The Minnesota Wild have historically had reasonable success in the NHL Entry Draft. They started a trend of great picks with their first selection in franchise history, Slovakian winger Marian Gaborik. But today, ask any Wild fan about Gaborik and you’ll hear a few relatively derogatory remarks followed by the fact that, “we didn’t want him anyway.”
If you heard the truth, you’d hear that Minnesota has always embraced Gaborik and would most likely welcome the 86 points he had last year to a struggling Minnesota team.
The Wild haven’t always been on the downside of their draft picks though. In 2001 the Wild selected Mikko Koivu, two year captain and first line center for Minnesota. Most would argue he could be one of the best playmaking centers in the NHL, behind obvious superstars like Nicklas Backstrom of the Capitals and Sidney Crosby of the Penguins.
After that, in 2002, Minnesota selected center Pierre-Marc Bouchard, another great player for the Wild, followed by Brent Burns in 2003. Brent Burns is probably the player that the Wild are preparing most to be a household name ...
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Article written by James Harrison Jr.
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