It sounds simple. Let one veteran forward (Brian Rolston) go. Sign another veteran forward (Andrew Brunette). It sounds simple, and it may be what the Minnesota Wild decide to do when free agency opens up Tuesday.
As Kevin Schultz reported, the Wild have traded Rolston's negotiating rights to Tampa Bay for a conditional pick. Common sense dictates that this is the final step in the process of losing a player who has scored 96 goals for the Wild in the last three years.
Michael Russo notes that the Wild and Brunette seem to have mutual interest in a reunion. There is no secret that Wild general manager Doug Risebrough has a tinge of regret over his decision to let Brunette walk three years ago. Evidently, Brunette has some similar regrets. Well, not exactly the same.
Plus, if Brunette returns, all will be forgiven with his wife, Lorie.Hey, Risebrough will take it any way he can get it. He needs a presence in front of the net, and he needs a presence in the locker room that can pick up some of the void left by Rolston.
"I don't think she's still gotten over leaving Minnesota," Brunette quipped.
And Rolston is gone. You can bet money on it at this point. Realistically, there are two major factors that blow up a Rolston re-signing in Minnesota. The first is that the Tampa Bay Lightning are clearly not screwing around. They signed Ryan Malone and Gary Roberts after obtaining the negotiating rights to both from Pittsburgh. They re-signed Vincent Lecavalier. Also, the Wild have had months to get Rolston to re-sign, and they had to know that he was more likely to test the market with every day they failed to extend his deal. If they couldn't get it done when they knew time was their enemy, then why would they get serious when Rolston has at least six to ten teams interested in his services? Minnesota has never been big on getting involved in bidding wars. I doubt that a 35-year-old forward seeking upwards of $6 million per year is going to motivate them.
However, Brunette only goes part of the way toward replacing Rolston's production. While it's easier said than done, the Wild have to find an impact player somewhere, whether it's from a trade or a free-agent signing. The free-agent pool is quite thin, and the potential impact players in it are likely to be severely overpaid. Expect Minnesota to be working the markets (both free agent and trade) to try to upgrade their offense.
With Marian Gaborik entering the last year of his deal, and with no assurances he'll re-sign without testing the market next summer, this season will be crucial for Minnesota. Coach Jacques Lemaire decided to come back after flirting with retirement, and one can safely assume that he won't coach this team forever. Risebrough has some pressure to produce a contender in 2008-2009, as the team could look significantly different the following season.
