Wild Free Agent Wish List

Originally created on 6/30

Ok, NHL free agency time again. Here's my wish list:

Alberts, Andrew - D: I admit, my reason is sentimental-he's an Eden Prairie boy and family friend. The Wild would have to pass on more D-men than I would like in order to have room(Skoula, Bergeron, Foster), and they probably aren't shopping for another big stay-at-home man, even one that hits as well as Alberts.
Addendum: (7/8) The Wild apparently are passing on quite a few d-men, and added both Greg Zanon and Shane Hnidy. Hnidy will provide some bristling presence near the goal, and mentorship for big meanie, John Scott. The moves have the ring of change from the old administration, who had a habit of bargain shopping for potential over resume. Alberts would likely have tempted Doug Riesborough, but if Fletcher signs him, my guess is it will be because he's local.

Antropov, Nik - RW: (signed with Atlanta, 7/2) Big scorer with hands and leadership? Sign me up.

Bertuzzi, Todd - RW: No, I'm kidding.

Bonk, Radek - C: (signed in the KHL) I have a feeling he would produce more under Todd Richards than under Barry Trotz. He's not old enough to be out of gas, and there are old Nashville buddies here, with whom to play.

Cammalleri, Mike - LW: (signed with Montreal 7/1) He's what we were hoping Pierre-Marc Bouchard would be by now. Magical playmaker with bonus goals.

Havlat, Martin - RW: I hesitate to add him to the list because he's so much like Marian Gaborik--so talented, and so injury prone. Apparently, though, the Wild just signed him to 6 years, effectively making him the new Marian Gaborik. I anticipate having the same mixed feelings when he scores 20 goals in 30 games on the season. Admittedly, though, I think he'll look just dashing in Iron Range Red.
Addendum: (7/6) Much credit to Havlat for being so polite and complimentary during his press conference. It'll be nice having a dynamic scorer who is really excited to be part of the team. No disrespect to Marian Gaborik, who reportedly wished Havlat well, even offering his condo, but Gabby didn't want to be here, in the end; even if he tried to keep his conflicts quiet, he was still breaking up with the Wild for the past few seasons.

Koivu, Saku - C: (signed with Anaheim 7/8) Brotherly love is nice, and we also need more scoring, and depth at center.

Lang, Robert - C: (added 7/8) An old, injured center might be a bigger gamble than I'd like, and I've never liked his character. However, he still works hard at the end of his career, and the talent showed a-plenty last year in Montreal. It also seems like he's reigned in his mouth since his days in Washington.
...and thank God he reigned in that haircut. I admittedly had the same cut, once, but that was 1990, and I was 12. What was Lang's excuse?

Morrison, Brendan - C: (signed with Washington 7/10) Another decent scorer at center, whose value likely increases with his role on the team. Probably a bargain buy. Can he continue to play full seasons of hockey?

Parrish, Mark - RW: (edited 7/8) Adds toughness, scoring and local flavor. Wild fans might remember him being a disappointment on the score sheet, but they might also remember him being a galvanizing locker room presence, and a magnetic leader who was captain for consecutive months. ...and if they look around the NHL, I think Wild fans might note that talented players looked lost and fell short under Jaques Lemaire(see: Pavol Demitra). It was a rare player that came into the Wild system and exceeded their previous stats(see: Brian Rolston). Even players that we liked scored less, because they were playing a different role(see: Todd White, Kim Johnsson). I think we gave Parrish the shaft, and owe him about a 3-year, $8 million apology.

Potulny, Ryan - C: Ok, he's a Restricted FA, but he's so talented, and he's another Gopher yet to come back home. Facetiously, I say make an offer.

Prospal, Vaclav - C: (added 7/29) Vinny's contract was just bought out by the Lightning, which makes him a free agent. Despite that chemically happy look in his eyes, he's a sharp scorer, and while he's had ups and downs, he's capable of 30 goals and 80 points (even if he's more likely to get 20/50). Still, we like 20 goals. 20 goals is not 20 kicks in the face, or 20 scorpions in your pants. ...and, oh, look--he's a centerman.

Sakic, Joe - C: (retired 7/9) Who wouldn't want him?

Sundin, Mats - C: (added 7/8) Another hesitant add. After last year's half-season retirement tease and return, only to disappoint Vancouver fans, he isn't nearly as hot a commodity as he was. He also, however, might be looking to redeem himself, and he could bring buckets of goals anywhere he goes. In 12 full seasons with the Leafs, he never scored less than 70 pts, and less than 30 goals only twice.

Sykora, Petr - RW: (added 7/8) The free agent pool is thin at center, this year, and Wild may want to look at wingers for their scoring punch; they have centerman options in a few of their "wingers", and GM Fletcher has mentioned both Bouchard and Pouliot as possible centers. Sykora is both humble and proven, and simply does his job well. He often goes uncredited for being a prolific goal-scorer, and is a model of consistency, having scored more than 20 goals in each of the last 10 years.

Tanguay, Alex - LW: (edited 7/8) Despite a few down seasons, I think he's got plenty of game left, and would probably be sparked by playing in the Northwest division, which features 2 teams that both traded him. In proper perspective, he is a fantastic play-maker, but has yet to score 30 goals in a season. At 29 years old, though, he should have some more chances. With the Wild, he would be almost guaranteed to play alongside two of [Koivu, Havlat, Brunette, Bouchard] and that prospect makes me drool just a little.

Zednik, Richard - LW: (added 7/20) Career high stats of 31-19-50 are underwhelming for the talent of the Slovak winger, but he has heart and dedication. I'd wager that it takes a special person to have their neck cut open by a skate, and return to the game.

Zherdev, Nikolai - RW: (added 7/9) 25-year-old Zherdev is talented beyond question, but many have questioned his work ethic. Still, he has shown that he can chip in close to 30 goals with or without a work ethic. Currently a restricted free agent, he has filed for salary arbitration, but the Rangers responded by signing Ales Kotalik, which seems a loud signal that GM Glen Sather is plenty willing to let Zherdev walk away from the arbitration and become an unrestricted free agent. If the likes of Kovalev, Tanguay, Sundin, etc. are worth a look, Zherdev is as well.