Darcy Kuemper exploring KHL defection option

With most Minnesota-based NHLers having departed for their team cities, the Wild's informal captain's skates officially began today.

Twenty-one guys were on the ice today. In order of me spotting them, Niklas Backstrom, Josh Harding, Matt Cooke, Mikko Koivu, Jason Pominville, Ryan Suter, Charlie Coyle, Thomas Vanek, Stu Bickel, Jared Spurgeon, Jason Zucker, Tyler Graovac, Kurtis Gabriel, Jordan Schroeder, Keith Ballard, Stephane Veilleux, Justin Fontaine, Kyle Brodziak, Erik Haula, Christian Folin and Cody Almond were in the house today.

Zach Parise, who had been skating with the NHLers and Wild guys the past few weeks, is in New York representing the Wild in the annual NHL national media blitz. He'll be rejoining Tuesday or Wednesday.

So, only sure-thing roster guys not here today: Mikael Granlund, Jonas Brodin, Marco Scandella and unsigned Nino Niederreiter. Jon Blum is expected to join Tuesday.

Another guy not here is unsigned goalie Darcy Kuemper, who is in the middle of a big game of chicken with the Wild right now.

As reported in July, Kuemper had the right to file for arbitration. When he chose not to, the alarm was sounded that a contract battle could be brewing. As I mentioned then, Kuemper's agent battled the Wild oh-so close to that June 1 deadline prior to his entry-level contract getting done. The one positive about arbitration is there's always a resolution. File arb, and both sides either settle on a new deal before or after the hearing or allow a neutral arbitrator to determine the contract on a one- or two-year award.

When that didn't happen, you just knew the threat of not arriving to camp on time would be an option.

Kuemper doesn't require waivers either, so the Wild has been offering him a two-way contract (meaning lower salary if he plays in the AHL, higher salary if he plays in the NHL).

Quick update: Kuemper's agent talked to me this afternoon, so I'll update the blog a bit later. Kuemper is looking for a one-way contract (NHL salary if he played in the AHL or NHL).

Kuemper's agent confirmed Kuemper is investigating his options to play in Russia's Kontinental Hockey League. If Kuemper chooses this route, the Wild would not lose his NHL rights and Kuemper would have an out-clause if the Wild came calling. The KHL threat is not a shock; many unsigned restricted free agents this close to camp use the KHL as a threat and, I can tell you, the Wild typically doesn't acknowledge KHL threats.

At this young stage of his career, with Kuemper having few contract rights beyond that right of filing for arbitration (which he didn't use), the only real leverage he may have right now is threatening to play in Europe.

The problem Kuemper has is as long as Harding and Backstrom are healthy and looking like they'll be fine to start the season, GM Chuck Fletcher, who declined to comment on Kuemper, is likely to stand his ground.

"I want to get back to the level I'm used to being at," said Backstrom, the Wild's all-time leader in victories. "So far everything has been going good, so everything should be good when camp starts. I'm excited for this season."

The risk, of course, of not signing Kuemper is that Backstrom is coming off two more season-ending surgeries (separate hip and abdominal surgeries) and Harding's MS has forced him to miss significant time the past two seasons, including the entire second half last season. The Wild proved last year how important it was to have Kuemper in the minors to save its bacon when Harding went down and Backstrom was playing hurt. In fact, the Wild proved last year the importance of having four goalies. When Kuemper began to struggle and then sustained a concussion, the Wild was lucky Ilya Bryzgalov was acquired. Bryzgalov went 7-1-3 down the stretch.

--From the Wild's standpoint, Kuemper, 24, has limited NHL experience (32 regular-season games, 26 last year, and eight playoff games, six last year) and coming off two concussions (one in the playoffs in Game 7 of the first round). He has shown promise at times and looked shaky at others, had a chance to file for arb and it didn't and with two NHL goalies on one-ways, the Wild is unwilling to give him term and dollars without a bigger sample size. The Wild also knows that if worse comes to worse, there's always Bryzgalov available as a free agent and he has made it publicly clear through his agent, Ritch Winter, that he wants to play in Minnesota.

--From Kuemper's standpoint, the Wild's presumed Goalie of the Future saved the team's hide twice last season – once in the second half when the season looked like it may unravel and once in the first round of the playoffs when the Wild returned home down 0-2 against Colorado with Bryzgalov in net. He went 3-1 in his next four starts, including back-to-back home starts to even the series, before Bryzgalov replaced him with a deficit in Game 7's come-from-behind win. Kuemper's agent is also well aware of the injury/illness concerns in goal if Kuemper isn't in the fold.

I asked Fletcher on KFAN earlier this summer about the potential battle unfolding with Kuemper. Here is a link to Fletcher's comments from that blog: "I wouldn't say there's been enough conversations to say it's going to be a battle. I mean I guess every negotiation is a battle, but the agent is always trying to get the best contract he can for the player and we are trying to do what is right for the team. It's always a little trickier I think on our side, the agent obviously wants to represent his client. We have an obligation to every player on our team and if we do a bad contract or spend too much money on a player it impacts our ability to be competitive in other areas. It's not that we're trying to fight the player, we're trying to protect the team. It's a pretty big obligation. We are certainly going to take our time to get the right deal.

There is little doubt the Wild wants to get Kuemper signed. But there is a price point and term and type of contract (one-way or two) that Fletcher doesn't seem willing to budge on.

As for Niederreiter, who turned 22 today, he is also unsigned. His agent also hasn't replied to an interview request made Sunday. I hear the Wild and Niederreiter are also a ways apart, but as I have said before, this stuff typically works itself out and the hope is a deal can get done by the time players report for camp next Thursday and take the ice for the first time next Friday.

The Wild feels it has enough depth to get by for awhile if Niederreiter's contract takes longer to reconcile, and his delay could theoretically open the door wider for others like Jason Zucker. However, Niederreiter has one of the Wild's best shots and is one of the team's bigger bodies and most physical players. He certainly showed his value as well in Game 7 of the first round, setting up Jared Spurgeon's late tying goal and scoring two goals off blistering shots, including the series winner in overtime.

As I have mentioned before, this is the negotiation worth keeping an eye on because it absolutely affects Granlund, Coyle, Haula and even Brodin. Those players can all become restricted free agents next summer, which is why Fletcher says that he will "try to get ahead of it" and sign some of these guys to extensions before it gets to next summer.

Fletcher has previously said he is trying to sign Niederreiter to a contract length of two to four years. A two-year bridge deal seems to make the most sense for both sides. It's hard for the Wild to project out exactly what type of player Niederreiter will be and two years gives Niederreiter enough time to put up some big numbers to get the big contract. He scored 14 goals and 36 points in 81 games last season.