Dear Doug Risebrough...

[ceber]

I think Ottawa will keep Chara happy and playing there.

[cyrisweb]

Originally Posted by Velvet E. Sax

be relatively cheap if they don't wait til the last minute and let a bidding war happen. I guess we'll know if he's here long term or not if he is signed before free agency begins.

To get him signed before free agency begins you will have to offer a TON. There is no way he is going to sign before seeing all the other contract offers unless the offer he gets from the Wild blows his mind.

[ceber]

I think 1.5 would get Mitchell.

[firstroundbust]

Originally Posted by ceber

I think 1.5 would get Mitchell.

3 years 4.5 mil

willie wants job stability

[Wild Bill]

Originally Posted by cyrisweb

To get him signed before free agency begins you will have to offer a TON. There is no way he is going to sign before seeing all the other contract offers unless the offer he gets from the Wild blows his mind.

I would have to think that he'd still be looking at more on the open market. Loyalty, both ways, will be the telling factor IMO.

Originally Posted by DeuceUNO

willie wants job stability

I tend to agree with this. Although, if someone were to tell his agent that they are willing to offer him a mil more for one less year, he'd be hard pressed to turn that down.

Something tells me that his price might be closer to 2 mil though...hope I'm wrong.

[Wild Thing]

Originally Posted by Velvet E. Sax

I would have to think that he'd still be looking at more on the open market. Loyalty, both ways, will be the telling factor IMO. I tend to agree with this. Although, if someone were to tell his agent that they are willing to offer him a mil more for one less year, he'd be hard pressed to turn that down.

Something tells me that his price might be closer to 2 mil though...hope I'm wrong.

As you say, loyalty works both ways. The team's loyalty to Willie is a factor to consider here, and I'm not sure that works in the Wild's favor.

Willie's made no big secret of the fact that he thinks he's been seriously underpaid the last few years because the Wild had all the power. I can't speak for Mitchell, because I don't know the man, but I do know that if I felt like my team had been paying me below fair value for years just because I had no leverage, there's no way in hell I'd take less than fair value from them once I did have leverage. It would be a matter of principle. They'd pay the going rate, as established by the offers other teams were making, or I'd be gone.

[firstroundbust]

Originally Posted by Wild Thing

As you say, loyalty works both ways. The team's loyalty to Willie is a factor to consider here, and I'm not sure that works in the Wild's favor.

Willie's made no big secret of the fact that he thinks he's been seriously underpaid the last few years because the Wild had all the power. I can't speak for Mitchell, because I don't know the man, but I do know that if I felt like my team had been paying me below fair value for years just because I had no leverage, there's no way in hell I'd take less than fair value from them once I did have leverage. It would be a matter of principle. They'd pay the going rate, as established by the offers other teams were making, or I'd be gone.

I think alot of the contract history between mitchell and the wild has to do with the lockout, which many saw as inevitable...there is no doubt in my mind that Minnesota will do their best to retain him for a couple years at a nice price.