Wild, Tanguay talking

With training camp three weeks away and the Wild arguably in need of another scoring forward, the team has re-entered the free-agent market and is trying to land a player who for years has been a thorn in its side.

Left winger Alex Tanguay, tied for third on the all-time scoring list against Minnesota with 38 points in 41 games, is considering a contract offer from the Wild, his agent said on Thursday.

Wild General Manager Chuck Fletcher also confirmed the team's interest in Tanguay, 29, who has scored 193 goals and 580 points over nine seasons with Colorado, Calgary and Montreal.

"Alex has been on the phone with Chuck and I've been on the phone with Chuck," Tanguay's agent Ritch Winter said. "We're working on some other teams, too. We're just doing as much homework as we can to help Alex make an informed decision.''

"This will be a decision that is based largely on opportunity,'' Winter continued. "Minnesota or somewhere else will be a place he's going to go to have a career year. We're continuing those discussions, and the Wild is very, very much on his radar."

Told that sounds as if Tanguay might be looking to sign a one-year deal to reestablish himself after an injury-shortened, 41-point 2008-09 season with the Canadiens, Winter said, "Stay tuned. Alex is continuing to have dialogue with a number of teams, and we're extremely interested in the ongoing discussions we're having with the Wild on multiple levels."

Tanguay, who scored a career-high 81 points three seasons ago with the Flames, missed 32 regular-season games last season because of injuries -- 28 from a separated shoulder. He then missed two other games in the playoffs because of a shoulder injury.

Fletcher admitted he's had lots of discussions with Tanguay's camp, "but at this point, I don't know where things are."

Fletcher expects Tanguay will decide in the next week, but Winter said nothing's imminent.

The NHL's salary cap for 2009-10 is $56.8 million, and the Wild is at $51,611,827 for 23 players, including Benoit Pouliot, who has an inside shot at making the team because he requires waivers to be sent to the minors. That figure doesn't include second-year winger Colton Gillies, who could be sent to the minors without waivers. Gillies would cost $1.042 million against the cap if he makes the team.

But because the Wild also wants to save about $1 million for injury callups, Fletcher likely has only about $3 million max to spend on Tanguay, who made $5.375 million last season.

"We'd like to add more skill and more offense if we can, but while we have a little room under the cap, we don't have unlimited room," Fletcher said. "With that said, we have some opportunity if we believe it's the right fit at the right number to fill that hole."

Tanguay, one of the heroes for the Avalanche when it won the Stanley Cup in 2001, is a terrific playmaker. While he can aggravate at times because he always has been hesitant to shoot the puck, he could be a dynamic fit if the Wild stuck him on a line with a finisher such as Martin Havlat.

Fletcher said he has talked to a couple of other free agents. He has shown marginal interest in Nikolai Zherdev and Petr Sykora, but contrary to reports, is not interested in Mike Comrie.

"If we can make a fit via free agency, great," Fletcher said. "If not, I don't have any hesitation going into training camp and the early portion of the season even, seeing who emerges, seeing what we have and then seeing what may unfold in the trade market.

"I think we have pretty good skill up front right now, and we have to look at a couple young players to see what they can do this year, like Pouliot and even James Sheppard, who is going to get better."

• A limited number of single-game tickets for the Wild's three home preseason games will go on sale Saturday, beginning at 10 a.m. The tickets will be on sale at the Xcel Energy Center Box Office, on the Wild web site (www.wild.com), and at all Ticketmaster (www.ticketmaster.com) locations or charge by calling Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000.

The three games are Sept. 18 vs. Columbus, Sept. 20 vs. Chicago and Sept. 24 vs. St. Louis.