Wild: Marketplace could make Bouchard a major target

Desperate for top players, the Edmonton Oilers shook the NHL last summer when they exercised a part of the collective bargaining agreement that had been eschewed by colleagues for years.

Disregarding the sacred "I don't mess with your team, you don't mess with my team," tenet, the Oilers chucked a staggering seven-year, $50 million offer sheet at Buffalo restricted free agent Thomas Vanek. When that didn't work, they grabbed Anaheim's Dustin Penner with a five-year, $21.25 million deal.

Many fear the Oilers changed the way business will be conducted in the future, that young restricted free agents might well be stolen away if offer sheets become epidemic. One such player is the Wild's Pierre-Marc Bouchard, who is on pace for a career-best 68 points this season, but the Wild believes the Edmonton scenario won't come into play with him.

Now that it's after Jan. 1, the Wild is allowed to negotiate a contract extension with the skilled 23-year-old right wing. But the Wild is willing to wait to hammer out a contract after the season, or even after July 1, when others could pursue Bouchard.

"[An offer sheet] is not a real issue for us so much as we do want Butch playing here," assistant GM Tom Lynn said.

In order for another team to sign a player such as Bouchard, it takes a confluence of circumstances to align -- the need, the salary cap room, the willingness to pay a player so much it could have negative effects on one's cap for years and unencumbered draft picks.

That means, for example, if a team would owe the Wild two first-round picks, a second- and third-round pick as compensation for signing Bouchard but traded its second in 2008, it can't give up its second in 2009. So only a handful of teams could use this strategy each summer, and the Wild could always match the offer sheet.

"If somebody's going to sign Butch to an offer sheet, I doubt it would be for 5 percent more than [his $2.6 million salary]," Lynn said. "In fact, that might be a favor for us. So let's assume it would be a huge bonus to what he's making this year. The field narrows pretty quickly, and then of those few, they'd have to be willing and able to do so."

Of course, if Bouchard is in the Wild's long-term plans, the team will eventually have to pony up anyway. After all, Bouchard can become an unrestricted free agent in July 2009.

So why not pay now?

"If oil's $100 a barrel, would you rush out now and buy as much as you can if you know there's a good chance it won't get worse?" Lynn said. "Or, would you wait and see if it goes down to $70 or $80 a barrel? You could always spend $100 a barrel three months from now."

Bouchard, after scoring 116 points the past two seasons, is playing the best hockey of his career, Wild coach Jacques Lemaire said. He has scored 13 points in his past 10 games, including five multi-point games.

This all came after a mid-December meeting with the coaches while Bouchard was on a seven-game pointless streak.

"Sometimes you think you're doing everything right, but the staff sees stuff you can't see," Bouchard said. "They gave me a little advice I should do here or there, mostly going to the net more and skating.

"I was in a tough stretch, [17] games without a goal and seven without a point. You lose your confidence fast when you're supposed to be a guy who's got to produce. So the meeting was good. Ever since, good things are happening. I know I've learned from that. You know, I'm still pretty young."

That's easy to forget because Bouchard's talent is so vast, because he's so mature for 23 and because this is his fifth season with the Wild.

Lemaire says Bouchard is "totally different now, but he's not at his best. The sky's the limit for Butch. He can be at another level."

"I think Jacques is right," Bouchard said. "That's how I feel, too. I know I'm not the player I want to be yet. I know I can still be better. To be consistent in this league, it's really tough. But I'm learning and I'm sure it's going to come."

And Bouchard, who has signed three consecutive one-year contracts, hopes it comes long-term with the Wild, not another team.

"If they want to talk now or after the season, it's not a big deal," Bouchard said. "But I want to stick in Minnesota. It's a good bunch of guys here, the staff's great, it's a great organization and the fans sell out every game. That doesn't happen everywhere in this league."