You’re not going to believe this. That “B’ joke I made yesterday? Not funny now.

Marc-Andre Bergeron is scheduled to have back surgery next week to address a disc issue that had been bothering him off and on for some time. His rehab time is expected to be six to eight weeks.

So, Eric Belanger now really shouldn’t leave the house. I’m just saying. Bad couple weeks for Backstrom, Burns, Bergeron, Boogaard, Brunette and Bouchard. Just dawned on me. Goalie Barry Brust has a broken foot in the minors. That’s why Anton Khudobin’s playing.

Burns had right shoulder surgery this morning. He’ll stay in the hospital overnight for precautionary reasons (anesthesia and concussion can’t be a good mix), but he is doing well, the team says. Shoulder will be immobilized for a month. It’ll take four months to heal, but he’s expected back before training camp. Acting GM Tom Lynn said Burns’ concussion symptoms have improved greatly.

By the way, I talked to former North Stars Director of Scouting Craig Button today, and he is very interested in the Wild’s GM job. Button, 46, is well-respected in the game and currently does analysis for NHL Network and writes for NHL.com.

He moved with the North Stars to Dallas, and worked there until 2000. He won a Cup with them in 1999. He then succeeded Al Coates as Calgary’s GM, and he worked there from 2000-03. Button is known to be an incredibly organized manager, one who delegates and works marvelously with not just hockey ops, but business ops. His strengths are in player development and personnel. 

Although, when Button discovers what happens to all people with a last name starting with ‘B,’ on the Wild, he’ll probably change his mind and steer clear.

In other news, the Aeros had another win win last night, beating Peoria on Maxim Noreau’s OT winner to take a 3-2 first-round series lead. Here’s the link to Andrew Ferraro’s story in the Houston Chronicle. Game 6 is Saturday in Peoria.

NHL playoffs continue to be awesome, although it’s a shame the Rangers won yesterday in spite of Sean Avery’s idiocy. It would have been fun to see John Tortorella finally scratch this guy from the lineup. He’s just a circus act. Thank goodness for the Rangers that they have such an exceptional penalty kill — the best in the NHL this past regular season.

Lastly, …

NHL SCOUTING LIST INCLUDES 25 ELITE LEAGUE ALUMNI

(more…)

Just got back from like a six-hour walk — sandwiched by lunch with my editor. What an awesome day out, eh? Not a cloud in the sky.

One of the things I was thinking about is what training camp will look like next season. Strength and conditioning coach Kirk Olson might be the busiest person inside the Wild this summer — other than whomever the new GM will be.

Look at this rehab list as of now:

Niklas Backstrom — out four to six months following hip surgery Friday

Brent Burns — post-concussion syndrome and shoulder surgery Thursday that will require four months to heal.

Andrew Brunette — reconstructive knee surgery, out four to six months

Derek Boogaard — shoulder surgery Tuesday, out two months

Pierre-Marc Bouchard — concussion

(the way the B’s are dropping, Marc-Andre Bergeron better be careful walking across the street)

Nick Schultz — concussion

Tyler Cuma — still recovering from knee surgery

Oops, forgot Dan Fritsche - broken collarbone

Oh, and I forgot a fairly major one: Mikko Koivu — sprained knee

Essentially, the new GM will be inheriting a mess.

Also, the Wild signed Shoreview native Brian Kaufman to an AHL contract Wednesday to play next season for the Houston Aeros.

Kaufman, 25, played four seasons at Miami University, where he served as team captain this past season for the NCAA runners-up. The 6-foot-4, 205-pounder had 85 points in 125 games during his college career.

“Brian is a smart player with a big body who can play a variety of roles,” said Aeros GM Tom Lynn.

Kaufman played hockey and football at Hill Murray and still holds the Minnesota State record for passing completions (36 vs. Waseca in 2001), passing attempts (83, vs. Minnetonka in 2001) and passing yards (555 vs. Minnetonka in 2001) in single games.

Lastly, I just have to spend a few minutes gushing about last night’s Carolina-New Jersey game. It was one of the most amazing finishes I’ve ever seen. Carolina’s up 3-0. New Jersey rallies to make it 3-3. And, in a rarity, Carolina scores a buzzer-beating game-winner with 0.2 seconds left on a Jussi Jokinen redirection (there are fewer better GM’s than Jim Rutherford, and it’s just so fitting that Jokinen scores the winner after Rutherford snatched him up).

It was just amazing hockey. The rush from the final five minutes kept me up for hours. I was literally standing up watching it.

It was just back and forth, and the play-by-play from John Forslund and color from Tripp Tracy was scintillating stuff. You’ve got to listen to the two of them when Tuomo Ruutu pulled a Jarkko Ruutu and ran over Colin White in a monster check. The broadcast lived up to the action.

I also am posting the following still shot from YouTube of the game-winner.

Click the picture and notice the guy in a black CCM shirt sky-high in the air while strangely few others are cheering? That’s concidentally my buddy Reed Schafer, best known as the former star hockey player of the Nova Scotia Junior A Antigonish Bulldogs, Culver Military Academy Eagles and Indiana University Hoosiers club hockey team. He’s also the son of former Alaska Fairbanks and Notre Dame coach Ric Schafer.

And I think he’s blocking the view of small children with the rare chance of getting to see one of the most exciting playoff finishes ever. Well done there, Reed.

 �

Former Wild GM Doug Risebrough, who’s been unavailable for comment since being let go last week, will hold a news conference Tuesday at 11 a.m.

Here’s the link to the John Scott article 

The Wild has re-signed one of its unrestricted free agents.

In his first move as the acting general manager, Tom Lynn — who negotiated every contract anyway in his previous role as assistant GM — signed defenseman John Scott to a one-year, $550,000 contract. It’s a one-way contract, meaning he gets paid his NHL salary if he plays in the minors next season.

“John proved he could play at the NHL level in his stint with the Wild at the end of the season,” Lynn said. “His next challenge will be to show he can not only play, but contribute and make a good team better. If he works as hard as he did for the last two seasons in Houston, I am confident he can make that transition.”

The 6-foot-8 Scott had one assist in 20 games this season, providing a physical presence on a non-physical blue line.

The Wild’s other notable unsigned potential unrestricted free agents are Marian Gaborik, Martin Skoula, Marc-Andre Bergeron, Kurtis Foster and Stephane Veilleux.

Also, Peter Olvecky will leave the Aeros today to represent Slovakia in the World Championships. NHL rules state that if you play in the NHL and you’re invited by your native country to play in the tourney, that supersedes your AHL responsibilities. 

Here is the updated roster situation:

ROSTER SITUATION

Under contract: G Niklas Backstrom, $6 million; D Kim Johnsson, $4.85 million ($5.3 million salary); RW Pierre-Marc Bouchard, $4.08 million ($4.25 million); D Brent Burns, $3.55 million ($3.4 million); D Nick Schultz, $3.5 million ($3.4 million); D Marek Zidlicky, $3.35 million ($3.5 million); C Mikko Koivu, $3.25 million ($3.3 million); RW Owen Nolan, $2.75 million; RW Antti Miettinen, $2.33 million ($2.5 million); LW Andrew Brunette, $2.33 million ($2.5 million); C Eric Belanger, $1.75 million; C James Sheppard, $1.4 million ($765,000); LW Colton Gillies, $1.0417 million ($875,000); LW Derek Boogaard, $875,000 ($1.025 million); RW Cal Clutterbuck, $725,800 ($623,000); RW Craig Weller, $600,000 ($625,000), D John Scott, $550,000.

Total cap hit: $43,666,944 for 16 players, including $727,778 charged for bought-out Mark Parrish.
Total actual salary: $44,040,778 for 17 players, including $927,778 owed to Parrish and excluding potential bonuses paid to Sheppard and Gillies.

* Salary Cap hit first number; in parentheses is actual salary.
** Salary cap will be announced in late June, but it was $56.7 million in 2008-09.

Restricted free agents (to retain rights, qualifying offer must be tendered by June 29): RW Dan Fritsche, $875,000; C Benoit Pouliot, $765,000; G Josh Harding, $725,000; C Peter Olvecky, $550,000.
*Salary-cap numbers for 2008-09 (Pouliot’s cap hit was $1.7 million).
**Other restricted free agents include minor-leaguers Danny Irmen and Clayton Stoner.

Unrestricted free agents (can become free July 1, may not return): RW Marian Gaborik, $6.33 million; D Martin Skoula, $1.8 million; D Marc-Andre Bergeron, $1.254 million; D Kurtis Foster, $1.025 million; LW Stephane Veilleux, $862,500; C Krys Kolanos, $500,000.

*Salary-cap numbers for 2008-09.
**Other unrestricted free agents include minor-leaguers Nolan Schaefer, Tomas Mojzis and Bryan Lundbohm.