This time last season, there was sense of excitement surrounding the Minnesota Wild.
The team had a new General Manager and was heading into a new era—one of hope and promise, but also one of uncertainty.
Now, one year later, the lay of the land is much more certain and much less encouraging.
With 16 players under contract and just about $10 million in cap space to maneuver with, Minnesota has a lot of needs and not a lot of space to fix these needs, which make this draft weekend an extremely important time for this team.
That being said, General Manager Chuck Fletcher has been adamant about not just making a splash for the sake of making a splash, but making the right moves—the moves that will benefit the Wild the most both now and in the future.
With the Wild being intent on re-signing Mikko Koivu, it would be surprising to see them make any enormous trades on draft day; however, with players like Patrick Sharp, Nathan Horton and Jeff Carter likely being dangled, it may be too tempting ...
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Article written by Blake Benzel