Marian Gaborik
Neil Becker
29sports.com
The most important off- season activity for the Minnesota Wild took place this past week when president and general manager Doug Risebrough and assistant general manager of hockey operations Tom Lynn ventured off to Slovakia to meet and talk with their franchise player Marian Gaborik.
This 26 year-old forward who is coming off his best season of 42 goals and 41 assists is entering the final year of a three year pact he signed in 2006, and if Minnesota management gets their wish, they will have their all time leading scorer in a Wild uniform for years to come.
Showing how much they want to re- sign their best player before he hits the free agent market next summer, Risebrough and Lynn used a unique selling approach with Gaborik by not only explaining their team strategy and direction for the future but also using statistics to sell the third overall 2000 NHL Draft Choice on re-signing with the Wild.
In the past, Gaborik has often wondered what kind of numbers he could put up on a team that doesn’t emphasize defense the way Minnesota does. Still, the number one forward was according to media reports very receptive to the Minnesota Wild and asked lots of questions regarding their plans and direction in the future.
“He’s going to make a decision, and we want him to make the decision with all the information that’s out there and not base it on any misconceptions or myths,” Lynn said.
The Wild management team also explained to the player known as ‘Gabby’, the short and long- term strategies of building the roster and how he fits in.
“He’s got a higher level of information than any other player has gotten,” said Lynn. “We thought the meeting went well, and Marian expressed the same thing.”
Presently, the two sides aren’t yet talking contract but it’s clear that if no decision has been reached by the beginning of training camp, then negotiations will be held off until after the season.
Staying healthy has always been an issue for Gaborik who played only 65 games in 2006 and 48 games the following year due to a severe groin injury. This past season however, he proved to be over his injuries as he played a major role in the Wild winning their first Northwest Division Title.
