Paul Fenton is going to make the Wild a different team, count on it.
The Phil Kessel rumor with Jack Johnson coming to the Wild in exchange for Jason Zucker and Victor Rask.
That deal makes sense and upgrades the Wild immediately. Zucker is a fan favorite of course and his wife is a regular on KFAN, combined with their amazing charity work, they will most certainly be missed.
On the business side of Wild, Zucker has shown exactly what he is, a fast skater and streaky goal scorer. Fenton has made this assessment and nearly dealt Zucker at the deadline to Calgary.
The deal that wasn't also plays into the fact that Zucker will be the first to go this offseason.
The Wild roster needs a change that turns the attitude around in the locker room. The days if Koivu and Suter ruling the room must be over.
They both have had their day in the leadership roles and we all have seen the results or shall we say lack there of.
The veterans that really make the biggest impact are the ones that realize that they are not the focal points of the team any longer, yet they still have the ability to compete in the NHL while mentoring the younger top tier talent in the room.
Character and team cohesiveness are common to all winning teams. Fenton has his work cut out for him to bring in the right type of players both on and off the ice.