What’s Next for the Wild?
April 21st, 2008 by Jason CIt’ll be an interesting summer for Minnesota this year. To answer a couple of possible questions…
1) Will Pavol Demitra be back?
- I don’t think so. Doug Risebrough has to really think about this one, as Demitra’s departure could also mean the departure of Marian Gaborik. The Wild have $32m committed to 13 regulars, and if the cap is set at $55m that means it’s roughly $20m to fill out the regular roster of 23. If they commit too much money to Demitra, that would mean it would be too expensive to retain Brian Rolston. Demitra, who earns $4.5m this year, could fetch more than that on the free agent market.
2) Will Brian Rolston be back?
- I think so. Risebrough has to decide between Rolston and Demitra, and if Risebrough goes with Demitra, it’ll be for no other reason than to keep Gaborik happy. While Rolston has been the more valuable player, and one of the league’s best bargains at $2.4m, he does not the same weight as Demitra in Gaborik’s heart. Ultimately, it will come down to Rolston or Demitra and I think Risebrough will go with Rolston, and hopefully lock up Gaborik to a long-term contract. Rolston can and will easily command double what he earned this year. He is two years older than Demitra at 34 years old, his production has declined since his 79-point campaign two years ago, but he still an invaluable veteran leader with Cup experience.
3) Will Jacques Lemaire be back behind the bench?
- The Minnesota Star-Tribune hinted at the fact that he might not return next season. If that is the case, and if Risebrough doesn’t head east to Toronto, it means that once again, Pat Burns and Pat Quinn’s names will be popping up again.
4) What will happen to Mark Parrish?
- The winger has been regulated to spot-duty on the fourth line and at times a healthy scratch. His production hasn’t really changed any - he had 39 points in 76 games last year to this year’s 30 points in 66 games played - but Lemaire believes he can play much better. He hasn’t been defensively responsible, which is required of all players who play under Lemaire, so the onus is on Parrish to improve his game. His contract isn’t undesirable, at $2.85m/year until 2012 there are worse contracts out there, but he could be difficult to move considering his poor play. Perhaps there will be some takers out there with some cap room to spare who need some scoring, but Parrish’s future is up the in as long as Lemaire is coach.
5) What went wrong in the playoffs?
- Gaborik only had one point in the playoffs, and that is a big reason why the Wild lost the series. He was a team worst -3, and did not shoulder the offensive load he was expected to. Again, it was veteran Rolston who led the way with 6 points in 6 games. Jose Theodore was also a major reason why the Wild lost. Most people will point to the Wild’s lack of offensive depth, but Pierre-Marc Bouchard has developed into an incredible playmaker and Rolston and Mikko Koivu have been providing secondary scoring all season long.