ALERT: Source: Ruslan Fedotenko to make decision Friday because Pittsburgh, which has an offer on the table, needs an answer. Wild and other teams in the fold.

As for Koivu, a number of teams interested. Anaheim is definitely involved, as is NJ and NYR, among others.

Last night, the Wild thought Saku Koivu would be signed, sealed and delivered by this morning.

Now, it appears as if it’s going nowhere, according to sources.

Agent Don Baizley said no decision is imminent and he’d reserve comment until “the situation is resolved.”

Koivu is expected to take some time and weigh his options, but he’s got a bunch of scenarios and many teams coming at him hard, and like I said, it appears the deal with the Wild is going south. 

New  Jersey is one team hot after Koivu, as well as the New York Rangers, who now that they traded Scott Gomez, really doesn’t have a center to get the puck to Marian Gaborik. Anaheim likes him, too.

The Wild wants Koivu, 34, desperately. It needs a No. 2 center, but GM Chuck Fletcher says at this point the “ball’s in his court.”

If the Wild can’t land Koivu, it likely won’t sign any of the other free-agent centers. Look at the guys below. Fletcher said it makes no sense to grab maybe a 40-point-max guy to play on the second line and then possibly inhibit an ability to grab a better player at a later date via trade. The only other top center on the market was Nik Antropov, and he signed with Atlanta at $4 million per.

So if he can’t make a trade — and he did talk trade today — he said he’s comfortable going into camp with Mikko Koivu, James Sheppard, Benoit Pouliot, Eric Belanger and Kyle Brodziak. And remember, Todd Richards plans on experimenting with Pierre-Marc Bouchard at center in camp.

This again is if it can’t land Saku Koivu or make a trade. But Saku looks bad right now, I’m hearing.

Fletcher said waiting for Koivu is not hindering his ability to do anything else.

“They probably have several conversations going and we have several conversations going. You’re always looking and you never want to close the door on other avenues. We’re not handcuffed. We’re able to move in different directions if something came up that is the right deal.” 

Other things from the Fletcher conference call today:

– He has targeted a few other players, but if he can’t get them, he’s willing to be patient because it’s bound to become a buyer’s market.

– He’d like to acquire at least one more “quality forward” and a defenseman. The defenseman could be a one-way contract or a “bunch of two-way contracts.”

– On Havlat: “Looking at what Marty did this past season would be a good indication of what he can do when he’s healthy. … He produced a lot offensively. He’s a smart player too defensively. He’s underrated in that regard, he can kill penalties, he’s a responsible player and makes solid decisions with and without the puck. He’s been a player with a track record of success in the playoffs. … There were certainly three or four offensive players who would have fit the bill well. But Marty’s 28 years old, an explosive skater with tremendous offensive skills. He can score goals, he can make plays, he can play the power play, he can kill penalties. I truly believe his best years are still ahead of him. It made an awful lot of sense.”

– Fletcher talked a lot about Havlat’s injury history and whether he had concerns. He admitted that’s a risk, but there’s a risk in everything, he said. You can read more of that in the paper Friday or on www.startribune.com/wild tonight.

– Quality free agents still on the market:

Wingers: Alex Tanguay, Alexei Kovalev, Ruslan Fedotenko Ales Kotalik, Mikael Samuelsson, Rob Niedermayer, Mike Grier, Miroslav Satan, Maxim Afinogenov, Petr Sykora, Taylor Pyatt, Stephane Veilleux.

Centers: Saku Koivu, Mike Comrie, Robert Lang, Todd Marchant, Jason Williams, P.J. Axelsson, Radek Bonk, Manny Malhotra, Dominic Moore.

Defensemen: Francois Beauchemin, Derek Morris, Kurtis Foster, Martin Skoula, Marc-Andre Bergeron, Nick Boynton, Phillipe Boucher, Greg de Vries, Christian Backman, Denis Gauthier, Dmitri Kalinin, Paul Mara, Francis Bouillon, Andrew Alberts, Dennis Seidenberg.

Good afternoon. I know you all are anxious, but right now, the Wild is continuing to try to sign Saku Koivu.

I hear from sources that the hang-up could be term, and Saku Koivu’s desire for a fourth year. But this isn’t coming from his side or the Wild; it’s coming from another team who originally inquired about Koivu, so I should make clear to you that as of now, I haven’t reported it out to 100 percent certainty.

But this is the scuttlebutt out there right now.

One team that does make sense for Koivu is Anaheim because of his very close friendship with Teemu Selanne. But here’s the thing there: Selanne’s essentially on year-to-year contracts, so Koivu going there just for him makes little sense because Selanne could retire in a year or two. But the Ducks definitely need a No. 2 center and there’s not a lot left other than Mike Comrie, Jason Williams , Radek Bonk and Chad LaRose (and those are pushing the No. 2 center role).

I can tell you this via sources: Chuck Fletcher did call Mikko Koivu yesterday to ask his thoughts about playing with Saku, and Mikko gave Chuck the A-OK to pursue his brother. If you read my story in yesterday’s paper, you can see some of Mikko’s quotes to me from Tuesday. Just a late add, in that story, you can see Mikko say we’ll know more by the end of the week. Mikko said his brother would really take his time with his family to determine the best fit. Saku’s a smart guy, so it’s not a shock that he’s taking time to also think this through.

So we will see as the day continues. Wild is definitely still kicking tires on Ruslan Fedotenko, I’m told.

I’ve got a lot more thoughts on where the Wild plans to go from here, but before I throw that out there, let’s see how the day continues because a lot really depends on if they can sign Koivu. If they can’t, do you sign one of those other centers or do you maybe just go into camp and try Bouchard or Pouliot or Sheppard at the No. 2 spot or maybe there’s a potential trade down the pike this offseason? 

Also, I got on the tail end of the Marian Gaborik conference call with the Rangers writers. Here are some snippets (Glen Sather sent one his European scouts to Gaborik’s home in Slovakia with a recruiting video, which helped greatly):

Turning point in career? “Of course. I’ve only experienced playing in the NHL for one team, and it was for nine years in Minnesota. I had a great time there. Obviously this is a big change and a big opportunity. Life brings a lot of changes, and this is one of them. It’s starting to hit me now that I’m becoming a Ranger. It’s very exciting and I’m looking forward to this. Definitely, the page has turned yesterday and I’m starting a new hockey life pretty much.”

On whether the Wild could have kept him? “Well obviously they could, but I haven’t received any offers in their new era there, so that’s the way it is.”

Will it be difficult to conceive that you won’t be here anymore? “It is what it is. I’ve moved on and now I’m a Ranger. I had a lot of great times. There are a lot of great memories. I have to thank the fans, from the coaching staff to all the players I played with. It was a great experience. Now I’m a Ranger. That’s what it is right now. I’m excited for a new opportunity.”

Did you do any investigations on what it was like to play in New York? “I’ve spoken to a lot of guys that played there. Chris Drury called me right before the market opened. I’ve talked to Martin Rucinsky, who used to play for the Rangers. I’ve talked to Marcel Hossa, and … Aaron Voros, obviously. They’ve got nothing but all the good things to say about New York. It’s a first-class organization and obviously to play in the Garden, everybody was impressed and everybody loved it. I’m looking forward to this. I’m excited.”

On health and whether teams were concerned about this? “It’s understandable some teams were concerned or worried, but I think I proven the last 11 games (10 goals, 8 assists), I had a pretty good run out there. We missed the playoffs by I think one or two points and that’s the way it goes. It was the first time for me to hit free agency. It was kind of adrenaline pumping through my veins, so it was exciting. I’m glad it’s behind me and I’m glad I’m with the Rangers now.”

On five-goal game and whether he’s spoken to Lundqvist? “(laughs) I haven’t spoken to him, but I’m sure we’re going to talk soon. That night was just unbelievable. He’s a great goaltender, but I guess when you’re in the zone and everything you touch is in, that happens sometimes. Hopefully I can have that kind of game in a Rangers uniform.”

Lastly, Pittsburgh Tribune Review’s Rob Rossi emailed me and said Rob Scuderi has agreed to terms with the L.A. Kings. Wild, I was told this morning, backed out of this when it saw his term, salary demands and the fact it could get Greg Zanon at the quality $1.9 million price. 

OK, I’ll be back later hopefully with some news.

4:30 p.m. update: Sportsnet is reporting Mike Cammalleri has signed a five-year, $6 million deal with the Canadiens. If true, Marian Gaborik and Martin Havlat are the two best forwards left on the board, followed by the next wrung of Alexei Kovalev, Alex Tanguay, Brian Gionta, Saku Koivu and Nik Antropov.

Is I’ve alluded to the past week, I’ve long suspected Martin Havlat would be the guy the Wild would target. Now of the upper-echelon guys, he’s the only one left other than Gaborik.

Plenty of Dmen still available, including Francois Beauchemin, Rob Scuderi and Mike Komisarek.

———————————————

Ladies and gents, patience, patience. This is how it works. Very few agents sign their guy to the first team that calls (minus Mattias Ohlund, apparently). Agents build a list, accept offers, go to their clients, go over the offers, go over the pros and cons of each team, where the player fits and then goes back to the teams and usually works one against each other.

They create bidding wars. This takes time, especially when the pool is so thin and the same teams are going after the same players.

There’s a reason why Marian Hossa is the only one of the elite forwards to sign so far.

Just because the Wild hasn’t signed anybody yet doesn’t mean they won’t the rest of the day or in subsequent days (Wild signed Johnsson, Parrish and Carney at about 8 p.m. on July 1, 2006). Last year’s news was early because I got wind very early that the Wild traded for Marek Zidlicky.

But as for free agents, usually in the afternoons of July 1, it’s hard to get a ton of info because both sides — the agent and the team — are busy chatting with each other. So that’s why it’s so quiet. That’s why I tried to do as much reporting as possible before July 1. In today’s paper, I informed you of the players I either know or think the Wild’s pursuing. I know on Havlat, Fedotenko, Saku Koivu and Scuderi.

We’ll see if they get any of those guys done.

Also, just an fyi, I’m not convinced Koivu will decide on his team today. Mikko made it sound to me like Saku will take his offers and go over them very carefully with his family.

Also, on Gaborik, I hear the Rangers are very interested but don’t want to pull the trigger with Heatley still up in the air. That’s surprising, however, because why give up a bunch of assets when you can simply sign Gaborik?

Pittsburgh Tribune Review’s Rob Rossi hears Minnesota, Dallas and the Rangers are on Rob Scuderi’s list. I heard yesterday Wild was “high” on the list.

TSN’s Darren Dreger is reporting Marian Hossa is close to signing in Chicago. If true, Hawks may need to hire some mathematicians from MIT to get Kane and Toews done next summer. Unless he’s signing another one-year deal.

TSN’s reporting Hossa to Chicago is done. If Marian Hossa gets a $5.2 million cap hit, good luck Gaborik.

Edmonton’s lost Dwayne Roloson. They’ve almost definitely got to sign Nikolai Khabibulin or go back to the Wild and trade for Josh Harding. Oilers still very interested in Harding, a source says, but still looking at free-agent route with Scott Clemmensen.

Free agency starts at 11. A half-hour before, TSN reported that Daniel and Henrik Sedin agreed to duplicate five-year, $6.1 million deals with the Canucks.

This makes a thin free-agent pool thinner.

Vancouver still has the salary-cap room to go after Marian Gaborik perhaps, although the Canucks are aiming to sign Roberto Luongo to an $8 million-a-year extension that would go on the books starting in 2010-11. With the cap coming down, it would seem Gaborik would have to look elsewhere.

The teams that could be looking at him today are Montreal, the Rangers and Los Angeles.

Martin Havlat and Ruslan Fedotenko — two players the Wild’s expected to pursue — to the free-agent market, their agent says.

Team Canada to make Olympic camp roster announcement on July 2.

Seven years for Mattias Ohlund in Tampa Bay. Oh my. Guess teams are giving term.

Alert: TSN reporting Sedins re-sign in Vancouver. As I wrote below, I felt that would happen, which means now Marian Gaborik will likely be sought after by L.A., New York or Montreal.

First, you can keep track with Wild news all day Wednesday (and in the future) and throughout free agency here on www.startribune.com/russo and my Twitter at twitter.com/russostrib

I’ll also be on KFAN on Wednesday morning at 9:35 a.m.

The door swings open to free agency at 11 a.m.

The last time the Koivu Bros. were teammates on Xcel Energy Center’s ice, it was during the 2004 World Cup. Could that happen again starting next season?

Let’s put it this way: It’ll likely be up to the Koivus, or another way of saying it is, if they want to make it happen, it probably can. By the way, here’s a feature I wrote on them last October.

The Wild’s expected to make an offer, but it’s not just a sure-thing Saku Koivu signs a deal to play with Mikko.

I talked to Mikko very early this morning my time. I got him on his boat in Turku. He did voice some concerns that he and Saku have been discussing in recent days. Saku doesn’t want to step on Mikko’s toes because this is his team now, they’ve talked about what it would be like to handle the other being criticized publicly if that were to happen and they talked about the distractions it could create if every city they went to turned into a series of Koivu Bros. stories.

He admitted it’s not a big problem and that they know that stuff would die down, but those are a few of the “cons” on their pros and cons list. On the “pros” side, the fact that it would be special for Saku, 8 1/2 years older, and Mikko to play together and that their parents would absolutely love it. He said it’s a “dream” of theirs. You can read about this in the paper.

So we will see. The Wild needs a No. 2 center, whether it’s through acquisition, or perhaps Pierre-Marc Bouchard moving over to the left one slot. Nik Antropov, I guess, is somebody to pursue, but I’m not a big fan. After that, not much in UFA market. Fletcher would have gone after Vik Kozlov, but he’s signed in Russia.

The Wild has a number of holes to fill, and if you go out and sign Marian Hossa or the Sedin Twins, that severely handicaps doing much else. That’s why I think Mike Cammalleri (he can play center, too) or Martin Havlat may be the most logical players to pursue, although Cammalleri could be Toronto bound and receive a really inflated contract. 

I hear Havlat, if he gets to 11 a.m. unsigned (and contrary to reports, he was not signed tonight), would have great interest in Minnesota. He’s had lots of injury problems in the past, but as he proved last year, when he’s healthy, he’s a tremendously talented and dominant hockey player. He’s also put up solid playoff numbers.

Because of his history, you might be able to get him in the $5 million range, which means it leaves room to sign maybe Saku Koivu, a Ruslan Fedotenko perhaps (still talking to Pittsburgh) and a couple dmen — Rob Scuderi being one guy I hear would be interested in coming to Minnesota. And considering Fletcher’s history with Scuderi, you can bet there’d be interest from the Wild’s point of view.

Fletcher loves Fedotenko, by the way, who just wins Cups in this league. Havlat and Fedotenko have the same agent, too, in Allan Walsh, so maybe you can kill two birds with one stone.  

As for other dmen, if Scuderi’s a no-go, I’d go after Francois Beauchemin. I know there’s a clamoring for Jordan Leopold because of his history here at the U, but I think Fletcher will be looking for more physical dmen than offensive dmen because the Wild is rich in offensive, mobile dmen and as we all know short on the other type.

Some guys that could fit that are Jaroslav Spacek, Karlis Skrastins, Denis Gauthier, Hal Gill and Mikko’s favorite, Mattias Ohlund. Want a Minnesotan? How ’bout Andrew Alberts?

I think Mike Komisarek is too expensive, and man, he did not impress in the playoffs. I see Scuderi’s door being blown over by the Wild. 

It’s going to be a very interesting free-agent market because there’s only about 10 teams that can legimately take on a huge contract.

Even with today’s Scott Gomez pickup, Montreal has tons of cap room. Vancouver, Toronto, the Rangers, Dallas, the Islanders, L.A., and the Wild have the most flexibility in the league. Also, if the Sedins don’t re-sign in Vancouver, they might really be in for a reality check as far as this package deal goes. Vancouver, Montreal and Toronto were the only teams maybe, and now Montreal is likely out because I think they’ll go after a single star now (i.e. Gaborik or Hossa). That’s why I really feel sanity’s going to prevail and Sedins re-sign in Van.

Speaking of that, Marian Gaborik’s heading to free agency obviously. Chuck Fletcher and Ron Salcer had a lengthy conversation today I’m told and it went nowhere. As I mentioned the other day, Gaborik turned down that $78.5 million deal because of several concerns he had about the direction of the team. Even though most those concerns are alleviated with the departures of Lemaire and Risebrough, it was going to be impossible to sign him this close to free agency and it appears as if Salcer made that clear to Fletcher during their initial conversation a few weeks ago.

I think Montreal, LA, Vancouver and the Rangers (unless it acquires Heatley tonight as is rumored in some circles) plan to pursue Gaborik. If the Rangers trade for Heatley and Vancouver re-signs the Sedins, suddenly Gaborik starts to get squeezed a bit. But I’m starting to think Montreal is going to be hot after him, with the Rangers if they don’t get Heatley tonight (Edmonton’s got the inside track, but as of 9:10, it’s been hung up because Heatley hasn’t waived no-trade yet, I’m told).

Fletcher has tried to trade Gaborik’s rights so far to no avail. The Vancouver Province story of the house did not help because why would anybody trade for his rights if there’s an impression he’s already found a home. And at this late juncture, why would you give a roll of tape when you know that Ron Salcer’s not exactly the easiest guy to negotiate with and free agency’s in 14 hours?

This is going to be an interesting market because like they always do, the top guys should get their term and their money. The middle of the range guys could get squeezed because like I’ve said, there’s a lot of money in the system and only so many teams that can sign guys to big contracts. And if all of a sudden the Kessels of the world and one of the San Jose forwards (Clowe or Marleau) are traded, that means fewer spots elsewhere for other players.

And Fletcher today again made mention that it’s not just free agency where he could fill holes. It could be via the trade route.

Asked about Craig Leipold’s comments the other day about wanting to get some top players here, Fletcher said, “He wants to win. He wants to have a team that is a competing team right from the get-go next year. I think what he’s expressed to me is consistent with what he’s expressed to you guys. He wants to win. But in terms of whether we do things through free agency or trades or however we get there, I don’t know if that’s as important as the fact we get there.”

OK, talk to you throughout Wednesday.

I’ll be back on later this evening with a more in-depth free-agent primer, but I figured I’d jump on and say hello now.

I know there are all these Vincent Lecavalier rumors to Minnesota floating around the blogosphere, but I can tell you that yesterday morning, as good a source as you can possibly have from one of the two teams told me that “Vinny’s staying — 100 percent,” meaning he will not be traded before his July 1 no-trade kicks in.

I suppose if some deal knocked the Lightning’s socks off in the next 24 hours, that could change. But let’s be honest — it’s very doubtful the Wild has those assets to suddenly make the Lightning change its mind.

Essentially, as I mentioned on the blog last week, one owner wants to move Lecavalier; one does not. And both owners have veto power of any trade, so it would take a major philosophical altercation by that one owner today to put Lecavalier in another zip code.

Also, Lecavalier’s cap hit might be $7.7+ million in the next 11 years, but he makes $10 million in real dollars in the next seven. I just don’t see the Wild being willing take on that type of commitment in this economy.

It will be interesting to see if there are trades tomorrow. Remember, you can go 5 percent over the cap starting July 1 until training camp, so as often is the case, trades are agreed to at the draft and executed on July 1 (Manny Fernandez to Bruins, Marek Zidlicky to Wild, although that had to wait simply because that’s when Zidlicky’s no-trade expired).

The Senators have to trade Dany Heatley by midnight if they’re going to escape paying him that $4 million bonus.

Also talked to two sources yesterday — one exec, one agent — and both said they’d be shocked if Josh Harding isn’t traded in the near future. He’s got arbitration rights, and the agent thought he’d be owed a fairly significant raise just because of his goals against and save percentage last season.

Here’s a look at the depth chart as it currently sits assuming all the UFA’s go to free agency, so have some fun today, check out the free agent lists and you fill in the holes:

LW                              C                                RW

———                Koivu                          Bouchard

Brunette                Sheppard                   Nolan

Miettinen              Belanger                    Clutterbuck

Boogaard              Brodziak                     Weller

Potential candidates: Pouliot, Gillies, Irmen, Kalus

***I see the Wild pursuing a center, which would bump down the center spots and maybe put Brodziak on the right side and Weller in the press box; If they don’t sign a No. 2 center, maybe Bouchard or Pouliot gets that chance, which opens up a top-two line RW spot.

LD                         RD 

Johnsson              Burns

Schultz                  Zidlicky

Scott                      ———-

*** I see the Wild bringing in two NHL defensemen, meaning Scott could be the extra.

Goalies

Backstrom

Harding

***Harding is trade bait, and then the Wild would sign a cheaper backup goalie, and they grow on trees.

Kudos to editor/sportswriter Mark Wollemann for stepping in for me yesterday. The day off was very much appreciated.

Update: Negotiations are ongoing right now with Chicago and Pittsburgh regarding Martin Havlat and Ruslan Fedotenko, but if they are not re-signed, the Wild may pursue.

Update: USA Hockey announced the roster for August’s Olympic orientation camp. Here is the release.

The roster includes several Minnesotans or players with Minnesota ties: Tom Gilbert, Erik Johnson, Paul Martin, David Backes, Dustin Byfuglien, Phil Kessel, Jamie Langenbrunner, Ryan Malone, Kyle Okposo, T.J. Oshie and Zach Parise. 

Update: Wild at least having talks still with Stephane Veilleux.

Update: Wild has hired Jim Mill (not Nill) assistant to the GM and GM of the Aeros.

(more…)

Boston’s Tim Thomas won the Vezina as the NHL’s best goaltender.

“I’ve been more worried about getting my name on a roster than I’ve been about winning a Vezina Trophy,” Thomas said during his speech.

Thomas won the award, as voted by the GM’s, in a landslide with 22 first-place votes. Backstrom finished third behind Thomas and Steve Mason with one first-place vote, eight second-place votes and two third-place votes.

Mikko Koivu tied Detroit’s Henrik Zetterberg for fourth in Selke voting (best defensive forward) with one first-place vote, three second-place votes, 13 third-place votes, 17 fourth-place votes and seven fifth-place votes. Antti Miettinen finished 50th in Selke voting and Eric Belanger 64th.

Martin Skoula finished 28th in Lady Byng (most gentlemanly) voting with one first-place vote. Andrew Brunette finished 39th in Lady Byng with a third-place vote and two fifths.

In First Team, Second Team All-Star voting, for centers, Mikko Koivu finished seventh in the NHL. For goalies, Backstrom finished fourth behind First Team All-Star Tim Thomas, Second Team All-Star Steve Mason and Roberto Luongo. Backstrom got 14 second-place votes and 18 third-place votes.

For results of the awards, go to NHL.com.