Star Tribune Sources: Wild close to signing Havlat, working hard on Koivu
Posted on July 1st, 2009 – 8:55 PMBy Michael Russo
UPDATED WITH CONTRACT TERMS
According to multiple NHL sources, the Wild is close to signing dynamic free-agent winger Martin Havlat. I’ve confirmed through sources it will be a six-year, $30 million deal. The $30 million will be the richest in franchise history, the term will be tied with Nick Schultz for the longest.
Havlat, 28, scored a career-high 77 points last season with Chicago in 81 games. It’s unclear as to whether this gets done tonight or in the wee hours of the morning, but I have been told by impeccable sources that Havlat has cut his list to one team — and that’s Minnesota.
According to sources, the Wild also continues to be in negotiations with free-agent center Saku Koivu, although it’s unclear how close that is. Because of the time in Finland, it could go into tomorrow.
The Wild and Havlat’s agent have been working on this contract for hours.
200 Responses to "Star Tribune Sources: Wild close to signing Havlat, working hard on Koivu"
ok
Again,
Havlat + Saku: enough?
Chime in!
About time… now bring on saku and tanguay and fedotenko
Good. I’m happy for the potential for my team, but also so the f-in trolls can go away.
Maybe now all the impatient clueless dopes who’ve been whining all night will shut up. Where are all the regulars that actually have a clue?
At least havlat appears to be a team player even if a bit fragile. If we can add Saku I think we will have two solid scoring lines.
saku has no gas left in the tank
For year one, plus potential trades later… Yes, enough for me.
I’m waitin for the hatin now.
AWF: are you drunk?
ANGRY WILD FAN says:
July 1st, 2009 at 8:59 pm
o boy now we get more stiffs martin havnothingleft and $aku koivu. yea a gimp and cancerboy. thell go good with zanonball run boy
That is not cool in any way.
Havlat + Saku: enough?
Depends on the cap hits but that looks like par to me. I do like the whole Zanon fills too.
Guess Russo will still be talking about injured groins.
Havlat is good. Let’s hope he can stay healthy, too.
game on!,
I think it is in the area of what I was hoping for. I never thought we had a chance at Hossa and I’m glad we didn’t give him what the Hawks did, Gabby was gone, and Cammelari didn’t do much for me.
The key is that hopefully these deals if they happen will not hamstring us going forward. That will give us an opportunity to take advantage of teams needing to shed some salary.
Ok, now we are getting somewhere! And once Saku is in, we will be on a good track!
For content: I fully approve of Marty and Saku.
AWF: Drink bleach.
Now life is better again everyone
Havlat will be a decent replacement for Gho$t.
I could have replaced Gho$t for 69 games last year.
I hope Koivu signs here.
I still have hope.
fighting wild did i touch a nerve hmmmm? are you mikko or his mommy?
better than nothing, is healey still in the mix?
ANGRY WILD FAN - I’m interested to hear what you would have wanted to get in FA. Are you one of the people that can’t figure out why Fletcher can’t trade a bunch of our 3rd and 4th liners for Heatley as well?
From RogueGopher in the last thread:
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.
Quote of the day!
Havlat, Saku, Scuderi, plus possible RFA’s from teams needing to get under the cap later in the summer. go for it chuckie baby.
BOOOOM! Here we go. Those two would be nice if the $$$$ is right. Please don’t give 6/yr to Havlat.
i also want saku, badly
what about those d’s?
Havlat/Saku or both and Zanon is pretty good for me. My God if someone gives Antropov(SP?) $6M a year and long term deal they are nuts. That’s your cue Tampa Bay!
No AWF, just dislike idiots that think deadly diseases are funny, so you don’t like what the wild do/did find a bridge & jump off. We will all cheer!
I am sad to see Gaby go, but it’s obviously been coming for a long time and there probably wasn’t much anyone could do about it. Time to move on.
The good thing about Havlat is he has proven himself in the playoffs. He was solid this year.
Havlat plus Saku is good I think. We will miss Gaby but we will miss him less when Russo announces we have signed Havlat
Look at it this way if we had Havlat and Saku last year with the roster that almost made the playoffs would not it be reasonable to think it would have been enough to get us in the playoffs or win the division ????
Who the hell are all these little clowns running around Thunder Island? I need an f’ing storm to wipe them all out.
Has Havlat signed? Even if he does, minus Gaborik this i a wash at best.
It would be a step in the right direction, but the goal is to improve, not maintain.
greg simple why didnt they sign hossa hmmm? why not gomez or calamari since they were on the market hmmm? why not the sedins hmm? ill tell u why its because feltcher is cheap and doesnt want to spend money on real players.
FIRE FLETCHER!!!
FIRE FLETCHER!!!
FIRE FLETCHER!!!
FIRE FLETCHER!!!
FIRE FLETCHER!!!
FIRE FLETCHER!!!
FIRE FLETCHER!!!
Michael - thanks. Gosh are you running on coffee and fumes? Thanks for the effort.
kj: there is always hope.
Happy birthday to my buddy J.
Havlat got derailed by Lidstrom in the WC and he came back in the same game. Gho$t? Out 10 games, minimum.
Saku Koivu will be the second line center the Wild need.
Good things take time, people…
AWF you are showing your education level, so how is that job as a greeter at walmart?
fighting wild i dont think cancer is funny its scary my mom died of cancer
havlat is a gimp tho
For anyone else interested I will be lighting my Gaborik jersey on fire tomorrow night infront of the X. Come one come all, lets get enough #10 sweaters and shirts and whatever else for a nice big bon fire!!!
Anyone know if Havlat can play LW or is he RW? Could they shift PMB to LW so you get Havlat PMB and Koivu all on a line together?
we couldnt sign the sedins…not possible
I’m sorry but little Marty Havlat doesn’t do it for me. The guy can blow out a knee with a hiccup. He’s a #2 line guy at best. If he’s the centerpiece of an NHL team, well, good friggin’ luck.
You have to have at least two bona-fide finishers to be able to compete in the playoffs. I’m not talking about winning the Cup next year, I’m just talking about making a respectable run in the playoffs. Little Marty Havlat isn’t the answer. Not to be a troll but it’s not enough…not nearly enough. I’m not at all impressed.
Fletcher has been a GM is FA for less than 12 hours. Only a child would conclude that he is cheap based on so little data.
AWF sorry for your loss, Saku will surprise people I think & if havlat plays 50 games he still beats Ghost. Good night all,
fighting wild say hi to ur wife and my kid for me.
why not the sedins hmm?
If you even have to ask that, you need to go steal a few more of your mom’s prescription meds ‘tard.
Dump the Dumppster.
Chuck the chuckster.
Gotta give Mike credit…he actually used that Hooked on Phonics stuff.
Little Marty Havlat just doesn’t do it for me. The guy can blow out a knee hiccupping in the bathtub; he’s that frail.
A team needs two bona-fide finishers to compete in the playoffs…I’m not talking about winning the Cup here, I’m just saying to compete in the playoffs and be respectable. Havlat is a #2 line guy at best. Little Marty just doesn’t do it for me. It’s not nearly enough.
Good goal by Martin..
Havlat + Saku: enough?
Plus Zanon makes for a decent free agency for the Wild. Better than a lot of teams.
I’m leaving again now before the sky falls once more.
Guys ignore AWF, any idiot who thinks we should have taken on Gomez’ contract is not worth paying attention to.
If we can get Havlat for under $6.5 million a year for 5 years, we should do it.
No No No….it’s Dump the Dumpper !!
Hey kj, was I right, or was I right about the Dumpper? You’ve gotta geve me some “cred” on it now.
I like it thus far, if we do end up with Havlat and Saku. Dont forget we still have Harding to potentially trade away for maybe a nice defensemen
AWF, how old are you? 11? Are you commenting from the Neverland ranch?
Unless Fletcher immediately signs Iginla, Parise and Malkin he is a total failure and shoud immediately resign in shame.
meh, best thing about signing Havlat is he might be hurt all year so we can get better picks in next years draft. Have to sign someone or the fanbase might revolt, so I guess if it has to be done Havlat’ll do. Hope it’s not a longterm deal though.
Havlat + Saku: enough?
Plus Zanon makes for a decent free agency for the Wild. Better than a lot of teams.
…’sWhat I been sayin’ all along. I’m with ya.
T-minus about an hour and a half on the Heatley $4 million payment. I would have to think at the last minute he opts for the Oil.
mike too bad the wild will have NO SCORERS i hope u all like watching the wild get shut out every night.
Don’t you have to do it? What’s left?
If they do get Havlat they have to get Saku and Tanguay too.
DP LOL!
Where’s Gretzky?!?! Why hasn’t Fletcher signed Gretzky?!?!
dp gomez would be an improvement. he even sings that song airstream driver
ffs-This is gonna be interesting.
Seems like he’s painted himself into a corner…unless he considers sitting out.
AWF, actually if the Wild got shut out every night, it would be an incredible record and I probably would watch.
Darren Dreger says Havlat has reached verbal agreement with the Wild.
fourth period says havlat has agreed to a deal with the wild.
AWF what scorers would you have liked the wild to get…the sedins weren’t an option…Hossa was way to over paid and never wanted to come here…we made an offer for Cammalleri, what else would you have like us to do? We have no prospects to give Ottawa for heatley, so thats not an option…
Great news. Not quite the scorer Gaborik is, but should work well with the evolution Koivu has shown as a player the last 3 years.
Now we need to lock in the elder Koivu for 3 years to give Mikko a little extra incentive to resign after his contract is up in 2 
You said it Into.
One broken down Slovakian for another although I think Havlat won’t be quite the villain Gaborik was.
You really want Gomez, who sucked in NY, with a $7.5M/year cap hit?
I think I’ll keep our current GM.
I’ll be the first to say that I did not believe Gaby could get $7.5m per - I think that’s high in this current market, but more power to the guy, I guess.
Not sure how I would have felt if he stayed here for that kind of money.
And what’s with MTL signing all these little guys?
Mike, I was one of the few with you on that one.
I just hope he gets the job in Fla.
It’s one less viable front office and it will stop Russo from recalling the good old days… 
I’ve morphed into a new russo rants handle -
i meant here! not hear? i’m a looser!!!!
Havlat supposedly a done deal.
eagan girl if gabby makes 7.5 then hossa isnt overpaid is he? see my logic is flawless
man i got to put down the beer. it’s havlat, not havat………..
yeah hossa and gabby are both being overpaid
Can’t wait to replace that baby Gaborik on your team!
AWF = Risebrough?
Havlat + Saku: enough?
Plus Zanon makes for a decent free agency for the Wild. Better than a lot of teams.
…’sWhat I been sayin’ all along. I’m with ya.
I wanted Zanon if Scuderi left. Wanted Havlat too but knew there was no way financially it would work. So take that for what it’s worth.
OK, now I’m leaving.
TSN has the verbal agreement story here - http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=283486
Hockeydad, I’m kind of intrigued by the moves MTL has made today. A lot will depend on how fast the team starts to gel but I think there’s something to be said to relying on 5-6 second tier guys in the cap system rather than 2-3 top tier guys. Smaller contracts are easier to move.
later kipa
TheFourthPeriod: Waiting on terms for Havlat deal with Wild (still has to be signed)… Wild also close to signing Saku Koivu
every time I come in the comments section Im reminded why I never come in the comments section. the 5% of you who are complete idiots/sociopaths, etc., are enough to ruin the whole thing, at least for me.
BTW, Havlat isn’t a slovak, he’s czech.
Great, get rid of Gabby I and we get Gabby II
amen to that kjb
TheFourthPeriod: Waiting on terms for Havlat deal with Wild (still has to be signed)… Wild also close to signing Saku Koivu
Havlat isn’t even a poor mans Gaborik. Although he is about as injury prone. Replacing Gabby with Havlat leaves us is a worse position. Sign Havlat and 2 more scorers and them MAYBE we can make the playoffs. Anything less and I hold out little hope.
Koivu is mostly washed up. Very mediocre year last year and now a year older. Another 3rd liner talent.
yes, havlat and saku would be nice additions. Everyone keep their shorts on.
TSN says Havlat has a verbal agreement with the Wild. The yare working on the contract now!
now we can resign our other czech = skoula!
Koivu, Havlat and who else. Even that is not enough to get us to the playoffs.
Rogue - those MTL signings, especially when including Gomez, aren’t such small contracts. Camm for $6, Gionta for $5m per and Gomez at $7m per.
wyshynski: My thoughts exactly. It’s like NJD replacing Gionta with a Hobbit. RT @felixpotvin The #Wild swapping Gaborik for Havlat is hysterical.
Puck Daddy, I know you’re reading this: You are a toad. Try watching a game or two — Havlat is twice the player Groinerik is in the playoffs. Change your nickname, too. Try Puck Duddy. Or Punk Daddy.
Now lets get Saku, Feditenko (spelling??) and Beaucheman (or Skuderi) locked down. I doubt it with the salary cap but stranger things have happened!!
Anyone heard any rumors on who Beachemin is talking with? Still would like either him or Scuderi.
I think Zanon = Scuderi.
i wouldnt say that i still think we have a ahot at scuderi…even tho they are both defensive minded i guess not nvm
kjb, it’s usually better, but there must be a full moon out tonight or something.
Its something. Certainly better late then sitting completely idle and getting nothing. If we get both of them, I can’t be disappointed. Short of Havlat tearing his bicep muscle signing the contract…
I bet we can get Skuderi and Feditenko for a reasonable price with the relationship he had with Fletcher from the Pens
Heard Francois is close with Pitt, but I think that is an Eklund rumor, so basically made up.
Chris: I like the way you think!
Saku Koivu
Ruslan Fedotenko
Francois Beauchemin
so far:
Vancouver traded Matias Ohlund and Jason Labarberra for Aaron Rome.
Calgary traded Camalieri for Bowmeister and Fredrick Sjostrom
The Oil traded Rolie the Goalie for the Bhulin wall
We traded Zsa Zsa for Zanon the Warrior Princess and little Marty (we hope we hope). Balance of power didn’t change a whole lot.
If we get Saku can you just imagine the potential for a Finnish Sandwich…. rawr. 
Sorry, channeled H. for a moment, although a Finnish Koivu brother sandwich does sound delish.
Beauchemin wants too much–$4.5M per year for 4 years. Needs to come down to be worthwhile.
Havlat+Saku+Zanon = splash enough for me. That would give the Wild 4 20+ goal scorers. Not earth shattering, but one more than last season & almost 2 legit scoring lines. Plus, we still have Harding for trade bait once the season starts.
So does CF trade Havlat straight up for Heatly? That would be interesting. I’m not sure I would mind too much. At least Heatly stays healthy.
i wouldnt say that i still think we have a ahot at scuderi…even tho they are both defensive minded i guess not nvm
I think with Fletch as the GM, we have a better shot at him than a lot of teams out there.
Woodcock - your right,Beaucheman isn’t worth the $4.5 and we coult get Skuderi at a cheaper price.
If Beauchemin gets no offers, he’ll come down. Fast.
i do enjoy the relationship that chuck has with a lot of these players that are used to playing for quality franchises
No way does this turn into a Havlat for Heatley deal.
Havlat looking for term and to stay for a while. Chuck will ablige.
what do you think the average per year is? Anything over 6.25 is too much
Heard Francois is close with Pitt, but I think that is an Eklund rumor, so basically made up.
Eklund has two dart boards, one with players, the other with teams, and sits next to a table with a jug of Wild Turkey and a straw.
And that’s how rumors are made.
a Finnish Koivu brother sandwich does sound delish.
Doesn’t the “brother” part of that sandwich make it wired? Just wondring as a count the seconds unitl everything is OK with the world again.
If they’re settling (yes, settling) for Havlat and also looking to sign Saku then they need to sign a guy like Tanguay or Kovalev too…or bothof them. Both Koivu’s can’t center Havlat. Up temp offense? Then there has to be more goal scoring besides Havlat. (I’m not including pussies like Shleppard and Rag Doll under the ‘goal scorer’ catergory).
i think it has to be 6 or less!!! for how long do ya think tho…5?
Hoping 4-6 for 5.5 million. Probably on the low end, but seems fair.
Sounds like we’re in a fight with Anaheim over Saku… where I presume he’d be centering Selanne.
4-6 years, that is
i heard that on tsn earlier today as well!! who would you rather center if you were him selanne or bouchard?
I’m sure the Havlat deal is around $6Mil a year. Keep in mind you over pay in free agency but this would be the biggest name we have ever landed.
At least the Havlat signing shows a star quality player willing to sign with us. This is our biggest free agent signing ever (even though we’re really just trading one China doll for another China doll).
hopefully playing with mikko overrides that choice tho lol
Not any weirder than guys fantasizing over twins. Wooo Finnish Sandwich.
Teemu selanne won’t be around in 3 seasons. PMB will (maybe not here).
i dont think saku will be around in 3 seasons either tho
Sounds like we’re in a fight with Anaheim over Saku… where I presume he’d be centering Selanne.
Merely a ruse.
Saku was intent on signing here from the get go.
By creating the perception that he’s looking at other options, it allows the Wild maximum flexibility to sign a heavy-hitter, then sign Saku at a reasonable offer.
This had to get done! we needed a score and Havlat is’nt elite but he’s a solid scorer. I think Saku will sign here when it’s all said and done. He wants to play with Mikko and his career is nearing the end, we should get him for a bargain price. I’m still hoping for Scuderi and another scorer probably via trade or later on in FA.
Ummm… wasn’t Havlat injured more than Gabby?
Russostrib: Hearing 6 years, $30 million for Havlat; unconfirmed; would be richest in franchise history in total $$$, tied with Schultz in length
Sure would be nice to move Hards for a decent 2nd line winger. Don’t know if that’s askin’ too much or not.
Dreger has been tweeting that Heater is meeting with Oil brass tonight.
I can’t get over the crazy trades the past few days.
Gomez going to Montreal and they gave up a good roster player and a great prospect.
Philly giving up FOUR ****ING FIRST ROUND PICKS! For a 34 year old defensemen? Seriously? Granted Lupul was a complete salary dump, they were shopping him like crazy all year.
I guess I wouldn’t throw a sh!t fit if we traded for Kessel. Still not a fan though…
Would’nt mind Fedo or Kovalev but may be asking too much. HEY RUSSO are we still in on Scuderi???????
“Ummm… wasn’t Havlat injured more than Gabby?”
This past year? No.
Over the last 3 seasons combined? Yes.
If that’s the price for Havlat, that’s pretty good. Long term, but $5m per leaves some room.
If those numbers are right, great deal. Wonder if there’s an NTC?
6 years 30 mil
What happened to Mr. Deep Pockets and aggressive high-paced offense? So far the only thing for certain is that we have another defensive player and few scoring threats.
TSN says their face to face right now!
6yr/$30mil is serviceable. Damn steal if he can stay healthy.
Ummm… wasn’t Havlat injured more than Gabby?
Only slightly over their respective 8 years although Gaby has scored more. All in all, if Russo’s terms are right I would say it is more or less balanced.
Hockeydad says:
July 1st, 2009 at 9:54 pm
Sure would be nice to move Hards for a decent 2nd line winger. Don’t know if that’s askin’ too much or not.
Dreger has been tweeting that Heater is meeting with Oil brass tonight.
I agree it’d be nice but does the Oil have anything we want??
If the contract on havlat is true then 5 yr $30 mil is bargain.
6yr $30M is a bit cheaper than the deal Gaby got.
that’s a good 2.5 m less than wonder groin….. enough to sign another decent player - like skoula!
wow 6 x $5 million! That’s a pretty good deal. I wonder if Chicago gave him the same offer that they gave Hossa.
Twet: Russostrib Not done yet, but confirmed, contract Havlat is signing with Wild is six years, $30 million, sources say #nhl
That’s pretty good considering we got him through free agency. And it’s not some insane long term deal. I say good job to you sir Fletch-a-lot.
HAVLAT
2000–01 Ottawa NHL 73 19 23 42
2001–02 Ottawa Senators NHL 72 22 28 50 2002–03 Ottawa Senators NHL 67 24 35 59
2003–04 Ottawa Senators NHL 68 31 37 68
2005–06 Ottawa Senators NHL 18 9 7 16 2006–07 Chi Blackhawks NHL 56 25 32 57 2007–08 Chi Blackhawks NHL 35 10 17 27 2008–09 Chi Blackhawks NHL 81 29 48 77
VS
GABBY
2000–01 Minnesota Wild NHL 71 18 18 36 2001–02 Minnesota Wild NHL 78 30 37 67 2002–03 Minnesota Wild NHL 81 30 35 65 2003–04 Minnesota Wild NHL 65 18 22 40 2005–06 Minnesota Wild NHL 65 38 28 66
2006–07 Minnesota Wild NHL 48 30 27 57 2007–08 Minnesota Wild NHL 77 42 41 83 2008–09 Minnesota Wild NHL 17 13 10 23
Good lord, Sellane… Sellanne….. Salami Sandwich…. (however you spell his name) is old!!! He was drafted by the Jets for cryin’ out loud. Retire already!
Don’t really know where that came from. Need more sleep maybe.
I love all the wannabe GM’s in here…
I think Havlat is a great player to add, when healthy. A line of Havlat/Koivu/Nolan might be fun. Besides the holes at D right now I like the way the team looks. I hope Kalus makes the team, and maybe Pouliot will stop being such a nerd now that there’s a new coach that likes lots of offense.
Tweet: RussostribHavlat to Wild — signed, sealed and delivered; Sources: Koivu sleeping on decision #nhl
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Russostrib: Havlat to Wild — signed, sealed and delivered; Sources: Koivu sleeping on decision #nhl
I wonder if Havlat waited too long — after Cammy signed with Montreal at $6 million, teams for Gaborik and Havlat dwindled to NYR and LA. After Gaborik signed with Rangers, the number teams for Havlat became much, much smaller.
LA might never have been in the market in the first place.
Maybe Fletcher waiting was a good idea.
Havlat Tweet: “Excited to be in Minny where I was welcomed and appreciated by management. The real story about what happened in Chicago to come out.”
I like it. The term and the $’s seem to fit.
Not a bad price for Havlat. Just stay healthy!
I don’t really think Havlat is the answer, but I hope he can at least stay healthy. The Glass Man is going to be in Minny for a long time, it looks like.
I like him, but I’m nervous.
We still don’t have a 30 goal scorer on this team. Havlat has done that only once in his career (31 goals in 2003).
Well that shouldn’t take long since it is already 6AM in Finland.
Tom - no way Hards is going to the Oil after they signed the Wall today.
Russostrib: Havlat to Wild — signed, sealed and delivered; Sources: Koivu sleeping on decision #nhl
havlat’s complexion is better than gabby’s. i call this a win for the wild.
Great deal, love it.
An end to ‘THE SKY IS FALLING’? We can hope.
Russo tweeted this: Havlat: Thanks to all Hawks fans for love and support over the last 3 years. Will never forget your generousity and great playoff run!
LA might never have been in the market in the first place.
Is LA still in the NHL or is DR at the helm. Welcome Mr. Havlat.
Seriously, I am to believe that walsh and Havlat have been following russo on twitter? Interesting to see who is following Havlat - includes Elias, Boyle.
Wow I was way off! 5 mil/yr is doable
SS…
in response to your 8:34pm reply to my comment about Gabby being just about the money, I would dare to respectfully disagree. I think he is and still do, he didn’t take the Wilds 10yr/$78M offer last fall because he and his agent miscalculated the market, that is, they thought they would be able to get that and maybe more elsewhere, post season-free agency. Things changed, and Salcer came up about $40M short for his boy. I am not neccesarily happy that he is gone, he is a very good player, I will not be sorry to see all of the crap that comes along with him and Salcer heading eastward though.
Russo hit it on the head in his article when he mentioned the “aloofness” bit. For better or worse, I’m old school and I don’t like to see the tail wagging the dog, especially when it is accompanied by zero humility. The Wild have made Marian quite wealthy, and I’m not quite sure that was reciprocated by at least trying to act a little bit like you are with the program full tilt.
very respectable
The optimist in me wants to believe the two years Havlat was injured were flukes and he’ll have another productive year.
Hmmm…troll count is down. Someone spray some Lysol in here or something?
Relax everyone.
Zanon + Havlat- Gaborik - Skoula = playoffs.
Saku + Marco Scutaro = Soon to be Stanley Cup Champs
Fletch for Executive of the Year?
he was born on the same day as joe mauer…not the year of course tho…maybe that explains the injuries lol
doesn’t marco scutaro play for the blue jays?
Gotta believe Burnsy and the boys are happy to hear Marty is on his way.
If anybody watched him in the playoffs last year, you know this guy is a fu(k!n stud!
In fact, he was arguably one of the top rated FA forwards in this off season.
Sooooo, all you haters can turn off Mom’s computer, head to the basement, put on your Transformer jammies, and call it a night.
This was a good day. They got Havlat at a reasonable price, which says that he really wanted to be here. That’s a positive sign. Zanon provides a physical d-man. Now add Koivu and Fedotenko and you’ve improved your team while saving some cap space, and still have Harding as a trade chip. Again, a solid day.
Their moms made them go get ready for bed Niveous.
“head to the basement, put on your Transformer jammies, and call it a night.” I damn near wet myself….rofl
I’ll say one thing for Havlat. He’s definitely not aloof. Seems to have a good attitude.
I guess that’s two things.
FOOD!
–havlat’s complexion is better than gabby’s.
Amen, nutty.
–Bandgeek, you’re making me hungry for an open-faced Mats Sundin sandwich, but I’m fresh out of Big, Blonde, and Sexy.
If the Wild can come out of today with Havlat, Zanon, and hopefully Koivu, it will have been a good day IMO.
If Richards proves to be a good coach, and Fletcher proves that he knows what he is doing over the next couple of years, then IMO the big names will want to be here.
Besides that, I can’t think of anyone(other than Hossa) the team missed out on today that could help them more than a HEALTHY Havlat. With the exception being a trade for Heatley.
Wallshot, Havvie is a classy guy. I observed several post game interviews with him over the past season and he says the right things and has an air of sincerity about him. If he is coming here, I’ll hope that he can stay healthy and show the skills he has, which are substantial.
13-Mar-09 Missed 1 game (lower body injury).
06-Apr-08 Missed the last 19 games of the regular season (left shoulder injury).
06-Jan-08 Missed 6 games (groin).
28-Nov-07 Missed 22 games (shoulder injury).
09-Apr-07 Missed the last 3 games of the regular season (shoulder injury)
01-Mar-07 Missed 1 game (flu).
13-Jan-07 Missed 3 games (groin).
09-Dec-06 Missed 19 games (right ankle injury).
15-Apr-06 Missed 58 games (shoulder surgery).
26-Nov-05 Missed 1 game (hamstring).
03-Feb-04 Missed 2 games (groin).
27-Nov-03 Missed 3 games (hamstring).
11-Mar-03 Missed 2 games (groin).
01-Mar-03 Missed 4 games (groin).
27-Jan-03 Missed 2 games (elbow injury).
14-Nov-02 Missed 6 games (groin).
17-Apr-02 Missed the last 7 games of the regular season (groin).
23-Mar-02 Missed 2 games (groin).
06-Feb-02 Missed 1 game (groin).
13-Apr-01 Missed the last game of the regular season (groin).
14-Dec-00 Missed 8 games (right shoulder injury).
Above is Havlat injury history from TSN. Lots of groin in there, but short durations. 27 days (counting ‘lower body injury’) versus how many for gaborik? Shoulder looks like the problem area, was it taken care of with the surgery?
Havlat did have the problem with his shoulder surgically corrected.
i think part of gabby problem was lemaire and riseborough!!!
Hey Bob… isn’t it Ber-midji? Are you a Minney-sotan or what?
Russostrib I’m now hearing Wild might not be done for the night.
Havlat better in the room and you get
Zanon too. “Traded” Gaborik’s $$$ for these two…looks good.
what the hell is with the crazys?????
love…love….LOVE this signing….
one: havlat is a fast….fast….and faster…..certainly helps the team speed
two: he can score….and score in bunches (not on butch’s line….too much shortness with those two..)
three: 6 years 30 mil?????? seriously???
that my friends is an absolute steal……even if he misses 15% of the games in the next 6 years that is worth it in spades
5 mil a year is wonderful…..absolutley wonderful……
throw in saku at a good price….boom goes the dynamyte!!!!
angry wild fan is completly insane!
the guy makes me pine for MKVN’s intelligent ramblings…..my god….
MKVN…I give you a lot of crap….but at least you think it out a little bit (in your own way) before you spout off nonesense…..
HAVLAT ON TWITTER:
Excited to be in Minny where I was welcomed and appreciated by management. The real story about what happened in Chicago to come out.
There’s something to be said for loyalty and honor
Now with the $2.5 million per season we saved on Havlat from Gabby’s contract. . . lets get the Sen’s on the horn and get a package together they cannot refuse. If Liepold wants to spend like he says he wants to, have him pay the $4 million out of his own pocket on Heatley. Get Skuderi or Beaucheman and you have a Stanley Cup championship team.
Good signing for the Wild, a good solid player that wants to play here and actually sounds like he respects the fans, Groinorik take note. Do we play NYR next season? If so send out Boogaard and Clusterbuck to smash that groin into pieces.
You betcha d’er frozenweiner99 d’er, dontchano
