Most everyone kind of assumes New York Islanders forward and pending unrestricted free agent Thomas Vanek will sign with the Minnesota Wild come the 2013-14 NHL offseason.
What if Wild fans didn’t have to wait nearly that long, though?
Granted, five months isn’t exactly a lifetime. However, for the Wild, who are in a daily dogfight just to remain in the Western Conference playoff picture, it will probably end up feeling like five years instead.
If the Wild do make it to the postseason, it will likely be because general manager Chuck Fletcher was able to add to his team’s depth chart before the March 5 trade deadline.
Whether or not it would be at forward remains to be seen. With Josh Harding out, Minnesota could probably also use an upgrade in net.
One way or another, there is no question the team could use some more firepower. The Wild have scored just 145 goals in 59 games, good for third-worst in the West. So, if Fletcher does decide to add to his offense, he might as well go after the purest offensive talent out there in Vanek.
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Article written by Ryan Szporer