Well, I nearly had a heart attack this morning when I opened Michael Russo's blog on the Star Tribune Website this morning and it read "Burns headed to Calgary." I'm actually surprised that I didn't mass text every hockey fan in my phone and put in all capital letters "WHAT THE @#$% ARE THEY DOING??" Turns out it was just because of Team Canada's olympic camp. After all, the olympics are just 6 months away right now...wow. But tis the season for hockey players to change jerseys and the Wild have vowed to be active in free agency this summer.
Before this season, the Wild's game plan of scoring a goal early and balling up into the fetal position for 60 minutes really scared off a lot of potential free agents such as Marian Hossa last season. Well, the Wild have a new coach, a new GM, and a new owner that's willing to throw around dollar bills like Pac-Man Jones at a strip club.
So what did the Wild do on day 1? Well, it didn't look promising. I kept checking my phone for good news and it seemed like every time I opened a message from ESPN, it said something about one of our targets signing somewhere else.
The first one was Daniel and Henrik Sedin signing with the Canucks for 5 years a piece. Everyone said this was a package deal as one wasn't going to leave without the other. Aw, isn't that cute. But that realistically eliminated the Wild from their services. The Wild only had 13 million to play with in free agency and had other holes to fill.
Then, Marian Hossa rejected the Wild for the second straight summer as he signed with the Chicago Blackhawks. This looked bad at first, but then I saw the terms of the deal as he signed a 12 YEAR DEAL. Marian Hossa is 30 right now...which means that he'll be 42 when the deal ends...in 2021. These deals never work so this was a wise decision for the Wild. A smart one for Hossa as he's going to get PAID, but also play in front of a very passionate Blackhawks fan base.
Michael Cammilleri didn't even talk to the Wild as he went to Montreal to sign with the Canadiens. This was a guy I would have liked to have seen wear a Wild sweater, but apparently they have another target in mind for that #2 center. Besides, the Wild already have a top flight center in Mikko Koivu, so perhaps Cammilleri didn't want to play second fiddle.
Then came the sentimental blow as Marian Gaborik signed with the Rangers. Actually, I laughed long and hard at this. Gaborik may have found a great fit when it comes to style of play, but now he's found the worst media market ever to be constantly injured. Also, take a look at the Rangers free agent signings recently. Scott Gomez was a bust. Darius Kasparitus was a bust. Jaromir Jagr left the country. Yup, have fun in New York, Gabby.
Finally, success. Around 11 pm CST, the Wild sign Martin Havlat to a 6 year deal worth 30 million. The Wild really wanted to get a replacement for Gaborik, and I think the change in style really enabled the Wild to get a top level free agent. Havlat is a lot like Gaborik in which he has the same scoring touch, but he gets hurt a lot. It's a solid move if Havlat stays healthy, plus Havlat won't have the same protection on his line that he had in Chicago.
Well, that is if the Wild fail to make another move. Which I don't see happening. Right now, as I type this, the Wild is courting Saku Koivu. Yes, Mikko's brother. Can we get him? I hope so. Adding Saku would give the Wild another veteran presence on the team. Although we'll get an absolute crapload of "Koivu Brothers" stories, it's worth the price and will make this team a lot better.
The Wild are also looking at Ruslan Fededenko, whom I've never heard of, but I hear he's a grinder that played on Pittsburgh last season. The Penguins did OK last season.
The Wild also signed Greg Zanon, who Brent Burns described as "great beard, better defenseman." Gotta like those odds there.
Over the past couple of years, it's been kind of ironic that a team called the Wild couldn't muster anything more than a 2-1 hockey game. As a matter of fact, I was watching the NHL Winter Classic game in January and when the Blackhawks took a 2-0 lead in the first, I thought the game was already over. The final score was 6-4 Detroit. The more we do, the more excited I'll get for hockey season. Oh and don't forget, the Wild still may be looking at Dany Heatley or former Gopher Jordan Leopold. Stay tuned.
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