When the NHL trade deadline passed Wednesday without the Minnesota Wild making a significant move, no one was really surprised. After all, the Wild have never really been known for their deadline aggression. Not only that, but they are on the fence when it comes to buying or selling, and those teams usually tend to stand pat at the deadline, hoping to sneak into the playoffs with what they already have.General manager Doug Risebrough had a chance to do something significant Wednesday. Instead, he may have committed his biggest blunder by not pulling the trigger on a deal for his best player.
Yes, it's weird to think that a team just three points out of a playoff spot would be better off trading their best player. There are still a bunch of games left, and why would you give up on the season?
Risebrough, to his credit, has admitted some past mistakes. He talked openly about wishing he hadn't lost Andrew Brunette to Colorado in free agency three years ago, and he was more than happy to bring Brunette back at the first chance.
He also knew it wasn't a good thing to have so many free agents on the 2007-2008 team, and it may have hurt the team's playoff chances.
Risebrough has also said he should have done more to re-sign Brian Rolston before he could get a sniff of free agency last summer.
The re-signing of goalie Niklas Backstrom was a huge step in the right direction. However, the failure to trade Marian Gaborik drags Risebrough right back down where he had been.
Risebrough has tried to deny Gaborik was even available at the deadline, but that's pretty hard to believe. If Risebrough is telling the truth, he's made an even bigger mistake than I thought.
I find it difficult - if not impossible - to believe that the Wild couldn't have gotten a conditional pick - based on how much he plays and how his new team fares - for Gaborik. If the price was too high, or a good-faith effort was not made to make a deal, it's Risebrough's error.
Obviously, if the Wild believe they have a real chance of convincing Gaborik to stay when he goes free agent on July 1, they should hold on to him now. But there has been no indication that the Wild will have a shot. Instead, it seems a foregone conclusion that Gaborik will move elsewhere this summer. Now, instead of getting something for him, they'll get the same thing they got from New Jersey when Rolston signed there.
Nothing.
With the team already missing second- and third-round picks in the 2009 draft, this is inexcusable.
