(You notice, of course, I'm not even going to TRY and encapsulate the last 18 months, in any person or team's life. That has been hashed and re-hashed into oblivion. But, at that point, I regress.)
I'm looking ahead to the Minnesota Wild's 2021-22 season. Trying to get a handle on that is kind of like herding cats when the fish monger is waiting with your order outside. The first order of business is, of course, finding out exactly when they will play. And, if you like to attend games on the road (like me), where. But even THAT is fraught with all sorts of potential pitfalls. Do we know if the NHL/NHLPA will participate in the Olympics in February, 2022, in Beijing, China? Not as of today, we don't.
Yes, the NHL has released a 2021-22 schedule. Not THE schedule. mind you, just A schedule. It may hold up to become THE schedule, or it may not, becoming this year's 'Schedule version 1.0'. Remember, Wild fans: last season we made it to Version 3.2 before the 56-game regular season ended. So the schedule you receive next week at the Minnesota State Fair (or that you've already got committed to memory) might be the correct schedule...or not. The people who know? They're not talking to the fans. And it's quickly becoming time to talk. Time's running out on all sides -- the League, the Players, the IIHF and the IOC -- to figure this out. Or, not. The Russia-based KHL has already started their pre-season schedule. They are planning to go. Will the NHL follow suit? Or are the Olympic teams for the USA and Canada to be made up of mostly college kids and unsigned pro free agents?
Now, the Wild have some issues of their own, which will occupy their minds as the September 18 training camp report date looms large. Will Kirill Kaprizov even show up for camp? Which Kevin Fiala will the Wild get, with only a one-year contract in his pocket? Will the patched-up defense even be at the level of last year's group, which kept the Wild in games many nights? Can Cam Talbot hold up at the same level as he did last year when he may play against almost every team -- all 31 of them -- not just the same 7 teams, over and over and over, and over again...
When everyone is back in the same pool, unlike last season's 'chopped-and-formed' format, things will happen. Teams will have good hot streaks, and others will fail miserably. Which Wild team will actually show up starting Oct. 14 at Anaheim?
Who will fill in for the players lost? Yes, free agents did actually sign to play here, but will they actually coalesce into an actual unit? And, can this group stay healthy enough to make it thru an 82-game schedule? As the 'Schedule 1.0' indicates, the post-Olympic schedule has the Wild playing 20 (yes, 20) home games in March and April. So, if '1.0' holds up, the schedule turns favorable for the Wild after their return from Beijing. If they go. and, that's a big IF right now.
Talk again, soon, folks. Be good, and please GET VACCINATED. Help us all out. Please.
