My Thoughts Exactly

I know that this is all I've been writing about lately, but I'm kind of in crisis mode right now. The NHL trade deadline is Wednesday and while I haven't exactly been counting on the Wild making some sort of monumental trade, I've still been paying attention to the Strib and Puck Daddy for any updates and rumors leading up to the swap meet.

Michael Russo at the Strib, who is my go-to source for all things Wild, had an article today discussing the trade deadline and Risebrough's "strategy." I use this term in the absolute loosest way possible. It seems as though his plan is to continue sitting there with his thumb up his ass. And while I don't believe the Wild should trade Backstrom, you better do something with Gaborik, unless you're absolutely sure you can get him to stick around one more year, which won't happen. Alas,

"If somebody says, 'I really want to overpay,' well, then what do I do? Now they put me in a dilemma. But I've told you my motivation."

and also:

That's because Risebrough says things have been "surprisingly quiet," meaning his cell phone isn't running out of battery life.

Shhhhhhhhhocking. You do know that your GODDAMN CELL PHONE WORKS TWO WAYS, RIGHT? Start calling in favors, dipshit. You must have some dirt on some other GM in the league you can use as fucking blackmail. That's how the Chiefs got Cassel for nothing.
However, the best quote from the brains behind the operation, from TwinCities.com:

If a team offers a substantial package for Gaborik, Risebrough said, "Then I've got to listen. But my motivation is not to do that."

I don't even know where to begin. I'm fucking speechless. I'm starting to think this is a cruel joke. Dougie, your team just dropped to 10th in the West. In case you need a primer on the NHL playoff system, 10th doesn't cut it. You say that Gaborik will be back to provide a "shot in the arm" to the team. When will that be? You say at most 18 days. Today Gaborik says he might make it back by the end of the month, to play the last five games of the season. Thats like giving Trig Palin a Baby Einstein CD. ITS NOT GOING TO HELP.

Puck Daddy had some excellent thoughs on the above quote:

So what do the Wild do? Offer a barely-unbroken Marian Gaborik to the masses and get a return that's less than you'd normally get or hang onto him, maybe make the playoffs (huge maybe), and lose him for nothing?

If a team offers a substantial package for Gaborik, Risebrough said, "Then I've got to listen. But my motivation is not to do that."

Idiot.

My thoughts exactly.

Hey! That's the title of the post!