The Wild Roster: Arbitration Cases

We have already discussed the additions to the Wild from the free agent market, so now it's time to look at who the Wild are bringing back. With arbitration hearings coming this week, the focus shifts to Wild players who were eligible for arbitration this off-season, and how the Wild dealt with each of them.

Derek Boogard - $2.63 million, three year contract after Wild opted for arbitration

The Wild adopted an interesting strategy with Boogard when the organization opted for arbitration. Only four players have been taken down this path, the reason being that it can generate some bad feelings betwixt the player and the organization (see Luongo, Roberto and the Florida Panthers). In Boogard's case though, it seems as though this was merely a move to make sure no other teams signed him away from the Wild. He had the option of choosing a one or two year contract at the hearing, my feeling was that he would go with two years. His value isn't going to change much, and he seems pretty happy with the organization, so stability is one reason a three year deal was so appealing to him.

Pierre-Marc Bouchard - $2.6 million, one year contract

This happened quite a while ago, almost at the same time that players were filing for arbitration. Mostly this contract shows how the Wild perceive Bouchard in relation to their other young forwards (Koivu got a four-year deal). Perhaps the front office is unconvinced that Bouchard is capable of consistently putting up 20 goal seasons like '06-'07. If Bouchard puts up the same or better numbers in the upcoming season, I think the Wild will be much more amenable to a multi-year deal.

Kurtis Foster - $1.025 million, one year contract

It was a little surprising that Foster opted for arbitration this year. He didn't have a breakout season in '06-'07 and it didn't seem that he would be looking at too much of a reward after going through the process. Thus, I wasn't terribly surprised that he was signed before his arbitration hearing, nor was I surprised at the length or value of the contract. This season will be an important one for Foster to determine his future with the Wild franchise. After scoring only 3 goals in 57 games last season, Foster should be a larger part of the offense this year with his big shot.

Josh Harding - $1.45 million, two year contract

The notable thing about this contract is that it is a one-way contract, so Harding will be with the Wild all season. He'll back up Backstrom, although given Lemaire's penchant for playing the hot goaltender, he may see more action than a traditional backup.

Nick Schultz - arbitration (hearing Thurs. 7/26)

This is the only unresolved arbitration case remaining for this offseason. Schultz had a very strong season, playing in all 82 games and playing the most minutes on the penalty kill of any Wild skater. Schultz can only sign a one-year deal if his case goes to an arbitration hearing, due to his previous service time. Obviously, the Wild would prefer to avoid arbitration, but I would be surprised if this one didn't go all the way until Thursday before a deal is agreed upon, either before the hearing, or as a result of it.

[UPDATE - 7/24]: Well, I was wrong about the day, but the Wild avoided arbitration by signing Schultz to a one-year deal for $1.85 million. A raise from last year, but not a long term deal that Schultz probably wanted. He can become an unrestricted free agent after this upcoming season.

The Wild Roster: Free Agents

Eric Belanger - 3 years, $5.25 million

Belanger started his career with the Los Angeles Kings in 2000-2001. Over the next five seasons, he scored 63 goals and 87 assists in 323 games (0.46 Pts/Gm). Last season he started with the Carolina Hurricanes but was traded to the Atlanta Thrashers, which was a positive for him. In Carolina, his playing time was decreased and he scored at a bit of a lower rate, 8 goals and 12 assists in 56 games (0.36 Pts/Gm). The Thrashers put him on a line with Marian Hossa and Slava Kozlov and gave him 19:29 average ice time which turned into 9 goals, 6 assists in 24 games (0.63 Pts/Gm). Thus when the Wild called and promised him the chance to play with Demitra and Gaborik, he jumped at the chance.

In addition to being a center who has shown some scoring ability, Belanger has also been a pretty good faceoff man over his career. Faceoffs are something that the Wild have struggled with in the last few years. Lemaire, in a February Star Tribune article, said, "We're not good enough on faceoffs. [It's] that simple." This was one of the positives of the trade for Dominic Moore last season, and the Wild continue to address this issue this offseason.

Centers (500 F/O min.)	F/O	'06-'07 F/O Pct.	Career F/O Pct.
Eric Belanger	1206	53.1	53.3
Dominic Moore	744	52.6	48.9
Mikko Koivu	1165	50.9	49.6
Todd White	1051	49.2	50.4
Pavol Demitra	513	47.8	47.2
Wes Walz	786	47.2	47.3
Wyatt Smith	508	43.5	46.2

Sean Hill - one year, $475,000

In the Wild's playoff series against Anaheim, the Ducks overran the Wild with physical defensemen and forwards. This had an apparent effect on the Wild front office, as they only took physical players in the draft, then they signed Sean Hill, a big, physical defenseman. The most quoted stat is that he was third in the league in hits last season and among the leaders in blocked shots. The physicality has the Wild probably slotting him in a third or fourth defensive pairing once he joins the team.

Ah yes, the steroid suspension. In the playoffs last year, Hill tested positive for a banned substance and incurred the accompanying 20-game suspension. He served one game of the suspension in the playoffs last year, so he will be unavailable through the first 19 games of the 2007-2008 regular season. Hill has denied that he used PEDs but he will be allowed to practice with the team during the suspension, but not allowed to play in preseason games either.

Steve Kelly - one year, undisclosed amount

Kelly hasn't played in the NHL for quite a while, four seasons to be exact, and he won't spend much time with the Wild this year, barring some kind of miracle turnaround. This signing is probably not even worth the time I spent writing all this. If the season goes according to plan, Kelly will provide depth at the AHL level.

Nolan Schaefer - two years, $1.15 million

The 1 million plus price tag is misleading, it only applies if he makes the NHL squad, which at this point seems unlikely. Schaefer was signed as a third goaltender to replace Josh Harding at Houston, and possibly compete with Harding for a spot on the roster. His only NHL experience came with the San Jose Sharks two years ago, posting a 1.88 GAA and a 5-1 record in seven games.

Wes Walz: A Wild Original

Wes Walz came to the Wild as a free agent signing in the summer before their inaugural 2000-2001 season. Until that point, Walz had been a journeyman, playing with the Bruins ('90-'92), Flyers ('92), Flames ('93-'95), and Red Wings ('95) before spending four seasons playing in Switzerland. Upon signing with the Wild, Walz shed his journeyman label and has been a constant presence in Minnesota. He currently holds the franchise record for games played (427), has played in all 23 of the playoff games in Wild history, and is one of two players remaining from the Wild's first season (Marian Gaborik being the other). It appeared the 37-year old center's time in Minnesota may have ended when he opted to file for free agency this offseason, but the Wild have brought him back for a seventh season in a Minnesota jersey, signing him on Tuesday to a one-year contract worth $900,000.

In the last six seasons, Walz has played many roles. He lead the team in goals in their first season with 18 goals. However, his main role for some time has been a checking line and penalty kill expert. The one-time Selke award finalist for best defensive forward has always been a solid defender. He ranked third last season among Wild forwards in short-handed ice time. Walz has also shown a proclivity for the shorthanded goal, scoring a quarter of the Wild's shorthanded goals throughout their history (16 of 63, 25%).

Walz has seen his role diminish recently as he has slowed a bit. Last season, the Wild's goals against per 60 minutes with him on the ice was 2.22 which was a bit higher than the 2.09 goals against when he wasn't on the ice. Combine that with the more expected drop in offense (2.14 on-ice goals for, 2.37 off-ice goals for). The lack of offense isn't surprising. That's not the role expected of Walz, and even the defense could be more the result of him playing against the opponents top line. So don't expect his role to change too much from what it was last year.

In this deal the Wild locked up one of their longest tenured players for a reasonable price. In Walz, they continue to get a reasonably good defensive center, who is a recognized leader in the locker room. Walz should continue to be a solid third/fourth line center and penalty killer through this season.

Wes Walz career Wild statistics:

Season	Gm	Goals	Assists	Points	PM
2000-2001 Wild	82	18	12	30	37
2001-2002 Wild	64	10	20	30	43
2002-2003 Wild	80	13	19	32	63
2003-2004 Wild	57	12	13	25	32
2005-2006 Wild	82	19	18	37	61
2006-2007 Wild	62	9	15	24	30

Wild Times: Fernandez Traded; Koivu, Skoula Resigned

Manny Fernandez traded to Boston on Sunday.
The Wild signed Mikko Koivu and Martin Skoula to extended contracts this weekend.

Manny Fernandez was traded to the Boston Bruins for prospect Petr Kalus and a fourth round draft pick.

Kalus was drafted in the second round of the 2005 draft out of the Czech Republic. Last season, Petr got his first stint in the NHL when he appeared in 9 games for the Bruins. He scored 4 goals and added an assist while he averaged just over nine minutes of ice time. He spent the majority of the season in the AHL with the Providence Bruins, where he tallied 13 goals and 17 assists in 43 games while accumulating 110 penalty minutes.

As I mentioned last night, this trade accomplishes a couple of things for the Wild, it frees up space under the salary cap for a possible run at a free agent. It clears up the goalie situation for the near future, and the Wild pick up a physical forward who has demonstrated some scoring ability.


Mikko Koivu was signed to a four-year deal worth $13 million.

The deal is reportedly structured as $2.7 million for the first year, $3.3 million for the next two years and $3.7 million in the final year of the contract.

Mikko was a first round draft pick in 2001 and after developing in the Finnish leagues for a few years, he saw his first NHL action in the 2005-2006 season. This year, in his second season, Koivu played in all 82 Minnesota games, and had 54 points last year (20 goals), improving by 33 over the previous year's campaign (6 goals, 15 assists in 64 games). After the season Koivu played with Finland in the World Championships and scored a key overtime goal against Russia in the semifinals to send his country to the gold-medal game.

This contract doesn't come as any great surprise. The Wild have locked up on of their emerging prospects for four more years. Hopefully, he will continue to improve and increase those point totals throughout the span of this deal.

Martin Skoula was signed to a two-year deal worth $3.6 million.

In 2006-2007, Martin Skoula was a pretty average defenseman for the Wild. He was second on the team in ice time to Kim Johnsson as a defenseman. He played the majority of his ice time even strength or on the penalty kill. He was the fifth choice for the Wild as a defenseman on the power play. He didn’t score a goal last season, but contributed 15 assists (5th among Minnesota blueliners). You can see about where he fit in the defensive corps by looking at the team goals against while Skoula was on the ice.

Defenseman	Gm	Ev-IceTime	EVGA
Carney	80	13:15	1.7
Burns	77	13:49	1.9
Foster	57	13:20	2.0
Burns	76	17:09	2.1
Skoula	81	16:58	2.1
Schultz	82	16:34	2.1
Nummelin	51	15:02	2.7

This contract represents a slight raise for Skoula, as he was paid $1.6M last season. I don’t think this has too much impact on the Wild. The front office probably looked at what defensemen were available and how much they would cost, and figured Skoula would give them enough minutes at a high enough level that they would be better served pursuing a free agent elsewhere.

These were the first of a few new contracts the Wild will be offering this off-season. On the horizon, Wes Walz and Todd White will be on the market as free agents, at which point they are most likely done in Minnesota. Other contracts to keep an eye on are the restricted free agents. Bouchard, Boogard, Schultz, Foster, and Harding have all received offers. If they don’t accept them, they will be headed to arbitration in the near future.

The shortest off-season in professional sports is off and running, I’ll try to keep you updated as the 2007-2008 Wild take shape.

Fernandez Traded

Manny Fernandez has been traded to the Boston Bruins according to Michael Russo's blog at the Star Tribune. The Wild are rumored to be getting Petr Kalus in return.

This accomplishes a couple of things.

- Getting rid of Fernandez contract frees up enough cap space that the Wild are more likely to make a move on the free agent market.

- Backstrom is now the #1 goalie.

- In return, the Wild get Kalus, who scored 4 goals on 8 shots in his NHL stint. In general, it seems he's someone who will be an asset to the Wild in the coming years as a gritty forward with a bit of a scoring touch.

More on that and other Wild (and crazy) news tomorrow.

Minnesota Wild 2007 Draft Class

The Wild were eliminated from the playoffs this year by a physical Ducks team that steamrolled not only Minnesota, but everyone in the NHL on their way to the Stanley Cup. Clearly that experience weighed on the minds of the Wild front office as all their selections were players known for their physical presence. In fact, in the first round, they passed over some smaller skilled players to get the grinding forward they were looking at. The Wild also drafted heavily from the Canadian ranks taking 4 of their 5 picks from the Western Hockey League of our neighbors to the north.

These guys won't be suiting up for the Wild next season (none of the 2006 draft class have even been signed yet), they'll probably remain in their respective leagues for at least another year as the Wild have two years to ink them to a deal. Hopefully, someday in the not too distant future we'll see these guys suiting up for the Wild.

Here's a look at who the Wild drafted this weekend:

1st Round (16th overall pick) - Colton Gillies, 18 years old, 6'3, 189 lbs., Center, Saskatoon Blades (WHL)

The Minnesota Wild traded their first (#19) and second (#42) round picks to the Anaheim Ducks in order to move up three spots in the first round and draft 18 year old Colton Gillies of the WHL's Saskatoon Blades.

"I didn't see it coming." said Gillies, who was thrilled with his future destination. "I had 26 meetings with teams but today's meeting went well and here I am. I've been told that it is an unbelievable hockey city. I'm really excited to be a Wild."

With a couple of other big names still sitting in the audience in Columbus (Cherepanov and Esposito for example), I have to wonder if the Wild could have stayed put and allowed Gillies to fall to them in the 19 slot. But at least one mock draft (ESPN) had him going to Calgary at #18, and indeed it seemed that the Flames had some interest. So the Wild just wanted to make sure they got their man.

"He's definitely one of the best skaters in the Draft. He plays with a physical edge and he plays hard. The way the game is going, you have to have some size up front that can play. We feel that is a need in the organization and we feel he fits that need better than anyone in the Draft. You can't just have big guys that can't get there. They have to be able to skate and they have to play with an edge to them."

-Tom Thompson, Minnesota Wild Assistant GM

In his last season with Saskatoon, Gillies netted 30 points (13 goals, 17 assists) while being assessed 148 penalty minutes in 65 games. Saskatoon was a very young team who struggled at times during the season and missed the WHL playoffs, so the supporting cast probably didn't help Gillies out too much. He also played through a couple of nagging shoulder and ankle injuries which may have decreased those point totals as well.

Colton is the nephew of former Islanders winger Clark Gillies (who was the bruiser on a line with Trottier and Bossy) although he's never met the guy. He grew up in British Columbia cheering for the Canucks (we'll have to work on that). He was highly regarded coming into the WHL (drafted 2nd overall in WHL entry draft) but that enthusiasm has tempered somewhat due to back to back low offensive output seasons. Still he was rated the 12th overall prospect by the International Scouting Service.

There may be more difference of opinion on Gillies than on any other player expected to go in the first or second round.

-Jon Press, at AOL Fanhouse

The general consensus is that Gillies is a very good skater, who will lay some hits, work hard, play well in the defensive zone and get physical. People are much more divided on his hockey sense and scoring touch. His skating speed came up again and again as being very special for a player of his size. The difference betwixt the opinion of him in the defensive zone (where he's very good), and the offensive zone (where reviews are mixed at best) is very sharply divided. Some have begun to propose a switch to defense for the young center to maximize the impact of his skills and given the Wild's success with a similar move for Brent Burns, I can't say I would be shocked to see the switch.

Central Scouting Service had this to say about Gillies:

A power forward with great size… out muscles his opponents and has the ability to land punishing hits… has great speed and is very consistent… uses his reach to his advantage and is good on the penalty kill… needs to get better around the net and at times to improve his positioning.

Finally, one last scouting report from NHL Draft Buzz:

Saskatoon’s young Colt is an impressive, towering centerman with elite skating ability… the ease with which he skates is a pure joy to watch … smooth accelerator with powerful crossovers … can blow by guys with straight line speed and can rotate from forwards to backwards at the drop of a hat … plays in all situations: 5 on 5, PK, and PP … already wears an A … is able to make plays on the penalty kill with agility, reach, and hustle … is a burgeoning threat on the rush … looks like a human freight train when dumping/banking the puck and chasing … owns a quick release that is not the most accurate or well placed … has good offensive sense and anticipation when the puck is on his stick … has fairly soft hands, receives passes well, and can stickhandle … adept at processing defender’s gap control and knows when to get rid of the puck … as a result makes some pretty passes from time to time … loves contact and finishes every check hard … is great along the boards with good puck protection and has the acceleration to roll out quickly for an offensive breakout/chance…could stand to think the game a hair quicker as he tends to chase the play a little too often … did not look comfortable or meshed with his linemates, which may have skewed his stats some … needs to be more consistent in driving to the net …can play defense as well, which shows attractive versatility … Gillies is a tantalizing blend of many talents who needs to show a little more confidence and ability to control the game.

2nd Round (no picks)

3rd Round (no picks)

4th Round (110th overall pick) - Justin Falk, 18 years old, 6’5, 211 lbs., Defense, Spokane Chiefs (WHL)

A big defenseman out of Snowflake, Manitoba, Justin led Spokane in plus/minus last year while scoring 3 goals and 12 assists and amassing 88 penalty minutes in 62 games. Offense is not his strong point obviously, but he has earned praise for his physical defensive play.

Profile and interview

5th Round (140th overall pick) – Cody Almond, 17 years old (18 in July), 6’2, 194 lbs., Center, Kelowna Rockets (WHL)

Either everybody in this draft was 6’2 or that was the Wild’s main criteria as this is the first of three picks who are listed at that height. Another big guy, the center out of Calgary showed some offensive ability leading his team in scoring with 15 goals and 28 assists in 68 games last season for a team that struggled offensively (2.17 goals/game).

Interview

6th Round (170th overall pick) – Harri Ilvonen, 18 years old, Defense, 6’2, 187 lbs., Tappara (Finland)

Ilvonen was the only Wild draft pick from the second day present in Columbus, as he expected to be taken in the third or fourth round. Instead he had a long day of waiting before the Wild snagged him in the sixth round. Harri was ranked as the #7 European defenseman (21st European skater overall) in the draft by Central Scouting Services.

Ilvonen is known as a smart player who is a good passer and skater. Another big guy who isn’t afraid to throw his weight around. Apparently he doesn’t have the quickest feet but he scored 9 goals and added 21 assists in 39 games last season while picking up 38 penalty minutes.

Scouting Video (5:30)

7th Round (200th overall pick) - Carson McMillan, 18 years old, 6’2, 200 lbs., Forward, Calgary Hitmen (WHL)


One last big guy, Carson, out of Manitoba, has played two seasons in the WHL with the Hitmen, last season he accumulated 7 goals, 15 assists and 78 penalty minutes in 72 games. Carson isn't afraid to mix it up a bit, as he's already the proud owner of a fight card at hockeyfights.com. That's hard to believe, because he looks like such a nice guy.

Short Bio

There you have it, the 2007 Entry Draft for the Minnesota Wild. The slogan this year must have been "Go big, or go home" because they certainly loaded up on physical players. I'll be keeping an eye on these guys as they develop and in a couple of years I hope to welcome them to the NHL.

NHL Post-season Awards

My take on the post-season awards from a Wild-eye view:

Hart (MVP)
(143 ballots)

Winner - Crosby (PIT)
Wild - Marian Gaborik (2 fifth-place votes, T-20th)

I was actually pleasantly surprised that Gabby got some votes. He certainly proved he was valuable to the team this year. The Wild were 33-9-6 (1.5 pts/G) with number 10 in the lineup, while going 15-17-2 (0.94 pts/G) without him. Gaborik also finished second to Vincent Lecavalier with 0.62 goals per game in '06-'07.

Calder (Rookie)
(143 ballots)

Winner - Evgeni Malkin (PIT)
Wild - Josh Harding (1 fifth-place vote, T-13th)

That's about right I think. Good start for the young netminder. Hopefully he'll get some more looks this year once the goalie situation settles.

Jack Adams (Coach)
(72 ballots)

Winner - Vigneault (VAN)
Wild - Jacques Lemaire (2 first-place votes, named on 10 ballots, 7th)

I don't know that I would have put Lemaire in my top 3 coaches this year. Maybe if the Wild had won their division, but otherwise it was a solid but unspectacular year for Jacques.

Norris (Defenseman)
(143 ballots)

Winner - Lidstrom (DET)
Wild - Keith Carney (1 third-place vote, 19th)

Wait, did I read that right? Keith Carney!? I don't know what to say, I guess he had the best +/- of Wild defensemen, but my vote would have gone to Kim Johnsson.

Selke (Defensive Forward)
(143 ballots)

Winner - Brind'Amour (CAR)
Wild - Brian Rolston (1 first-place vote, named on 17 ballots, 16th)

I think this award is really hard to pick correctly so I'll just say that the Wild have always relied on defensive play from their forwards and the fact that the team that allowed the fewest goals in the league doesn't have a forward or defenseman in the top 15 of their respective defensive categories strikes me as odd.

Vezina (Goalie)
(30 ballots)

Winner - Brodeur (NJ)
Wild - Niklas Backstrom (1 second-place vote, 1 third-place vote, 6th)

Backstrom was the only goalie given a second place vote besides Brodeur and Luongo. Someone put him ahead of Luongo, and I think that's a difficult position to defend. Luongo should have won and Backstrom probably should have got a few more 3rd-place votes.

Lady Byng
(Gentleman)

Are you kidding? This had got to be one of the most ridiculous awards in sports. No further comment necessary. (If you must know, Pierre-Marc Bouchard finished 5th in the voting)

Wild Resign Backstrom

The Wild signed Niklas Backstrom to a 2-year $6.2 million dollar contract yesterday, which means that they now have both Backstrom and Manny Fernandez under contract through the '08-09 season. Niklas Backstrom lead the league in save percentage and goals against average, while he and Fernandez backstopped the Wild to a league low 191 goals against in the '06-'07 regular season. And, lest you forget, they also have Josh Harding waiting in the wings as yet another goalie of the future.

Manny Fernandez - 33 yrs old in August ($4.5M in '07-'08)
Niklas Backstrom - 29 yrs old (around $3M in '07-'08)
Josh Harding - 23 yrs old in a week ($450K in '06-'07)

Given Manny's stated preferences, I think I know who I would go forward with, but Riesborough seems to think he can keep everybody.

Something to keep an eye on in the near future, that's for sure.