4. Martin Havlat
Martin Havlat was acquired on July 1, 2009, signing a six year, $30 million contract although he only played two of those season with the Wild. Havlat was brought in to inject speed and scoring into a stale and slow Minnesota Wild attack. He did not disappoint.
Coming fresh off of a 77 point season with the Chicago Blackhawks (and a trip to the Western Conference Finals), Havlat was a focal point in Chicago’s young and talented offense. After failing to reach an agreement with the Hawks, Halvat joined the Wild.
During his two seasons in Saint Paul, Havlat scored 40 goals, 76 assists, and 116 points. His second season with the team , he led the club in scoring with a 22-40-62 stat line, while wearing an “A” on his sweater.
That off-season, Havlat was traded to San Jose for Dany Heatley, which did not work out well for the Wild. Thank you, Chuck Fletcher.
Havlat will be remembered in Wild history for adding speed and his play-making ability to a team desperate for offense. For the most part, he filled the void during the post-Gaborik, pre-Parise years.