The Wild beef up

It's been almost a week since the flurry of activity that marks the beginning of the NHL's free agency period. The Wild made their bids to bring in high profile players, including Marian Hossa, Olli Jokinen, and an attempt to keep Brian Rolston, and they watched their wishlist going to other teams (in the above cases, Detroit, Phoenix, and New Jersey, respectively). Meanwhile, they were busy correcting a past mistake with Andrew Brunette, and adding some toughness with Marek Zidlicky and Craig Weller. After adding Antti Miettinen, it looked like Minnesota was done, and were going to move ahead with the team they had, maybe looking to make a trade or two in the regular season.

And then they made a big splash, and pulled an established veteran from a division rival. They grabbed someone who's got grit, talent, and an All-Star pedigree. The Wild grabbed a guy who once called his shot to give himself a hat trick, picking his spot on Dominic Hasek, no less.

The newest Minnesota Wild player? Owen Nolan.

Nolan could be a catalyst for this team, and it could help them get past the loss of Brian Rolston. While Nolan will most likely never see 40 goals again, the fact that he's got some of the grit and puck skills that he does will surely help the Wild, plus his years of experience are bound to pay dividends in the playoffs. Will he stay healthy, especially playing as hard as he does at 36? Wild fans will have to hope. Especially since the forward ranks look a little thin, especially for a coach that likes to rotate through four lines regularly.

Now, pending any other surprises, the Wild have to settle down to the business of resigning Stephane Veilleux and Pierre-Marc Bouchard, all while dealing with the elephant in the room. That elephant, of course, being the contract for the guy who wears number 10, and is the only original Wild player left.