Wild's splash in free agency pool

The clock struck noon on the Eastern seaboard, and suddenly, all across the league, players will contacting their agents and prospective new teams. The frenzy had begun, and it wasn't long before there was a big announcement. Actually, one of the biggest announcements of the day came shortly before free agency began, as the Vancouver Canucks were able to lock up the Sedin twins again. The move not only removed the Sedins from the pool, but it practically made it so that Vancouver wouldn't be looking towards any big names.

The biggest name of the day may very well have been Marian. Both Marian Hossa and Marian Gaborik changed jerseys, with the former going to Chicago, and the later going to the Rangers. With Hossa, Chicago has brought in a dynamic scorer, one who's been chasing the Cup and coming oh-so-close the last couple of seasons, but they may have mortgaged their future down the line to do so. With Gaborik, New York has secured a true gamebreaking superstar, if only he can stay healthy. Interesting that Gaborik pulled down a larger contract that Hossa, as well. If he doesn't play most of the season, expect the fans in New York to let him hear it more than Minnesota ever did.

And what about Minnesota? Well, new GM Chuck Fletcher (is it time to take the word "new" off of that title yet?) made a couple of moves, and has some more offers dangling out there. The moves that Fletcher made? First, the Wild picked up Greg Zanon from Nashville. Zanon doesn't have a lot of name recognition, but that's because he simply goes about his job, and does it without a lot of flair. That job, by the way, is stopping the puck from getting to the goaltender, so Nick Schultz will have someone to compete with for shot-blocking on the team. Expect Zanon to sit with the third defensive pairing, possibly with John Scott.

But the big news out of the day? With Gaborik and Hossa gone, there was really only one elite winger left on the table, and he landed in Minnesota. The Wild picked up Martin Havlat from the Blackhawks. Havlat brings a definite scoring punch, but he fills the skates of Marian Gaborik in more than just the offensive categories. Havlat, like Gaborik, has also been plagued with injuries throughout his career, but, like Gaborik, he believes that he's put his injury troubles behind him. Time will tell, but Havlat, paired up with Mikko Koivu, could help solve the Wild's scoring woes.

As for other players that Fletcher is rumored to be trying to bring in, the names are definitely intriguing. Mikko's big brother Saku is on the table, as is Rob Scuderi, who had an amazing Stanley Cup Finals with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Both players could bring a huge impact to the team, although signing one would make it difficult to chase the other. Of course, the Wild are still in the Dany Heatley hunt, but that just looks like a trouble situation waiting to boil over. Best to avoid that one, and look at other impact players through trades.

UPDATE: Scuderi has signed with the Los Angeles Kings. The Wild are still looking for another defenseman to join the ranks, so which direction are they looking now?