Debunking Gaborik Rumors...

One subject that is sure to come up over the next couple of weeks (or perhaps months) is that of Minnesota Wild's star Marian Gaborik being moved to another team. Here's the scoop. Gaborik wants tons and tons of money if he's gunna stay and play for the defensive minded Wild. There's nothing to argue there. If Gaborik is going to have to restrict his offensive output then he wants long term security and big, big money. And he's got one of the best agents to do it. Now here's the thing, Minnesota has already offered him a fair amount of money, which he has turned down, and has recently left the Wild with a number and told them basically "Sign me for this, or I sign for nothing". This puts the Wild in a bit of a bind. If they choose to trade Gaborik they will not get full value, because everyone else is gunna know that they want to get rid of him. If they choose to keep him but not sign him, then they risk the chance of him calling them on their bluff and going elsewhere via free agency (which, believe me, will happen if they don't sign him). So the question is this: will the Wild sign him, or trade him. Many believe they will end up trading him if he continues to ask for the contract he's asking for (which I've heard is around Ovechkin-ish type of money, something he certainly has not yet earned). In fact I've had one person tell me straight out that in his mind Gaborik being moved is 100% happening.
Me? Not buying it. I don't see Gaborik going anywhere, but to celebrate a 9 year deal worth millions, with the Wild. The fact is, the Wild can't afford to lose Gaborik- and he knows it! Without Gaborik the Wild have the chance of losing not just games, but fans, and credibility. Even if they pull off a deal for him witch seems like an okay deal, unless they bring in at least, at least, fair value (aka a top forward or two or three) then the Wild lose. Even if they save that money from the Gaborik deal and use it toward the UFA market and try (key word is try) to bring in a nice forward, they still lose.
So my point is that the only way this conundrum is going to be solved is by the Wild giving Gaborik what he wants, even though it might be tough to see. So Wild fans, I wouldn't lose too much sleep over the Gaborik issue, as I'm all but sure he'll be sticking around for a while, maybe even more than a while...