Adams scored his first on the powerplay midway through the first period and completed the trick with two goals in the first two minutes and 15 seconds of the third to give the Zephyrs a 6-0 lead at that point. 

The Zephyrs rowdy student section littered the ice with hats immediately after Adams third goal crossed the goal line. 

Along with Adams trio of goals, his linemates Mike Rose and Brandon Zurn contributed two each, while Zurn had three assists to go along with his two goals and Minnesota Golden Gophers recruit Ben Marshall had four assists. 

Mahtomedi goaltender Brad Wohlers stopped 27 of 28 shots, playing all but the last five minutes of the game when backup goalie Sawyer Marshall relieved him. 

The difference of the game was certainly special teams, as Mahtomedi capitalized on all four of their powerplay opportunities while managing to kill off three of four Alexandria powerplays. 

Ashton Gronholz scored the lone goal for Alexandria and goaltender Erich Murphy stopped 25 of 32 shots for the Cardinals who will play again tomorrow at 11am at Mariucci Arena at the University of Minnesota. 

Mahtomedi advances to the semi-finals where they will face the winner of the Hermantown-Virginia/MI-B game on Friday at 11am.

Sooooooooooo… 

This should be a really good tournament this year.  There are number of college committed players in the bracket, as well as a number of players that are ranked in the NHL’s CSS rankings.  Let’s take a look at the Class A games, shall we?

Mahtomedi vs. Alexandria

Mahtomedi Regular Season Record: 20-5-0
Alexandria Regular Season Record: 18-6-1 

Mahtomedi Sectionals Results
Mahtomedi 9 Chisago Lakes 2
Mahtomedi 5 Totino-Grace 2
Mahtomedi 3 St. Thomas Academy 1 

Alexandria Sectionals Results
Alexandria 9 St. Cloud Apollo 3
Alexandria 3 Willmar 1
Alexandria 4 Sartell-St. Stephen 1 

Mahtomedi Sectional Scoring Leaders
Brandon Zurn – 3 GP, 5 G, 4 A
Charlie Adams – 3 GP, 5 G, 0 A 

Alexandria Sectional Scoring Leaders
Thomas Williams – 3 GP, 5 G, 1 A
Ashton Gronholz – 3 GP, 4 G, 0 A 

Mahtomedi Sectional Goaltending Leaders
Brad Wohlers – 3-0-0, 1.67 GAA, .939 Sv Pct 

Alexandria Sectional Goaltending Leaders
Erich Murphy – 3-0-0, 1.67 GAA, .922 Sv Pct 

Analysis: This could be one of the most even first round match ups in the tournament, both teams are fairly evenly matched.  Mahtomedi has a little bit more scoring pop from their top line, while Alexandria will rely on their defense and goaltending from Erich Murphy to put a stop to Mahtomedi’s attack.  In the end, I like the scoring line of Mahtomedi and Brad Wohlers is starting to get hot right at the right time.  Mahtomedi wins a close game.

Hermantown vs. Virginia/Mt. Iron-Buhl

Hermantown Regular Season Record: 22-3-0
Virginia/Mt. Iron-Buhl Regular Season Record: 15-7-3 

Hermantown Sectionals Results
Hermantown 13 North Branch 1
Hermantown 6 Rogers 0
Hermantown 3 Duluth Denfeld 2 

Virginia/Mt. Iron-Buhl Sectionals Results
Virginia/MI-B 22 Silver Bay 0
Virginia/MI-B 3 Duluth Marshall 2
Virginia/MI-B 3 Hibbing/Chisholm 0 

Hermantown Sectional Scoring Leaders
Adam Krause – 3 GP, 2 G, 3 A
Charlie Comnick – 3 GP, 3 G, 1 A 

Virginia/Mt. Iron-Buhl Sectional Scoring Leaders
Garrett Hendrickson – 3 GP, 3 G, 7 A
Jordan Krebsbach – 3 GP, 4 G, 5 A 

Hermantown Sectional Goaltending Leaders
Tyler Ampe – 2-0-0, 1.00 GAA, .950 Sv Pct, 1 SO 

Virginia/Mt. Iron-Buhl Sectional Goaltending Leaders
Casey Myhre – 3-0-0, 0.63 GAA, .968 Sv Pct, 2 SO 

Analysis: This could be the upset game of the first round.  Hermantown is good and you can never count out this team, especially with Adam Krause leading the way, but Virginia’s Casey Myhre is getting hot exactly at the right time, and if Garrett Hendrickson and Jordan Krebsbach continue to lead the way, Virginia could sneak this one out.  Virginia wins in overtime.

Breck vs. New Ulm

Breck Regular Season Record: 23-2-0
New Ulm Regular Season Record: 13-9-1

Breck Sectionals Results
Breck 8 St. Louis Park 0
Breck 8 Orono 0
Breck 5 Blake 1 

New Ulm Sectionals Results
New Ulm 8 Windom Area 0
New Ulm 11 Luverne 1
New Ulm 5 Litchfield/Dassel-Cokato 2 

Breck Sectional Scoring Leaders
Nate Traina – 3 GP, 3 G, 4 A
Mike Morin – 3 GP, 4 G, 3 A 

New Ulm Sectional Scoring Leaders
Zach Hoffman – 3 GP, 1 G, 6 A
Kaleb Juntunen – 3 GP, 3 G, 3 A 

Breck Sectional Goaltending Leaders
John Russell – 3-0-0, 0.33 GAA, .978 Sv Pct, 2 SO 

New Ulm Sectional Goaltending Leaders
Blake Burgau – 3-0-0, 1.00 GAA, .950 Sv Pct, 1 SO 

Analysis: While New Ulm is playing good hockey right now, they’re no match for the Breck juggernaut.  Led by John Russell and a deep, deep offense Breck should have no problem with this one.  If New Ulm is to win, it’s going to be on the shoulders of Blake Burgau, who will have to steal the game.  Breck wins big.

Warroad vs. Rochester Lourdes

Warroad Regular Season Record: 21-4-0
Rochester Lourdes Regular Season Record: 14-8-3 

Warroad Sectionals Results
Warroad 9 Red Lake Falls 3
Warroad 9 Kittson Central 2
Warroad 2 Thief River Falls 0 

Rochester Lourdes Sectionals Results
Rochester Lourdes 2 Northfield 1
Rochester Lourdes 4 New Prague 1
Rochester Lourdes 3 Red Wing 0 

Warroad Sectional Scoring Leaders
Brock Nelson – 3 GP, 8 G, 4 A
Brett Hebel – 3 GP, 3 G, 6 A 

Rochester Lourdes Sectional Scoring Leaders
Alex Funk – 3 GP, 2 G, 3 A
Jason Samuelson – 3 GP, 2 G, 1 A 

Warroad Sectional Goaltending Leaders
Andy Foster – 2-0-0, 1.00 GAA, .952 Sv Pct, 1 SO 

Rochester Lourdes Sectional Goaltending Leaders
Nick Heimer – 3-0-0, .067 GAA, .953 Sv Pct, 1 SO 

Analysis: Is there anyone more dominant in Minnesota High School hockey right now than Brock Nelson?  Realistically, the only way that Lourdes wins this game is because of a strong defensive performance.  Heimer will have to be solid, as Nelson is going to show up on the state’s biggest stage in a big way.  Warroad wins big.

View from the Lighthouse has reported that Clutterbuck was not at the morning skate and it is likely that Kalus will make his debut for the Minnesota Wild tonight, wearing #23. 

Kalus, the main return in the trade with Boston for Manny Fernandez, has 15 points (11-4=15) this season for the Houston Aeros with 64 PIM and a minus-8 rating.  Should he play in tonight’s game, it will be his first NHL action since 2007 where he had four goals and an assist in nine games for the Bruins.

#2 Edina H.S. (20-6-2)
Vs.
Roseau H.S. (22-5-1)
3/11/10, 11 AM, Xcel Energy Center 

Edina H.S.
Goaltender(s):
John Ankeny, Sr., 10-3-1, 1.91 GAA, .920 Sv Pct
Connor Girard, Jr., 7-3-1, 1.96 GAA, .906 Sv Pct 

Leading Scorers:
Steven Fogarty, Jr., 25 GP, 18 G, 12 A
Charlie Taft, Sr., 25 GP, 16 G, 10 A 

Roseau H.S.
Goaltender(s):
Ethan Kvidt, Sr., 19-5-1, 2.34 GAA, .905 Sv Pct 

Leading Scorers:
Shane Omdahl, Jr., 25 GP, 25 G, 37 A
Adam Knochenmus, Sr., 25 GP, 20 G, 25 A 

#3 Blaine H.S. (21-4-3)
Vs.
Apple Valley H.S. (17-11-0)
3/11/10, 1 PM, Xcel Energy Center 

Blaine H.S.
Goaltender(s):
Danny Harper, Sr., 14-4-3, 2.42 GAA, .907 Sv Pct 

Leading Scorers:
Nick Bjugstad, Sr., 25 GP, 29 G, 31 A
Eric Scheid, Sr., 25 GP, 20 G, 28 A 

Apple Valley H.S.
Goaltender(s):
Aaron Gretz, Jr., 10-9-0, 2.52 GAA, .899 Sv Pct
Collin Olson, So., 4-2-0, 3.95 GAA, .820 Sv Pct 

Leading Scorers:
Hudson Fasching, Fr., 25 GP, 20 G, 16 A
Chris Fischer, Sr., 25 GP, 11 G, 15 A 

#1 Minnetonka H.S (25-1-2)
Vs.
Lakeville North H.S. (11-15-2)
3/11/10, 6 PM, Xcel Energy Center 

Minnetonka H.S.
Goaltender(s):
Jim Kruger, Sr., 14-1-2, 1.62 GAA, .933 Sv Pct
Alex Glockner, Jr., 8-0-0, 0.88 GAA, .944 Sv Pct 

Leading Scorers:
Derek Frawley, Jr., 25 GP, 16 G, 28 A
Max Gardiner, Sr., 17 GP, 17 G, 26 A 

Lakeville North H.S.
Goaltender(s):
Charlie Lindgren, So., 4-7-2, 3.13 GAA, .877 Sv Pct
Matt Arentz, Sr., 4-8-0, 3.91 GAA, .870 Sv Pct 

Leading Scorers:
Nate Arentz, So., 25 GP, 18 G, 10 A
Brady Skjei, So., 25 GP, 7 G, 16 A 

#4 Hill-Murray School (25-2-1)
Vs.
Duluth East H.S. (19-5-4)
3/11/10, 8 PM, Xcel Energy Center 

Hill-Murray School
Goaltender(s):
Tim Shaughnessy, Jr., 18-2-1, 1.71 GAA, .919 Sv Pct 

Leading Scorers:
Willie Faust, Sr., 24 GP, 20 G, 17 A
Ben Bahe, Jr., 25 GP, 11 G, 18 A 

Duluth East H.S.
Goaltender(s):
Jo Jo Jeannetta, Jr., 9-4-4, 2.03 GAA, .902 Sv Pct
Joel Perlinger, Jr., 5-1-0, 2.67 GAA, .878 Sv Pct 

Leading Scorers:
Jake Randolph, So., 25 GP, 5 G, 23 A
Kyle Lutzka, Sr., 25 GP, 10 G, 12 A

This season, we here at Wild Nation will be keeping you abreast of the action as best we can (let’s be honest, we’re working folk here at Wild Nation too) and probably will have a live blog or two somewhere mixed in there because, let’s be honest…That’s our bag baby. 

This should be one heck of a tournament, so we’ll look at the match ups first and foremost. 

Class A 

#2 Mahtomedi H.S. (23-5-0)
Vs.
Alexandria H.S. (21-6-1)
3/10/10, 11 AM, Xcel Energy Center 

Mahtomedi H.S.
Goaltender(s):
Brad Wohlers, Sr., 14-4-0, 2.61 GAA, .908 Sv Pct
Sawyer Marshall, So., 8-1-0, 1.66 GAA, .896 Sv Pct 

Leading Scorers:
Brandon Zurn, Sr., 28 GP, 33 G, 39 A
Charlie Adams, Sr., 28 GP, 33 G, 33 A 

Alexandria H.S.
Goaltender(s):
Erich Murphy, So., 16-3-1, 1.90 GAA, .914 Sv Pct 

Leading Scorers:
Thomas Williams, Sr., 23 GP, 32 G, 23 A
Casey Vangsness, Sr., 25 GP, 14 G, 27 A 

#3 Hermantown H.S. (25-3-0)
Vs.
Virginia/Mt. Iron-Buhl (18-7-3)
3/10/10, 1 PM, Xcel Energy Center 

Hermantown H.S.
Goaltender(s):
Tiegan Brickson, Sr., 13-0-0, 1.51 GAA, .921 Sv Pct
Tyler Ampe, Sr., 12-3-0, 1.85 GAA, .909 Sv Pct 

Leading Scorers:
Adam Krause, Sr., 25 GP, 34 G, 25 A
Charlie Comnick, Sr., 25 GP, 15 G, 24 A 

Virginia/Mt. Iron-Buhl
Goaltender(s):
Casey Myhre, Sr., 10-3-3, 1.91 GAA, .922 Sv Pct
Andy Milbridge, Jr., 8-4-0, 3.08 GAA, .855 Sv Pct 

Leading Scorers:
Garrett Hendrickson, Jr., 25 GP, 29 G, 37 A
Andrew Judnick, Sr., 18 G, 20 A 

#1 Breck School (26-2-0)
Vs.
New Ulm H.S. (16-9-1)
3/10/10, 6 PM, Xcel Energy Center 

Breck School
Goaltender(s):
John Russell, Sr., 19-2-0, 1.43 GAA, .946 Sv Pct

Leading Scorers:
Tyson Fulton, Sr., 33 G, 44 A
Mike Morin, Sr., 29 G, 25 A 

New Ulm H.S.
Goaltender(s):
Blake Burgau, Jr., 16-9-1, 2.67 GAA, .899 Sv Pct 

Leading Scorers:
Zach Fisher, Sr., 15 G, 13 A
Kaleb Juntunen, Jr., 15 G, 13 A 

#4 Warroad H.S. (24-4-0)
Vs.
Rochester Lourdes H.S. (17-8-3)
3/10/10, 8 PM, Xcel Energy Center 

Warroad H.S.
Goaltender(s):
Shawn Storey, Sr., 13-3-0, 1.62 GAA, .920 Sv Pct
Andy Foster, So., 8-1-0, 1.95 GAA, .901 Sv Pct 

Leading Scorers:
Brock Nelson, Sr., 25 GP, 39 G, 34 A
Brett Hebel, Sr., 25 GP, 23 G, 38 A 

Rochester Lourdes H.S.
Goaltender(s):
Mark Greve, Sr., 7-2-1, 1,72 GAA, .892 Sv Pct
Nick Heimer, Jr., 7-6-2, 2.74 GAA, .857 Sv Pct 

Leading Scorers:
Rory Vesel, Jr., 24 GP, 5 G, 21 A
Jason Samuelson, Fr., 25 GP, 11 G, 14 A 

There’s your Class A preview!  Check back tomorrow for a preview of the Class AA tournament.

Thank you to J.P. Hoornstra, Scott Rosts, Denis Gorman, Justin Bourne and Ms. Conduct for helping out in our trade deadline blog, as well as Dave Turner and Sam P. Woo for their coverage on HPT Radio, as well as the kind folks at Primetime Radio for hosting our show. 

Let me tell you that, if you didn’t listen in, you missed one heck of a show.  The sound quality was top notch and the guests were on the same level.  My last shill of the day on this one…If you didn’t sign up on Primetime Radio yesterday, head on over there and register.  There’s some cool stuff that’s going to be going on the over the coming months I think. 

Mailbag 

Now, a while ago I asked for mailbag responses.  Well…I got a few and my response to these has been looooooooong overdue (at least by a month or so.)  So, with my sincere apologies, here are my responses to these mailbag questions. 

Not sure if these would be interesting to anyone but me… 

1. Why would the salary cap go down next year? Who and how do they decide that? 

2. During warm ups before a game – are guys assigned to certain jobs? I’ve noticed that Sheppard clears pucks out of the net and distributes them around the ice. Brunette passes pucks to guys once at a time and they each take a shot. Is this punishment for doing something the coach didn’t like? Or do they rotate these jobs? 

3. Can you explain (in short sentences) how waivers work? You hear that a player “was put on waivers” or “cleared waivers” but I haven’t figured out what that actually means and a Google search didn’t help! 

Thanks for any light you can shed on these questions. Feel free to ignore them if they are not blog worthy. 

– Laurie/Minnesotagirl71

Laurie, 

I can tell you that these questions were most certainly blog worthy.  The reason I know this is because I actually had to do a fair amount of research in order to actually answer these! 

1. The explanation for how the salary cap is set isn’t an easy one.  Basically, there is a cap ceiling and floor.  You can’t go above the ceiling or below the floor.  This is determined by the assignment of a percentage of “hockey-related” revenues to player salaries.  The ceiling is the maximum percentage that the league allocates to player salaries, while the floor is defined as $16 million below the cap.  This is decided by the NHL front offices, though I believe that the Board of Governors also has a say in this. 

Basically, the reason that the cap would go down is based upon league revenues.  If the league gains money, the cap is likely to go up.  If it loses money, the cap is likely to either remain static or decrease. 

While I don’t have a line into the revenues of the league, my guess for this coming season is that the cap will remain static or drop a bit due to the hard economic times.  Not an indictment of anyone or anything in particular.  Just the reality of things. 

2. You’re in for a treat on this one, Laurie, because this comes straight from the horse’s mouth.  Justin Bourne of Bourne’s Blog has been gracious enough to answer this question from first hand experience: 

The jobs are pretty random – some guys like to be more focused and not worry about that sort of thing, while some guys like having an extra little role.  In general, the captain (or one of the assistants) will fish the pucks out of the net.  They’re sort of expected to, but if they don’t want to, they’ll just delegate – ask anyone in the dressing room if anyone wants to.  The drill where there’s one puck, and one player will pass it to whoever from behind the goal line for a bit, that’s a different one.  If takes more skating and effort, but for me, I liked doing that job because it made me move a bit, something I normally wouldn’t make myself do in warmup (also, it’s a little reminder of who is which hand).  Its definitely not punishment.  Just a team working out what works best for all the guys.  Somebody’s gotta do it! 

3. Ah yes, waivers.  According to the current CBA, a player is exempt from waivers based upon this chart:

Now, if that was as clear as mud, the bottom line is this.  If you are a goalie and are on your NHL club at the age of 18, you have six years or 80 games (whichever comes first) in which you are exempt from passing through waivers.  For a skater at age 18, you have five years or 160 games (again, whichever comes first).  This counts for both regular season and playoff games. 

It is counted as a season if a player plays more than 11 games in that season, which is why you can see players re-assigned to juniors after playing ten games etc. 

If that doesn’t make much sense, don’t worry.  I’m pretty sure 90% of general managers don’t truly understand it either. 

But, here’s the good part.  After a player is placed on waivers, there is a 24-hour period in which they can be claimed by another team.  If only one waiver claim is made on a player, they will be transferred to the club making the waiver claim.  If multiple waiver claims are made, the player will be transferred to the club that has the lowest point percentage at the time that the waiver claim was made.  So, for example, if Teams A, B and C make waiver claims on the same player, Team A has 6 points in 3 games, Team B has 3 points in 3 games and Team C has 2 points in 1 game, Team B would be awarded the transfer since they have the lowest percentage of points, not the lowest total points. 

Hopefully that’s shed some light on it for you! 

1. Any idea what big names will be free agents after the season and of those who if any can you see the Wild going after? 

2. I’ve become a pretty big Wild fan this season, I live in Kansas City, but grew up in Houston who houses the AHL affiliate Aeros, which is how I choose the Wild as my NHL team.  My question is what is the relationship between the Aeros & the Wild.  Are they co-owned?  Is there a five year lease as affiliate?  Can I expect Houston to still be the AHL affiliate 5 years, 10 years from now assuming Houston doesn’t get the Coyotes or go belly up? 

Will see Wild live for first time when they play Blues Jan. 14^th, can’t wait! 

–Brian

Brian, I hope to hear soon about how you enjoyed your first Wild game!  If you ever want to experience how a Wild game is supposed to be viewed live, too, definitely come up and see a game at the X.  It’s well worth the trip. 

1. For free agents this summer, I don’t know that you’ll see the Wild make a huge splash.  Right now, the salary cap is expected to stay relatively close to what it is now ($56.8 million), and the Wild have about $45.454 million already spent towards the cap next season on 15 players.  What that boils down to is that it’s going to be tough for the Wild to get any huge acquisitions with around $11 million to spend on eight players. 

That being said, Fletcher has been very good at finding the right players for the right prices, so nothing is out of the question.  With our first two lines fairly cemented, I think you’ll see Fletcher take a stab at some quality depth players this season unless he can manage to talk a player like an Ilya Kovalchuk or a Patrick Marleau into a long-term, cap-friendly contract. 

The splash I think you’ll see the Wild make (and make no mistake, we need to make one) will be in the trade department.  We have restricted free agents Josh Harding and James Sheppard to potentially shop (Harding’s job is easily replaced for cheaper by Anton Khudobin, while Sheppard has never quite caught on here) and he has proved that he’s willing to pull the trigger on deals.  While no teams inquired about Harding at the trade deadline, he could be a very tempting player for teams who are going to have vacancies in net in the offseason. 

2. To the best of my knowledge, Houston and Minnesota are both owned and run by Minnesota Sports & Entertainment. 

While Houston does have their own executive staff, they are owned and run by MSE and managed by assistant General Manager to the Wild, Jim Mill.  While some affiliates are agreed to as a business deal, it appears that the Wild actually own the Aeros and it would stand to reason that their relationship would be one that would be longer than just a lease. 

Trade Deadline 

Alright.  Now that I’ve actually answered my mail (I promise a more timely mailbag next time around), we’re on to the move made yesterday by the Wild. 

Plain and simple, it was inevitable that Belanger would be moved.  He had not been contacted for talks by the Wild and, despite his interest in staying there was no interest in retaining him. 

To get a second round draft pick for a player of Belanger’s caliber is, in my opinion, a huge windfall for the Wild.  If you would have asked me if we would have gotten that high of a pick for him a few days ago, I would have laughed in your face. 

It’s a win for Belanger because he gets to go to a contender, it’s a win for Washington because they get a solid defensive forward and it’s a win for the Wild because they get to make out like a bandit with a shiny new draft pick. 

More importantly, though, I like the Wild’s trade deadline for the move that they didn’t make. 

They didn’t trade Owen Nolan. 

That tells you how much respect he has by the players, the coaching staff and the management.  Quite simply, he has earned the chance at a contract extension and I applaud Chuck Fletcher for giving him that opportunity.  I have been fairly outspoken in my belief that the Wild should afford Nolan every opportunity to retire in a Minnesota sweater, and it appears that they will do just that. 

Next up for the Wild are the Edmonton Oilers on Friday at 8pm CST.

Here at Wild Nation, we love all hockey, not just the Wild. Sooooooo, with that in mind, I’m starting up my very own rumor thread. It’s nothing much, but it will help pass the time leading up to the big day tomorrow. I do want to stress to you, the reader, however that these rumors are all ones that will be from named sources. I will not be starting any rumors myself, or citing any rumors from a certain hockey rumor website that rhymes with Jockey Fuzz.

Anywho. Here’s the first round of ‘em!  Any updates will appear up top here.

*Everyone and their mother has been speculationg about Roloson to the Flyers now that Emery is out.  Literally, everyone.  I’m not linking anyone on this because it’s honestly everyone.  My question, though, is wouldn’t someone like Harding be a better replacement option?

*Frank Seravalli’s Twitter says that Razor Ray Emery needs a bone graft and will be done for the season.

*According to Bruce “Malkin to the Kings” Garrioch on Twitter, the Blues have sent out an e-mail offering up Brad Boyes and Carlo Coliacovo.

*Kevin Allen of the USA Today chimes in on Twitter, saying that while it isn’t a given that Atlanta will trade Colby Armstrong, they likely can’t re-sign him.

*Oops…And I have some catching up to do.  Pierre LeBrun joins the Twitter army, saying that nothing imminent is on the LA Kings front.  Nick Kypreos says that both Kariya and Tkachuk are unwilling to waive their NTC aaaaaaaannnnnnnndddddd BD Galoff says that there’s about a 95% chance that Roloson gets moved.

*And more Mr. McKenzie.  If Wolski goes to Phoenix, the asking price will likely be Mueller and more, saying that Phoenix has been shopping Mueller like whoa.

*Habs Inside Out has tweeted a quote from Jacque Martin that he expects that both goalies will help out during the stretch run.  While this isn’t difinitive by any means, it certainly sounds like he’s not expecting either to be moved.

*Not a trade rumor, but interesting nonetheless.  Nick Kypreos has tweeted that Ray Emery is looking for a surgeon to save his career and that his hip injury is being compared to that of Bo Jackson.  Uh-oh.

*And once more from Bob McKenzie…Anaheim is not considering trading Scott Niedermayer.

*And Mr. McKenzie is back saying that Toronto’s Alex Ponikarovsky is likely to fetch a 2nd round pick and a good prospect and that LA could be the front runner in this one.

*Mr. Russo is also stating that he is no longer hearing that Owen Nolan is not available and that he believes there is a good chance that Nolan is dealt.

*According to Bob McKenzie, Wojtek Wolski is in play by the Avs and the Coyotes are showing interest.

*Some Wild news.  Per Mr. Russo’s Twitter feed, the Wild have re-signed both Marek Zidlicky and Clayton Stoner.  Zidlicky’s contract is as expected, 3-years $12M total with a no-trade clause for the first half of the contract.  Stoner’s contract is a 2-year, $1.1M total with a one-way contract for the first year and a two-way contract for the second.

*Per Tim Panaccio’s Twitter feed, the Flyers aren’t close to any deals.  Prices are high and the Flyers lack the picks at the moment.

*Frank Sevarelli from the Philadelphia Daily News says on his Twitter that the Flyers may be close to something with Nashville.

*Well, that’s what I get for taking a lunch break.  Per Newsday, Andy Sutton to Ottawa for a second round pick.  So, what you’re telling me is that the going rate for a fourth or fifth defenseman is a second round pick?  Sounds a little steep to me.

*It’s time for lunch for me, but I’ll be back in a bit with all the updates you could ever want!  (If there are any, of course.)

*Not a trade rumor, but it should warm those cynical Wild fans among us.  Larry Brooks is reporting that Marian Gaborik will be sitting tonight’s Rangers game out.  I’m sure that Torts is loving the fact that he’ll play in the Olympics, but not when his team is in the midst of a playoff race.

*Some Waiver wire news.  According to Bob McKenzie via Twitter, Brad Lukowich (VAN), Anders Ericsson (PHX), Ryan Jones (NAS) and John Grahame (COL) have all joined Voros and Lisin on waivers.  Also on the list is Chris Chelios, who must pass through waivers in order to be called up to play.

*Interesting.  According to On Frozen Pond, Thomas Vokoun has been advised of a possible trade.  Will he waive or no?

*Darren Dreger on Leaf’s Lunch — says that Chicago has no interest in Finger but that the rumor can’t be dismissed.

*To anyone who thought Twitter was just a passing fad?  Get on the train!  We’ve got another Twitter account breaking news — this one the account of Chris Vivlamore.  Apparently, Chris Chelios has officially signed with the Atlanta Thrashers.  No word yet on if he has already started referring to Zach Bogosian as a whippersnapper.

*Greg Brady’s Twitter has a rumor swirling about Toronto’s Jeff Finger heading to Chicago for Cristobal Huet in a swap of gross overpayments.  If that’s the case, he says, expect the Hawks to go hard after Vokoun and the Leafs to try to flip Crystal Ball Huey.

*According to Larry Brooks Twitter, Enver Lisin and former Wild player Aaron Voros are on waivers.

*From Jeremy Rutherford’s Twitter account, JD says that there’s no serious talks between the Blues and other teams yet, but he has talked to a few people.

*According to Darren Dreger’s Twitter feed, no list has been given by Tomas Kaberle for his NTC and no interest has been shown in waiving it.  Kaberle appears to be staying put.

*The Miami Herald suggests that the only players that could be untouchable for the Panthers are David Booth, Dmitry Kulikov and Michael Frolik.

*The Boston Herald is reporting that the Bruins are looking for a top-six forward, possibly in the form of Ray Whitney, Teemu Selanne or Nathan Horton.  They also repeat the speculation that Tim Thomas could be moved and also that Michael Ryder is being shopped due to cap constraints.

*Tarik El-Bashir reports on Twitter that the Caps are interested in Isles d-man Andy Sutton. The believed asking price is a second round pick.

*The incomparable Mike Russo has reported on Twitter that the Marek Zidlicky deal is all but done and is expected to be announced by day’s end with the term of 3-years, $12 million.  No word on his NTC as of yet.

*CSN Philly is reporting that the Preds have turned down three offers on Dan Hamhuis.

*The Columbus Dispatch is stating that the Lightning have been showing interest in forward Raffi Torres.

*Chip Alexander’s Twitter account is talking about Ray Whitney to Pittsburgh and Aaron Ward to Ottawa.  It’s what he calls scuttlebutt.

The Wild avoided restricted free agency this summer with heavy hitter Cal Clutterbuck by extending the winger’s contract this morning. Clutterbuck signed a three-year, $4.2 million contract ($1.4 million cap hit). 

“Cal is an intense competitor who has quickly become a fan favorite with the Wild,” GM Chuck Fletcher said. “We look forward to watching his development for years to come.”

Clutterbuck, 22 (11/18/87), set the NHL’s single-season hits mark in 2008-09 with 356, and again leads the NHL this season with 252 hits. Clutterbuck has recorded a career-high 12 goals in 54 games this season, while also tying his career-high with 18 points. The 5-foot-11, 213-pound native of Welland, Ont., has posted 36 points (23-13=36) and 110 penalty minutes in 134 games over two-plus seasons with the Wild. Clutterbuck was the Wild’s third-round pick (No. 72 overall) in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft. 

Obviously myself, as well as every other Wild fan out there, loves this move. 

Clutterbuck has been a breath of fresh air to this franchise since he arrived here and is one of the more loved members of the organization. 

His gritty, physical play injects energy into the team every time he hits the ice and is beginning to find his offensive game as well. 

The Wild have just three other RFA’s to lock up and, from what I have gathered, are currently in talks with leading goal scorer Guillaume Latendresse to extend his contract.