Bye bye, Veilleux?

Well well well. Things are certainly getting interesting for the Wild as they continue their negotiations with past players. The team has made it clear that the big three that they're focusing on this off-season are Marian Gaborik, Pierre-Marc Bouchard, and Stephane Veilleux. Nothing new has been floated on the Gaborik angle, and PMB seems destined for an arbitration contract, and then trade-bait throughout the season.

As for Veilleux? The little fire plug with 11 goals last season? Shortly after it became public knowledge that he had fired his agent and decided to go it alone in contract negotiations, the Wild have placed him on waivers.

Now, before people start panicking, this move actually makes a ton of sense from the Wild's standpoint. Without an agent, it's entirely possible that Steph was asking for a pretty high number. In fact, with signings of other players of his caliber around the league (including Aaron Voros in New York and Todd Fedoruk in Phoenix), it's almost ridiculous to think that he wasn't looking for close to a $1M payday.

While he bring a spark to the team, and plays with intensity, hate to say it, but Veilleux is not worth $1M at present. Maybe in a couple of years, if he keeps improving. Right now? No, and it would be foolish for the Wild to spend that money.

So why the waivers? Well, this way, the Wild can float Steph out there for other teams. If they bite (before noon Eastern time), then there's a good chance that Veilleux will get what he's looking for. If nobody grabs him, he returns to the Wild, with a better grasp of his overall value in the league, possibly even speeding up negotiations. Sure, there could be a delay and he could join PMB in arbitration (again, this is just our suspicion... we don't actually know if Bouchard will head that way or not), but we just can't see that happening.

By placing Veilleux on waivers, the Wild are giving him a chance to get the contract he wants (which may be high) elsewhere, or have the ability to sign him long-term for a more reasonable rate.

And, if Veilleux goes, expect to see Clutterbuck or Gillies making the NHL squad.