Looks like the corner has been turned as far as the lack of talent in the Minnesota Wild pipeline, if Sunday's scrimmage to end the Wild's development camp is any indication.
With over 3,200 in the stands at the Xcel Energy Center, the 40-odd invitees put on a show, as the Wild brass watched and saw first hand the results of the scouting staff and the team's recent 'build with youth' philosophy. Some, such as future star Mikael Granlund and Johan Larsson, showed why they were taken as No. 1 picks the last two seasons. Charlie Coyle, who was the add-on in the Brent Burns-Devin Setoguchi trade, also showed why he is the darling of 'Hockey's Future' and other such sites on the Internet.
While the six-day session for the potental NHL'ers of tomorrow was a lot of drill skating and indctrination, there was also fun, with a paintball session, and an obstacle course with JB Spisso, former US Military officer, and his Elite Leadership Training team doing the honors, as they did last season for the big club.
A lot of these young men will never make an NHL roster; but, in the middle of the summer, on the most uncomfortable day ever in St. Paul, they all looked like they had a future on an NHL roster. Someday. The crowds, prodded by free t-shirts for the first 1,000 each day, were the largest ever for the camp scrimmage sessions, which were free and open to all comers who wished to get out of the mid-summer heat.
Granlund showed both days why he is considered the real deal, as he put on a show both Saturday and Sunday, with highlight-reel goals in the end-of-scrimmage shootout. Sunday he also threaded the needle setting up Josh Phillips for a goal in the second half of the day's scrimmage. Larsson, Granlund's linemate (maybe also his linemate with the big club in 2013?) rounded out the most star-studded line this camp has seen in at least five seasons.
In a time when the level of optimism following the recent trades for Setoguchi and Dany Heatley is high, the prowess shown by this crop of Wild rookies and recent additions just pushes that optimism that much more forward. The fact that the rookies are actually of a talent level rarely seen with this organization just elevates that optimism that much more.
Maybe, just maybe, GM Chuck Fletcher has restocked the larder. Now, how much of that talent will rise to the NHL level, that remains to be seen. But, at least for now, optimism reigns supreme in St. Paul. Only time will tell if the decisions made in the last three weeks turn out to be good decisions. But at least Fletcher is making decisions which should hopefully push the Wild back into the playoff mix. Signing late-blooming college-age free agents is something his predecessor would never think of. His predecessor traded draft picks for meaningless washed-up veterans, who were at the end of their careers. Draft picks which are the way teams keep talent coming in to their system. The Wild are starting to correct those mistakes of the past. Trading for end-of-career vets is the way of the past. The future belongs to the young.
And Wild fans can't wait for the future to begin in September.
Monday, July 18, 2011
Monday, July 4, 2011
Chuck Fletcher: Grenade Launcher
By Wild Road Tripper
When it comes to trading players in North American pro sports, a few names from the past come to mind. 'Trader Jack' McKeon of several MLB clubs, Al Davis of the NFL's Oakland Raiders, Ted Stepien (remember HIM, Cleveland fans??) of the NBA's Cavaliers, just to name a few.
Add Minnesota Wild GM Chuck Fletcher to that illustrious list after Sunday night's mammoth trade, which sent Martin Havlat to the San Jose Sharks for Dany Heatley, a player who already comes equipped with enough personal baggage, to fill an Amtrak baggage car.
Havlat, the penultimate 'pass-first' winger, has four years left on his six-season, $30M contract. Heatley has three seasons left on his deal at a cap hit of $7.5M/season. On paper, the trade seems even. On paper. Let's go behind the numbers and see what really precipitated this swap:
Havlat, quite frankly, became more of a liability for the Wild than an asset when his play necessitated less playing time. On several occasions last season, he was flat-out benched. That brought some somewhat cryptic social media action from his agent, Allan Walsh, stating that his client was not receiving enough playing time. A lot of that was directed at then-coach Todd Richards, but I can assure you that the Wild brass (including Fletcher) was receiving every tweet. And, the more they protested, the more the Wild was looking for a way out. Any way they could get out.
Sounds like the Sharks were looking for the same thing, but for different reasons. Accused of being a cancer in the locker room, the oft-maligned Heatley, another Walsh client who does have a bit of a party reputation, has been with three different organizations (Atlanta, Ottawa, San Jose) in his 10 seasons since leaving the Wisconsin Badgers, following the 2000-01 season. The B.C. native has played in at least 71 games each of the last six seasons, as some have called him 'brittle' and 'oft-injured'. And, San Jose was looking for some cap help as well; Havlat only comes with a $5M/season cap hit for the next four years.
So what does one make of all this?
Well, in my opinion this was trading one man's problems for another. In Minnesota, the Wild had to do something to get off the schneid, after missing the playoffs three seasons in a row. Both franchises needed to show their fans that they were committed to winning. The Wild are still building (or rebuilding, depending on your point of view) but the acquisition of Heatley, averaging a +17 since the end of the NHL players' strike/lockout in 2005, means that the offense, long a Wild sore spot, has taken a quantum leap forward. The Wild now have two legitimate scoring lines, when all of their new top 6 forwards (Heatley, Devin Setoguchi, Mikko Koivu, Pierre-Marc Bouchard, Matt Cullen, Guillaume Latendresse) are all healthy.
San Jose needed to shake up its' roster after three successive seasons failing to reach the Stanley Cup Finals. The Sharks, with Brent Burns, Logan Couture and Torrey Mitchell all facing free agency after the upcoming season, need every dollar of cap room they can possibly get as the current CBA runs out after this coming season. Some new blood to team up with returnees Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau is also in the Sharks' favor, as there will be very little room for error, especially after next season when, in divisional realignment, the Sharks and the Vancouver Canucks will more than likely be placed in the same divison. Every bit of experience you can get, when going up against the Sedin twins and the rest of that team is a good thing. As consistently one of the top 4 seeds in the NHL's Western Conference, Sharks fans are growing increasingly frustrated with the Sharks' playoff failures, something that the management is hearing all too well from the Bay Area media.
Conclusion/One Man's opinion: This was a great trade overall. Wild needed scoring punch; Heatley is one of the best finishers of this last decade. Indeed, you don't make him a checking line winger; but playing alongside Mikko Koivu, Heatley can be the 'cherry-picker' that the Wild used to have with Marian Gaborik. Wild can now afford to wait, if some of their up-and-coming 'kiddie korps' doesn't develop as fast as they'd like them to. Sharks need speed forward and someone hungry to be in playoffs. Havlat fills both of those roles. Putting Havlat with Marleau and Thornton would re-dimensionalize the Sharks' No. 1 line, and the Sharks may finally get over the hump, and make that Cup run that Bay Area hockey fans have been wishing about for most of the last 5 seasons.
BTW: Guess which team opens the home season for the Ottawa Senators on Oct. 11th? Yep. The Wild, now featuring Heatley, the man Sens' fans love to hate. Should be 'must-see TV' for Wild followers.
When it comes to trading players in North American pro sports, a few names from the past come to mind. 'Trader Jack' McKeon of several MLB clubs, Al Davis of the NFL's Oakland Raiders, Ted Stepien (remember HIM, Cleveland fans??) of the NBA's Cavaliers, just to name a few.
Add Minnesota Wild GM Chuck Fletcher to that illustrious list after Sunday night's mammoth trade, which sent Martin Havlat to the San Jose Sharks for Dany Heatley, a player who already comes equipped with enough personal baggage, to fill an Amtrak baggage car.
Havlat, the penultimate 'pass-first' winger, has four years left on his six-season, $30M contract. Heatley has three seasons left on his deal at a cap hit of $7.5M/season. On paper, the trade seems even. On paper. Let's go behind the numbers and see what really precipitated this swap:
Havlat, quite frankly, became more of a liability for the Wild than an asset when his play necessitated less playing time. On several occasions last season, he was flat-out benched. That brought some somewhat cryptic social media action from his agent, Allan Walsh, stating that his client was not receiving enough playing time. A lot of that was directed at then-coach Todd Richards, but I can assure you that the Wild brass (including Fletcher) was receiving every tweet. And, the more they protested, the more the Wild was looking for a way out. Any way they could get out.
Sounds like the Sharks were looking for the same thing, but for different reasons. Accused of being a cancer in the locker room, the oft-maligned Heatley, another Walsh client who does have a bit of a party reputation, has been with three different organizations (Atlanta, Ottawa, San Jose) in his 10 seasons since leaving the Wisconsin Badgers, following the 2000-01 season. The B.C. native has played in at least 71 games each of the last six seasons, as some have called him 'brittle' and 'oft-injured'. And, San Jose was looking for some cap help as well; Havlat only comes with a $5M/season cap hit for the next four years.
So what does one make of all this?
Well, in my opinion this was trading one man's problems for another. In Minnesota, the Wild had to do something to get off the schneid, after missing the playoffs three seasons in a row. Both franchises needed to show their fans that they were committed to winning. The Wild are still building (or rebuilding, depending on your point of view) but the acquisition of Heatley, averaging a +17 since the end of the NHL players' strike/lockout in 2005, means that the offense, long a Wild sore spot, has taken a quantum leap forward. The Wild now have two legitimate scoring lines, when all of their new top 6 forwards (Heatley, Devin Setoguchi, Mikko Koivu, Pierre-Marc Bouchard, Matt Cullen, Guillaume Latendresse) are all healthy.
San Jose needed to shake up its' roster after three successive seasons failing to reach the Stanley Cup Finals. The Sharks, with Brent Burns, Logan Couture and Torrey Mitchell all facing free agency after the upcoming season, need every dollar of cap room they can possibly get as the current CBA runs out after this coming season. Some new blood to team up with returnees Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau is also in the Sharks' favor, as there will be very little room for error, especially after next season when, in divisional realignment, the Sharks and the Vancouver Canucks will more than likely be placed in the same divison. Every bit of experience you can get, when going up against the Sedin twins and the rest of that team is a good thing. As consistently one of the top 4 seeds in the NHL's Western Conference, Sharks fans are growing increasingly frustrated with the Sharks' playoff failures, something that the management is hearing all too well from the Bay Area media.
Conclusion/One Man's opinion: This was a great trade overall. Wild needed scoring punch; Heatley is one of the best finishers of this last decade. Indeed, you don't make him a checking line winger; but playing alongside Mikko Koivu, Heatley can be the 'cherry-picker' that the Wild used to have with Marian Gaborik. Wild can now afford to wait, if some of their up-and-coming 'kiddie korps' doesn't develop as fast as they'd like them to. Sharks need speed forward and someone hungry to be in playoffs. Havlat fills both of those roles. Putting Havlat with Marleau and Thornton would re-dimensionalize the Sharks' No. 1 line, and the Sharks may finally get over the hump, and make that Cup run that Bay Area hockey fans have been wishing about for most of the last 5 seasons.
BTW: Guess which team opens the home season for the Ottawa Senators on Oct. 11th? Yep. The Wild, now featuring Heatley, the man Sens' fans love to hate. Should be 'must-see TV' for Wild followers.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Draft Day 2: Stocking Up
The NHL Draft, Day 2, was all about the future. Not this season, or next. Say, 3-4-5 seasons down the road.
On Saturday, the Minnesota Wild chose the 'hometown boy', Mario Lucia, son of U of M head coach Don Lucia, with the No. 60 pick late in the second round of the draft (a pick, BTW, that they traded for, giving the Vancouver Canucks the No. 71 and 101 picks). The Wild then drafted Eden Prairie defenseman Nick Seeler with the 131st pick, in the middle of round 5. In total, the Wild drafted 4 forwards, 1 defenseman and a goalie with their 6 picks in the draft.
With the excitement of the previous day's Brent Burns -- Devin Setoguchi trade out of the way, the team could get down to the business of the day...continuing to re-stock the larder of talent which was laid bare during the admiistration of Doug Risebrough. Most draft observers already have called this draft a definite 'win' for the local sextet, as the quality of talent being infused will help the Wild go that much further down the road.
But there's the rub. It's down the road. Not starting with the big club in 85 days with the start of training camp in September. It's 3-4 years (or more, in some cases) until these guys are ready for the NHL. The temptation is that the Wild get some 'wily veterans' now to tide them over. That was the solution of the old regime in St. Paul. But, as the Chicago Blackhawks will tell you, that framework doesn't work any more. The way to really build a franchise is to build with youth and talent thru the draft. You most certainly can get some older, more experienced players to mix in, but you can't get over the large hump that Risebrough, et. al., left behind three summers ago without youth and talent.
Hence the next big date in the NHL calendar of events: Free agency day, coming at 12 Noon this coming Friday, July 1. Do the Wild need a big free agency splash? Do they really WANT a big time rent-a-player, who will drag the salary cap down to near-zero once again?
In past years, the Wild were definitely buyers in this market. I'm not so sure this season. Supposedly there's not a lot out there that the Wild would actually want. There would be a few players that the Wild would like to have, but most of them will demand so much in terms of money and contract length, that they're really not worth it. So, do you go after a free agent (or two) while keeping the kids down on the farm, or do you give the kids a chance to make it onto the big club?
I guess we'll all find out together, starting on Friday at 12 Noon sharp...
On Saturday, the Minnesota Wild chose the 'hometown boy', Mario Lucia, son of U of M head coach Don Lucia, with the No. 60 pick late in the second round of the draft (a pick, BTW, that they traded for, giving the Vancouver Canucks the No. 71 and 101 picks). The Wild then drafted Eden Prairie defenseman Nick Seeler with the 131st pick, in the middle of round 5. In total, the Wild drafted 4 forwards, 1 defenseman and a goalie with their 6 picks in the draft.
With the excitement of the previous day's Brent Burns -- Devin Setoguchi trade out of the way, the team could get down to the business of the day...continuing to re-stock the larder of talent which was laid bare during the admiistration of Doug Risebrough. Most draft observers already have called this draft a definite 'win' for the local sextet, as the quality of talent being infused will help the Wild go that much further down the road.
But there's the rub. It's down the road. Not starting with the big club in 85 days with the start of training camp in September. It's 3-4 years (or more, in some cases) until these guys are ready for the NHL. The temptation is that the Wild get some 'wily veterans' now to tide them over. That was the solution of the old regime in St. Paul. But, as the Chicago Blackhawks will tell you, that framework doesn't work any more. The way to really build a franchise is to build with youth and talent thru the draft. You most certainly can get some older, more experienced players to mix in, but you can't get over the large hump that Risebrough, et. al., left behind three summers ago without youth and talent.
Hence the next big date in the NHL calendar of events: Free agency day, coming at 12 Noon this coming Friday, July 1. Do the Wild need a big free agency splash? Do they really WANT a big time rent-a-player, who will drag the salary cap down to near-zero once again?
In past years, the Wild were definitely buyers in this market. I'm not so sure this season. Supposedly there's not a lot out there that the Wild would actually want. There would be a few players that the Wild would like to have, but most of them will demand so much in terms of money and contract length, that they're really not worth it. So, do you go after a free agent (or two) while keeping the kids down on the farm, or do you give the kids a chance to make it onto the big club?
I guess we'll all find out together, starting on Friday at 12 Noon sharp...
Saturday, June 25, 2011
NHL Draft, day 1: End of the Burns era
No one ever said the NHL draft was going to be without intrigue. No one but those involved, knew it would be THAT much intrigue, all at once. Especially for the hometown folks.
Almost an hour after the Minnesota Wild chose Swedish defenseman Jonas Brodin, a 17-year-old who has already played in Sweden's Elite League with Farjestad, Wild GM Chuck Fletcher dropped an absolute bombshell, by trading defenseman (and free-agent-to-be) Brent Burns and next season's second-round pick to San Jose for winger Devin Setoguchi, San Jose's No. 1 pick from last season (Boston U forward Charlie Coyle), and San Jose's first round pick in this draft, the No. 28 pick, which the Wild then used to take center Zack Phillips from St. John of the QMJHL.
On paper, this looks like a classic 'win-win' scenario, as the Wild did not want to spend the $5-6 million per season to re-sign the popular defenseman, who will become an unrestricted free agent after the upcoming season. The Sharks signed Setoguchi to a new 3-year, $9M deal on Thursday, but claim that signing the former linemate of Joe Thornton had nothing to do with the trade.
Coyle is projected to be a power forward, and will definitely push the likes of Guillaume Latendresse when he arrives in St. Paul, beginning next month at prospects camp. Although Phillips is only 18, should he develop as expected he, too, will push other, more veteran players in 2-3 seasons' time.
But the key is the 24-year-old Setoguchi, whom Wild fans will get a lot of satisfaction out of the fact that he loves to shoot the puck, something sorely lacking with the Wild's maddingly pass-happy offense. Being the linemate of either Mikko Koivu and Pierre-Marc Bouchard or Latendresse and Martin Havlat won't hurt, either, as the Wild have declared themselves as definitely in a youth movement and talent hunt, all at the same time.
Most observers view this trade as the biggest Wild deal ever. Only time will tell if the deal indeed was the biggest trade in the franchise's 11-season history, but the team isn't done yet. There's still another day to go. And for Brent Burns?
Better find out what the Santa Clara County regulations are about that petting zoo at home...
Almost an hour after the Minnesota Wild chose Swedish defenseman Jonas Brodin, a 17-year-old who has already played in Sweden's Elite League with Farjestad, Wild GM Chuck Fletcher dropped an absolute bombshell, by trading defenseman (and free-agent-to-be) Brent Burns and next season's second-round pick to San Jose for winger Devin Setoguchi, San Jose's No. 1 pick from last season (Boston U forward Charlie Coyle), and San Jose's first round pick in this draft, the No. 28 pick, which the Wild then used to take center Zack Phillips from St. John of the QMJHL.
On paper, this looks like a classic 'win-win' scenario, as the Wild did not want to spend the $5-6 million per season to re-sign the popular defenseman, who will become an unrestricted free agent after the upcoming season. The Sharks signed Setoguchi to a new 3-year, $9M deal on Thursday, but claim that signing the former linemate of Joe Thornton had nothing to do with the trade.
Coyle is projected to be a power forward, and will definitely push the likes of Guillaume Latendresse when he arrives in St. Paul, beginning next month at prospects camp. Although Phillips is only 18, should he develop as expected he, too, will push other, more veteran players in 2-3 seasons' time.
But the key is the 24-year-old Setoguchi, whom Wild fans will get a lot of satisfaction out of the fact that he loves to shoot the puck, something sorely lacking with the Wild's maddingly pass-happy offense. Being the linemate of either Mikko Koivu and Pierre-Marc Bouchard or Latendresse and Martin Havlat won't hurt, either, as the Wild have declared themselves as definitely in a youth movement and talent hunt, all at the same time.
Most observers view this trade as the biggest Wild deal ever. Only time will tell if the deal indeed was the biggest trade in the franchise's 11-season history, but the team isn't done yet. There's still another day to go. And for Brent Burns?
Better find out what the Santa Clara County regulations are about that petting zoo at home...
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Minnesota Wild 2011-2012: now THIS is a schedule!
Wild get favorable results as NHL releases 2011-12 schedule
By Wild Road Tripper
The NHL released its' 2011-2012 schedule on Thursday, and for once, the schedule makers felt compelled to throw the Minnesota Wild a few breaks.
With 12 Saturday home games, including at least one Saturday home game in each month of the regular season, the Wild will play a total of 20 games (12 home, 8 road) on Saturday, their most popular day of the week, including two Saturday afternoon games (Oct. 22 at Vancouver, and March 17 -- St. Patrick's Day, normally a crazy day in Downtown St. Paul, vs. Carolina) and the sixth Hockey Day Minnesota on January 21, vs. Dallas.
Three Central Division teams -- Columbus, Detroit and St. Louis -- as well as the Phoenix Coyotes, from the Pacific Division, all play in St. Paul exclusively on Saturdays. The Wild play all 4 games (2 home, 2 away) vs. St. Louis on Saturdays, as well as 3 of the 4 Phoenix games are on Saturday. 19 Wild home games are on weekend days; Friday (2 games), Saturday (12 games) or Sunday (5 games). Thursday is the Wild's second-most home night, with 10 Thursday night games on the schedule. 3 Mondays, 7 Tuesdays and 2 Wednesdays round out by day of week at home. Home opponents of note include the Boston Bruins (2:00 PM, February 19), Pittsburgh (Oct. 18), New Jersey (Dec. 2), Winnipeg (Feb. 16), the NY Rangers (March 27). Nine home games make March the busiest home at the 'X', with November's 8 games second.
The Wild play at home on Thanksgiving Eve (Nashville), the Day after Thanksgiving (Edmonton), Boxing Day (Colorado), New Year's Eve (Phoenix), Valentine's Day (Anaheim) and St. Patrick's Day (Carolina).
The Wild dispatch the games in the Northwest early; in fact, the Wild play only one game (at Phoenix, March 8) west of Denver after January 7. In fact, 16 of the 24 games vs. Northwest division opponents will have been played by that date.
But, let's face it: it's the ROAD schedule you want!
The Wild make their first appearance against Winnipeg at the MTS Centre on Dec. 13, the first half of a road-and-home back-to-back (with Chicago at the 'X' the next night), the first of four such situations on the docket. There is one home-and-home B-2-B'er (Nov. 27-28, vs. Calgary and Tampa Bay, respectively), and five two-game-in-two-night road trips as well.
Best road trip opportunities (of course, as always, it's IMHO):
Oct. 10-11 (at NY Islanders, at Ottawa). That noon start on Long Island is really interesting. Kids' opening day. Ottawa can be a house of horrors, though; the Wild haven't won at Scotiabank Place since 2004.
Nov. 10-13 (at San Jose, at Los Angeles, at Anaheim). Three games in four days. In California. Nice.
Dec. 4-10 (at Anaheim, at San Jose, at LA, at Phoenix). Four games in seven days. No back-to-backs. Comfortable, easy trip in the Southwest, just before the holiday craziness starts.
Dec. 13, at MTS Centre, Winnipeg. Charter bus heaven!
January 12-14 (at Chicago, at St. Louis). Another easy travel trip. Might not be so easy hockey-wise, though.
Feb. 18 at St. Louis. An afternoon contest (1 PM start), one day down & back. On a Saturday. (Free food game for the Blues? Possibly!)
Feb. 23-24 (at Florida, at Dallas). Almost too good to pass up, especially if you can get 2-3 days of sun on the front end!
March 1-2 (at Montreal, at Detroit). Another trip that's almost too good to pass up, save for the fact that the second game is, indeed, in Detroit.
March 6-8 (at Colorado, at Phoenix). Could this be the Wild's last trip ever to the desert?
March 24-25 (at Buffalo, at Washington). Another great weekend with 'da boys' in the East.
April 1 (at Chicago, 6 PM start). You could get the last flight out after the game ends...IF you're lucky...or, make it a 3-dayer, and head to Nashville for April 3 vs. the Preds. Another easy trip.
Now, the next question: what type of Wild team will show up this season? The NHL draft, starting Friday night at the 'X'. will begin to tell those questions. I'll be there both days. Will you? --WRT
By Wild Road Tripper
The NHL released its' 2011-2012 schedule on Thursday, and for once, the schedule makers felt compelled to throw the Minnesota Wild a few breaks.
With 12 Saturday home games, including at least one Saturday home game in each month of the regular season, the Wild will play a total of 20 games (12 home, 8 road) on Saturday, their most popular day of the week, including two Saturday afternoon games (Oct. 22 at Vancouver, and March 17 -- St. Patrick's Day, normally a crazy day in Downtown St. Paul, vs. Carolina) and the sixth Hockey Day Minnesota on January 21, vs. Dallas.
Three Central Division teams -- Columbus, Detroit and St. Louis -- as well as the Phoenix Coyotes, from the Pacific Division, all play in St. Paul exclusively on Saturdays. The Wild play all 4 games (2 home, 2 away) vs. St. Louis on Saturdays, as well as 3 of the 4 Phoenix games are on Saturday. 19 Wild home games are on weekend days; Friday (2 games), Saturday (12 games) or Sunday (5 games). Thursday is the Wild's second-most home night, with 10 Thursday night games on the schedule. 3 Mondays, 7 Tuesdays and 2 Wednesdays round out by day of week at home. Home opponents of note include the Boston Bruins (2:00 PM, February 19), Pittsburgh (Oct. 18), New Jersey (Dec. 2), Winnipeg (Feb. 16), the NY Rangers (March 27). Nine home games make March the busiest home at the 'X', with November's 8 games second.
The Wild play at home on Thanksgiving Eve (Nashville), the Day after Thanksgiving (Edmonton), Boxing Day (Colorado), New Year's Eve (Phoenix), Valentine's Day (Anaheim) and St. Patrick's Day (Carolina).
The Wild dispatch the games in the Northwest early; in fact, the Wild play only one game (at Phoenix, March 8) west of Denver after January 7. In fact, 16 of the 24 games vs. Northwest division opponents will have been played by that date.
But, let's face it: it's the ROAD schedule you want!
The Wild make their first appearance against Winnipeg at the MTS Centre on Dec. 13, the first half of a road-and-home back-to-back (with Chicago at the 'X' the next night), the first of four such situations on the docket. There is one home-and-home B-2-B'er (Nov. 27-28, vs. Calgary and Tampa Bay, respectively), and five two-game-in-two-night road trips as well.
Best road trip opportunities (of course, as always, it's IMHO):
Oct. 10-11 (at NY Islanders, at Ottawa). That noon start on Long Island is really interesting. Kids' opening day. Ottawa can be a house of horrors, though; the Wild haven't won at Scotiabank Place since 2004.
Nov. 10-13 (at San Jose, at Los Angeles, at Anaheim). Three games in four days. In California. Nice.
Dec. 4-10 (at Anaheim, at San Jose, at LA, at Phoenix). Four games in seven days. No back-to-backs. Comfortable, easy trip in the Southwest, just before the holiday craziness starts.
Dec. 13, at MTS Centre, Winnipeg. Charter bus heaven!
January 12-14 (at Chicago, at St. Louis). Another easy travel trip. Might not be so easy hockey-wise, though.
Feb. 18 at St. Louis. An afternoon contest (1 PM start), one day down & back. On a Saturday. (Free food game for the Blues? Possibly!)
Feb. 23-24 (at Florida, at Dallas). Almost too good to pass up, especially if you can get 2-3 days of sun on the front end!
March 1-2 (at Montreal, at Detroit). Another trip that's almost too good to pass up, save for the fact that the second game is, indeed, in Detroit.
March 6-8 (at Colorado, at Phoenix). Could this be the Wild's last trip ever to the desert?
March 24-25 (at Buffalo, at Washington). Another great weekend with 'da boys' in the East.
April 1 (at Chicago, 6 PM start). You could get the last flight out after the game ends...IF you're lucky...or, make it a 3-dayer, and head to Nashville for April 3 vs. the Preds. Another easy trip.
Now, the next question: what type of Wild team will show up this season? The NHL draft, starting Friday night at the 'X'. will begin to tell those questions. I'll be there both days. Will you? --WRT
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Vancouver, post-SCF; Saying 'Yo' to Yeo; One week until the Draft
OK, folks. I really don't have a lot this time around. I'll admit that straight out. But since it's been nearly two weeks since I sat down with my blog, time to get a few more things off my mind...
Stanley Cup Final: The Bruins actually stopped the Canucks' juggernaut. Now all of North America knows what a bunch of whining, crying, diving babies the Canucks are. When the heat was finally put on the Canucks, they wilted like so much lettuce. The Sedins were the ultimate non-factor in the Finals, while Boston goaltender Tim Thomas couldn't have done more to earn the cup, save for making it himself. While Vancouver thought the way to the cup was to fake injuries in order to draw penalties, the referees were having none of it. Play on.
Post-Cup Vancouver Riot: There has been so much said about this already, blaming anarchists and misguided youth. Sorry, Vancouver. You have no one but yourselves (and your lousy hockey team, the guys who couldn't seal the deal) to blame for the destruction which occurred after Wednesday night's Game Seven. Like your hockey franchise, you blame everyone but yourselves for the troubles. Look in the mirror, British Columbia. Don't like what you see? Do something about it. Start with your hockey team. Work on being a better community, one which doesn't tolerate violence every time things don't go your way. Will the Queen's Bench let the guilty off, like they did Todd Bertuzzi?
My guess is yeah, they will. After all, this is Vancouver, where anything goes. We all saw it again last week.
Saying 'Yo' to Mike Yeo: Minnesota Wild GM Chuck Fletcher now knows, after two seasons in the front office, just what a disaster he inherited from the remnants of the Risebrough administration. And, after the team tuned out Todd Richards at the end of last season (precipitating the disasterous 'March to Hell' stretch drive) that first and foremost, he had to find someone to get thru to the team's younger talent. The fact that they promoted from within speaks volumes as to where the ownership wants this team to go. This team will progressively get younger as time goes on. The fact that players like Antti Miettinen and (probably) Chuck Kobasew have played their last games in Iron Range Red should actually please the fan base, as there will be room for the kids who Yeo coached to within one game of the AHL Calder Cup at the NHL level this fall. Now if the Wild would buy out Cam Barker, so as to remove him from the roster, there would be two spots available on the blue line for Jared Spurgeon and Marco Scandella.
One thing Yeo said in his press conference Friday morning stood out: that the Wild will be a more competitive team, night in, night out. Hopefully that will mean the end of the 8-1 home blowouts, followed by two equally embarrassing home losses, all in the same week. Only time will tell.
NHL Draft: By this time next week, we will know who the Wild have selected in the 2011 Draft, coming this Friday and Saturday at the 'X' in St. Paul. As Fletcher and Co., continue to re-stock the larder of talent, the quality of 18-year-olds looks pretty good...on paper. Only time will tell if the decisions made next weekend will pan out. For the young players, it's their second-to-last step to getting paid for all those 6 AM practices in forlorn hockey rinks around the world. For their parents, another one leaves the nest to go out and seek his fortune. For the teams, it's taking a risk on a kid who has talent, but does he have the intangibles needed to survive at the highest level of the sport?
As I said, only time will tell...
Stanley Cup Final: The Bruins actually stopped the Canucks' juggernaut. Now all of North America knows what a bunch of whining, crying, diving babies the Canucks are. When the heat was finally put on the Canucks, they wilted like so much lettuce. The Sedins were the ultimate non-factor in the Finals, while Boston goaltender Tim Thomas couldn't have done more to earn the cup, save for making it himself. While Vancouver thought the way to the cup was to fake injuries in order to draw penalties, the referees were having none of it. Play on.
Post-Cup Vancouver Riot: There has been so much said about this already, blaming anarchists and misguided youth. Sorry, Vancouver. You have no one but yourselves (and your lousy hockey team, the guys who couldn't seal the deal) to blame for the destruction which occurred after Wednesday night's Game Seven. Like your hockey franchise, you blame everyone but yourselves for the troubles. Look in the mirror, British Columbia. Don't like what you see? Do something about it. Start with your hockey team. Work on being a better community, one which doesn't tolerate violence every time things don't go your way. Will the Queen's Bench let the guilty off, like they did Todd Bertuzzi?
My guess is yeah, they will. After all, this is Vancouver, where anything goes. We all saw it again last week.
Saying 'Yo' to Mike Yeo: Minnesota Wild GM Chuck Fletcher now knows, after two seasons in the front office, just what a disaster he inherited from the remnants of the Risebrough administration. And, after the team tuned out Todd Richards at the end of last season (precipitating the disasterous 'March to Hell' stretch drive) that first and foremost, he had to find someone to get thru to the team's younger talent. The fact that they promoted from within speaks volumes as to where the ownership wants this team to go. This team will progressively get younger as time goes on. The fact that players like Antti Miettinen and (probably) Chuck Kobasew have played their last games in Iron Range Red should actually please the fan base, as there will be room for the kids who Yeo coached to within one game of the AHL Calder Cup at the NHL level this fall. Now if the Wild would buy out Cam Barker, so as to remove him from the roster, there would be two spots available on the blue line for Jared Spurgeon and Marco Scandella.
One thing Yeo said in his press conference Friday morning stood out: that the Wild will be a more competitive team, night in, night out. Hopefully that will mean the end of the 8-1 home blowouts, followed by two equally embarrassing home losses, all in the same week. Only time will tell.
NHL Draft: By this time next week, we will know who the Wild have selected in the 2011 Draft, coming this Friday and Saturday at the 'X' in St. Paul. As Fletcher and Co., continue to re-stock the larder of talent, the quality of 18-year-olds looks pretty good...on paper. Only time will tell if the decisions made next weekend will pan out. For the young players, it's their second-to-last step to getting paid for all those 6 AM practices in forlorn hockey rinks around the world. For their parents, another one leaves the nest to go out and seek his fortune. For the teams, it's taking a risk on a kid who has talent, but does he have the intangibles needed to survive at the highest level of the sport?
As I said, only time will tell...
Monday, June 6, 2011
Update on this 'n' that
Yes, I've taken some time off, for vacation and for personal reasons. But, it's not like the hockey world has ground to a halt since we last got together...
Stanley Cup Finals: The NHL playoffs have finally come down to one series, Boston vs. Vancouver. Now, I know that some of you think that since this is a blog primarily about a Western Conference team, that we should all be sheeple, and root for the Canucks. Well, you're wrong. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth. A lot of people in the West are true believers in the theory of 'ABV' (Anyone But Vancouver) and really are hoping the Bruins will come back in the series, but the way that the 'Nucks have clawed, scratched, and bitten (Alex Burrows) their way to a 2-0 lead in the series, there is precious little time left to stop the parade on Granville Street in ten days' time. I still hope that justice will prevail, and the Bruins can pull it off, but it just doesn't look like they can.
Minnesota Wild coaching search: This has been more secretive than the hit on Osama Bin Laden. Hopefully it will be as successful. Is Chuck Fletcher waiting for the Houston Aeros season to end in order to offer the job to Mike Yeo? Or are they waiting until the Stanley Cup Finals to end, in order to announce the new coach to the public when they can get a bigger bang for the buck, as it where? The NHL draft is in less than 3 weeks. Wild fans hope the team has their act together, no matter what happens. And, speaking of the NHL Draft...
NHL Draft June 24 & 25, at the 'X': The draft is, indeed, looming; can the Wild get better as fast as they need to thru the draft? Or, will they be forced to the trade market in order to get better as fast as their fan base (and their ownership) need them to? With their most glaring need (and their single biggest potential help) deciding to stay one more season in Europe, will they draft a center who might be able to help them right away? Or will they continue to 'restock the larder' in Houston, despite the success of the Aeros this season?
Free Agency Day, July 1st: Will the Wild be buyers? Or sellers? Or will they just stand pat, after the success in Houston with the kids this spring? Yes, the Aeros are an AHL roster, so there are some players who will not go to the next level. But the fact is several of them will indeed, make the big club in St. Paul in the next 3-4 seasons, so do you plan for that? Do you plan based on what you currently have at the NHL level? Or, do you blow it up, and let the new coach start over? Many, many decisions to be made. And, not a lot of time in which to make them.
NHL back to Winnipeg: Good move or move too long in coming? Looking at the facts, the NHL just turned an albatross of a franchise (sorry, Blueland; no one cared, especially the fractured ownership) into one of the biggest success stories of the upcoming season. 45 guaranteed sellouts, and that makes everyone in hockey happy. Yes, the MTS Centre will be the NHL's smallest arena, but after True North Sports & Entertainment gets by the opening season jitters, there will be an expanded arena in time. Not a new one, just an expanded one. They already have plans. All they need is for the Board of Governors to approve the sale and move (13,000 season tickets in five days? 8,100 in 17 minutes? Sounds like they have support up there) and then bring the season on. The (insert name here) Jets/Moose/Falcons/Whatevers will be ready. The fans will definitely be ready. Now, about that January c-c-cold wind, howling thru Portage and Main...
For Atlanta, too bad, so sad, second chance you once had. Only making the playoffs once (and losing in four straight to the Rangers) didn't really help the bottom line, either. Throw in the fickle nature of Atlanta pro sports fans, and there was a recipe for disaster, especially after Ted Turner left AOL Time Warner and the new ownership wasn't keen on owning three sports franchises in the Capitol of the New South. They kept the right one (the Braves) and spun off the others to the Atlanta Spirit group, whose members don't exactly get along with each other, to the delight of law firms all over the Peach State.
And will I be going to the first game in the MTS Centre that the Minnesota Wild play in Winnipeg? Yes. I wouldn't miss it. (Did you REALLY have to ask that question? Really??)
Enjoy the summer, folks. We'll talk again soon. -- WRT
Stanley Cup Finals: The NHL playoffs have finally come down to one series, Boston vs. Vancouver. Now, I know that some of you think that since this is a blog primarily about a Western Conference team, that we should all be sheeple, and root for the Canucks. Well, you're wrong. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth. A lot of people in the West are true believers in the theory of 'ABV' (Anyone But Vancouver) and really are hoping the Bruins will come back in the series, but the way that the 'Nucks have clawed, scratched, and bitten (Alex Burrows) their way to a 2-0 lead in the series, there is precious little time left to stop the parade on Granville Street in ten days' time. I still hope that justice will prevail, and the Bruins can pull it off, but it just doesn't look like they can.
Minnesota Wild coaching search: This has been more secretive than the hit on Osama Bin Laden. Hopefully it will be as successful. Is Chuck Fletcher waiting for the Houston Aeros season to end in order to offer the job to Mike Yeo? Or are they waiting until the Stanley Cup Finals to end, in order to announce the new coach to the public when they can get a bigger bang for the buck, as it where? The NHL draft is in less than 3 weeks. Wild fans hope the team has their act together, no matter what happens. And, speaking of the NHL Draft...
NHL Draft June 24 & 25, at the 'X': The draft is, indeed, looming; can the Wild get better as fast as they need to thru the draft? Or, will they be forced to the trade market in order to get better as fast as their fan base (and their ownership) need them to? With their most glaring need (and their single biggest potential help) deciding to stay one more season in Europe, will they draft a center who might be able to help them right away? Or will they continue to 'restock the larder' in Houston, despite the success of the Aeros this season?
Free Agency Day, July 1st: Will the Wild be buyers? Or sellers? Or will they just stand pat, after the success in Houston with the kids this spring? Yes, the Aeros are an AHL roster, so there are some players who will not go to the next level. But the fact is several of them will indeed, make the big club in St. Paul in the next 3-4 seasons, so do you plan for that? Do you plan based on what you currently have at the NHL level? Or, do you blow it up, and let the new coach start over? Many, many decisions to be made. And, not a lot of time in which to make them.
NHL back to Winnipeg: Good move or move too long in coming? Looking at the facts, the NHL just turned an albatross of a franchise (sorry, Blueland; no one cared, especially the fractured ownership) into one of the biggest success stories of the upcoming season. 45 guaranteed sellouts, and that makes everyone in hockey happy. Yes, the MTS Centre will be the NHL's smallest arena, but after True North Sports & Entertainment gets by the opening season jitters, there will be an expanded arena in time. Not a new one, just an expanded one. They already have plans. All they need is for the Board of Governors to approve the sale and move (13,000 season tickets in five days? 8,100 in 17 minutes? Sounds like they have support up there) and then bring the season on. The (insert name here) Jets/Moose/Falcons/Whatevers will be ready. The fans will definitely be ready. Now, about that January c-c-cold wind, howling thru Portage and Main...
For Atlanta, too bad, so sad, second chance you once had. Only making the playoffs once (and losing in four straight to the Rangers) didn't really help the bottom line, either. Throw in the fickle nature of Atlanta pro sports fans, and there was a recipe for disaster, especially after Ted Turner left AOL Time Warner and the new ownership wasn't keen on owning three sports franchises in the Capitol of the New South. They kept the right one (the Braves) and spun off the others to the Atlanta Spirit group, whose members don't exactly get along with each other, to the delight of law firms all over the Peach State.
And will I be going to the first game in the MTS Centre that the Minnesota Wild play in Winnipeg? Yes. I wouldn't miss it. (Did you REALLY have to ask that question? Really??)
Enjoy the summer, folks. We'll talk again soon. -- WRT
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