Wild Insider: Rolston stalemate is only the beginning

OTTAWA — The draft is over, and for the Wild, the next critical cast of decisions will write the future of the team.

Negotiations with Brian Rolston are undeniably at a fragile tipping point. Will the Wild be able to re-sign the vital cog? Does Marian Gaborik have interest in a contract extension? Is Pierre-Marc Bouchard part of the future?

Can it land top free agents when General Manager Doug Risebrough has made it clear he doesn't intend to overspend?

Yes, this will be a telltale summer. The defending Northwest Division champion is at the precipice, and if things go south, there could be a tumble that results in a very different-looking season in 2008-09.

The Wild has grown frustrated with Rolston's agent, Steve Bartlett. Risebrough says the Wild has not received a single counteroffer from Bartlett, meaning the team is essentially negotiating against itself.

Talks are in such danger of halting, the Wild has begun to receive and weigh offers from teams for the right to negotiate exclusively with Rolston, who can become an unrestricted free agent July 1.

In the next few days, if the Wild believes it will be impossible to sign Rolston, chances are enormous that Rolston's rights will be traded so the team gets some semblance of value.

The final offer? 'Probably'

Asked if the Wild has made its final offer, Risebrough said: "Probably, because the other thing is, [not receiving a counteroffer] doesn't motivate you to want to do anything else, either. When you've made three [offers] and haven't got one, it doesn't motivate you to make four."

Reached Saturday, Rolston said: "I haven't reached my agent as of late. I'll get in touch with Steve, but we've been talking all along. I don't have much to say. We've been here the whole time listening to offers."

Rolston said Bartlett's philosophy is not to make counteroffers. He said maybe that needs to change, but he maintains the Wild needs to offer him "market value" or he will go elsewhere. Risebrough has said there's a difference of opinion in Rolston's "market value."

"These next few days are going to be big to see if I'm going to stay," said Rolston, whose 31 goals ranked second and 59 points ranked third on the Wild last season.

Risebrough said Rolston must decide how much he wants to stay in Minnesota.

"I feel the reason we won our division was because our veteran players, for the most part, played to the level of veteran players. They weren't great. They just did their job," Risebrough said. "The upside is with all our young guys -- [Brent] Burns and [Mikko] Koivu. I'm believing that the core will continue to improve, and if the veterans that were here last year aren't here next year, I have to find different veterans.

"People can make choices. But I can even argue that Brian Rolston told everybody that Koivu's the guy to build around, so he knows that."

Risebrough said he plans to call Pavol Demitra's agent, Matt Keator, to gauge "Pav's expectations, in particular term."

But does Demitra, who appears destined for Vancouver anyway when he becomes an unrestricted free agent July 1, really want to come back, especially after the Wild chose Rolston first?

Targeting free agency

The Wild would like to be active this free-agency period.

It's not known whom the team is targeting, but the Wild needs left wingers; one, preferably, physical defenseman; and a top center in a free-agent class with few quality centers. That's why it so badly wanted Olli Jokinen, who was traded by Florida to Phoenix on Friday.

As for possible left wingers, there's Plymouth resident Ryan Malone, former Wild Andrew Brunette or maybe Marty Lapointe. Center? There's not a lot. Maybe Marty Straka, Bobby Holik, Sean Avery, Josef Vasicek or Craig Conroy. As for defense, some intriguing ones include Brooks Orpik, Mike Commodore, Jason Smith and Bryce Salvador.

But here's the problem: If the Wild swings and misses, it's not going to throw that same money at lesser-quality players.

"You have to be careful overpaying for players just because you're trying to get into the market," Risebrough said. "I envision that the same amount of money will be spent as there was last year with less quality. So that's why I'm fearful of this market.

"I need to always make sure I can find money to pay our core."

For instance, the Wild has been lauded for signing Burns to a four-year, $14.2 million contract. But Risebrough says, "I wish I signed him for eight years. Now I have to make sure I have the money to sign him in five."

So the Wild can't rely on free agency to solely improve the team because it might lose out to other teams driving up the market.

"We're all going to have to put our own value on players, but our value might not necessarily be the value others put," Risebrough said.

Which is why Risebrough says the Wild will promote two or three "deserving" young players next season, with Benoit Pouliot, Colton Gillies and Cal Clutterbuck the likely leading candidates.

So as you can see, tons of decisions, none of them simple and lots of cloudiness.

That suddenly leads to a lot of uncertainty heading into next season.

Michael Russo • mrusso@startribune.com