MVN - Most Valuable Network

It’s July 1st hockey fans. Do you know where your GM is?

Yes my friends, today is akin to a national holiday for the most avid of hockey fans.  We sit around, watch the free agency tickers at sites like NHL.com and TSN.ca.  Depending on the day of the week, we might grill and have an adult beverage or two.  However, if you’re an American like me, you will be sitting at work, trying to sneak peeks at the ticker while the boss isn’t looking.  For those of you north of the 49th parallel, it really is a national holiday.  Happy Canada Day!  It can only be hoped that your GM isn’t taking a vacation.

Today is the day, where 29 teams try to add missing elements to their respective teams.  That one other team (and in this year’s case, the Detroit Red Wings), are trying to evaluate if they should stay the course, or pick up some additional firepower.

If you’re a Wild fan, you’re most likely approaching this year’s free agency period with a sense of apprehension and even possible dread.  We’ve already been forced to accept one death blow.  On Sunday, it was announced that forward Brian Rolston was traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning for the often dreaded conditional picks.  While it would have been nice to get something far more tangible, beggars cannot be choosers.  The writing was already on the wall, so it was clear that the other 29 teams weren’t going to offer much for Rolston, when they could get him for free today.  What is the most frustrating with the entire Rolston situation, is that Rolston and his agent don’t really negotiate.  There was no compromise, there were no back and forth negotiations.  Steve Bartlett, Rolston’s agent, supposedly doesn’t “do” counteroffers.  They were just going to sit there until the final number was large enough.  Good luck with that in the future Brian.

There is now about one hour until free agency officially opens.  Fans are wondering if their beloved team is going to be the one that takes full advantage, or will they sit back.  Some Wild fans feel that this will be a “reevaluation” year.  A year in which rookies like Colton Gilles and Cal Clutterbuck get their chance to make their debut.  It could also be the year where sometimes languishing first round pick Benoit Pouliot gets a real shot in Saint Paul.  With all the new faces coming in, it could feel like the first two seasons all over again.

While this can be a nerve-wracking time, embrace it.  As any real hockey fan knows, this is the last hurrah of the season until training camp.  Unlike the National Football League and Major League Baseball, hockey becomes a non-factor between the end of this week’s free agency frenzy and training camp.  If you’re new to the game, you will quickly find out just how abysmal this time period can be.

Hopefully, your Free Agency Day gifts are spectacular.  I know I’m hoping to get more cool gifts like a Wii(c) instead of great-aunt type gifts like socks and underwear.

Here we go people.  45 minutes and counting…

This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 1st, 2008 at 9:14 am and is filed under 2007-08 Trades & Free Agency, Wild News & Notes, NHL News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.