Wild Lose Koivu; Replacement Comes With No Easy Answers
Well, here we are. The one player that the Wild couldn’t afford to lose and they’ve gone ahead and lost him.
From what I understand, Minnesota’s captain was hit in the hand while blocking a shot in last night’s 5-1 victory over the Anaheim Ducks and injured his finger – bad. Like might need surgery bad.
I won’t lie, this is a catastrophe for the Wild. Not only was Koivu their captain, their heart and soul leader in the locker room, but he’s also the number one center on a team without a solid number two.
Maybe, in the best case scenario, Matt Cullen or Pierre-Marc Bouchard could step up and fill the void, but would they be able to bring to the first line what Koivu could? They’re the best internal scenarios, and even then they’re not the greatest options.
I may be preaching to the choir here, but the Wild now need to make a trade before the deadline if Koivu is going to be out for an extended period of time.
But who do they go after? The West is so freaking tight right now, who could the Wild realistically make a trade with?
They could maybe target Koivu the other or Todd Marchant from Anaheim, but Anaheim is just one point ahead of the Wild in the standings. Do you think they’re going to help Minnesota out?
The same goes for Calgary, L.A. and Dallas. All teams that the Wild are chasing in the standings. Even San Jose and Nashville probably aren’t realistic possibilities. Neither are Phoenix, Vancouver or Detroit.
If the bottom falls out on Chicago or Columbus, they might consider a trade, same goes with St. Louis. The most likely options are Colorado or Edmonton, but there aren’t really any players on either team that would fit the bill that wouldn’t be part of the team’s rebuilding efforts.
The bottom line is, if the Wild want to make a move anywhere it’s going to be in the East.
But who?
Buffalo? Maybe Tim Connolly fits the bill, but with the Sabres making a playoff push there’s a good chance they’ll want Connolly to be at the center of that.
Florida? Stephen Weiss would be a good move for the Wild, but he hasn’t shown any indication that he wants out of Florida and he has a NMC.
Toronto? They could maybe get Mikhail Grabovski, but I doubt he’ll come cheap. Same with Clarke MacArthur.
The bottom line is that the Wild are going to need to pony up something good in order to get something good. They may even need to overpay. Likely a roster player, a prospect and/or a pick. But who do they move?
Andrew Brunette? Not likely. While he might have the most value, there’s no way that he’s going to be moved. He’s too valuable to the team.
John Madden? He’s got experience and he could be valuable to a team making a playoff push, meaning he’s likely going to be too valuable for the Wild to give up.
There’s been rumblings of Martin Havlat being moved, but that’s just not going to happen. NMC not withstanding, Havlat is the Wild’s biggest offensive threat. He won’t go anywhere.
No, the best players the Wild have to be moved that they’ll consider moving at this point are likely Cam Barker and Antti Miettinen. While both have value to the team at this point, both are essentially replaceable.
Basically, the pickings are slim and the players we would be able to give up are even slimmer, but the Wild need to make some sort of move in order to keep up with the Western Conference.
An Early Look at the Off Season Pt. II – The Forwards
In my previous blog, I looked at the situation of the Wild for this coming off season and their impending free agents, both unrestricted and otherwise.
The Wild potentially have six forward spots to fill from within and through free agency. There are a few players in the system that might be ready to step up but, on a whole, the Wild will likely be looking elsewhere for help.
So…
Here…We….Go.
Forwards
Ilya Kovalchuk – LW – 28 – Est. Salary: $11M
The bottom line is that Kovalchuk is the best of the best of this off season. He is exactly what the Minnesota Wild need and exactly what they can’t afford. At least not with their cap situation over the next couple seasons. Kovalchuk would be a dream to see playing alongside Andrew Brunette and Mikko Koivu, to be sure, but with a potential $42+ million already spent on 15 players, it would be very, very difficult for the Wild to fit in a cap hit of $11M for one player.
That said Kovalchuk is the type of player that you make the cap room work for. The Thrashers current captain has scored 40+ goals in five straight seasons, two of which he scored 50+. He is a finisher, plain and simple, and a player that the Wild would love to get their hands on.
Despite the fact that Kovalchuk has only been to the playoffs once (for four games), he has provided leadership to an otherwise leaderless Thrashers team and he has also proven his worth in international tournaments as well, most recently last season’s World Championships in which he had five goals and 14 points in nine games.
Wild Nation Verdict: A dream come true. Kovalchuk would be the finisher that the Wild so desperately need. As it stands now, though, the Wild would need to do some serious finagling with their roster to both fit Kovalchuk AND field a full roster – especially not while he is expecting to make the league maximum. If Minnesota can utilize the loopholes to get the cap hit down to seven or eight million, then it’s doable. If not, you’ll see Kovalchuk playing elsewhere in the league.
Patrick Marleau – C – 31 – Est. Salary: $7-8M
Marleau has had an up and down career, but is certainly well on his way to a career season in what could be his last in San Jose. He is just 11 goals away from tying his career high and he’s topped 25 goals in six of his last eight full seasons (not to mention topping it already this season) and he’s topped 30 in three of his last four.
San Jose will have some difficult decisions to make this off season and losing their former captain may very well be one of them. If that is the case, he could be a lesser substitute for Kovalchuk. Marleau is nowhere near as dynamic as the Russian sniper, but he is still a solid scorer and a much better two-way player.
The biggest question mark is whether or not Marleau’s inflated production this season is due to an improvement with him or his linemates. Either way, however, he would be a welcome addition and one that the Wild could afford as well.
Wild Nation Verdict: It wouldn’t be the ideal situation, but it wouldn’t be a bad one either. Marleau is a proven scorer and he can play a two-way game – something that Minnesotans appreciate. While not as quick or dynamic as the aforementioned Kovalchuk, he still brings a lot to the table. Not only that, but his salary would allow for the Wild to fill other holes in their roster as well.
Olli Jokinen – C – 32 – Est. Salary: $5M
Jokinen will be going into next season coming off of a down year. After scoring 29 goals and 57 points last season, Jokinen has just eight goals through 42 games this season. He’s been a dynamic scorer in the past and is capable of being one again, but the problem lies in his attitude.
Since coming to Calgary, Jokinen has been talked of as being a “locker room cancer” and his underperformance this season has played a large part in bringing this talk to the forefront. Keeping that in mind, however, he has scored 20+ goals in his last six seasons and 30+ goals in four of these. He has the talent, but the biggest question is if he has the desire and the drive.
Wild Nation Verdict: No thank you. As talented as Jokinen is, the rumors of him being a cancer in the locker room are just not enticing. Coming off of a low point into this off season, a team could find themselves with a bargain should he right the ship. For a Wild team struggling to find their identity on and off the ice, however, I just don’t see that happening.
Saku Koivu – C – 36 – Est. Salary: $3-4M
While Koivu is not the player he was in his prime, there’s no doubt that he can still be an effective player. The question is, in what capacity. He is having a solid season thus far for Anaheim and could well find himself north of the 20 goal plateau again. He was linked strongly to the Wild during the off season and will again likely be linked to the team until he retires because of his brother.
The question mark with Koivu remains how much tread is left on the tires? He has struggled with injuries of the last few seasons and one has got to believe that all of those injuries will begin to take their toll. In addition, he has stated that he doesn’t want to step on his brother’s toes by coming into Minnesota. But would he consider taking on a role as a third line center with the team, as he is still a fantastic defensive player.
Wild Nation Verdict: Time will tell and maybe the Olympics will help him answer some of these questions; however Koivu remains an unlikely possibility for Minnesota, but a possibility nonetheless. The elder Koivu would be a fantastic third line center, but for the price, they could likely do better.
Alexander Frolov – LW – 29 – Est. Salary: $5-7M
Frolov is an admittedly intriguing player for Minnesota to consider. He is a dynamic scorer, though not quite as impressive as Kovalchuk, but he is enigmatic as well. Despite having an off season, Frolov is the type of talent that most simply won’t be able to ignore.
He’s scored 20+ goals in all but his first season in the NHL and has topped 30 twice in that time, not to mention showing that he has the potential to top 70 points on a regular basis when healthy. The problem with Frolov has always lied in his work ethic, but the Wild could be looking at a situation similar to what they had with Guillaume Latendresse – simply a player that needs a change in scenery.
Wild Nation Verdict: If neither Kovalchuk or Marleau are attainable or available, the Wild should consider Frolov. In the right system, in the right situation, Frolov could be an extremely dangerous player. With playmakers like Koivu, Brunette and Havlat, Frolov could be downright lethal. It’s just a matter of whether or not he’s able to put a full season together.
Chris Higgins – C – 28 – Est. Salary: $2-3M
Another enigmatic player this off season is Chris Higgins. Higgins burst onto the scene in Montreal, scoring 20+ goals in his first three full seasons with the team before fading away this season and last. The talent is there, but he just hasn’t been able to recreate his success in his early seasons.
Despite his struggles, Higgins is a big bodied, talented player – something that Chuck Fletcher likes. The Wild had success with a similar enigmatic Montreal player and therefore could take a chance on Higgins. He has the potential to be a very low-risk, high-reward player as well.
Wild Nation Verdict: I’ll be honest. If the cards fall in the right manner, the Wild could take a chance on Higgins. He could fill in an important role on the Wild and, honestly, the price could be right for him as well.
There are obviously many more prospective forwards out there for the Wild to consider, but these are just a few of the ones I find most intriguing. Chuck Fletcher has a unique opportunity to build this team the way he wants it to be built and there is no doubt that the forwards are where he is planning on starting.
As I’ve mentioned, this is obviously devoid of any possible trades he might make or players he might secure during these trades, but one thing is for sure…The Wild are firmly in his hands right now.
Up Next: Defensemen
Game Recap: Wild 4 Ducks 3
The end result definitely made what it took to get there bearable.
But just barely.
After two periods of some of the sloppiest hockey I’ve ever seen the Wild play, the team rebounded and in a big way.
During the first two periods, the Wild’s play was absolutely atrocious. They were giving away odd man rushes like candy on Halloween, to the point where they actually gave up a 4-on-1 at one point. In fact, the only reason that the fans in the X had to cheer during the first 40 minutes of the game was when the result of the Twins game trickled down.
But then big John Scott stepped onto the ice in the third.
Scott was determined to stay with the team, no matter what, this season so he took boxing lessons with Derek Boogaard over the off season and man did it show. Say what you want about fighting’s place in the game, but this fight was one of the ones that actually had a purpose.
Scott started and ended the fight with a big right hand and the end result was pugilism specialist George Parros looking up at the rafters, wondering what train just hit him.
The end result for the Wild? A spark of energy that the team hadn’t had all game long.
Suddenly, it just clicked. It was one of those moments when, all of a sudden, you could see everything just make sense to the team. After two periods of playing tentative, sloppy hockey, suddenly the team was loose, they were going out and actually just playing hockey instead of worrying about who needed to be where.
It started after Joffrey Lupul went off for hooking. Just over a minute into the powerplay, Mikko Koivu got the Wild on the board, and the team took off. Just under six minutes after that Petr Sykora notched his first goal in a Wild sweater and the crowd began to stir — there was something special in the works. Then, when Ryan Whitney went off for tackling holding, the X began buzzing. Could we be seeing yet another spectacular finish to a Minnesota sports game?
Eric Belanger would give the fans their answer just over a minute in as he beat J.S. Giguere on a goal that you could barely tell made it in the net it came out so quickly.
So, why not. Let’s go to overtime.
It didn’t take the Wild long in OT, as Kyle Brodziak took a page from the Cal Clutterbuck notebook and goaded James Wisniewski into taking a penalty after the whistle.
Petr Sykora scored his first goal in a Wild sweater on Tuesday.
That set up Andrew Brunette, who knows a thing or two about game winners, to be the star of the night and cap the team’s comeback with a goal on the powerplay 3:02 into OT.
“Backs” to Basics
Despite what the stats indicate, Niklas Backstrom played a relatively solid game. All three goals were a direct result of a defensive lapse by the team and only one of those three goals Backstrom had any sort of chance on.
Don’t let the stat sheet fool you. Backstrom is a top flight goalie. But your goalie can only do so much.
On Lupul’s goal, there is absolutely no reason why Lupul should have been standing, untouched, in front of the team’s net. The result? An easy tip in for the young sniper.
On Artyukhin’s, it was a significant lack of back checking that resulted in the Russian forward being wiiiiiiiide open in the slot with an empty net in front of him. The extra “I’s” are to emphasize just how open Artyukhin was. Let’s just say that my one year old daughter could have buried that shot with no problem.
On Koivu’s goal, the only one that Backstrom had any chance on, he was left untouched in the slot. Give any NHL player that much time in the slot (except for maybe Derek Boogaard) and they’ll kill you.
The bottom line is that the Wild have a world class goalie behind them, but they need to give him the chance to make the save. On only one of the Ducks’ three goals, Backstrom had that chance and, on that one, Koivu had to bounce it off the pipe to get the goal.
Rivalry Renewed
I’d equate this game to the first time you see an ex-girlfriend in a few years. You start out amicably, but by the end of the night, you remember why the two of you broke up.
This was a lot like that.
The teams started out relatively calmly. There was some physical play, but nothing that wasn’t to be expected.
But by the end of the second period, these two teams looked to be back to flat out hating each other again. Even to the point where the two teams were looking to extend the extra curricular activities after the game had ended.
I’d tune in the next time these two teams face off on the 14th.
Time to Shine
Here’s the deal, and I can’t believe I’m actually going to say this.
When he wasn’t trying to avoid rogue goalies last night, Benoit Pouliot actually looked pretty good.
He didn’t get onto the score sheet and he didn’t play a big role in the game with only 5:11 in ice time, but one thing is for sure. In that 5:11 that he was on the ice, you noticed him — and not in a bad way either.
He was throwing his weight around and he honestly seemed to be buying into the checking role that he was playing.
In fact, watching from up above, I got the sense that people might just think that he’s not trying hard out there because he just skates so darn effortlessly. The man looks like he’s actually skating above the ice instead of on it.
With Bouchard out indefinitely with an injury and the team not calling up any more forwards as of yet, Pouliot has a golden chance that he needs to seize.
Bottom line, he needs to make it impossible for Richards to remove him from the line up — something that I think he is more than capable of.
Flipping and Flopping
It became painfully obvious in the third period that Richards may have to re-think his line combinations.
First, Havlat and Sykora looked like two peas in a pod playing together. As much as I love having Bruno on Koivu’s wing, putting Koivu between Havlat and Sykora would give us a bona fide scoring line.
Brunette has proven that he can play with nearly anybody, so why not put him on a line with Sheppard and Miettinen (of whom Bruno has already displayed a fair amount of chemistry with)?
It would give the team a great, gritty, second line with Nolan, Belanger and Clutterbuck and it would also give the team three lines that could be fairly dangerous.
3 Stars
- John Scott - No goals, no assists, 5 PIM. Scottie was the reason for the turn around. His fight against Parros energized the crowd and energized the team.
- Andrew Brunette - Bruno managed to turn what was a pretty bleh performance into a pretty good one with his overtime winner. How does the saying go? Winning heals all wounds?
- Martin Havlat - Havlat was all over the place, assisting on the first three Wild goals. He looks like he’s getting comfortable with the system, so it’s only a matter of time now.
Coming Up…
Check back here tomorrow for our pregame report for the team’s game against the LA Kings and be sure to check Hockey Primetime for my Central Division Notebook tomorrow!
Wild Roster Set?
By all accounts, the Wild may very well be done in free agency after missing out on coveted free agent center, Saku Koivu.
Koivu’s spurning of the Wild screamed with a “big brother looking out for little brother” vibe and, honestly, it’s very hard to begrudge the elder Koivu brother for his reasoning. But, missing out on the elder Koivu has left us with a very gaping hole in the middle of our line up that the Wild may now be filling from within. Wild General Manager, Chuck Fletcher, has repeatedly stated that he would look within the organization to fill the second line center spot if Koivu was not landed, and he likely will. You can hardly blame him for doing so either, as the remainder of the free agent crop down the middle is fairly thin.
First, you’ve got the NHL’s answer to Brett Favre in Mats Sundin. Yes, he showed up looking more like Kyle Wellwood than his former self when he played with Vancouver, but once he got his legs under him, he was very silently effective. The problem is, that I think he’s still on the phone with Domino’s trying to figure out what toppings he wants on his pizza for dinner last week. Sundin’s best days are easily behind him and there’s no reason for the Wild to be barking up this tree. Next, you’ve got the ageless Robert Lang who was quietly having a solid season for Montreal last season when his achilles tendon got sliced up by a skate blade. Again, there’s no reason to take a waiver on a player who is coming off of an injury that could easily be a career altering injury for a player in his early 20′s, let alone late 30′s. Following Lang is the enigmatic Mike Duff…I mean, Comrie. Don’t get me wrong. I would love to have Hillary Duff present for 41 Wild home games a year…But it’s just not going to happen. No way, no how. Fletch has already stated that Comrie wasn’t an option and, honestly, I don’t see the benefit of paying a guy upwards of $3M per year just because he’s got some nice arm candy coming along with him.
That leaves the Wild fairly scant for options on their second line. Barring a trade, the Wild look more and more like they’re going to be content to go with the cards that they’ve been dealt. That means one of the following for their second line center.
Pierre-Marc Bouchard - Bouchard will likely get another look at the pivot in Richards’ system. It likely won’t be nearly as physically demanding as Lemaire’s center position was, so it could be a good fit for Butch. The problem I have with this is that I very much enjoyed seeing Butch setting up on the sideboards as opposed to down low. As a center, he would have to play down low much more and, despite having some of the best puck control in the game, I don’t think he’s got the physicality in his game to do so.
James Sheppard - Oh how I would love for this to actually be a working solution. Of all our first round prospects, Sheppard has flashed the most potential. Every once in a while, he would forget himself over the last couple seasons and attempt something absolutely brilliant with the puck. Then, right in the middle of it, he would come to his senses and not finish the move. Yes…That is a very great deal of snark coming from my direction, but it is well deserved. Sheppard has the most untapped potential of any player on the Wild’s roster. You can see that he’s got the talent — he’s just been afraid to use it. This season could easily be a break out season for Shep and, if that happens, he’ll be squarely in the middle of the second line for us.
Owen Nolan - This one may be thinking outside of the box just a little, but Nolan was one of our most reliable in the face off circle last season. Not only that…But, come on…He’s Owen Nolan for crying out loud! If he wants to play center, he’ll play center. All kidding aside, Nolan brings a lot of things to the ice that other people, quite simply, don’t. Apart from the amazing amount of talent that he has, his intangibles are absolutely invaluable. The Wild could certainly do a lot worse than having him anchoring our second line. Besides…I hear that every night before he goes to bed, the boogyman checks his closet for Owen Nolan.
Kyle Brodziak – This could be a bit of a stretch, but if Brodziak has the upside that Fletcher and Richards seem to think he does, he could turn into a plesant surprise. Fletcher said in acquiring him that he had an offensive upside, so if he gets with the right people, he could really flourish.
Benoit Pouliot - Good old Benny Poo. To be honest, I was surprised that the Wild qualified him — but, I suppose he might warrent a chance in a system that allows him to use all of his offensive creativity. If the Wild signs him to anymore than a 1-year deal, I’ll be very surprised, as it is most definitely put up or shut up time for Pouliot this season. A solid performance could see him move steadily up the depth chart, while more invisible performances could see him sink slowly into obscurity
Gaborik-Gate 2009
Okay. Let’s get one thing out here, right off the bat. I’m glad that Marian Gaborik has taken his services to the Rangers. I am very much looking forward to not seeing him in Iron Range Red again. There was no doubt that the team was better with him on the ice than off — but the biggest problem remained that he was rarely on the ice over the past few seasons and, when he was, it was a crapshoot as to whether we’d get the 5-goal game Marian Gaborik or, as some Wild faithful have taken to calling him, Gho$t.
So the current drama of Gaborik (yes, we still are entrenched in drama surrounding him even though he’s gone) is that the Wild never offered him a contract. Really? Fans are really upset that Gaborik’s paper towel groin is heading to some of the worst ice in the NHL for 41 games a season? The bottom line is this: the Wild had holes to fill and Gaborik would have had to take a paycut for them to do so. That wasn’t going to happen. Not with Ronnie $alcer running things and certainly not with Marian Gaborik’s inflated sense of self worth pedigree.
The most important thing in the NHL right now is cap flexibility. The Wild will have that. Martin Havlat signed with us for less than he was being offered elsewhere. That is the type of player we want — one who wants to be here. Not a player who we have to trade away a top prospect and draft pick for his “best friend” to play here. Not a player who won’t budge on his contract demands, despite claiming he wants to remain here. That’s what’s important.
Havlat’s statement on his Twitter account that he won’t let Minnesota fans down is a statement that we as fans aren’t used to hearing from our superstars…And it’s about time the State of Hockey gets a superstar befitting of the State. It wasn’t Marian Gaborik — but we’ll see if it will be Martin Havlat.
Report: Havlat and Wild Close – UPDATED
UPDATE – It’s official. Havlat to the Wild for 6 years, $30M total. Also sounds like Chicago didn’t do themselves any favors bringing in Hossa. Havlat’s tweets don’t sound happy towards Chicago’s management.
Per Mike Russo,
The Martin Havlat race is down to one team — the Minnesota Wild. The Wild and Havlat’s agent have reportedly been working on the contract for hours now and it sounds like the contract, as it stands, is 6 years for $30M total. If this is true, this is one heck of a negotiating job by Chuck Fletcher, because the Wild will have addressed two of their four needs, while spending under $7M. In other words, leaving plenty of room to sign a second-line center AND another defenseman before the season starts.
While there are issues regarding Havlat’s durability, he played in 81 games last season and was an absolute revelation in the playoffs — at least until he ran into the shoulder of Niklas Kronwall.
I’m extremely excited about this, as I’ve always like Havlat and I hope that he finally has turned the corner in his injury issues and is ready to play in the State of Hockey!
Also, Russo reports that the Wild are pushing hard for Saku Koivu — No big surprise here, and I would expect the brothers to be playing together next season.
