Minnesota Wild at the Deadline

SAINT PAUL , Minn. – The Minnesota Wild have never been a flashy organization. There have been no blockbuster moves, unless you count bringing in Pavol Demitra at the draft three years ago while trading away promising prospect Patrick O’Sullivan.
 
Last season, the only move made at the deadline was a surprise move to bring in NHL bad boy Chris Simon. While the Wild went on to win the Northwest division, the addition of Simon did little to help them in the playoffs, and the Wild made a second consecutive first round exit.
 
The offseason brought with it the promise of contract negotiations with star forward Marian Gaborik, and the possibility of some trade rumor fun such as trading Gaborik to Pittsburgh for Evgeni Malkin, to resigning him for upwards of $10 million per year were thrown around.
 
GM Doug Risebrough said publicly that he wanted the situation resolved before the start of the season, which of course, did not happen. Gaborik

then suffered setbacks before finally undergoing surgery to repair a torn labrum. With that, the Wild lost their best bargaining chip for a trade.
 
Looking at the current roster, the situation takes shape, but is not promising (all cap hit numbers are in US dollars): Offense
Name Cap Hit Contract Status
Marian Gaborik $6.33 million UFA after this season
Pierre-Marc Bouchard 4.08 million signed through 2013
Mikko Koivu 3.25 million signed through 2011
Owen Nolan 2.75 million signed through 2010
Andrew Brunette 2.33 million signed through 2011
Anti Miettinen 2.33 million signed through 2011
Eric Belanger 1.75 million signed through 2010
James Sheppard 1.4 million RFA after 2010
Colton Gillies 1.04 million RFA after 2012
Derek Boogaard 875 K signed through 2010
Dan Fritche 875 K RFA after this season
Stephane Veilleux 862.5K UFA after this season
Craig Weller 600K signed through 2010
Cal Clutterbuck 702K signed through 2010 Possible Trades
The most likely candidate to be moved is still Gaborik, though the return for him will be very small. Most believe that Gaborik will be returning to the Wild line up for a possible playoff run, and he will sign elsewhere in the off-season, giving the Wild no return for their biggest asset. At this point, there is little Risebrough can do with the situation except hope for a long second season. Bouchard has a verbal no-trade deal with Risebrough through next season, and Koivu is untouchable without offering the farm to get him. Nolan and Brunette are unlikely to be traded as they were signed as role players, not difference makers. Belanger, Veilleux, Boogaard, Fritche, and Weller provide little value in a trade deadline deal, unless they become part of a package deal. G illes and Sheppard are highly unlikely to be moved, as Risebrough has said that they represent the future of the team, something Risebrough takes very seriously. Sheppard was reported to be the stumbling block in a possible trade to bring Oli Jokkinen to the Wild at the draft. Gilles is young and a solid player, modeling himself after Koivu. Risebrough would sooner set his own hair on fire than trade Gilles. On the offensive side of the puck, the Wild have few options for a trade. Being one of the lowest scoring teams in the league will do that. They also have little or no true prospects to offer to teams trying to rebuild.
The Wild are highly unlikely to be involved in shipping offense out at the deadline. Defense
Name Cap Hit Contract Status
Kim Johnsson $4.5 million signed through 2010
Brent Burns 3.55 million signed through 2012
Nick Schultz 3.5 million signed through 2014
Marek Zidlicky 3.25 million signed through 2010
Martin Skoula 1.8 million UFA after this season
Marc-Andre Bergeron 1.25 million UFA after this season
Kurtis Foster 1.025 million UFA after this season
Possible Trades
Burns and Schultz are most likely off limits since they are signed long term contracts at cap friendly numbers, and are touted as part of the core of the team. They may be the only two members of a solid defensive corps that are untouchable. There is a high demand for “puck moving” defensemen in the NHL right now, and Kim Johnsson is one of the best in the business. While he is a lynch pin in the defensive system in Minnesota, the right offer could pry Johnsson out of Saint Paul. Zidlicky and Bergeron have proven to be valuable on the offensive side of the puck, but have shown some weakness in his own zone. Skoula has made progress since last season when he was the fans favorite whipping boy, though that progress may be due to the fact that he is not expected to shut down the oppositions top lines on a nightly basis. Still, his low cap hit may be attractive to teams with defensive struggles at the deadline. Foster is another issue altogether. It is unlikely that he will be traded as he is just now returning to action on an AHL rehab stint after a shove from the Sharks’ Torrey Mitchell broke his leg late last season. The Most likely moves on the defensive side of the puck would be Johnsson or Skoula, with Johnsson moving only for an extremely attractive offer. Goaltenders
Name Cap hit Contract Status
Niklas Backstrom $3.1 million UFA after this season
Josh Harding 725K RFA after this season Trade Possibilities
There have been reports everywhere from the Globe and Mail in Toronto to GM Doug Risebrough himself that the success Niklas Backstrom enjoys is due mostly to the defensive system the Wild play. Examples such as Dwayne Roloson and Manny Fernandez have been used to show that Wild goalies enjoy such strong defense that they can post high save percentages and low goals against averages. While it is without doubt that the Wild are a defense first team, the premise is backwards. The Wild have enjoyed such strong goaltending that their defense has been made to look better than it really is. Fernandez and Roloson have gone on to play well for Boston and Edmonton, respectively, and are among the leaders in save percentage and goals against with teams less defensively minded than the Wild. With that said, Backstrom is one of the best in the game, with numbers to back it up. If the Wild start to believe that they cannot or will not re-sign him, he is by far the most valuable trade asset they have on the roster. There is no shortage of teams begging for a solid goaltender, and someone may be willing to mortgage the future to get Backstrom. Overall Story
As mentioned, the Wild have never made a flashy move. It is unlikely with the current standings, and the Wild are the thick of the playoff race. Backstrom is too valuable to the team, even short term, to trade away and throw the weight of the team to a still highly untested Josh Harding. Johnsson too is too valuable to dish in the midst of a playoff run. It will all come down to where the Wild sit in the standings as the deadline approaches. If they are still in the mix, a trade becomes less likely as the pieces with value will become too valuable, and the Wild have no prospects to trade to bring in anyone of value in return. For yet another season, Wild fans should brace themselves to stand pat as the season passes the deadline and moves into the playoffs. Contact the author at bryan.reynolds@prohockeynews.com