First of all, today was starting to feel like year's past where all of the hype is going and I, as usual, am overly optimistic about this being the year and............nothing. Props to the Wild and new management for turning around that bus, despite the fact that it took this long (I'm sure a product of ongoing and intense negotiations). In any event, the Wild replace Gaborik by signing Martin Havlat. What follows is the Wild's press release:

MINNESOTA WILD SIGNS RIGHT WING MARTIN HAVLAT

SAINT PAUL/MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – Minnesota Wild General Manager Chuck Fletcher today announced the National Hockey League (NHL) club has agreed to terms with right wing Martin Havlat on a six-year contract.

“We are excited to add the speed and scoring of Martin Havlat to our lineup,” said Fletcher. “He is a terrific two-way player.”

Havlat, 28 (4/19/81), led the Chicago Blackhawks with a career-high 77 points (29-48=77) while skating in a career-high 81 games in the 2008-09 season. He ranked ninth in the NHL in plus-minus (plus-29). Havlat added 15 points (5-10=15) in 16 Stanley Cup playoff games as the Blackhawks advanced to the Western Conference finals. The 6-foot-2, 217-pound native of Mlada Boleslav, Czech Republic, has recorded 396 points (169-227=396), a plus-87 rating, 53 power play goals and 31 game-winning goals in 470 NHL games in eight seasons with Ottawa and Chicago. Havlat participated in the NHL All-Star Game in the 2006-07 season, when he led Chicago in goals (25), assists (32) and points (57) despite appearing in just 56 games. He was a member of the NHL’s All-Rookie team in 2000-01 and played for the Czech Republic at the 2002 Olympics.

Havlat was Ottawa’s first-round pick (No. 26 overall) in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft.

MARTIN HAVLAT’S CAREER STATISTICS
Regular Season Playoffs
Season Club League GP G A PTS PIM GP G A PTS PIM
1998-99 Trinec Ocelari Czech 24 2 3 5 4 8 0 0 0 0
1999-00 Trinec Ocelari Czech 46 13 29 42 42 4 0 2 2 8
2000-01 Ottawa NHL 73 19 23 42 20 4 0 0 0 2
2001-02 Ottawa NHL 72 22 28 50 66 12 2 5 7 14
2001-02 Czech Republic Olympics 4 3 1 4 27 -- -- -- -- --
2002-03 Ottawa NHL 67 24 35 59 30 18 5 6 11 14
2003-04 Ottawa NHL 68 31 37 68 46 7 0 3 3 2
2003-04 Sparta Praha Czech 5 1 3 4 8 -- -- -- -- --
2003-04 Czech Republic WC-A 3 0 0 0 4 -- -- -- -- --
2004-05 Znojemsti Excalibur Czech 12 10 4 14 16 -- -- -- -- --
2004-05 Moscow Dynamo Russia 10 2 0 2 14 -- -- -- -- --
2004-05 Sparta Praha Czech 9 5 4 9 37 5 0 0 0 20
2004-05 Czech Republic W-Cup 5 3 3 6 2 -- -- -- -- --
2005-06 Ottawa NHL 18 9 7 16 4 10 7 6 13 4
2006-07 Chicago NHL 56 25 32 57 28 -- -- -- -- --
2007-08 Chicago NHL 35 10 17 27 22 -- -- -- -- --
2008-09 Chicago NHL 81 29 48 77 30 16 5 10 15 8

So Wild fans, regarding Mr. Havlat, what do you think?

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