WildHBcommunity: When Minnesota Wild Miss the Playoffs Who Pays the Price?
With Each Loss the Odds of Minnesota Wild Sneaking into Playoffs Slim
With two losses in a row before the NHL All Star Break, the Minnesota Wild has given away precious points that ultimately will be the difference between an opportunity to be the 8th seed in the Western Conference playoffs. Sure the Wild has yet to be mathematically eliminated but currently they are projected after a loss to Detroit 4-5 (so), with playoff odds up 0.6 to 6.1% with a current record 20-20-6 in 46 games they have 46 points.
Current Western Conference Points:
Western
Central
65 Nashville
62 St. Louis
60 Chicago
58 Winnipeg
49 Dallas
48 Colorado
46 Minnesota
Pacific
66 Anaheim
55 Vancouver
53 Calgary
52 Los Angeles
54 San Jose
37 Arizona
33 Edmonton
This is not about piling on further or being negative to be negative, it is about the huge REALISTIC expectation that this would be a season that the Wild would not only secure a playoff spot but possibly begin the 1st round with home ice advantage. Instead what we have seen from this current group is some very skilled dominate play with no payoff in the win column far too often.
Obviously the play of the goaltenders on the roster this year has sunk this team time and time again but how can Wild Owner Craig Leipold just brush off with explanations the fact that his time, effort, and MONEY to bring Lord Stanley's Cup to the State of Hockey has him closer to the lottery this year than a championship?
It is a weird thing to wrap my head around because I certainly was prepared mentality and emotionally for this to be the strong chance for this franchise to make a run at the cup since the 2003 NHL season. Instead it looks like the Wild will be selecting 10th in the 2015 NHL draft high enough to get a good player but not the franchise game changer that would make an immediate impact.
So who will be called to the carpet for this massive let down season? Obviously the easy answer is Wild Head Coach Mike Yeo, but I really think it will be a soul searching off season for General Manager Chuck Fletcher. Leipold has tied his loyalty hockey and business wise to Fletcher who comes from player personnel royal pedigree.
Fletcher has certainly changed the talent level and brand of hockey here in Minnesota from his first moments on the job to right now but I wonder how much equity he has after what is sure to be considered among the most disappointing seasons of any NHL team this year when the Wild's season ends without a playoff appearance.
The NHL Trading Deadline will Tell a Tale of What is Next for Fletcher
I will be paying close attention to how Fletcher will proceed at the NHL trading deadline this season which falls on Monday March 2nd at 1500 hrs Eastern time. The Wild has 16 games between now and March 2nd to better position themselves in the Western Conference Playoffs Wild Card Race but being 11 points out right now it could certainly be the case that they become sellers.
If the Wild are eliminated headed into March 2nd, Fletcher could be looking to shale up this roster whether it be moving a young underachiever like Charlie Coyle or Erik Haula before they damage their long term value or moving a veteran player at a premium to a playoff contender like Jason Pominville who has produced points consistently and has a very reasonable contract.
I have written it and mentioned it many times, the pieces on this current roster just dont seem to fit. I truly believe that this current group is talented and capable of winning hockey games but I think they have too many complimentary players and not enough killer instinct. The projections on the development and growth of certain young players has not come to fruition, specifically Coyle, Mikael Granlund, Erik Haula, Darcy Kuemper, and Mathew Dumba have failed to meet expectations with their play this season.
This team has an impressive group of young players graduated to the NHL, in particular Nino Niederreiter, Jason Zucker, Jared Spurgeon, Jonas Brodin, Marco Scandella, and Christian Folin have all enjoyed success and consistency this year for the Wild.
Whats more concerning though is the evolution of roles and diminishing play of several key veterans on the roster for which Fletcher has found his hands tied by the terms of their contracts. There is no bigger lightning rod here for a disappointed fan base than the captain of this team Mikko Koivu who is affectionately referred to here as 'Kaptain Koivu".
In Koivu the Wild has a big strong pivot which is certainly required in the Western Conference defensively but his role and production is always a heated topic of debate because of his leverage within the franchise and a contract that appears to be an albatross around the neck of Fletcher.
I think in Koivu his value to the Wild is certainly greater than anything he would return in a trade (That he would have to sign off on because of a No Move Clause), but I also believe that in terms of being "Franchise Player" he falls well short on comparison to other franchise guys around the league.
This will be a never ending fire starter topic for Minnesota hockey people but my two cents are that an avoidance of the organization whether it be the coaching staff or front office to make waves with Koivu has caused a butterfly effect throughout this organization.
I think a similar thing can be said about veteran netminder Niklas Backstrom, it seemed like a decent enough signing by Fletcher when he returned the Finnish back stop to the roster for hlaf of what his previous deal had been yearly. The thing I personally didnt realize at the time was Fletcher had committed to Backstrom, for far longer than his abilities would justify.
Because of regulations in the NHL collective bargaining agreement signing a player 35 years old to a multi-year contract virtually makes it fully guaranteed which in term makes him unmovable should he falter or fail to fulfill his role.
In Backstrom the team believed he would return from an injury plagued first year of his new three deal to regain form and at minimum be in a time share with either Josh Harding or the upstart Darcy Kuemper. Instead Backstrom has looked every year of his 36 on this earth and it has only further compounded a devastating lapse between the pipes. Kuemper failed to launch this year when handed the keys to the car, but Backstrom has fallen off the face of the NHL universe with his play. Backstrom has another year on his deal as well.
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Just My Take,
Tony Dean
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