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The Daily 3: The 'Goodbye, Gabby' edition

FELDY: I know that Phersy's alive and actually looking forward to returning home from F-L-A, because my phone lit up with text message after text message from him last night as he was following NHL free agency, Day 1, from the beach. Imagine that -- he's sitting on a beach in Florida stressing over the Wild's signing of Greg Zanon, worried it might be their only signing of the day. I would bet my house and car that Phersy was the only person on that beach who knew who Greg Zanon is. He might have been the only person on the beach who knew who Martin Havlat is. Speaking of Havlat ...

3. Wild off to a good start in free agency. New GM Chuck Fletcher didn't make the big splash that many Wild fans were hoping for at last weekend's NHL Draft, but he made up for it on Day 1 of free agency. Fletcher's first big signing -- and quite possibly the biggest free-agent signing in team history -- was wrapped up at about 10 p.m. last night, when Chicago forward Martin Havlat signed a reported 6-year, $30 million contract. When healthy, Havlat can be every bit the dynamic forward that Marian Gaborik is. Havlat had 77 points in 81 games last season, and added 15 points in 16 playoff games. Stick him on a line centered by Mikko Koivu or Saku Koivu ... that's a fun thought. ... The Wild, as mentioned, also signed D Greg Zanon, who apparently is the NHL's version of Johnny Knoxville -- not afraid to put his body in harm's way at all. He's projected as a third-pair defenseman, but he has been in the top 15 the past two seasons in shorthanded time on ice. He also blocked 237 shots last season, third in the NHL.

2. It took half the season, but ... The Twins are finally two games over .500, and it only took 81 games. Of course, they may not be two games up for long, as Nick Punto, Justin Morneau and Mike Redmond all left yesterday's win at K.C. with injuries. As has been the case this season, the timing was terrible, with division rival (and division leading) Detroit pulling into Metrodome this weekend.

1. Gabby's gone. The best player in the history of the Wild has left and fans are reacting with a collective yawn. Marian Gaborik signed a 5-year, $37.5 million deal with the New York Rangers on Wednesday and the common refrain from Wild fans seems to be "good, his groin is their problem now." I suppose the indifference comes because fans have known this was coming for more than a year -- something former GM Doug Risebrough never seemed to grasp. One stat that sums up Gaborik's career in Minnesota: In the four seasons since the lockout, he played in 207 games and missed 121 games (nearly 1 1/2 seasons). Yes, he was dynamic on the offensive end when healthy, but he never seemed interested in playing defense. And for a guy who the team supposedly counted on so heavily, he always seemed to be about fifth or sixth on their list when they were in a shootout. ... Still, Gabby's talent is till good enough to warrant $7.5 million per year, to play on Broadway, no less. And if he thinks he was scrutinized by fans or media in Minnesota, wait until the New York jackals latch onto him.

Colin Stuart traded to Toronto

FELDY: What a wild Canada Day, eh?  Lots of activity on the opening day of the NHL's free agency period.(

(UPDATE 10:07 p.m.: It's official, Martin Havlat is a member of the Wild. Just got an e-mail from Aaron Sickman in the Wild's media relations department. Mike Russo from the Star Tribune reports it's a 6-year, $30 million deal.)

The Wild -- finally! -- appear to have made a big, big move, something we  weren't accustomed to under Doug Risebrough. Both TSN's Darren Dreger and the Star Tribune's Michael Russo are reporting that Chicago winger Martin Havlat has come to a verbal agreement with the Wild. Havlat had 77 points in 81 games last season, then produced 15 points in 17 posteason games. I'm sure he'll be missed by some fans in Chciago, but then again, they may not even notice he's gone. The Blackhawks signed Marian Hossa and John  Madden on Wedensday. Makes me wonder how in the world they're going to have enough cap room to lock up Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews after next season, as well as Kris Versteeg at some point.

In other news, Rochester native Colin Stuart was part of a trade between Atlanta and Toronot. Stuart will be going from a hockey-dead market (Atlanta) to a hockey crazed market. Should be an exciting transition for Stuart and I hope he gets every chance to make the big club in Toronto. I'm not sure he always was given the best chance to make the Thrashers club.  Stuart and D Garnet Exelby were sent to  the maple leafs for  Pavel Kubina and Tim Stapleton.

The (sometimes) Daily 3: 'Let the shopping begin' edition

FELDY: Happy Canada Day everyone! And as I noted on my Facebook page, I don't think it's a coincidence that Canada celebrates a national holiday on the same day as NHL free agency begins. There was no D3 yesterday because, well, nothing got me stirred up in the news. It's days like we had late last week (with the passing of MJ, Farrah Fawcett, as well as the Wolves and Wild making moves at their drafts) where we in the newspaper biz wish we could spread some of that news out over several days.

3. Take that, soccer! And basketball! And baseball! ...: Our legislators hard at work -- a line was included in an economic development bill that officially makes hockey Minnesota's state sport. I guess when it's 56 degrees in July, your state has the right to make hockey its official sport. Eh?

2. Take that, Norm! (sarcasm on) I guess the really good news yesterday is Al Franken finally being named the next senator from Minnesota. Hey, we had a pro rassler as a governor, why not a clown as a senator?

1. Take him, Wild! And him and ... It's the opening day of free agency for the Wild and the Timberwolves today. The Wild pretty much has to make some sort of a splash after owner Craig Leipold said they would after last weekend's NHL Draft. The Wolves may not do much shopping, though it's hard to see them going into the season with basically Wayne Ellington as their only 2 guard. ... But back to the Wild, it's 11:20 a.m., free agency has officially been underway for 20 minutes. Two of the big names came off the market before shopping season opened, as Henrik and Daniel Sedin re-signed with Vancouver. That might mean Marian Gaborik is headed instead to Montreal or the NY Rangers. Keep an eye on the Wild going after Saku Koivu, Rob Scuderi and/or Ruslan Fedotenko. Hopefully they get something done before all the big names have signed.

What do the Wild do in free agency?

FELDY: New Wild GM Chuck Fletcher has his second opportunity to make a splash beginning Wednesday when free agency opens. Fletcher got off to a solid start at last weekend's draft, getting some guys who could be key pieces in the future (namely Minnesota 2009 Mr. Hockey Nick Leddy, a slick-skating puck mover from Eden Prairie) and he landed C Kyle Brodziak in a trade from Edmonton. Brodziak could be a solid fourth-line center or third-line wing, and he's very good in the faceoff circle.

But the Wild need more immediate help if they're going to challenge for a Northwest Division championship again this season. NHL.com writer John Kreiser has a good breakdown of his 50 top free agents. You can read the whole list by clicking on the link, but let's break down a few good options here.

DEFENSE

The Wild's situation: Minnesota has Brent Burns, Nick Schultz, Kim Johnsson, Marek Zidlicky and John Scott under contract. Martin Skoula, Kurtis Foster and Marc-Andre Bergeron are unrestricted free agents.

A few they could target:
* Francois Beauchemin, Anaheim. He played well in 20 games late last season after returning from a knee injury. The Ducks aren't likely to let him get away, though, after trading Chris Pronger to Philadelphia prior to last weekend's draft.
* Mattias Ohlund, Vancouver. Ohlund is 32, but has played 11 seasons in the NHL, all with the Canucks. The former first-round pick would be a solid partner for Burns, Schultz or Johnsson.
* Hal Gill, Pittsburgh. At 6-feet-7, 250 pounds, Gill would give Minnesota an extremely physical presence in front of the goal, which Nik Backstrom would surely appreciate. Gill, 34, won't provide many points, but that would be OK if he comes at the right price.
* Rob Scuderi, Pittsburgh. Scuderi's another guy who won't produce a lot of points (he has 3 goals and 36 assists in just more than three NHL seasons), but he is a tremendous defensive defenseman, who increased his value dramatically with his outstanding play in the Stanley Cup Finals.

FORWARDS

The Wild's situation: Wingers Pierre-Marc Bouchard, Owen Nolan, Antti Miettinen, Andrew Brunette, Colton Gillies, Derek Boogaard, Cal Clutterbuck and Craig Weller; and centers Mikko Koivu, Eric Belanger and James Sheppard are under contract. Benoit Pouliot, Peter Olvecky, Dan Fritsche and newly-acquired Kyle Brodziak are restricted free agents. The Wild has until 4 p.m. today to tender those players, or the Wild loses their rights.

A few they could target:
* Saku Koivu, C, Montreal. It's no secret the Wild have been talking about bringing Mikko Koivu's brother in to close his career with his brother, Mikko, over the next few seasons. The move would solidify the Wild at center, with Mikko Koivu on the first line, Saku centering the second, James Sheppard on the third and Eric Belanger, Kyle Brodziak or possibly even Bouchard playing center. Some fans in Montreal think Saku Koivu's skills are diminishing (he's 34), but he still produced a 50-point season in 2008-09.
* Martin Havlat, RW, Chicago. Probably a long shot for the Wild, but Chicago will have to lock up a lot of its young stars in the next couple of years, which may force the Blackhawks to make Havlat expendable. At 28, Havlat would likely require a monetary commitment that may prevent the Wild from making many other moves. That commitment might be worth it for a guy who has produced more than 160 points over the past three seasons.
* Henrik (C) and Daniel Sedin (LW), Vancouver. Again, it would eat a lot of cap room to sign the Twins away frm Vancouver, but both of them put up 82 points a year ago and the Wild would be signing them away from a Northwest Division rival.
* Mike Cammalleri, C, Calgary. Would address the Wild's need for another outstanding all-around center. At 27, Cammalleri is going to draw a lot of interest around the NHL. He had a career-high 39 goals and 82 points last season. The Flames likely don't have the cap space to sign him.

GOALIES
The Wild's situation: Nik Backstrom is under contract and, as of now, will be the team's highest-paid player in 2009-10, at $6 million. Josh Hardint is a restricte free agent. ... If the Wild do not trade Harding, they are happy to go into the season with Backstrom and him as a good 1-2 punch in goal. But if they do trade him, perhaps they'd be in the market for a veteran to back up Backstrom.

They could target:
* Dwayne Roloson, Edmonton. The Wild aren't going to spend big money on a backup -- if they end up needing one -- but they could offer the 39-year-old Roloson a three- or four-year deal, knowing that, even if he plays it out, he would only likely play a dozen or so games a season.

It's 3:29 p.m., meaning the Wild have 31 minutes to tender their restricted free agents. No official word yet on which guys they have or haven't tendered, but watch wild.com and the Star Tribune's Wild blog today for any word on those players.

The Daily 3: The catching up edition

FELDY: It's been a busy three days since I was on here last, and there's a lot to catch up on, so The D3 is going deeper than 3 today. ... And Phersy is STILL on vacation; not sure if he's coming back. Not sure if he's still alive. Maybe he and Mrs. Phersy just moved to Florida full-time. Can't blame them, really. And if he doesn't come back, I'm calling first dibs on his Xbox 360.

3. David Kahn: Mad genius or just mad? When the Timberwolves took 18-year-old star point guard Ricky Rubio with their first pick in last week's NBA Draft, the text message I got from Phersy was "We cominnnnnnn! I will buy a ticket to watch the Wolves play this year. Mark it down." ... When the Wolves picked another point guard, Jonny Flynn, with the very next pick (No. 6 overall), Phersy's next text message was "what the #!@* are they doing?" I agreed with him at the time, but now it looks like Wolves president of basketball ops David Kahn might deserve a little more credit than he's been getting. Let's assume that Rubio is going to stay in Europe and play for the next two years. Well, that means he'd be only 20 when he comes to the NBA in 2011, and he has spent two years developing on someone else's dime. He'd still have to sign his entry-level contract with the Wolves, who now would have him at least until he was 23 or 24. Let's face it: The Wolves aren't going to the NBA Finals in the next two years, so it's not like Rubio is the missing piece to their championship puzzle. If Rubio's goal is to play in New York or LA, he's only hurting himself by staying in Spain, or Turkey, or wherever he's going to play. He's not making nearly as much money there and he's pushing back the date when he could become an NBA free agent. At worst, Kahn has put the Wolves in a good position to pick and choose who they want to deal with. They have Rubio's rights. They don't have to trade him, especially for a sub-par deal like New York has been offering. And, honestly, there are a lot worse markets to play in in the NBA than Minneapolis. So, if Rubio starts dropping his prima donna attitude on Kahn and the Wolves, Kahn should say, 'OK, Ricky, you want to be traded? Here you go, welcome to Oklahoma City. Or Memphis. Enjoy.' ... Now Kahn needs to get a coach in place to figure out how to muster some sort of a lineup filled with point guards and power forwards. Once that happens, we'll see if Phersy still wants to buy a ticket to a game this year.

2. Wild have solid draft, look to free agency. With all the buzz the Timberwolves have created in the past week or so (when was the last time we said that about the Wolves?), the fact that the Wild quietly made some nice moves at the NHL Draft on Friday and Saturday has been somewhat overlooked. In Friday's first round, new GM Chuck Fletcher took the anti-Doug Risebrough approach of trading down and securing MORE mid- and late-round draft picks. Fletcher traded down to No. 16 from No. 12 and still got a player the Wild really liked -- reigning Minnesota Mr. Hockey, defenseman Nick Leddy from Eden Prairie. Leddy will be a nice fit in the pro game after he gets bigger and stronger over the next few years with the Gophers. He's a talented all-around d-man who went somewhat unnoticed by NHL scouts because he played in high school through his senior season, as opposed to a top junior league, and he has limited international experience. Leddy could have stacked his point total at Eden Prairie by winning a lot of one-on-one battles and scoring goals, but he instead ran the Eagles' offense, moved the puck and made his teammates and team better, leading them to a state title. ... Since the Wild were unable to make a significant move at the draft to address this year's roster, it's time for them to make some moves in free agency to help the team get back to the postseason. Owner Craig Leipold appears intent on doing that.

1. Buh-bye, King of Pop. Just how are we supposed to remember Michael Jackson? As the iconic superstar who is matched in music history only by The Beatles and Elvis? As the troubled introvert whose image was severely tarnished by child molestation charges? I guess the best answer is he needs to be remembered as both. Personally, his Thriller album is one that really sparked my interest in music. It's the first cassette tape I ever owned (Phersy said he actually owned -- maybe still does -- the Thriller album on vinyl) and me and my buddies listened to it so much while outside playing baseball or football, or inside playing video games, that we wore it out. It's still one of the single-best albums start-to-finish that's ever been recorded. It's a shame he didn't get to put on his tour shows; his music will be missed by many; his bizarre lifestyle will be missed by the tabloids.

Bonus D3: Soccer can buzz off. I don't watch a lot of soccer. OK, I don't watch any soccer. In fact, I think the only soccer I've ever watched on TV was about 25 years ago when playing Pele's Soccer on Atari with a buddy. But with a handful of soccer rubes attempting to convince me that the U.S. victory over Spain last week will mark the moment that soccer "arrives" in the U.S., I figured I'd check out a little bit of the Confederations Cup final between the U.S. and Brazil. I flipped on ESPN Sunday afternoon and couldn't even try to watch the soccer because it sounded like they were playing the game in the middle of a bee farm. See (or hear) what I mean at this link. It's more obnoxious than Thunder Stix or the Rally Monkey. At least the announcer on that link was entertaining. I have no idea what he said, but it sounded exciting. And check out the great sound effects at the 2:40 mark of that video to highlight a Brazil goal. Good stuff. As for soccer "arriving" in the U.S., I've heard the same argument every time the U.S. gets a big international win. Yes, soccer is an extremely popular participation sport, especially among kids. As a spectator sport, though, in the U.S., it's as much of a niche sport as hockey. Only difference is, we hockey fans can admit our favorite sport is a niche sport and we don't get offended when people say they don't like it.

Bonus D3 II: Welcome to the WCHA, Bemidji and Omaha. Thank you, WCHA, for admitting Nebraksa-Omaha and Bemidji State to the conference, beginning in the 2010-11 season. It strengthens one of the top two conferences in college hockey and brings two teams in who are no-brainer geographical fits. BSU obviously has built a strong program, with a trip to the Frozen Four back in April, and the Beavers have a new arena on the way. Omaha also has a strong hockey following and plays in a nice new arena. It will also make one of the best sports tournaments around -- the WCHA Final Five -- even better. It'll actually become the Final Six, with two quarterfinal games on Thursday, two semifinals on Friday and a championship game on Saturday. Plus, this gives us puck-heads two more new road trips to make.

The Daily 3: The 'Miracle on Grass? Really? Really!?' edition

FELDY: 3. Meltdown in Milwaukee. Had a good friend of Faceoff, who also happens to be a big-time Brewers rube, text message me Tuesday night to ask if there was anything the Brewers could buy that would help them beat the Twins. Ever. I told him, maybe if Jesse Crain gets called back up, the Brewers would have a shot. Brewers fans got some releife against our homestate club on Wednesday, thanks to an eighth-inning meltdown that is normally reserved for slow-pitch softball.

2. Are we sure this didn't happen in Wisconsin? So, you're a mother who is trying to regain custody of your three children, the people who should be most important in your life, the ones who you would do anything for. What would you do right before going to a psychological evaluation that would determine whether you get your kids back or not? If you're this lady, you'd drink a 12-pack and call it good. No matter how bad I feel about myself some days, there are always people who make me feel better...

1. U.S. snaps Spain's 35-match unbeaten streak in soccer. Call it the best win ever in U.S. soccer history if you want. Call it a major upset. I'm cool with both of those, but, please, the U.S.'s 2-0 win over Spain on Wednesday cannot be compared to 1980's Miracle on Ice. I'll apologize if, 25 years from now, someone says 'Remember the Miracle on Grass?' and people who don't follow soccer say 'oh, yeah, that's when the US upset Spain in the Confederations Cup.' First, the Miracle on Ice consisted of a bunch of college kids beating a Soviet Union team stocked with paid professionals, who trained year-round with the sole goal of winning a gold medal at those 1980 Olympics. Players on both sides of Wednesday's soccer match were pros, and it's a game in the Confederations Cup (how many non-soccer fans had ever even heard of the Confederations Cup before Wednesday?). Second, the Miracle on Ice was more than a hockey game -- it was a spirit-booster for all of the United States, a victory over a country that was more than a hockey opponent, it was a major political rival, too. ... Again, sports media and fans tend to overrate events because they just happened (for example, the recent Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals wasn't the greatest Game 7 ever, but some hockey rubes were calling it that right afterward).

The Daily 3: '... but will it put butts in the seats?' edition

FELDY:

3. Gabby may not be gone ... but he will be. Marian Gaborik's agent, Ron Salcer, is giving Wild fans reason to hold out hope that Gabby may indeed be back with the club, but it's more likely that Salcer is simply providing a smokescreen to cover up Gabby's apparent purchase of a home in Vancouver. So, Gabby and his buddy Pavol Demitra may be reunited in Canucks uniforms, which means we'll have to watch them stroll into St. Paul multiple times per season for years to come. Think the Wild fans will treat Gaborik kindly if/when they find out he was locked in on Vancouver before free agency officially opened? The way for new Wild GM Chuck Fletcher to stick it to the division-rival Canucks would be to file a tampering charge and gain some cash and draft picks ... but that's if Vancouver indeed is tampering with Gabby. I was all for doing what it took to re-sign Gaborik, but at this point, let's be done with him and let Fletcher use that salary cap space to bring in a handful of really good players rather than spending it all on one superstar.

2. Drama for Honkers at Mayo Field. The Rochester Honkers have been a tough team to beat at Mayo Field this season, even when they're trailing by three runs and down to their final strike. They improved to 10-3 at home this year by sweeping a doubleheader against Wisconsin on Tuesday. The Honkers trailed 6-3 in their last at-bat of the second game, and Corey Jones had two strikes against him when he was hit by a pitch. Rance Roundy followed with a double, then P.J. Sequeira tied the score by belting a three-run homer. The Honkers went on to win 8-6 in 10 innings. They close out a seven-game homestand at 7:05 p.m. today against Wisconsin, then they're on the road until the first three days of July.

1. Kahn quickly making up for lost first-rounders. Remember when Glen Taylor, Kevin McHale and Joe Smith cost the Timberwolves a bundle of first-round draft picks? In just more than a month on the job, new President of Basketball Operations David Kahn is making up for time lost. The Wolves now have four first-round draft picks, but after dealing away Randy Foye and Mike Miller on Tuesday, for Washington's No. 5 overall pick in this week's NBA Draft, the question is: Who's going to play guard for this team. Unless Kahn has another deal up his sleeve, the Wolves will be very young in the backcourt in 09-10, which is probably just fine with Kahn. He appears to be willing to accept another abysmal record this season, but unlike Randy Wittman/McHale last season, Kahn appears willing to let a new group of young players learn on the job. ... Kahn comes across as arrogant and condescending, but give him credit for a good first step in the rebuilding process: He has fans talking about this team again. There has been no buzz surrounding the Wolves since Kevin Garnett was traded away two years ago. Now Kahn has to figure out a way to get fans to believe this team has a bright future. Creating a buzz about the Wolves is great, but the upper (and lower, for that matter) bowls at Target Center aren't going to fill up until a decent product is put on the court each night.

The Daily 3: The Cover Boy edition

FELDY: Let's get right to it today.

3. No break from No. 4. Seems like the first question I get these days when talking to friends, family, strangers, whoever, is: What do you think of Favre coming to the Vikings? If you're a fan who wants to see Favre in purple (as I do), I guess that question is a good one, because up until a week or so ago, the question was: Is Favre going to play for the Vikes? Even out at the Minnesota Wild Summer Road Tour stop today at Graham Arena, Favre's name was brought up a bunch. Not that I mind talking football in the summer, but it just goes to show that the Purple -- regardless of possible TV black-out issues -- are the most popular team in the state. That doesn't mean fans are always pleased with how the Vikes are doing or the decisions the team's leaders are making, but they're always a team to be talked about. And when No. 4 finally shows up, you can bet the media circus is coming with him. I'm hoping it's at the first day of training camp in Mankato, 'cuz I want to see (and be a small part of) that circus.

2. Wild times at Graham Arena. OK, so it wasn't exactly wild, but two Minnesota Wild players were in Rochester today. Center James Sheppard and goalie Josh Harding signed autographs and took pictures with fans for more than an hour. Wild radio play-by-play man Bob Kurtz and the team's Director of Community Partnerships, Brad Bombardier, were also along for the stop on the Wild's annual Summer Road Tour. Bombardir, being a former UND defenseman, was clearly the headliner on today's program. ... OK, maybe not, but he did play on the initial Wild teams and helped groom defensemen such as Nick Schultz and Willie Mitchell. Bombardir holds the club record for most times being named a captain, seven (the Wild have traditionally picked a new captain each month, though word has it that Mikko Koivu may become the first permanent captain in team history this season). ... Harding, I think, is already getting tired of answering the questions about possibly being traded this week, prior to or during the NHL Draft. He kind of shook his head and laughed when I brought it up, but he answered the question very well. Sheppard also addressed the fact that his name has been mentioned in trade discussions. You can read about that in Wednesday's P-B, and I'll post the link here when the article hits our web site.

1. Baby Jesus, Cover Boy. It's official, Joe Mauer has made the cover of Sports Illustrated. Yep, you guessed it, SI's Tom Verducci bridges the possibility that Mauer could hit .400 this season. Some fans don't like that possibility being talked about in mid-June, but the story is worthy because, even if you don't think Mauer can stay within sight of .400 all season (and, let's face it, he's probably not going to hit .400), we've all thought about how cool it would be if it happened. Bottom line, Twins fans, it's not far-fetched that Mauer could ultimately be known as one of the best hitters the game has ever seen. We should appreciate the opportunity to watch him play.

Wild Road Tour at Graham on Tuesday

FELDY: Just a reminder, puck junkies, you can get your June hockey fix on Tuesday at Graham Arena. The Wild's James Sheppard and Josh Harding will be there signing autographs from 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. as part of the team's 2009 Summer Road Tour. Radio play-by-play man Bob Kurtz will also be there, as will former Wild defenseman Brad Bombardir (who's also a former Fighting Sioux -- woo hoo!), who is now the club's Director of Community Partnerships. Rochester native Aaron Sickman, a member of the Wild's media relations staff, is accompanying this leg of the Road Tour. I'm sure he's looking forward to his brief stop in town.

Wild mascot Nordy will also be here tomorrow, and I believe he (it?) will be available for pictures with kids.

It's been written in recent days that Harding is willing and somewhat hoping to be traded. He enjoys playing for the Wild, he says, but he sees how things are going to be with one of the NHL's top goalies, Nik Backstrom, playing in front of him. I'll hopefully have time to talk to Harding about this -- players' time with media is sometimes limited at these events, but I think Sickman will help us out here.

The same issue -- being on the trading block -- hasn't been addressed with Sheppard ... at least not anywhere that I've seen. Sheppard's name is another one that's been tossed around in the blogosphere, primarily because he's a young center with a lot of potential, who also has a couple of years of NHL experience (more than 160 games). He's also probably being dangled because the Wild simply don't have a lot of other assets to toss out there. They're low on early-round picks (no second or third-rounders this year) and it would take a heck of a deal to get new GM Chuck Fletcher to part with star defenseman Brent Burns or the team's best player, center Mikko Koivu.

Anyhow, hopefully I'll have enough time to ask Sheppard and Harding about the trade talks floating out there, as well as get there thoughts on the overhaul in Wild management/coaching.

Hockey Day Minnesota heads north

FELDY: The Minnesota Wild and Fox Sports North announced a few minutes ago that Hockey Day Minnesota 2010 is headed to Hermantown. The 2010 edition will mark the fourth annual Hockey Day.

Hermantown is about a 10-mile drive east of Duluth, and the perennial powers of Hermantown High School and Duluth Marshall will anchor the key boys games, which will again be televised on FSN.

Duluth Marshall is set to face Hopkins at 10 a.m. on Jan. 23, 2010, and that will be followed by Duluth Marshall against Eden Prairie at 1:30 p.m. A Duluth vs. Hermantown game is scheduled for 4:30 p.m.

FSN's TV coverage will also include a Gophers game and a Minnesota Wild game.

The Rochester Lourdes boys will also be playing in that area up north on Jan. 23, as the Eagles are scheduled to face Duluth Denfeld at 3 p.m. on Jan. 23 at Denfeld.

Rochester John Marshall played in Hockey Day Minnesota last season, falling to St. Paul Johnson at Phalen Park's outdoor rink in St. Paul. That game spurred JM coach Scott Lecy to start a Hockey Day Rochester (or so I'm calling it -- haven't heard an official name), which will also be held on Jan. 23.

According to JM's boys hockey schedule, the Rockets will face Mayo at 2 p.m. on Jan. 23 at Withers Sports Complex in Rochester.

JM's girls game against Century may also be played outdoors at Noon. JM's schedule currently lists it as a 1 p.m. start at the Rec Center, though it includes the line (12:00 game if outdoors).

The Mayo girls play host to Albert Lea that night at 7:30 p.m. at Graham Arena.