November 15, 2007
Wild still waiting on Walz TheFourthPeriod.com
The Wild plan on letting veteran center Wes Walz remain on an indefinite leave of absence until he's ready to talk to the team, reports the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.
"This is in Wes' hands. We are not spending any time contacting Wes," Wild GM Doug Risebrough told the paper. "I am not pursuing any information. I understand your need to know, but you're asking the wrong person because I'm not trying to find out.
"That's what needs to be to solve the problem, and I'm comfortable with that."
Walz, 37, left the Wild after an Oct. 31 practice and the team has acknowledged he's taking the time away from the team for personal reasons. Reports suggest he's contemplating retirement.
Risebrough, who recently returned from a scouting trip in Europe, might look to replace Walz, but he hasn't committed to any decisions just yet.
It doesn't look like any decisions about Walz's playing career will be made in the near future. He's apparently debating whether he still has the will to truly play, and that can be difficult for any athlete to go through. The Wild are being extremely patient with him, as they should be. For the time being, we're all in "wait-and-see" mode.
