Surprise! Marian Gaborik Injured

Conventional wisdom is that a player entering a contract year is looking to put up big numbers. Do that, and even an average-looking player can get big free-agent dollars.

(Of course, as we learned last summer, even mediocre players can get big free-agent dollars.)

For Marian Gaborik of the Minnesota Wild, the mission this season is likely threefold. For starters, he wants to have the big contract year. Coming off a 40-goal campaign for a division winner, it isn't exactly a reach. Gaborik also would love to show he can contribute in the playoffs. Amazingly, everyone seemed to forget his stellar 2003 postseason when he went scoreless in six games against Colorado last season.

Oh, and there's the health thing.

Last year, Gaborik played in 77 games, his most since that 2002-2003 playoff year (81). He set career highs in goals, assists, points, and plus-minus.

With a contract year looming, the Wild failed to extend Gaborik's deal during the offseason, leading to a bunch of rumors and speculation. The club hasn't really said much about the situation, but it's going to get messy if Gaborik isn't re-signed by January.

Oh, and Gaborik's hurt again. Fantastic.


The Wild announced before Thursday's game against Florida that Gaborik was going to miss the game with a "lower-body injury". Of course, with Gaborik's history, that has "groin" written all over it in four different languages. It's also an invitation for me to rant about the NHL's stupid injury disclosure rules, but I'll avoid that for now.

For Minnesota, it's an opportunity to get a look at a youngster like Cal Clutterbuck, who was called up Wednesday to take the roster spot of injured defenseman Marek Zidlicky. It's also a chance to see what could be the future of Wild hockey: Life Without Gaborik.

As I noted a little less than two weeks ago, it's not a good time to be a Wild fan. The reality is that the Wild have made a good, honest effort to re-sign Gaborik. I've heard reports of a 10-year, $80 million offer. If that's true, Gaborik is probably going to sacrifice some long-term dollars to get away from Jacques Lemaire, or from Minnesota, or whatever his primary issue is.

I have said before that I don't begrudge Gaborik for seeking whatever the market will bear for his services. And I don't. However, the Wild have put up with his wonky groin and possible coachability (admittedly not a word) issues. Gaborik also held out when he had no leverage, costing himself a significant portion of a season because he showed up late, took some time to get in a rhythm, and got hurt. Lemaire has bent a bit on his rigid style because he wants Gaborik to play a more free-flowing style. You could argue that $80 million is a pretty easy sacrifice to make to show some loyalty to an organization that has, frankly, treated you like gold.

That said, the Wild are still the ones under pressure. No matter how good the forwards look when Gaborik doesn't play (and they look pretty solid on Thursday in Florida), they need him in the lineup to be a contender.