The Wild traded away center Eric Belanger yesterday and could have done more, but opted to hold on to veteran Owen Nolan, reports the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.
According to the paper, the Wild received interest in Nolan, who is in the final year of his current contract.
"We don't feel we're dead and buried this year," Wild GM Chuck Fletcher told the newspaper. "Owen Nolan's a big part of our group. For us, at this juncture, we felt it was important to keep him. I have a lot of respect for what he's done and what he's accomplished. He's been a positive influence on our team, and we wanted that to continue."
Nolan, 38, has expressed his interest in staying with the Wild beyond this season, and the feeling appears to be mutual.
"We both have interest in speaking at the end of the year," Fletcher said, "and we'll just see what makes sense then. ... Once players get to be 36, 37, 38 years of age, you always wonder what they're going to be able to contribute on the ice. His contributions have far surpassed my expectations, and by that I mean his work ethic every day."
The Wild did not add any significant players to the roster yesterday, and Fletcher expected to fill some holes in the summer.
"We have some adjustments we'll need to make to our roster this summer for next season," Fletcher said. "We have a real solid group of returning players, but there's no question we'll be looking for [a center]."
Files from:
Minneapolis Star-Tribune
