Tanguay passes on Wild

Dale Macmillan, Getty Images

Alex Tanguay

The free agent winger reportedly has agreed to a deal with Tampa Bay, known to be a threat.

By MICHAEL RUSSO, Star Tribune

Last update: August 29, 2009 - 12:44 AM

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The Wild waited patiently for free-agent winger Alex Tanguay to make a decision on his future, and it appears that decision has been made.

Canada's RDS reported Friday night that Tanguay has agreed to terms with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Sources said Friday morning that the Wild hadn't budged on a one-year, $2.5 million offer -- the max it could legitimately offer the playmaker and still be comfortably under the $56.8 million salary cap ceiling -- but the Wild continued to talk to both Tanguay and his agent.

Agent Ritch Winter, who could not be reached for comment Friday, said last week that Tanguay, 29, was doing as much homework as possible so he could determine the best situation.

Tampa Bay was known to be the biggest obstacle for the Wild. Tanguay had been told he would play alongside star center Vincent Lecavalier, which might have been too good an opportunity to pass up.

The Lightning offered Tanguay a one-year, $2 million deal, sources said. But since the Lightning had more salary-cap room than Minnesota, Tanguay's stall tactics could have been a way of trying to get the Lightning to come up in price as training camp approaches. RDS didn't report terms of the deal.

The Lightning's cap hit before the Tanguay deal was above $51 million. The Wild is just over $54.4 million, leaving less than $2.4 million of cap space.

The Wild couldn't go higher because if it had signed Tanguay to the $2.5 million deal, it would have put Minnesota over the cap.

Though the Wild missed out on Tanguay, the team isn't worried because there should be a number of top players on waivers or on the trading block in September.

Chicago, Vancouver, Detroit, Ottawa, Washington and Boston are over the cap. Montreal, Philadelphia, Edmonton and Carolina are within $1 million of the cap. When one considers San Jose is at $53.5 million for only 17 players, the Sharks are theoretically at or over the cap.

Teams can be 10 percent over the cap up until the last day of training camp.

The Wild has shown interest in San Jose's Jonathan Cheechoo, Chicago's Patrick Sharp and unsigned Boston forward Phil Kessel. Contrary to reports, the Wild withdrew from the Dany Heatley trade talks with Ottawa earlier this summer when the Senators insisted defenseman Brent Burns be part of any package.