Wild's Rolston won't look too far ahead

BOSTON - Brian Rolston says he wants to remain a Wild player for the rest of his career, but, of course, the veteran winger always expected to remain a Boston Bruin forever, too.

Yet tonight Rolston will play at Boston for the first time since signing with the Wild in July 2004.

"It's going to be fun to go back and play there," said Rolston, who scored 101 goals and 236 points in parts of five seasons for the Bruins. "That team has changed hands twice since I've been there, so it's not going to be as nerve-racking as it has in the past going back to teams that I've played for. But I've got nothing but good memories about Boston and the way the Bruins treated me."

Rolston has thrived in Minnesota, scoring a career-high 34 goals and 79 points last season and again leading the team with 26 goals and 54 points this season.

However, he can become an unrestricted free agent at the end of next season. After seeing what transpired last week when Edmonton Oilers free-agent-to-be Ryan Smyth was traded to the New York Islanders, the Wild could run into a similar problem next season with Rolston.

Wild General Manager Doug Risebrough said he feels sympathy for Oilers counterpart Kevin Lowe.

"He had to do something we're all going to have to do," Risebrough said. "He just had to do it first. Because of the salary cap and players hitting unrestricted free agency earlier, every last general manager in the NHL is going to have to do the exact same thing Kevin had to do with Ryan Smyth."

Asked if Rolston's situation could pose a similar problem, Risebrough said: "I'm not thinking that far ahead. My thought is there's always time to work things out, and I would say every solution is unique."

Smyth's contract squabble was financial; he wanted $5.5 million a year for five years. If Rolston wants a long-term, lucrative contract, his situation offers a different quandary.

Rolston will be 35 then, and in the new collective bargaining agreement, any long-term deal given to a player 35 and older counts against the salary cap regardless if the player suffers a career-ending injury or retires. Teams have been avoiding such a risk.

Extending Rolston's contract this summer before he turns 35 seems logical, but NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly, who negotiated the CBA, wrote in an e-mail: "The key date is what age he will be on June 30 preceding the July 1 his contract extension would become effective. If Brian would be 35 on that date, he's subject to the over 35 rule regardless of the date on which he signed his contract."

Last summer, the Wild exercised Rolston's option for next season. The Wild could have avoided the 35-and-older rule if it negotiated an extension then rather than exercising the option. However, getting Rolston at the bargain price next season of $2.432 million was too appetizing, and it allowed the team to sign seven free agents, trade for Pavol Demitra and re-sign Marian Gaborik to a three-year, $19 million deal.

"Honestly, I don't know what I'm looking for, and I don't know how long-term I'm looking for because I'll be 35," Rolston said. "It's risk for a team for sure. It'll be interesting. We'll see how it all shakes out.

"We have guys who have some big contracts here. I love Minnesota. It's been a great place for me. I love playing for Jacques [Lemaire]. I guess we'll cross that bridge when we get there. But it doesn't worry me to see guys like Smyth get dealt like that."

Risebrough clearly wants Rolston to retire a Wild. But this is the salary cap world and Gaborik, Kim Johnsson, Mark Parrish and Manny Fernandez all have multiple years left at big tickets. And it's a priority this summer to sign Pierre-Marc Bouchard and Mikko Koivu to long-term deals.

"Brian has added credibility to what we were trying to accomplish," Risebrough said. "Prior to him, we were signing lower-end free agents or drafting players and putting them right into the team. Then, all of a sudden, arguably the best free agent that year said, 'I want to come to Minnesota because I believe what they're doing.' It was a statement of somebody in the business who had options who believed what the Wild was saying, not just what management was telling the fans.

"Besides what he's done on the ice, he's contributed in a lot of ways, from his demeanor, to his calmness in wanting to play in big games, to his showing younger players how to be a professional. So we'd like to keep him here."

Rolston said his contract status is the last thing on his mind: "First and foremost, I just want to be the best player in the end right now and help this team win in the playoffs."