Jason Pominville Trade Shouldn't Factor in Extension Talks

Naturally, the Wild fanbase and bloggers alike look at the deal that was made, and see the high price the Wild gave up for Pominville, and are anxious to see Pominville extended to get a maximum return on their investment. And I would love to see Pominville brought back on a deal with reasonable term, myself.

But the trade to acquire Jason Pominville can't be a motivation to extend him.

While it's true that the Wild owning Pominville's rights entitles them to be the sole team that can negotiate with him for an extension, it must be noted that A) Teams fail to come to terms with players on contract extensions all the time, and B) The value obtained in an extension this close to a player's Free Agency is likely to be minimal, as the impending Free Agency is fairly strong leverage in contract negotiations. Extending Pominville was, from the time the trade was made, a decidedly uncertain proposition that was likely to produce little value as opposed to signing Pominville or an equivalent in Free Agency.

With a healthy season from Pominville, it's quite possible that he can continue to justify the massive price the Wild paid to obtain his services. A productive regular season would provide value in the Wild's ability to make the playoffs, and if he proves to be a key cog in the Wild winning a playoff round, after helping the Wild into the playoffs last year, it would be hard to say that the Wild didn't benefit from the Pominville trade, even if he walks in free agency. He may even provide enough value that the Wild wish to keep that caliber of player on their team and extend him.

For what it's worth, I have confidence that Chuck Fletcher will be rational during this process. In Chuck We Trust, right?