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Wild expected to sign 'pure goal scorer' Petr Sykora after tryout
Adding Petr Sykora is not "a big piece of the puzzle" for the Wild, coach Todd Richards said Monday.
Not yet.
But Richards, unable to suppress a smile, said it could turn out that way.
A veteran forward who scored the 300th goal of his NHL career on April 7 for the Pittsburgh Penguins against Tampa Bay, Sykora accepted an invitation Monday from Wild general manager Chuck Fletcher to come to camp and try out.
Say what?
Turns out, a tryout simply means the player is unsigned and must travel to the prospective team on his own dime. The likelihood of Sykora not making the Wild is about that of Derek Boogaard scoring 20 goals this season.
Coupled with free-agent signee Martin Havlat, Sykora should provide Minnesota one more reason to forget about all-time leading scorer Marian Gaborik, who left the Wild to sign with the New York Rangers in July.
Sykora lacks the fleet feet of Gaborik, but he knows where the net is.
"He's a pure goal scorer," Fletcher said of Sykora, who scored 28 and 25 goals for the Penguins the past two seasons when Fletcher was assistant general manager in Pittsburgh. "He's had, I believe, over 10 20-goal seasons. Last year in Pittsburgh for us, in what was probably a relatively down year for Petr, he scored 25 goals and 10 game-winners."
He's also a winner, having played for the Stanley Cup-champion Penguins last season and the Cup champion New Jersey Devils in 2000, as well as on three teams that reached the Stanley Cup Finals without winning.
"We're excited to have him here," Richards said, noting that Sykora relies on puck savvy more than his legs. "There's a reason he's scored 20-plus every year. He knows the game; he knows the areas of the ice he needs to go to to get his shot off or to pick up a rebound."
Richards said that, right now, Sykora is just one guy in "a 60-piece puzzle" for the Wild, who are expected to cut their massive training-camp roster by the end of the week. "I would love to talk to you six months from now, and if he's got 40-plus, that would be a big piece."
Like the coach, Fletcher seemed reluctant to oversell Sykora, who turns 33 on Nov. 19.
"He'll be given an opportunity to fit in, and if he fits in he'll be a nice addition to our team," Fletcher said.
But asked what sets Sykora apart, Fletcher caved.
"He just has a great shot," he said. "He's a smart hockey player, he finds the soft areas in the defensive coverage and if you put the puck anywhere within about one or two feet of his stick he finds a way to make contact with it and shoot it. He shoots it hard, has a great one-timer and a quick release."
Havlat, who played on Czech national teams with Sykora, had nothing but praise for his countryman.
"He's a great player," Havlat said. "He's won two Cups and I think been in five finals, so it's great news."
Sykora was expected to leave his homeland Monday, arrive in St. Paul today, undergo a physical Wednesday morning and be on the ice for practice later that day.
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