Offense acquired

New Minnesota Wild coach Todd Richards talked about wanting a higher level of offensive play coming from the Team of 18,000 this season. It certainly looks like GM Chuck Fletcher is going to do what he can to make that happen.

Take, for example, the free agency splash Fletcher made by bringing Martin Havlat to the team. Havlat fills a hole created by a departing Marian Gaborik, who wasn't going to resign with Minnesota no matter how many different armored trucks they tempted him with. While there are no guarantees on Havlat's health, he's no more injury-prone than Gaborik is, and the biggest difference is that he is excited to play hockey regularly in front of the Minnesota fans. Too bad for him that the Wild don't play the Chicago Blackhawks a little more often, to remind Chicago of what they gave up.

Now, Fletcher has added another weapon, by signing one of the most consistent scorers in the league. As of earlier today, the Wild have signed Petr Sykora to a one-year contract, bringing his 300 goals to their line. Sykora himself knows that he needs to be paired up with a playmaking type of skater, so it seems likely that the first offensive line of Brunette/Koivu/Havlat will remain intact, with Sykora skating on a second line with Pierre-Marc Bouchard. The question remains as to who will center that line, with James Sheppard currently having an advantage in that area.

But wait, there's more. Rumors are flying that the Boston Bruins are looking to shop Phil Kessel, and the rumors also point to the Wild have a shot to bring the former Golden Gopher to their team, which would shore up the center position. To be clear, the Wild aren't the only team in the Kessel hunt, and no details are being given as to who might be getting dangled out to Boston, but it could certainly make for an interesting remainder of camp.

Bringing Sykora to the team makes it that much more likely that Colton Gillies will spend the majority of the season in Houston, honing his game. If the Wild are able to land Phil Kessel, it could mean that either James Sheppard has been sent to Boston, or that Benoit Pouliot is on the outside, having exhausted his chances to play in the Xcel Energy Center.