In a Northwest Division that is seeing many changes and makeovers, one team has made a particularly large splash this offseason. In a pair of blockbuster trades that saw the departure of Martin Havlat and Brent Burns, the team acquired Sharks Dany Heatley and Devin Setoguchi.
The team improved in a big way by adding an scoring presence in the lineup, which will help contribute majorly to their powerplay which was ranked 13th in the NHL this past season. In the past, Heatley has tallied back-to-back 50-goal seasons and Setoguchi has been a force to be reckoned with, playing on the same line as Joe Thorton and Patrick Marleau in San Jose.
Minnesota also acquired Charlie Coyle, a young first-round pick who, at such a young age, has promised to develop into a potential penalty killer and defensive forward. With a pair of high-caliber wingers around centre and captain Mikko Koivu, the Wild have most certainly gotten stronger.
These good things came at a heavy expense, though. Brent Burns is a valuable and productive defenseman who scored 46 points in 80 games and plays with grit and determination. His 6’5" and 220-pound body will ...
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Article written by Kurtis Stangl
NHL Northwest: Will the Minnesota Wild Be a Playoff Seed in 2011-12?
July 15th, 2011 by Kurtis Stangl Leave a reply »
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