There is a commitment now to winning for the Minnesota Wild, these deals made today to Zach Parise and Ryan Suter are huge. In twin deals each Parise and Suter will make $12 million the next two seasons, $11 million the year after that, five years of $9 million, then $8 million, $6 million, $2 million, $1 million and $1 million the last five years. This includes $10 million signing bonuses the first two years, meaning $2 million in-season salaries.

This commitment is more than about the money both Parise and Suter recieved deals of greater worth. It is a commitment made to the fans, great fans, fans who love hockey more than any other sport. In one day a bold statement was made by your owner and GM that says they will do what it takes to place their team in a position to win. What more can any hockey fan ask for?

With this commitment today comes expectations, the expectations of this team have now dramatically changed. They will be frontrunners to compete for Lord Stanley's Cup. That however, is what this quest is all about. Last season we got a taste of what it was like to have a winning team in contention, but there were pieces still missing. A few injuries and our weaknesses flooded.

This commitment to Wild fans is not only about signing Parise and Suter. Fletcher sured up their goaltending by signing Josh Harding. They also balanced the team with some toughness and grit in Zenon Konopka. Last spring they traded for Tom Gilbert and Stephane Veileux, and signed two talented young rookies in Mikael Granlund and Jason Zucker. It now has the talent, the depth, the grit, and the youth for what appears to be the components to win.

A new commitment brings expectations, urgency, hope, and the chance to win it all, and that is about as Wild as it gets.

Here are your Minnesota Wild.

Forwards

Zach Parise - Mikko Koivu - Dany Heatley

Pierre-Marc Bouchard Mikael Granlund - Devin Setoguchi

Cal Clutterbuck - Kyle Brodziak - Torrey Mitchell-Jason Zucker

Jake Dowell - Zenon Konopka - Darroll Powe

Matt Kassian, Stephane Veileux, Matt Cullen

Defense

Ryan Suter - Jared Spurgeon

Marco Scandella - Tom Gilbert

Justin Falk - Clayton Stoner

Nate Prosser

Goaltenders

Niklas Backstrom

Josh Harding

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