I've always been a fan of Koivu's as well...but I would rather see him just retire after this year. I don't really think the Wild can give him an honest chance for a Cup in the next 2-3 years and (selfishly) I don't want to see him win one with another team. I would think that monies used to resign him now would be better used on youth.
- Gusrichards
Absolutely, given Koivu won't be winning a cup with Minny in all likelihood there just really isn't much that can be done as they need to focus on getting younger. I think you offer him below market(maybe $2-3 mil for a couple of seasons) and allow him the chance to retire in a Wild sweater. This way Minny is offering the chance to finish his career at a bit of a "hometown" discount and he is also free to explore if that is his prerogative. I wouldn't love seeing him win a cup with another team, but I would hate dropping another multi-year $5mil+ AAV just so he can retire with the wild.
Some teams get discounted players because of cup chances or players wanting to return to a "home" in the later years and there is no way Minny should pay extra or even market.