Locking up variables

A little over a week ago, the Minnesota Wild were staring down the possibility of heading to arbitration with two of their players from last season. Now, as we're a mere couple of months from the start of the season, we know what happened with both Stephane Veilleux and Pierre-Marc Bouchard.

For those that missed it, Veilleux signed for another season, prepping himself for unrestricted free agency next year, getting a nice little raise out of it. Sure, it's nowhere near the ridiculous amount the New York Rangers gave Aaron Voros, but it gives Veilleux another season with a familiar system to prove that he belongs in Iron Range Red.

As for PMB? His arbitration was scheduled to start today. Over the weekend, the Wild locked him down for 5 years. Rumors also exist that the Wild are making a verbal commitment not to trade him for the first two years of that contract. This is pretty major for a player one year away from UFA status, especially for someone that was being thrown out there as bait to try and lure Olli Jokinen from Florida during the off-season.

Locking up these players leaves one major variable, and he wears number 10. Obviously, the Wild are going to want to give him a multi-year extension (he's got one season remaining on his current contract) and he's going to be able to command close to Crosby-type numbers, even with his disappearing act in the playoffs. The question is will the Wild be able to lock him down? Tossing the right kind of money his way, and ensuring a long contract, could keep the Wild star in a red sweater. But he needs to know that the team is dedicated to building around him for a Cup run, and the losses of Brian Rolston and good friend Pavol Demitra could keep him guessing.

And let's not discount that Gaborik hears from people every year how much more scoring he could do in the Eastern Conference. If the Wild don't sign him to an extension before the season starts, it wouldn't be surprised to see Gabby playing somewhere out East (maybe Buffalo, or joining the offensive power in Pittsburgh), both to answer the questions about his goal-scoring, and to minimize his impact on playing against the Wild. Our best guess, though? Gaborik already has one hold-out in his career, and he seemed to be quite happy to be able to get back to hockey afterwards. If the Wild makes a move to keep the "C" on his chest, there's a good bet that Minnesota won't be searching for a new top gun.