Pierre-Marc Bouchard signs five-year deal

From Michael Russo of the Minneapolis Star Tribune:

Pierre-Marc Bouchard and the Wild avoided a Monday arbitration hearing when
Bouchard agreed to a five-year, $20.4 million contract minutes before midnight
tonight. Thank goodness my hangout of choice is right across the street from my home. Although, I think I did re-break my foot hobbling back to write a frantic story.

The $20.4 million is $600,000 smaller than Nick Schultz’s six-year package, which was the largest sum of money in one contract. Of course, next up is Marian Gaborik, and if the Wild can get him inked, that $21 million with be shattered.

Read the entire post from Russo's Rants here.

Nice work by the Wild. There were rumors that Bouchard would sign a one-year deal and be shopped by the club, but in the end, both sides came to a reasonable agreement. Bouchard has to be happy he has a long-term deal at fair dollars and the Wild has to be happy that it has maintained arguably its second most talented offensive player for the next half-decade.

Wild and Bouchard are gearing up for arbitration

From Michael Russo of the Minneapolis Star Tribune:

Lynn flew to Toronto tonight to get situated, and right now, I’m getting the feeling there’s a large gap between what the Wild is seeking from the arbitrator and what Bouchard’s camp is seeking. Usually, both sides have a good idea what number an arbitrator will decide upon, so they can avoid arbitration and come to an agreement (like last year when the Wild and Bouchard agreed on a one-year, $2.6 million deal before arb or like last week when Stephane Veilleux and the Wild agreed to a one-year, $862,500 contract, including a 125K signing bonus).

In this case, the gap appears to be large enough that the Wild and Bouchard may not come to a compromise. So, there’s a shot it’ll get there.

Read the entire story here.

This could end up being one of the more heated arbitration hearings in some time. It appears both sides have extremely different views on Bouchard's worth to the Wild. To be honest, If Bouchard is a member of the Wild after 2008/09, I'd be surprised.

Wild will open training camp in Grand Forks

From Michael Russo of the Minneapolis Star Tribune:

SAINT PAUL/MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. - Minnesota Wild President and General Manager Doug Risebrough today announced the National Hockey League (NHL)club will open its 2008 training camp presented by Wells Fargo at Ralph Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks, N.D. on Saturday, Sept. 20.

“The Wild has had a great relationship with the hockey fans of the greater Grand Forks area for many years and has enjoyed great success in NHL preseason games there,” said Tom Lynn, Assistant General Manager/Hockey Operations. “Ralph Engelstad Arena is one of the finest hockey facilities in the world, and outside of our home in the Twin Cities, we could not imagine a better venue for starting our training camp in 2008.”

Read the entire post from Russo's Rants here.

Good choice by the Wild. Aside from its name (Engelstad was a Nazi supporter) the Ralph Engelstad Arena is one of the nicest hockey complexes in North America. Additionally, North Dakotans really appreciate good hockey, so this is a smart decision by the organization.

Side note: I was actually at the Wild/Sabres exhibition game in Grand Forks last year and it was there where I was asked this hilarious questions by Brian Campbell, "Brisket? Do you know what Brisket is?"

Stephane Veilleux re-signs with Wild

From Michael Russo of the Minneapolis Star Tribune:

The Wild re-signed left wing Stephane Veilleux on Saturday night to a one-year deal worth $737,500.

Read the short report here.

After all that, the two sides finally came to an agreement on Saturday. I'm sure Veilleux wishes this contract would have been done a while back.

Veilleux closing in on arbitration hearing

From Michael Russo of the Minneapolis Star Tribune:

Veilleux, a restricted free agent representing himself in negotiations, cleared waivers and remained Wild property with an arbitration hearing scheduled for Monday. Assistant GM Tom Lynn flew to Toronto on Thursday afternoon to get situated for the hearing, but teams and players often figure out a way to avoid what can be an acrimonious process.

The Wild hopes that clearing waivers displays to Veilleux that his contract demands are unreasonable.

But Veilleux maintained Thursday that he knows his "value," although he won't divulge what he's seeking.

Read the entire story here.

If I had to bet, I'd say these two sides will head to arbitration on Monday, and Veilleux will end up losing his case.

Veilleux clears waivers

From Michael Russo of the Minneapolis Star Tribune:

Wild left wing Stephane Veilleux has cleared waivers, according to two sources, despite only a $15,000 pickup fee.

Read the short entry here.

No real surprise here. Veilleux should not have fired his agent, and this has really been a result of that miscalculation.

Why the Wild placed Veilleux on waivers

From Michael Russo of the Minneapolis Star Tribune:

"We are far apart in our evaluation and Steph really believes in a higher number," Lynn said. "So here's a way of figuring out who's right: 'If you're right, you'll be taken off waivers and paid your X dollars by another team.'

"If we're right and he goes through waivers, Steph will see nobody claimed him and it might bring the sides together and solve the problem before [Veilleux's] arbitration [hearing Monday]."

Read the entire story here.

Tom Lynn is known for his tough negotiating, which is why I didn't understand why Veilleux opted to negotiate his own contract.

Wild places Stephane Veilleux on waivers

From Michael Russo of the Minneapolis Star Tribune:

This morning just after 11 a.m., I received a call from an NHL source that says the Wild has placed left wing Stephane Veilleux on waivers. Since, I’ve confirmed this through a secondary source (waivers are not released to the media).

12:30 pm update. I just got off the phone with assistant GM Tom Lynn and he confirmed that the Wild has placed Veilleux on waivers.

Read the entire post from Russo's Rants here.

Well, Veilleux's decision to represent himself in negotiations has sure started well...

Pierre-Marc Bouchard could end up being dealt

From Michael Russo of the Minneapolis Star Tribune:

Another big thing to pay attention to is Pierre-Marc Bouchard. I’m not convinced the Wild wants to commit to him long-term at a price that would be equivalent to taking someone’s unrestricted free-agent status (he’s restricted this summer, but one summer from unrestricted free agency).

In other words, as the below quote from Doug Risebrough on June 13 seems to forecast, there’s no doubt the Wild has offered Bouchard a long-term deal. But if the offer isn’t substantial, I see Bouchard turning it down, the two working out a one-year deal before the July 28 arbitration date and then the Wild looking to continue trying to trade Bouchard for the rest of the summer and/or after Jan. 1.(Here’s Risebrough’s quote from last month: “I’m interested in signing him long-term, but what I’m interested in doing and what he’s interested in doing might not be the same, and my number long-term and his number long-term might not be the same.”)

Read the entire entry from Russo's Rants here.

With the way things are going, it looks like Bouchard will sign a one-year contract and then be traded mid-season.

Stephane Veilleux fires his agent

From Michael Russo of the Minneapolis Star Tribune:

Earlier this summer, Veilleux decided it made no sense to continue paying his agent, Paul Corbeil, 4 percent of his salary. So Veilleux, a restricted free agent, fired Corbeil and decided to represent himself in negotiations for a new contract.

"After every contract, it's time to not only negotiate a new deal with the team, but also the agent," Veilleux said. "I just decided it was time I didn't need my agent. It's nothing personal against him. I'm mature enough to do my own decisions. I know what's best for me and wanted to do my own thing."

Read the entire story here.

I don't think this is Veilleux's smartest move. With the complexities of the CBA and his inexperience negotiations contracts, this job is best left for somebody more capable than he is.

Wild signs Krys Kolanos

From Michael Russo of the Minneapolis Star Tribune:

Kolanos, 26 (7/27/81), recorded 63 points (30-33=63) including 11 power play goals and three game-winning goals in 63 games with the Quad City Flames in the American Hockey League (AHL) in 2007-08. He ranked tied for first in goals and second in scoring for Quad City and his 272 shots on goal ranked tied for second in the AHL.

Read the entire entry from Russo's Rants here.

Kolanos is known for his terrific hands but in the past he has had attitude problems. Whether those days are behind him, I'm not sure. However, the Wild isn't exactly loaded up front, so the team is taking a chance on a very skilled forward. Not a bad plan.

Habs trade Locke to Wild for Belle

From the Montreal Gazette:

While the Canadiens prospects were skating through 3-on-3 and 4-on-4 scrimmages at Development Camp (Max Pacioretty looked GREAT!), the team swung a minor deal, sending smurf-sized forward Corey Locke to the Wild for intriguing defence prospect Shawn Belle, Carey Price's former junior teammate.

Read the entire report here.

This trade will certainly benefit Locke, as he was not going to crack the Habs' roster anytime soon. The Wild need scoring more than the Habs, so his chances of seeing NHL action have improved with this move.

In Belle, the Habs get a depth defenseman who can skate and has a little bit of upside. Not a bad trade for them considering they weren't going to get much use out of Locke.

All in all, this trade should have a minimal effect on both team's fortunes.

Benoit Pouliot should read the paper

From Michael Russo of the Minneapolis Star Tribune:

Benoit Pouliot hasn't checked out the Internet in some time, so the 21-year-old Wild center says he had no clue General Manager Doug Risebrough all but cemented him onto next season's team.

After signing wingers Owen Nolan and Antti Miettinen last week, Risebrough was asked about the glaring fact the Wild had only three centers on the roster -- Mikko Koivu, Eric Belanger and James Sheppard.

Risebrough said, "The [fourth] spot is Pouliot's. I feel it's more prudent right now just to give Pouliot an opportunity and see what he can do."

Read the rest of the article here.

Pouliot has taken longer to develop than the Wild may have thought, but this year is his chance to prove his worth. The Wild are thin at center, and if Pouliot can get off to a good start, then the team may not have to worry about adding another center to the roster.

Coyotes hire Thomas Steen as professional scout

From the Arizona Republic:

Former Winnipeg Jets forward Thomas Steen was hired by the Coyotes as a professional scout Wednesday.

"Thomas is a welcomed addition to our scouting staff," Coyotes General Manager Don Maloney said. "Not only does he have a tremendous playing history with our organization, but he is an experienced scout with a good hockey mind."

Read the entire story here.

Steen is based out of Winnipeg and has been a scout for the Wild over the past few seasons. He should be a welcome addition to the Coyotes' scouting staff.

James Sheppard looking to take the next step for the Wild

From Michael Russo of the Minneapolis Star Tribune:

"I can handle it, but it's not going to come in one year," Sheppard said.

"Next year I'm not going to have the best year of my career. It's going to come in little increments. I'm not going to try to be better than Mikko Koivu. I'm not going to try to be better than Marian Gaborik.

"But I'm going to try the best I can to improve and take charge, and I know that's going to create more goals, create more assists and get my ice time up."

Read the entire article here.

The Wild is certainly going to need Sheppard to improve on his 2007/08 campaign. The team is in dire need of production down the middle, so if Sheppard provided them with some unexpected production, the team may not have to look elsewhere during the season for center reinforcements.

Brendan Morrison wanted to stay on West Coast

From Michael Russo of the Minneapolis Star Tribune:

I guesstimated inside the Blog comments yesterday that it might have been a
first-come, first-serve thing between Owen Nolan and Brendan Morrison here (in
other words, who called the Wild back first). I couched it as speculation. I
have since learned that the Wild was informed Morrison decided he wanted to stay
on the West coast, and that the Wild signed Nolan once it knew it was out of the
Morrison sweepstakes. He’s since signed with Anaheim.

As I wrote many, many times leading up to free agency, the center position
was horrific in this class. In fact, I think Bobby Holik was the only center to
sign on July 1 despite a feeding frenzy for players. Once the Wild didn’t get
Morrison, it didn’t feel it was worth spending lots of term and bucks on lesser
centers.

Read more news and notes from Russo here.

Interesting details from Russo here. Morrison would have fit into the Wild's plans better than Nolan, but the Wild obviously felt signing one was surely better than none.

Unhappy with the Wild's off-season

From Patrick Reusse of the Minneapolis Star Tribune:

Smith and his mentor would have found someone else if they had gone subterranean exploring in the past two weeks: Doug Risebrough, the president/GM of the Wild.

Risebrough was in the bargain basement's hockey section, up to his elbows in the squalor of stinking pads and broken sticks, trying to find bodies that he could pass off to his team's gullible consumers as real players.

Read the entire article here.

I have to disagree with Reusse. While it is true the Wild didn't put out a lot of money in the current marketplace, who is to say that is such a bad thing? This year's free agent class wasn't that strong, and the Wild would have probably been overpaying for a number of player's services. Instead, the team brought in more affordable talent in Andrew Brunette, Owen Nolan and traded for Marek Zidlicky. I understand those acquisitions won't blow the socks off the fan base, but the alternative may have been bad long-term contracts.

Comparing Todd Bertuzzi and Owen Nolan

When news broke today that Todd Bertuzzi had signed a one-year pact worth $1.9 million with the Calgary Flames, some people raised their eyebrows and said, “Why?” In contrast, on Sunday, the Minnesota Wild signed Owen Nolan to a two-year pact worth 2yr, $5.5 million; news of Nolan’s signing was met with less scepticism.

For argument’s sake, let’s assume Bertuzzi was signed to replace Nolan (which I believe he was). With that said, we will now take a closer look at how these two players compare, and see who comes out ahead.

Bertuzzi’s numbers versus Nolan’s numbers

Last season, Bertuzzi registered 40 points in 68 games and had 97 PIMs; while Nolan registered 32 points in 77 games and 71 PIMs. First, let’s establish the fact that both of these players are power-forwards who have already seen their best days on a hockey rink. That being said, both players can still play the game at a level that merits 2nd-3rd line ice-time.

While there numbers from last season are fairly similar, if you take a look at each player’s respective career numbers, then their similarities become even more apparent. For instance, Bertuzzi has a career 0.73 points-per-game; as compared to Nolan’s career 0.75 points-per-game. Further, Bertuzzi has a career 1.4 PIM-per-game; while Nolan sports a career 1.6 PIM-per-game.

Age

Nolan turned 36 years old in February and is entering his 19th season in the NHL. On the other hand, Bertuzzi turned 33 in February and is entering his 14th season in the NHL. So, Nolan is 3 years older than Bertuzzi, and has endured 5 more seasons of NHL play than the man who is essentially replacing him.

Each player’s attitude

Bertuzzi’s “incident” aside, both players have been known around the NHL to be a little moody and ornery from time to time. Interestingly enough, both Bertuzzi and Nolan have played on five teams over their career thus far; with Minnesota and Calgary being their sixth respectively. Whether each player’s movement was based on production/attitude is obviously open to interpretation; but the point is certainly worth mentioning.

Wow, are these two players similar

Considering both play the wing and a gritty style, just by looking at the numbers, it would be hard to determine who’s who. However, if there had been no “incident,” then teams would probably prefer Bertuzzi because he is younger, has had less of a physical toll on his body, and has recently been a little bit more productive.

Alas, Bertuzzi signed for $1.9 million for one season and the older Nolan signed for an average of $2.75 million over two seasons.

That leaves us to formulate the following opinion...

Two conclusions

Two conclusions can be deduced from this article: 1. Todd Bertuzzi’s “incident” has clearly cost him millions of dollars and, 2. The Flames may have gotten a bargain in Bertuzzi.

For Illegal Curve, I’m Richard Pollock.

Nolan signs with Wild

From Michael Russo of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune:

Wild has signed veteran Owen Nolan to a two-year, $5.5 million deal.

Read more on the Wild here.

Somewhat of a surprise signing by the Wild. The team is in need of some help up-the-middle but has decided to first secure the services of the veteran winger Nolan. To be honest, I'm not sure how productive Nolan will be next season, never mind two seasons from now. The former Flame has clearly lost a step and wasn't very productive for Calgary last season. He ended the season with 16 goals and 16 assists in 77 games and didn't resemble the intimidating power-forward he was during his prime.

Put it this way, if Darryl Sutter (a big Nolan fan) doesn't make a significant effort to sign Nolan, then I'd be skeptical about his production next season.

Pierre-Marc Bouchard elects for Arbitration

TSN is reporting this evening that Minnesota Wild centre Pierre-Marc Bouchard has decided to file for salary arbitration.

Given the steep jump in salaries we are seeing across the board this free-agency season it will be very interesting to see if arbitrators give awards that are in lock-step and commensurae with the new market. A young, high-scoring forward like PMB can probably get offers for upwards of $4.5 million a season right now.

It's also always interesting to see how a player performs the season following arbitration if he stays with his former club. That club will have just devoted its resources to arguing that the player isn't valuable to the team, and sometimes the arbitration process builds ill-will especially when dealing with young players.