New Wild GM Chuck Fletcher spent some time with former Penguins forward Petr Sykora, so learning that he's considering making him an offer to play for Minnesota isn't all that surprising.
Prior to being named GM for the Wild this past May, Fletcher was the assistant GM to Ray Shero in Pittsburgh since July 2006. He was also part of the Anaheim organization for four years in various positions such as director of hockey operations, assistant GM, and vice president of amateur scouting and player development. Sykora was part of both organizations during part of Fletcher's time with each of them, so he has become familiar with the kind of player Sykora is.
According to the Minnesota newspaper, StarTribune.com, Fletcher has yet to make an offer because he's debating the following:
1) Sykora's skating is his biggest weakness. In new coach Todd Richards' up-tempo system, Fletcher has been hesitant to add Sykora to a top nine that already has veterans Andrew Brunette and Owen Nolan, who aren't the fastest skaters.
2) Fletcher is still convinced that if he waits a little longer, teams with salary cap problems will trim players via trade or waivers. The Wild has between $2.4 million and $3.5 million of salary cap space (depending on who makes the team), so signing Sykora could inhibit Fletcher's ability to do something later.
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1 comment:
I really, really hope somebody signs Sykky soon. I feel so terrible that he hasn't been signed yet. He's a great player. It's just depressing that the current salary cap situation leaves so many good players potentially off the ice. :(
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