenseman the Wild signed for 5 mil, is he any good?
if fletchie cant give us the cup next year he should steal it from toronto and put it in the xcel center because we deserve it.
when mike modano took the NORTH STARS south and away from us, we paid in blood for the cup and we deserve it now.
Why can’t we get Heatly?
chicago is well run now until there is an uproar when Toews and Kane’s contracts are up in the next year…and they are unable to sign long term contracts cuz they wasted their money on Hossa today
Question for all you smart Fletcher backers…..who is going to score for the Wild next year???? They may play wide open, but they still will have trouble scoring and instead of losing 2-1, they will lose 5-2. Going to be a loooong season.
I am with Tuna. He promised a splash. I was hoping for a cannonball-size one and so far it is a dime-sized one.
I think patience is wearing thin as an excuse. Where are our goals going to come from? Jacques is right, we can talk up-tempo all we want, but with this collection, we will get killed trying that…
FIRE FLETCHER!!! FIRE FLETCHER!!! FIRE FLETCHER!!! FIRE FLETCHER!!! FIRE FLETCHER!!! FIRE FLETCHER!!! FIRE FLETCHER!!! FIRE FLETCHER!!! FIRE FLETCHER!!! FIRE FLETCFIRE!! FIRE FLETCHER!!! FIRE FLETCHER!!! FIRE FLETCHER!!! FIRE FLETCHER!!!
what the hell are we going to give ottawa for heatley?!?!
Chicago well run? They need a Sather Gomez to MTL deal in a year or two or they won’t be able to re-sign Kane, Toews, Keith, and Versteeg.
I’m sure glad CF is the GM of the wild and not some of the posters here.
Don’t fret, the Rangers wont win the cup built on a team around Gaborik - he’s to interested in his own self to provide the leadership a cup team needs at 7,5 mil. Good riddance. That said, at the end of the day we are not a better team than we were yesterday. CF still has a lot of work to do.
Can we just fire Johnsson and use his salary for some real players??? And BTW, we DID overpay for Backstrom…thank you Doug Risebrough.
Couldn’t the wild offer anybody aside of Burns and Koivu for Heatley? Maybe you do trade Burns because if he gets knocked out one more time he might have to retire. I heard they want Burns in a trade for Heatley.
zanon couldn’t find his own net with a map and a compass what do you expect from a gm who can’t find his own butt with a magnet and a ruler.
leipold are u reading cuz i know u are just trying to steal are money so why don’t u steal something worthwhile and bring the cup home where it belongs.
i am sure all of you who wanted a splash planned better things for your live but it didn’t work out. fletch had big plans, they didn’t work out. free agency isn’t grocery shopping, people have to want to play here. this team is so bare that its going to be awhile
Gabby is going to have a huge year in New York. Just watch. While Chicago, NY, Vancouver and others are excited about their new, the Wild lost its best player and its GM is probably playing golf somewhere. Welcome to MN, land of playoff losers and fans who accept mediocrity. Until NOW
Its pretty clear that Chicago thinks they can make a run next year. Hossa is long term but Madden for one year, Kane and Toews have one year left. They think next year is a real possibility.
You cannot compare Chicago’s moves to the Wild’s. We don’t have a Toews, Kane, Versteeg, etc. to make a run this year. You have to give Fletcher more than 9 hours of free agency and one draft. DR left him nothing beyond Burns and Koivu.
So far, the Wild look pathetic! Can you say “flyover country”? Losing Gaborik for nothing sucks and if we don’t get Havlat or Heatly (trade), we’re done. Marian got the money he deserved and it’s not his fault!!! Is there now a bounty on Risebrough - idiot.
Lol, what you forget is that Chicago had to go through some rough, and I mean ROUGH times to get where they are. They had to be bad enough to draft Kane and Toews in the first place. A few years ago, Hawks fans where saying the same thing about there team, the Blackhawks….sigh. Now they can say they are well run. I am giving Fletch a break here. I think that 7.5M for a guy like Gabby who cant stay healthy throughout his career is way way too much. Cammarelli, yeah he had a great year last year…but he wont be playing on the same line with Jarome Iginla next year. Lets see him score 39 goals again without Iginla. So far I am dissapointed, but when I sit down and think about it, theres a lot of risky deals out there, and as teams like Pittsburgh,Chicago,Carolina,Washington have shown, you dont get good by signing big name free agents, you get good by the draft and developing players.
i agree with what one fan said on the blog earlier. Zanon and Zidlicky, im going to be catching a lot of Z’s at the X this year in more ways than one!!!
i had a dream last night where the wild lost all there good players and only had bad ones left. i guess it came true didnt it
Gaby was gone before the start of last season. He didn’t like what he saw here in MN. A little too late. Smugga should have been fired last summer.
Can anyone tell me when the Blackhawks got so flush with cash? Did I miss previous Russo blogs saying they were well under the cap? Help…Anybody!
Havlat down to the Wild and Canucks
Ha…Fletcher is failing before he even has GM’d his first game. What a stiff. And their excuse, much like Doug Risebrough’s past excuses will be….we are building for the future….yep…BUILDING FOR THE FN FUTURE. Same old song and dance from that creepy Craig Leipold.
Give Fletcher some time to build this team; we know Craig Leopold has the pocketbook to do it.
No need to panic, unless training camp starts and there’s no Havlat.
Nice post, Kent. Someone who makes an educated post without being a simple minded baboon. Unfortunately, baboons have freedom of speech these days.
chicago is a much better team now i guess ill get out my old roenick jersey if u cant beat em join em rite?
Apparently no skilled players want to come here. It’s going to be like the 9 seasons after the North Stars ditched around here. Pining away for a team to come to town, jealous of those fans who live in cities who have them.
This franchise must be considered the dregs of the league amongst the players.
Chicago is paying very little right now to Toews and Kane. My guess is they will only be able to afford one of them. But at least they have a chance to make a run for the cup this year. And they will be fine for the next few years. Unlike our lowly Wild.
Don’t you wish you were an administrator so you could block people like ANGRY WILD FAN.
the canucks can’t afford Havlat?
Fatboy, Hawks no longer have a goalie.
Look, DR should shoulder 90% of the blame for letting Gaborik go for nothing. Fletcher, 10%, had almost 2 months to get a 4th round pick for his rights.
Fletcher should have gauged to see if Gaborik wants to come back, if not, then ship his rights right after the finals ended.
Listen we are just not that sexy of an organization yet. Havlat is in the power position now.
Nothing has happened thus far that is surprising, so everyone just hang on
okay, so we sign Havlat. If that is our only move…we still miss the playoffs this year. And ENOUGH talk about rebuilding…we are beyond that. Saying we are rebuilding is only an excuse from now on.
leipold when u see me at games this year ill be the one wearing the hawks jersey and canucks hat. c u their!
Eklund saying Havlat down to Wild and Canucks
So….. what are everyone’s thoughts on the best signing of the day? The worst?
C’mon, I’m still at work, and I need something actually interesting to read….
Cmon Wild sign Havlat so we dont miss Gaby so much
This is the saddest I have ever seen this site. You want a cup NEXT YEAR? After we lost our most valuable asset for NOTHING due to the PREVIOUS GM? Please stop being Wild fans, and please stop coming to this blog.
hockeerulz if we sign havlat thats one more stiff on are team why do we want that loser fletchie had his chance and he blew it if u want to make it easy on urself jut send leipold a check for the games ur not going to and go to the park instead. i bet u play better d than zanonball run boy
I really hope the Havlat thing is true, but it was Eklund, so it’s probably not.
LOL. Sounds like another team’s fans are p!ssed, too. hahah.
wyshynski: NEW POST: Lamoriello says he’s ready to spend millions as Free Agent Frenzy begins on Thurs., July 2. http://bitter.devils.fan
If it’s down to Wild and Nucks for Havlat, he’ll sign with the Nucks. Hate the Nucks. Hate.
I mean geez. Oh what if Havlat decided on Vancouver. oh my ! oh my ! This blog will shut down the server with Anger
Gabby got his money, though not what DR offered last fall. He is all about money and nothing more. Say what you will about the Strangers and this weeks moves, but do some serious research on the team and how they have fared under “The Great Slat-ini” and that pretty much says it all. Gabby will have a full wallet though. Proof that the Stanley Cup means little to this player.
seanus yes we deserve the cup now we paid in blood when mike madano stole the north stars.
I hope this greedy pig breaks both his legs in his first practice session. What a complete jerk. See you later you over hyped hack!
I know it has only been day 1 of FA, but since we didnt land any big fish, would the Wild be better off just blowing the whole thing up and starting over?
We have a lot of tradeable assets without that out of control contracts. I think they need to realize that coupled with the moves of the other teams in their own division, the Wild looks to be a last place contender with Colo. this upcoming season.
Why not start it over, that is a clear path, and while not exactly desireable, it provides CF with a little more breathing room, and time to put HIS stamp on the team.
So long paper crotch! Don’t split your sack in NY little buddy.
OK, let’s hear it:
Havlat + Saku = Decent Day 1?
I was really hoping we would pick up a top line talent not named Havlat. Now it seems he may be the only option available. I’m feeling pretty disappointed. :-\
If the Mild are hanging on Martin “Mr. Salty” Havlat as the “ANSWER” then they are fools. There’s no hope.
HELP! Somebody tell me what’s good about this state. Sports suck, taxes are brutal, we finally got our 2nd Senator (took nearly 8 months!) and it’ll be snowing soon!!!
Hockeerulz,
We lost 80% of our scoring over 2 years and got nothing in return for it. Our coach quit and our GM got fired. We are the definition of rebuilding.
wiener at least gabby can find the net with both hands and a map who cares if he only cares about himself he was the only good player we had and now feltcher let him go its time to fire feltcher
WildinATX, I would say the best signings were Mike Knuble to WAS for $2.8 mil per yr and Marian Hossa to CHI for $5.23 mil per yr.
While there were no ‘worst’ signings, I think Mike Cammalleri (to MTL at $6 mil per yr) was overpaid. There’s no guarantee that he can be a consistent 40-goal scorer.
Scuderi
Havlat
Saku
Scuderi
Havlat
Saku
Late afternoon they were skewering Bob Gainey on the TSN blog. Since then they have added Camelieri and Gionta and the heat is off. Lets hope the same thing goes for Chucky Baby.
Who plays more games next year: Gho$t or Havlat?
Kent had a good post several posts ago on the blackhawks. they suxed for how many years until they hit gold with kane and toews. so, we wild fans have been lucky since the beginning with our team making the playoffs, especially the great run of 03. I would cut chuck some slack - as much as I want to see the cup next year, I’m also a realist who knows that the team needs some rebuilding - and the best way is via picks / prospects. Smugga screwed us, the fans with giving up picks for players of questionable talent. so, everyone relax and let the process work.
I can’t beleive how stupid some of you are!! I am disappointed this is coming from Minnesota fans…
Sell out! I hope you fail in New York!
anyone happy to see gaby go is not a wild fan; pure and simple! havlat and saku now a must and we will have to over pay.
who cares who plays more games it wont matter neither one will play for the wild so who cares.
question is how many games these stiffs manage to win
i give them 5 if their lucky
FW99: If Gaborik was all about money, he should have taken the Wild’s deal last fall. It wasn’t all about money.
I was ripped earlier for being “disappointed” at the Wild’s slow start. I acknowledged it was early, but I still was hoping for something more.
As Russo has pointed out, the appeal of free agency is that teams don’t have to give up resources (players, picks) to get players. Well, the Wild are in a position now where that is about the only thing they can do to actually improve (replacing Gaborik w/Havlat is a wash at best).
Zanon replacing Skoula is mediocrity for mediocrity. Bottom line is that as of right now, we are worse today than we were yesterday.
I wonder if Ranger fans wish their team had been as patient as the Wild has been?
Russo — your source wasn’t as good as me. I said $36-$38 million/5 year.
we will have to over pay
More grist for the Johnsson contract haters club mill
ANGRY WILD FAN
Do you really have nothing better to do? All this complaining is pathedic!! Give the man some time!!
i am embarrassed for minnesota that you arent in front of the xcel with torches and pitchforks
Agreed, rothmeier91. Cammalleri could be a good signing, but probably overpaid.
It’s kind of amazing how many people here think they understand what’s gone on today. Anyone see the stats TSN put up regarding the results teams have gotten from July 1 signings the last 4 years? A big splash today does not equal success this year.
It’s obviously a disappointment that the Wild haven’t landed a top tier UFA once again.
They can still add some valuable assets.
Hossa was really the only top guy they had a shot at. Seriously, would you have chosen the Wild over the ‘Hawks? Me either.
Gotta see where it goes, but, this isn’t a ’splash’ yet.
From Eklund
The Oilers brass are arriving in Kelowna as we speak to meet Heatley. IF it falls apart I am told that the Wild have a shot still. UNLIKELY
UPDATE: Sather quotes.
“His health was fine. We don’t expect he’ll have any problems”
Hmmphh. Sounds familiar.
Question for all you Wild Apologists on Day 1:
Where is the best store to buy your kool-aid at? Cub, Byerelys, Whole Foods? I’d love to know and be in a blissful wonderland like you guys too!
It’s quite apparent that Fletcher is way in over his head. They should have hired an experienced GM and an experienced Coach.
This (today) is just more BS from a sleazy franchise.
I had a pretty good idea he was interested in coming to New York. It took us a very long time to get a deal done, and I’m very happy to get him signed. …
Very long time??? Well, you had better not mean longer than 8 hours. Does the term “tampering” mean anything to you???
don’t feed the trolls
FIRE FLETCHER!!! FIRE FLETCHER!!! FIRE FLETCHER!!! FIRE FLETCHER!!! FIRE FLETCHER!!! FIRE FLETCHER!!! FIRE FLETCHER!!! FIRE FLETCHER!!! FIRE FLETCHER!!! FIRE FLETCFIRE!! FIRE FLETCHER!!! FIRE FLETCHER!!! FIRE FLETCHER!!! FIRE FLETCHER!!! FIRE FLETCHER!!! FIRE FLETCHEATER!!!
Oh I see….we should wait 10 years for a cup. Sorry, not buying it anymore. Let’s make a good run this year, and perhaps next year might be our year. If we have no hope for this, all of management should be fired. And why is Tommy Thompson still around. He looks like Billy Smith and is a waste.
Angry Wild Fan:
Did you forget this is the land of the Finns, Swedes, and Norwegians. We don’t get easily excited — I think we are more stoic — so don’t expect us at the X with pitch forks.
I didn’t think it possible but the Mild might now be even more irrelevant than the Wolves.
I really hope the Wild do not sign Havlat just for the sake of making a splash. Big mistake the guys is as fragile as they come. Hopefully, we can get Koivu and Scuderi to come here than maybe look into a trade or two involving Harding. I wouldnt mind getting Afinigenov as long as he comes on the cheap, and hope he plays like he did the previous seasons before last.
Feed Me….Hungry…Feed Me…Hungry….Ahhhhhhhhhh…..’URP’
From Eklund
The Oilers brass are arriving in Kelowna as we speak to meet Heatley. IF it falls apart I am told that the Wild have a shot still. UNLIKELY
Why COULDN’T this happen? I mean, it might cost us Burns, but still, if Heatley says “no,” why not go for it?
…Especially if Havlat has signed elsewhere by then.
Thoughts?
sunshine says:
July 1st, 2009 at 8:44 pm
Angry Wild Fan:
sunshine…
no no.
leave the trolls be. they’ll be gone in the morning.
how come mike hasn’t called us lemmings yet?
I’m starting to see why very few of the regulars are on tonight.
OMG, I don’t think I’ve seen so many trolls in my life. I can barely read this thread. Not even twelve hours into free agency and all these nutjobs come out of the woodwork calling for the GMs head. Makes me pine for the good old days of MKiA and his inane rants.
Seriously, this looks like the Strib Viking blog now.
Good riddance to Gaby, I can’t wait to see the fans and the NY media react when he misses his first game due to a sore groin.
Havlat would be nice, but an injury risk as well. I do not want Heatly, he is trouble and we would have to give up too much (not that I want him to go to edmonton).
I bet Voros told Sather that Gaborik was interested in the Rangers. They do text each other often.
Just like I am sure Schultz and other Wild players told Wild mgmt that Bruno was interested in coming back. That’s not tampering.
How about this — If Lemaire coaches the Devils, Lemaire vs. Gaborik? LOL!!
Jimlove,
A dissenting opinion does not = being a troll.
It is an honest question (with a hint of sarcasm) to all the apologists who always find a way to agree with Wild Mgmt.
It was them, not us, who promised “a big splash” in the FA period. And now, when they clearly haven’t, we can’t criticize their lack of signings? Please.
Pewterschmidt: Where have we heard THAT one before?
kj: You actually expected…Hossa? Supporting this bunch?
Rangers can enjoy Gho$t now…and his wonky groin…
Did you forget this is the land of the Finns, Swedes, and Norwegians.
Uh, did you forget about the Germans? Better double-check that one.
I know it’s the end of the Gaborik era, however I can’t help but notice how we are talking about Gaborik and NOT what new players we have signed to replace him along with other positions…obliviously besides Zanon which was a good signing. I was hoping we would have signed a few guys by now. I’m tired of being patient with this team, it’s just aggravating to me at this point.
Am I dissapointed? Yes, I am I am not going to lie. I even said as much in my previous post. Only having Greg Zanon to show so far is dissapointing, no way around it. But you have to put things into perspective a little bit. Sedins…resinged, not much Fletch could have done. Boumeester, Calgary had his rights. Hossa, that 12 year deal will look really bad when Hossa is 37 years old while Kane or Toews whichever one they have to let go is still tearing up the league in their prime. Cammarelli, before last year, he was an average at best player, who had a monster year because he played on the same line with Jarome Iginla. Doubt he comes close to those numbers again. 6M a year for a guy who has a great year in a contract year while playing on a line with a top 10 forward, ah no thanks. Who on the Canadiens rivals Iginla? Exactly. Gaborik..too much money for a one dimensional player who is always hurt and isnt a team player. Oh and one more thing, about the Hawks, it’s going to be pretty hard to win a Stanley Cup without any goaltending…as Washington saw last year. You can have all the scoring in the world, but you cant rely on your team to score 5-7 goals a night, which is the Hawks situation now. Cristobal Huet…(trying not to laugh)
Hoping for havlat koivu and scuderi*sp at this point in time.
Lets look at the havlat situation.
Team Selling points
nucks= twins, luongo, JORDON schroeder
wild= koivu, burns 3rd and 4th liners
Day one is coming to an end still hoping. Season isn’t for a few more months!
So far it looks like the wild are going to have a tough time.
Some teams certainly have made a big splash
Nope, Pittsburgh won via the draft and smart moves. Guerin was a great FA pickup. Detroit added FA’s and they played well. Don’t give us crap that FA signings don’t matter. One thing IS for certain. You miss the playoffs the prior year…and you lose your best player, and you sign no one else…means you will suck even worse this year. Thank you Fletcher you lazy POS.
For those of you lambasting “AngryWildFan”, stop for a moment and ask: is he a season ticket holder doling out bucu-bucks for this crap? I am!!! And at over $7500/year for two seats for now 8 years… he (and I) have the absolut right to bitch. Get it???
I didn’t think it was possible, but I think the Mild are on their way to being more irrelevant than the Wolves.
Me no leave, me like Kool Aid! Me no sleep, feed me!!
I remember a Nanne telling Barriero that when the Rangers played the Wild the last time at the X, Sather told him that he covets Gaborik. Guess Sather got his wish. Let’s hope he doesn’t get buyer’s remorse in a couple of years.
Why COULDN’T this happen? I mean, it might cost us Burns, but still, if Heatley says “no,” why not go for it?
Too much. Burns is young, has a huge upside and could really blossom. Pick another asset. I wouldn’t say too many people on the team are untouchable, but Burns comes pretty damn close.
FIRE FLETCHER!!! FIRE FLETCHER!!! FIRE FLETCHER!!! FIRE FLETCHER!!! FIRE FLETCHER!!! FIRE FLETCHER!!! FIRE FLETCHER!!! FIRE FLETCHER!!! FIRE FLETCHER!!! FIRE FLETCFIRE!! FIRE FLETCHER!!! FIRE FLETCHER!!! FIRE FLETCHER!!! FIRE FLETCHER!!! FIRE FLETCHER!!!
FIRE FLETCHER!!! FIRE FLETCHER!!! FIRE FLETCHER!!! FIRE FLETCHER!!! FIRE FLETCHER!!! FIRE FLETCHER!!! FIRE FLETCHER!!! FIRE FLETCHER!!! FIRE FLETCHER!!! FIRE FLETCFIRE!! FIRE FLETCHER!!! FIRE FLETCHER!!! FIRE FLETCHER!!! FIRE FLETCHER!!! FIRE FLETCHER!!!
FIRE FLETCHER!!! FIRE FLETCHER!!! FIRE FLETCHER!!! FIRE FLETCHER!!! FIRE FLETCHER!!! FIRE FLETCHER!!! FIRE FLETCHER!!! FIRE FLETCHER!!! FIRE FLETCHER!!! FIRE FLETCFIRE!! FIRE FLETCHER!!! FIRE FLETCHER!!! FIRE FLETCHER!!! FIRE FLETCHER!!! FIRE FLETCHER!!!
Alex- the question i ask is 7.5 mil market value anymore for heatley ?
Everybody lay off Fletcher. Those free agents that signed no wild gm could have nabbed. It was quite obvious to me and I am not on the inside that Havlat was our best bet.
I no longer like the Wild to get Heatley- Why you ask ? The Wild dont have the assets to part with. Its just going to make matters worse.
I have said to everyone what the solution is to what the Wild need to do to add offense and when I say it everyone throws rocks
Dont give up important assets now. Be patient and land some big time veteran guys like Nolan. Example, Sundin, Sakic if healthy, Will Jagr come back ? and Finally Mike Modano whom is a no brainer. Get two of these types of guys and keep your assets. Maybe two for the price of 7 or 8 mil or get
Havlat and 1 of these guys
Love those posting excuses. Bottom line…the Wild are a worse team now that they were when the season ended. They will miss the playoffs and Fletcher and Leipold will shove the “rebuilding” word at us yet again. Not buying it. We are no longer rebuilding. We are BUILDING a playoff team to compete this year, and make a serious run next year. If the Wild say this is not possible, fire em all and bring someone in that can make that commitment.
Kent, I appreciate the outlook. I don’t think any teams have the cup locked in with any of the moves right now. In fact, the Habs fans have to be going crazy. Pure insanity for some of their moves.
Mister KNow it all….thank god you are not the GM. If the Wild made those moves, they would be old and suck instead of just sucking.
Michael Russo - wow. Thanks for the updates and your tireless efforts.
Teams may not have the cup locked up, but right now the Wild are locked OUT of any playoff run. Fletcher is in WAAAAAAYYYY over his head. And I blame Tommy Thompson as he has proven to be a do nothing staff member as well. Why the hell did they keep that dead weight.
Eveleth Boy- Bitch if the Wild dont spend money up tp the cap. You can Bitch but what does it matter if they are doing the best they can do
seriously where are all of these trolls coming from?
Rolotomasi is clearly doug risebrough, what with already calling for fletcher to be fired?! come on doug, your time here is over but someone else will hire you, calm down.
1) the draft was solid. 2) Zanon and Brodziak are improvements on Skuola and Fritche. 3) the season start is a long ways away, so calm down and see how it unfolds.
– For those of you lambasting “AngryWildFan”, stop for a moment and ask: is he a season ticket holder doling out bucu-bucks for this crap? I am!!! And at over $7500/year for two seats for now 8 years… he (and I) have the absolut right to bitch. Get it??? –
No. That makes no sense. We pay well over a $1,000 to go to one game a season between tickets, airfare, hotel, food, etc. If you don’t want to be a season ticket holder, don’t be one. It’s pretty simple. There are other options for entertainment.
… Man that particular argument drives me crazy.
FAIL
I wonder how appealling MN is now to even Saku? Is playing with a brother (and the pros/cons associated with doing so) worth more than playing for a cup-contending team?
Russo, can you get Wild player reactions on today’s events (lack thereof)? It’s evident by their quotes the past few days that they too had some expectations (see your article on Mikko from today).
Super food.
Russostrib: Star Tribune sources: Wild close to signing free-agent Martin Havlat; negotiating with Saku Koivu #nhl
At least with Gaborik we had a chance to make the playoffs this year. Now we have NO scoring…and adding a single scorer only means our opponent has a single player to shut down, much like they did to Gabby last year. I was truly expecting the Wild to sign Gabby and another big scorer…and if Gabby left…2 big scorers. Get your head out of the sand fans…going to be a long season unless Fletcher can come up with 2 big name scorers for next year. If he only gets one, we will miss the playoffs and teams will find it very easy to shut us down…much like last year.
Havlat ‘close’ to signing with the Wild…
i will be here as long as it takes to get the word out that leipold only bought the wild to make money off us. just send him some cash and hell run away back to hollywierd and we can get some real gms in here not feltcher and his fools
new post on russo twitter…this could be good!!
Hockey rulz- you miss the point- The team needs scoring and in time they will get scoring that will fit the type of team they want to become. Until then you dont start getting crazy. Short term contract with skilled offensive veterans. Get the top power play in the league in place and that will win you games
These Vets are not replaceable on the power play
If I were Havlat, I would wait to see if the Wild have any other moves in hand. And for the record, Havlat is no where near the scorer or player Gabby is. He is above average and benefited from the players around him.
Basically Wild fans want a Stanley Cup team without going through the growing pains that other successful teams have had to go through. And no, last year doesn’t qualify as a growing pain. I am talking about having 5,000 people for your games like the Hawks and Caps did for a while while winning maybe 20. Or being talked about moving the team like the Pens fans had to go through. Wild fans want the reward without the sacrifice. Lets say the Pens took the lets go spend tons of money on free agents plan. Well now they would be unable to afford the core of young guns that won them the Stanley Cup. Chucks planning for the future. Koivu is a UFA in 2 years as is Burns. They are the heart and soul of the team. He doesn’t want to invest tons of money into players unless he feels the money is worth it. Zanon may suck, but at 1.93M a year its a risk worth taking. A lot better risk than paying Cammarelli 6M a year to find out that his year last year was a fluke based on playing with Iginla and playing for a contract.
In time…what does that mean…another 3 year rebuilding project. Sorry..not buying it.
Wow, this is insane. I don’t know, I think some people here nbeed a reality check. Sure, we’d all like the Wild to win the cup next year, but the reality is that they’re really far away from that, and doling out huge money for a top flight guy will only result in cementing this team in cap hall and constant 7th place finishes. This team needs to clear out its overpriced dead weight, add real assets so the team is a legit three lines deep, and THEN go pay big money for the guy you think will put you over the top. The people that say start with the big name are no different than when McHale said they’d put in the parquee floor first and then build the tradition. This team is NOT close to being a real contender, and it’s certainly not one big player away. There is no point in overpaying now to land a guy that will be aging by the time this team is really ready to compete. Havlat would be great because the money shouldn’t be too steep, then add SCuderi (who I think would be a great fit) and a center, possibly Saku but only if he comes on the cheap. That’d be a good start.
Havlat will be a nice pickup. If he can stay healthy that is, but we’re used to it. 
WATX:
Actually that does have some merit. A season ticket holder is the most coveted ticket buyer in all of sports.
If they werent valuable, why are we constantly being bombarded to buy Twins/Target field tix, T’wolves tix for 5$, etc.
If there were no season ticket holders it would be nearly impossible to run a sports franchise in todays modern era.
You may not agree with him, but EvelethGuy does have a point. And the way E/G can make his? Dont renew and let the front office know why.
Again Hockey rulz. The Wild were one scorer away from making the playoffs last year. The players thay have are one year older and the Wild will have before the year starts two more guys that can score goals. According to last years results that should get them in the plyoffs
The funny thing is that my dad is a Pens fan, and a few years ago, before Crosby I went on the message boards for the Pens and fans where saying the same thing that there team should spend spend spend, dont worry about the future, spend for now. The GM preaced patientce. Well guess who was right? If we Signed Gaborik and another big scorer, goodbye Burns or Koivu in 2 years.
I know folks here appear to have more patience, but we need to hold Wild management and owner accountable. Are they going to reduce ticket prices this year because they are REBUILDING. No way. They need to commit to saying they are building a playoff team this year that will make a run for the cup. If not, charge us AHL ticket prices.
WildinATX,
That argument may drive you crazy, but it is completely legit. The team is alienating people who are willing to spend that kind of money, but as this continued level of avg play continues, I don’t care how cool the environment is, less of these people are going to be willing to do so (check out the hoops team across the river). You seem to presume that people who stop buying these tickets will be replaced by others; no guarantee on that. Drop in quality of play = drop in attendance = less desireable place to play = worse play = less revenue = less spending.
So, Fletch will have to prove his metal via the draft and now probably has a three-year window to do so - just blame it on DR, right?
Oh, did you all see that the Wild got the top-rated goalie in NA in the third round? That’s right - he was so coveted, he was picked 77th! That’s what we are hanging our hats on for this draft.
Kent, You clown check Cammalleri stats before you mouth off about his unusual “monster year” which was 2 points above his last full season. Ignorance is bliss,eh? $6m may be too much but the facts have tripped you up.
I heard that one year older crap last year. And it didn’t pay off. One year older does not mean better. Again…who is going to score for the Wild next year???
Why in the world would the Mild rebuild with young talent for a run in 3-5 years? They can’t sign their own people NOW, what makes you think things will magically change then? No one will want to come hear as long as the wild continue to sign retreads and left overs. Glad I gave up my tickets.
hmmmm….why does signing Gabby mean losing Koivu. We can dump Johnsson high salary in a year or so. Other teams can sign and manage talent. The Wild management needs to be help accountable to do the same.
Eveleth Boy, calm down. Maybe you should consider that you are pretty fortunate to be able to afford season tickets in the first place when many people these days dont even have jobs. I cant afford season tickets. I’m not poor, it just doesnt fit my budget. You’re lucky, quit your moaning, no one is forcing you to renew your ticket package, if you dont like the Wilds moves dont renew, simple as that.
Mister Know It All says the Wild are doing “the best that they can” and therefore “bitching” is taboo. Hello? If you pay a pretty penny for a conert and the performer sucks (but did his/her best!), you’re going to walk away happy and proud??? This state is messed up!
My family company was a season tix holder for the Twins (2 seats/most expensive price category) from 02-07. They decided not to renew after we traded Johan for a pile of beans, Garza for Delmon, and let Hunter walk.
Even Twins President, Dave St. Peter called our company ticket rep on 3 different occasions to try and get us to re-up!
He was told that when the Twins start putting $ back into their team instead of gutting it, then they could expect our $ again. So far 2 years and counting with no tickets….
Yep, right now I can’t see the Wild making any moves that will lock them in the playoffs. I am just waiting to hear the spin spew out of Leipold’s and Fletchers mouth stating what a wonderful draft and FA signing period they had. And then we will hear about the rebuilding plan. Well I don’t plan to pay for tickets to a rebuilder. Did that in the past. After 10 years, I want to have the excitement of a playoff contenders…I mean seriously…is that TOO MUCH TO ASK???
food
Hey Kent, here’s the deal: We had to renew on March 20th! Let me remind you what that means. At that point, the Wild still had a remote playoff chance and Dougey and Jacquey were still in place (not my liking). We “renewed” under the assumption of management and coaching changes that ultimately came true. Now I’m in for 2009/2010 and have the absolute right to bitch because I can’t get out! Had season ticket renewal been due today, you can bet your uninformed ass I wouldn’t renew (nor about 10,000 others)!!!
Hey EB, that was still when Smug was in the hot seat. Were you happy then when he was busy getting rid of our draft picks, overpaying for third line players and letting some of our assets walk with nothing in return?
And you still ponied up.
Michael, I guess it’s time to change the strips banner ad - Who ever does your graphics photoshop a group of pics of mikko, backs, burns, and todd’o………
Hey Niveous, I assumed he’d be gone (and I was right)! That said, I didn’t expect to be dealt such a dose of reality today of the loser state that we are.
allan muir from si.com:
• 7) Greg Zanon to Minnesota (three years, $5.8 million): An underappreciated element of Nashville’s defense corps, Zanon is an old-school warrior. He won’t contribute much to the offense, but he does all the little things that help a team maintain control of its own zone. He’s smart positionally, plays a disciplined physical game and ranks as one of the league’s most fearless shot blockers. He’ll be a fan favorite in Minnesota.
Your kidding right? You expect whomever the new GM to come in here, pull out a magic wand and cure all the Wild’s woes within a few hours of FA period then, right?
News flash, the Wild probably are going to have a rough year next year. You can’t spend your way out of problems like this or you end up like Tampa Bay.
Niveous, did I say anything about the new GM making the Wild a playoff team immediately? I did’t think so - apology accepted! However, I did expect a notable FA signing with the departure of Gaborik. Is that too much to ask for???
Is there a full Moon tonight? Every tom dick and harry is crawling out from under the rocks tonight. CF is dealing with the last few years management mistakes. Get a grip, take a deep breath and exhale people. Then crawl back under your rocks.
