What looks to be a "Wild" summer
Posted 8:54 PM ET | Comments 0
With the 2007/2008 NHL season reaching the halfway mark it dawned on me that 14/28 players (according to nhlnumbers.com) are UFA's or RFA's. Seeing as this team seems to be having consistency problems it may not be such a bad thing to start fresh with some new players and get rid of some of the older ones. With that being said, here are who I think the Wild should try to keep and avoid keeping this coming summer.
Players who should be signed:
1.Bouchard, Pierre-Marc RFA - Quite possibly one of the most talented on the team, a must keep. Hopefully he will be finally willing to sign a longer term contract this summer making sure he stays a member of the Wild for a long time to come.
2.Rolston, Brian UFA - The heart and sole of the team, has one of the most powerful slap shots in the league. He may have problems such as with his defense abilities, but he is the leader of the team none the less. Should be willing to take a minor salary hit since he's expressed on finishing his career here.
3.Voros, Aaron RFA - A young gritty guy who is perfect for Lemaire's system. Willing to take off his gloves and do the dirty work, exactly what the Wild need.
4.Schultz, Nick UFA - Aside from Burns, I feel that he is our best defender, we absolutely need to keep this guy. I am worried about the Wild signing him though, seeing as he and the Wild seem to have had some problems with this in the past.
5.Foster, Kurtis RFA - A young defender who I think just needs some more ice time to improve. Not the greatest Wild defender, but one day I feel as if he could have a laser of a slap shot from the point.
6.Veilleux, Stephane RFA - A young gritty player, not quite the same type of player as Voros, but this guy is a perfect 3rd/4th line grinder.
7.Foy, Matt RFA - Was excellent at the AHL level but hasn't seemed to found it in the NHL. I think this is due to a lack of ice time, the 2008/2009 season should be a great time for him to get some more ice time, but if he can't do anything with that I think we should let him go.
Players who I would rather not have back:
1.Demitra, Pavol UFA - Gaborik's best friend who seems to have worse injury problems than Gaborik. Our top line cannot stand to be injured as much as it has in the past. Having our star player out is enough, but to also have his line mate out too is ridiculous. Unless this guy is willing to take 2 mill per season I say put the money somewhere else. There are better line mates for Gaborik in our system and in the UFA market.
2.Fedoruk, Todd UFA - Doesn't really fit, after seeing what a guy like Voros can accomplish there's no reason why this guy can't do the same. We'd be better searching the UFA market for a better player.
3.Radivojevic, Branko UFA - Fedoruk was picked up to replace Branko, I'd rather see us searching the UFA market for a better player.
4.Moore, Dominic UFA - Something tells me that the Wild will end up signing this guy anyways but for a 4th liner, we could do better. Maybe get some one else who can win more faceoffs and a little more size and grit.
Leaving the league:
Carney, Keith and Hill, Sean - Expecting both to retire by the end of this year.
Nummelin, Petteri - Don't think he wants to return as a member of the Wild, I can see him going back to Europe once his contract his over.
Players who should be signed:
1.Bouchard, Pierre-Marc RFA - Quite possibly one of the most talented on the team, a must keep. Hopefully he will be finally willing to sign a longer term contract this summer making sure he stays a member of the Wild for a long time to come.
2.Rolston, Brian UFA - The heart and sole of the team, has one of the most powerful slap shots in the league. He may have problems such as with his defense abilities, but he is the leader of the team none the less. Should be willing to take a minor salary hit since he's expressed on finishing his career here.
3.Voros, Aaron RFA - A young gritty guy who is perfect for Lemaire's system. Willing to take off his gloves and do the dirty work, exactly what the Wild need.
4.Schultz, Nick UFA - Aside from Burns, I feel that he is our best defender, we absolutely need to keep this guy. I am worried about the Wild signing him though, seeing as he and the Wild seem to have had some problems with this in the past.
5.Foster, Kurtis RFA - A young defender who I think just needs some more ice time to improve. Not the greatest Wild defender, but one day I feel as if he could have a laser of a slap shot from the point.
6.Veilleux, Stephane RFA - A young gritty player, not quite the same type of player as Voros, but this guy is a perfect 3rd/4th line grinder.
7.Foy, Matt RFA - Was excellent at the AHL level but hasn't seemed to found it in the NHL. I think this is due to a lack of ice time, the 2008/2009 season should be a great time for him to get some more ice time, but if he can't do anything with that I think we should let him go.
Players who I would rather not have back:
1.Demitra, Pavol UFA - Gaborik's best friend who seems to have worse injury problems than Gaborik. Our top line cannot stand to be injured as much as it has in the past. Having our star player out is enough, but to also have his line mate out too is ridiculous. Unless this guy is willing to take 2 mill per season I say put the money somewhere else. There are better line mates for Gaborik in our system and in the UFA market.
2.Fedoruk, Todd UFA - Doesn't really fit, after seeing what a guy like Voros can accomplish there's no reason why this guy can't do the same. We'd be better searching the UFA market for a better player.
3.Radivojevic, Branko UFA - Fedoruk was picked up to replace Branko, I'd rather see us searching the UFA market for a better player.
4.Moore, Dominic UFA - Something tells me that the Wild will end up signing this guy anyways but for a 4th liner, we could do better. Maybe get some one else who can win more faceoffs and a little more size and grit.
Leaving the league:
Carney, Keith and Hill, Sean - Expecting both to retire by the end of this year.
Nummelin, Petteri - Don't think he wants to return as a member of the Wild, I can see him going back to Europe once his contract his over.