Lacing up

Tonight, the Wild face off against the Chicago Blackhawks for the second time of this preseason. For the record, the 'Hawks took the game Friday night 4-3, which was especially troubling after the Wild ended the first period with a 3-0 lead. While it's hard to pin that game on any one player, Eric Reitz may have dodged a bullet with Tomas Mojzis being placed on waivers.

Of course, Reitz may not be able to stop looking over his shoulder, as the Wild's first-round draft pick, Tyler Cuma, turned in a good enough game in the Wild's 2-1 shootout win over Buffalo that he'll be back for another game tonight. The kid's 18, and isn't expected to even play in Houston this year, but he could surprise everyone. The Wild is also known for pulling some very young players into the line-up if they have the skills.

But a bigger story than the saga of the defensemen is that tonight, for the first time this preseason, Marian Gaborik is expected to be on the ice. This is very important for both Minnesota and Gaby, since we're a little under two weeks away from the start of the season, and his contract status is still up in the air. If Gaby can turn in a strong performance against the young Blackhawks, we almost expect the Wild to hand him a huge salary on a silver platter. If he struggles in the slightest (or, worse, reinjures himself), we can see Minnesota try to low-ball their guaranteed superstar, and then watch him leave shortly into the year. The Wild need a gamebreaker, and the only one they've got is #10. It's time to (potentially) overpay.