Incompetent Wild Could Lose Backstrom

Last summer, the Minnesota Wild lost forward Brian Rolston, who went to New Jersey as a free agent. The Wild could have signed Rolston to a contract the previous off-season, but apparently didn't think the aging forward would attract a lot of suitors in what turned out to be a weak market.

This summer, the Minnesota Wild could prove that even highly-placed front office executives can fail to learn the simplest lessons. Goaltender Niklas Backstrom's two-year deal expires after the season, and he still hasn't been re-signed.

The odd thing about Backstrom's situation is that general manager Doug Risebrough really hasn't tried all that hard to re-sign him.

Didn't we learn from this at all?

Rolston should have been taken care of in the summer of 2007. Had Risebrough realized Rolston's value to the team, and had he looked at the list of impending free agents (which was seriously lacking in depth), he would have probably gotten a deal done. Risebrough knows this was a mistake, and he has acknowledged it.

However, shouldn't he have taken steps to avoid repeating it?

It's another example of what's wrong with the Wild. People are quick to blame Jacques Lemaire's boring system for the Wild's inability to upgrade the roster through free agency. I beg to differ. I watch a lot of Western Conference hockey, and you see a lot of teams playing a similar style. It's not just the Wild.

Others think the Wild are cheap, even though they spent very close to the salary cap this season, and they were one of the teams in the mix for Marian Hossa before he took the one-year deal in Detroit.

In his contract year, Backstrom has soldified himself as one of the league's top goaltenders. His 2.20 goals against and .921 save percentage both rank third in the NHL. He's been a rock on a team that is awfully short of offensive punch, and oftentimes gives up too many odd-man rushes for their own good.

Why is he still without a contract for 2009-2010? How can an NHL front office be so incompetent as to allow this to happen two years in a row?

Are the Wild in a position where they may have to look at a trade deadline deal for their best player?

The answer to that question should be an emphatic "No!". Minnesota is still very much alive in the playoff chase, and they shouldn't even think about trading Backstrom. The reality is that they have to re-sign him, and it needs to be at whatever cost. They can't afford to let Backstrom go like they did Rolston.