With his diminished play and soon-to-be expiring contract, this blogger asks if it's time to rename the Minnesota Wild press box popcorn machine at Xcel Energy Center after uber-underachiever Dany Heatley
Have we Minnesota Wild fans found the next human stalagmite (a.k.a. Martin Skoula)? Another Filip Kuba stand-around human pylon?
We just may have.
With his woeful offensive output and $7.5M cap hit, Dany Heatley just may be the next Wild player needing to learn how to make popcorn in the Al Shaver press box at Xcel Energy Center. The only bright spot (if it is that) is that his contract expires at the end of this 2013-2014 season, which may make 'Heater' attractive to a team on the rebuild.
Like, maybe the Buffalo Sabres, or Dallas Stars, or any team not based in Pittsburgh in the Metropolitan Division, or San Jose Sharks (but keep Marty Havlat, will you? Thanks.)
Heatley is a boat anchor on the Wild speedboat, a slow, plodding forward who's best days are well in the rear view mirror, who's attributes are marred by his lack of compete level, inability to find open space, and just flat out bad timing when in the offensive zone.
Saturday night, he was the third best defenseman the Florida Panthers (another team needing a rebuild) had, blocking two shots (one a near-sure-goal) from Mikael Granlund in the third period of the Wild's 2-1 shootout loss to the lowly Panthers, who are still looking up at nearly everyone else in the Eastern Conference.
Heatley has become more of a liability every time he steps onto the ice. A former 50-goal scorer, gifted with great hands, he hasn't used them like he has wanted to in the last two seasons. He should have received a compliance buyout last summer, but since he was injured in an end-of-game scrum in San Jose last April, Heatley ended the season on injured reserve, and according to the terms of the new CBA, compliance buyouts could not be tendered to players on IR.
And now, the Wild are paying for that injury. And how. Talk about paying it forward; the fact that Heatley is not having success to justify that massive contract is hamstringing the Wild, whose anemic offense has only scored 5 goals in the last four games, going 1-2-1 on a four-game Eastern road trip which, based on the current overall talent level of the Wild, they should have gone no worse than 3-1.
So what to do? Heatley has become the single largest liability the Wild have. And one of the toughest to deal with, as his massive contract precludes any type of a major deal. The NHL would immediately throw up red flags at any type of a 'salary dump' deal. The other team in any Heatley trade would as quickly incur the wrath of their own fans, as this albatross of a forward plays the schedule out at half-speed. Or slower.
For all those Ottawa fans who have booed Heatley over the years (he wanted out of Ottawa, and got his wish) for not being a Senator, and the San Jose fans (when they aren't beating each other up) who also boo Heatley when he returns to NorCal, the Wild would probably say 'If you want him, you can HAVE him. Cheap.'
Peyton Place, meet 317 Washington St., St. Paul. As that's what Dany Heatley has made his hockey life in Wild country.
Sunday, October 20, 2013
Sunday, October 6, 2013
What Hath Wild Wrought: After one week...
After one week,of the regular season, we know this about the 2013-2014 Wild:
1. They start slow. The Wild definitely need to pick up the pace, before the opponent does. Both LA and Anaheim found that by getting the first goal (or, goals), they could put the Wild behind the proverbial '8-ball' for the rest of the evening. The first ten minutes of the game are as important as the last 10 minutes of the game. Wish some on the roster would remember this.
2. Haven't we seen this before? Two seasons ago, the Wild started the season with a great power play offense, scoring nearly at will when given the man advantage. Of course, the flip side of the coin that season turned out to be a dearth of goals on the power play later in that season. The Wild have scored power play goals in both games played so far (two vs. Anaheim, one vs. LA). They have shown they can score at 5-on-4; now, can they score more at even strength, 5-on-5?
3. OT/Shootout: new season, same old problems. As we have all witnessed the last three days, the same old bugaboos for the Wild that have plagued them since the departure of Jacques Lemaire have reared their ugly heads once again; namely, the inability of this team to figure out how to win in extra time. Thursday, the fact that the game went to a shootout played right into the hands of the LA Kings, as the entire NHL knows that Niklas Backstrom is the NHL's worst goalie in extra time. On Saturday night, the Ducks' Mathieu Perrault made Backstrom look like a midget goalie, floating a backhander thru Backstrom's five-hole as time ran out. Now, maybe that was a blessing in disguise, as now maybe Josh Harding will start in Nashville on Tuesday night, as the Wild play the new divisional rival Preds for the first time under the new divisional format. And speaking of which...
4. You really don't have time to straighten it out. Six of your next 11 games (including the next 3 in a row) are against divisional opponents. If the Wild continue to falter as they have, they definitely will be on the outside, looking in towards those teams they let slip away from them in October as the season progresses. You can work as hard as hell in practice, but it's in the games where you need to improve. You need to start winning. In regulation time.
Yes, I realize that this is a long season, and that it's only 2 games in. But, with the compressed schedule due to the Sochi Olympics, you really don't have the time to stop and rework what is, in order to reclaim points lost due to inattentiveness, and a goaltender who is a world-beater for 60 minutes, then becomes Egg Beaters for the extra 5. I know that this goes against the grain for goalies; 'You're shattering their confidence', and so on, but at some point, you have to try something different, if the rest of your team cannot get the job done in regulation time. The inattentiveness? You need Sigmund Freud himself to explain why the last 10 seconds of OT becomes a tropical vacation for some guys. And, as for the goaltending in OT/SO?
Put in the other guy when OT starts. For the good of all your goalies. Don't let the team waste 60 minutes (or somewhat less) of effort, by staying with a goalie that can't stop a beach ball in extra time.
Fix what you can. Now. Before the snowball starts downhill and you can't stop it. For another last week of the season looms larger every day as this season unfolds.
1. They start slow. The Wild definitely need to pick up the pace, before the opponent does. Both LA and Anaheim found that by getting the first goal (or, goals), they could put the Wild behind the proverbial '8-ball' for the rest of the evening. The first ten minutes of the game are as important as the last 10 minutes of the game. Wish some on the roster would remember this.
2. Haven't we seen this before? Two seasons ago, the Wild started the season with a great power play offense, scoring nearly at will when given the man advantage. Of course, the flip side of the coin that season turned out to be a dearth of goals on the power play later in that season. The Wild have scored power play goals in both games played so far (two vs. Anaheim, one vs. LA). They have shown they can score at 5-on-4; now, can they score more at even strength, 5-on-5?
3. OT/Shootout: new season, same old problems. As we have all witnessed the last three days, the same old bugaboos for the Wild that have plagued them since the departure of Jacques Lemaire have reared their ugly heads once again; namely, the inability of this team to figure out how to win in extra time. Thursday, the fact that the game went to a shootout played right into the hands of the LA Kings, as the entire NHL knows that Niklas Backstrom is the NHL's worst goalie in extra time. On Saturday night, the Ducks' Mathieu Perrault made Backstrom look like a midget goalie, floating a backhander thru Backstrom's five-hole as time ran out. Now, maybe that was a blessing in disguise, as now maybe Josh Harding will start in Nashville on Tuesday night, as the Wild play the new divisional rival Preds for the first time under the new divisional format. And speaking of which...
4. You really don't have time to straighten it out. Six of your next 11 games (including the next 3 in a row) are against divisional opponents. If the Wild continue to falter as they have, they definitely will be on the outside, looking in towards those teams they let slip away from them in October as the season progresses. You can work as hard as hell in practice, but it's in the games where you need to improve. You need to start winning. In regulation time.
Yes, I realize that this is a long season, and that it's only 2 games in. But, with the compressed schedule due to the Sochi Olympics, you really don't have the time to stop and rework what is, in order to reclaim points lost due to inattentiveness, and a goaltender who is a world-beater for 60 minutes, then becomes Egg Beaters for the extra 5. I know that this goes against the grain for goalies; 'You're shattering their confidence', and so on, but at some point, you have to try something different, if the rest of your team cannot get the job done in regulation time. The inattentiveness? You need Sigmund Freud himself to explain why the last 10 seconds of OT becomes a tropical vacation for some guys. And, as for the goaltending in OT/SO?
Put in the other guy when OT starts. For the good of all your goalies. Don't let the team waste 60 minutes (or somewhat less) of effort, by staying with a goalie that can't stop a beach ball in extra time.
Fix what you can. Now. Before the snowball starts downhill and you can't stop it. For another last week of the season looms larger every day as this season unfolds.
Sunday, September 8, 2013
It's that time of year...again
NHL training camps open this week. What to expect from the Minnesota Wild in the next three weeks?
A few things:
1. Very spirited competition, the likes of which head coach Mike Yeo never had last season. Yeo, not unlike most NHL head coaches, hated last season's 48-game 'shotgun start' regular season. The fact is that the Wild never had a real opportunity, after the lockout was settled to sort out all the talent on the roster to see who was NHL ready, and who wasn't.
2. The end of an era for some players? Marco Scandella, Tyler Cuma, and a few others on the first wave of the 'bandwagon of youth' need to figure their games out. And quickly. Because, there's others coming up thru the system to push these 'older' players aside. Scandella especially, as he already has had two cracks at the big time, and hasn't made the most of those chances. Time to either step up or pack up, Marco.
3. Will the new talent help finally take the Wild to the next level? The first full season of Jason Pominville. Minnesotan Keith Ballard quietly trying to rebuild his career after having been signed as a UFA after a stint with the Sedins in Vancouver. And then, there's the man you really love to hate, Matt Cooke. (I still can't believe he is a member of the Minnesota Wild.)
4. Will the real Mikael Granlund please finally step up? The most-hyped Euro in five seasons didn't live up to the lofty expectations that Minnesota fans put upon his young shoulders last season. Hopefully, the grind which was a season in the AHL last year will put some of the hunger back, into a young man who's been spoon-fed a bit much in the last three years.
And, speaking of the farm club...
5. Will the Wild take full advantage of having their farm team less than 250 miles away from St. Paul? By the Alexanders not renegotiating a proper lease in Houston, the Aeros have moved to the Wells Fargo Center in Des Moines, Iowa for 2013-14. Renamed the 'Iowa Wild', the club is only a 3-hour drive from the 'X', which is both good and bad. Good for the 'big club' as they have ready access for help, when they are at home. Bad for that Des Moines is not a hub for any major airline, unlike Houston's Bush Intercontinental. Getting players up to the Minnesota Wild roster when the parent club is on a long road trip will be a real challenge; all moves will have to be made either via MSP (on Delta) or Chicago (American, United).
The logistics of call-ups and send-downs are somewhat daunting, especially when you consider that the final destination is, indeed, Des Moines. Not exactly a hot spot for anything, unlike the hustle and bustle of Houston, the largest city in the US without a pro hockey franchise on any level. Should make for interesting conversations in the Des Moines Register between Iowa Hawkeye and ISU Cyclones seasons.
So what happens next? We'll all find out together, starting on Thursday. So hang on for the ride.
A few things:
1. Very spirited competition, the likes of which head coach Mike Yeo never had last season. Yeo, not unlike most NHL head coaches, hated last season's 48-game 'shotgun start' regular season. The fact is that the Wild never had a real opportunity, after the lockout was settled to sort out all the talent on the roster to see who was NHL ready, and who wasn't.
2. The end of an era for some players? Marco Scandella, Tyler Cuma, and a few others on the first wave of the 'bandwagon of youth' need to figure their games out. And quickly. Because, there's others coming up thru the system to push these 'older' players aside. Scandella especially, as he already has had two cracks at the big time, and hasn't made the most of those chances. Time to either step up or pack up, Marco.
3. Will the new talent help finally take the Wild to the next level? The first full season of Jason Pominville. Minnesotan Keith Ballard quietly trying to rebuild his career after having been signed as a UFA after a stint with the Sedins in Vancouver. And then, there's the man you really love to hate, Matt Cooke. (I still can't believe he is a member of the Minnesota Wild.)
4. Will the real Mikael Granlund please finally step up? The most-hyped Euro in five seasons didn't live up to the lofty expectations that Minnesota fans put upon his young shoulders last season. Hopefully, the grind which was a season in the AHL last year will put some of the hunger back, into a young man who's been spoon-fed a bit much in the last three years.
And, speaking of the farm club...
5. Will the Wild take full advantage of having their farm team less than 250 miles away from St. Paul? By the Alexanders not renegotiating a proper lease in Houston, the Aeros have moved to the Wells Fargo Center in Des Moines, Iowa for 2013-14. Renamed the 'Iowa Wild', the club is only a 3-hour drive from the 'X', which is both good and bad. Good for the 'big club' as they have ready access for help, when they are at home. Bad for that Des Moines is not a hub for any major airline, unlike Houston's Bush Intercontinental. Getting players up to the Minnesota Wild roster when the parent club is on a long road trip will be a real challenge; all moves will have to be made either via MSP (on Delta) or Chicago (American, United).
The logistics of call-ups and send-downs are somewhat daunting, especially when you consider that the final destination is, indeed, Des Moines. Not exactly a hot spot for anything, unlike the hustle and bustle of Houston, the largest city in the US without a pro hockey franchise on any level. Should make for interesting conversations in the Des Moines Register between Iowa Hawkeye and ISU Cyclones seasons.
So what happens next? We'll all find out together, starting on Thursday. So hang on for the ride.
Monday, September 2, 2013
New road sweaters: Upon further review
After Sunday's 'reveal' (which really wasn't, thanks to a late Saturday 'leak') of the Minnesota Wild's new road white sweaters -- the last ties to the early, expansionist days of the 14-year-old franchise -- a few thoughts come immediately to mind:
1. They retained the large 'head' logo for the chest, instead of going to the 'circular logo' emblem which is the centerpiece of the red home sweaters. That logo is also retained as a shoulder patch on both shoulders, leaving a perfect place for the patch for, say, the 2015 NHL Winter Classic. The 2/3rds-sized head logo, which was on the chest on newer, Reebok versions of the now-retired old style white jerseys, is officially retired to the 'patchwork' of history.
2. The red numbering is also retained, albeit in a somewhat boring, standard font, with the green, wider bordering reminding one of mid-2000's Carolina Hurricanes sweaters (only the 'Canes were in black trim, not the Wild's 'Forest Green').
3. The neck, with the 'Minnesota' on the inside, has a green lace to offset the ocean of white on the front of the sweater.
4. The striping at the bottom of the road sweater mirrors that of the green 'third' sweaters as to style and width. The only difference is, of course, the offsetting color (green) against the base white.
Overall, if the Wild needed a new look (and they did) in order to show further improvement, this was probably the best compromise that they could come up with, between the 'traditionalists' and the 'modernists', while staying with the Reebok GIII-template, which all NHL teams must adhere to.
It will take time for the new design to 'grow' on Wild fans. It took time for the others to do that, also. The fact is that the look was getting somewhat dated (mid-late '90's) and that fact, combined with the need to keep the cash registers going, combined to drive the new design.
Overall: B+.
1. They retained the large 'head' logo for the chest, instead of going to the 'circular logo' emblem which is the centerpiece of the red home sweaters. That logo is also retained as a shoulder patch on both shoulders, leaving a perfect place for the patch for, say, the 2015 NHL Winter Classic. The 2/3rds-sized head logo, which was on the chest on newer, Reebok versions of the now-retired old style white jerseys, is officially retired to the 'patchwork' of history.
2. The red numbering is also retained, albeit in a somewhat boring, standard font, with the green, wider bordering reminding one of mid-2000's Carolina Hurricanes sweaters (only the 'Canes were in black trim, not the Wild's 'Forest Green').
3. The neck, with the 'Minnesota' on the inside, has a green lace to offset the ocean of white on the front of the sweater.
4. The striping at the bottom of the road sweater mirrors that of the green 'third' sweaters as to style and width. The only difference is, of course, the offsetting color (green) against the base white.
Overall, if the Wild needed a new look (and they did) in order to show further improvement, this was probably the best compromise that they could come up with, between the 'traditionalists' and the 'modernists', while staying with the Reebok GIII-template, which all NHL teams must adhere to.
It will take time for the new design to 'grow' on Wild fans. It took time for the others to do that, also. The fact is that the look was getting somewhat dated (mid-late '90's) and that fact, combined with the need to keep the cash registers going, combined to drive the new design.
Overall: B+.
Sunday, August 18, 2013
PRED-atory pricing in Music City
Nashville Predators, taking advantage of Chicago Blackhawks' popularity, forces Hawks fans to buy tickets to games they'll never see
Chicago Blackhawks fans will feel a little bit like fans of da Bears in Nashville this season. As in, ripped off to see their team on the road.
The Nashville Predators have instituted a 'pairing' system for games against the Blackhawks this coming season, in order to sell a few more tickets to games OTHER than against Chicago, whose easy access for Hawks' fans, who cannot afford the sky-high prices for Blackhawks games at the United Center, makes road tripping to Music City USA an irresistable target.
The Predators anounced that they were pairing the Hawks' games with games against less-popular teams of their choosing (read: Edmonton, Calgary and Colorado, teams which traditionally don't draw flies in Nashville). Now, if you don't want to go to that paired game, there are Preds-approved ways to get rid of those unwanted tickets (and take a financial bath in the process, IMO).
You can give them to charity (supposedly, you receive something you can take to your tax advisor), put them on the Preds' Ticket Exchange (so the Preds can re-sell them and make the profit, not you) or you can give them away to a Preds-approved military group of your choice.
That is, if you can even GET tickets.
See, the Preds are going to a staggered system to sell single-game tickets online; should your ZIP code (which they will ask for) not start with 36, 37 or 38 (the three assigned to Tennessee), you will be SOL for nearly a week after they go on sale in Nashville, at Bridgestone Arena.
Mind you, the Preds are not alone in their pricing scheme for Blackhawks fans. NFL teams do this as a normal course of their business (the Vikings do this to Green Bay and Chicago annually; but unlike the NFL, where each divisional team plays each other once a season home and away, the Hawks and Preds play each other 5 times this season alone.)
But for a team like Nashville to do this? Yeah, I suppose I can understand that you try to spread out the 'pain' of having thousands of Chicago fans in your arena, but they will come regardless: ask Winnipeg Jets fans, who have made the band-box-sized MTS Centre the toughest ticket in the NHL to get into. There were still thousands of Habs, Leafs, and Rangers fans in the stands when they showed up in the 'Peg. There will be thousands of Hawks fans in Winnipeg this November, too, when the Hawks finally play their first-ever regular-season game in Manitoba.
And, don't tell that to the unabashed kings of NHL road tripping, the Detroit Red Wings, whose sheer numbers of fans seeing them on the road confirm that there is no one left in Detroit to see them play in the regular season. (OK, I kid.) But the fact is that most teams put the Red Wings in their 'Premium' category for tickets (i.e., jack the prices up), due to the Wings' proven ability to draw away from Joe Louis Arena.
So, here's hoping all those 'paired' tickets get used. By fans of THOSE other teams. Because, Nashville Predators, you've done nothing but bring it on yourselves.
Chicago Blackhawks fans will feel a little bit like fans of da Bears in Nashville this season. As in, ripped off to see their team on the road.
The Nashville Predators have instituted a 'pairing' system for games against the Blackhawks this coming season, in order to sell a few more tickets to games OTHER than against Chicago, whose easy access for Hawks' fans, who cannot afford the sky-high prices for Blackhawks games at the United Center, makes road tripping to Music City USA an irresistable target.
The Predators anounced that they were pairing the Hawks' games with games against less-popular teams of their choosing (read: Edmonton, Calgary and Colorado, teams which traditionally don't draw flies in Nashville). Now, if you don't want to go to that paired game, there are Preds-approved ways to get rid of those unwanted tickets (and take a financial bath in the process, IMO).
You can give them to charity (supposedly, you receive something you can take to your tax advisor), put them on the Preds' Ticket Exchange (so the Preds can re-sell them and make the profit, not you) or you can give them away to a Preds-approved military group of your choice.
That is, if you can even GET tickets.
See, the Preds are going to a staggered system to sell single-game tickets online; should your ZIP code (which they will ask for) not start with 36, 37 or 38 (the three assigned to Tennessee), you will be SOL for nearly a week after they go on sale in Nashville, at Bridgestone Arena.
Mind you, the Preds are not alone in their pricing scheme for Blackhawks fans. NFL teams do this as a normal course of their business (the Vikings do this to Green Bay and Chicago annually; but unlike the NFL, where each divisional team plays each other once a season home and away, the Hawks and Preds play each other 5 times this season alone.)
But for a team like Nashville to do this? Yeah, I suppose I can understand that you try to spread out the 'pain' of having thousands of Chicago fans in your arena, but they will come regardless: ask Winnipeg Jets fans, who have made the band-box-sized MTS Centre the toughest ticket in the NHL to get into. There were still thousands of Habs, Leafs, and Rangers fans in the stands when they showed up in the 'Peg. There will be thousands of Hawks fans in Winnipeg this November, too, when the Hawks finally play their first-ever regular-season game in Manitoba.
And, don't tell that to the unabashed kings of NHL road tripping, the Detroit Red Wings, whose sheer numbers of fans seeing them on the road confirm that there is no one left in Detroit to see them play in the regular season. (OK, I kid.) But the fact is that most teams put the Red Wings in their 'Premium' category for tickets (i.e., jack the prices up), due to the Wings' proven ability to draw away from Joe Louis Arena.
So, here's hoping all those 'paired' tickets get used. By fans of THOSE other teams. Because, Nashville Predators, you've done nothing but bring it on yourselves.
Friday, July 19, 2013
First thoughts on the 2013-14 schedule
After sifting thru the 2013-14 Minnesota Wild schedule, just released today, one thing is clear:
This upcoming season ain't gonna be easy, Wild fans.
Four four-game homestands (Two of those with the four games within seven calendar days).
Playing every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday between Dec. 29 and the 16-day Olympic break (Feb. 6). Four games per week on three of the last 5 weeks of the regular season. Twenty Thursday games (10 home, 10 away). Fifteen Tuesday games (8 home, 7 away). Eighteen Saturday games (8 home, 10 away. Five different starting times (1:00, vs. Detroit, March 22), 5:00 (3, including St. Louis on New Year's Eve), 6:30 (twice, both Wednesdays for TSN), 8:00 (once, 'Hockey Day Minnesota' vs. Dallas, Jan. 18) and the other 35 games are (for now, we'll see what TV wants) at 7:00 PM.
And, to top it all off, the last five games of the season: Pittsburgh at the 'X', at Winnipeg, then three more home games (vs. Boston, St. Louis, and Nashville on the season's last day).
The Wild's press release says the Wild travel over 44,000 miles this season, which is actually less than they have previously, as Vancouver, Edmonton and Calgary are no longer divisional rivals.
More on this later in my next post; I still need to get my head around this schedule after last season's 48-game scramble. But for now, let's suffice it to say that the NHL schedule makers still don't have a soft spot in their hearts, for our locally-based sextet.
More later...
This upcoming season ain't gonna be easy, Wild fans.
Four four-game homestands (Two of those with the four games within seven calendar days).
Playing every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday between Dec. 29 and the 16-day Olympic break (Feb. 6). Four games per week on three of the last 5 weeks of the regular season. Twenty Thursday games (10 home, 10 away). Fifteen Tuesday games (8 home, 7 away). Eighteen Saturday games (8 home, 10 away. Five different starting times (1:00, vs. Detroit, March 22), 5:00 (3, including St. Louis on New Year's Eve), 6:30 (twice, both Wednesdays for TSN), 8:00 (once, 'Hockey Day Minnesota' vs. Dallas, Jan. 18) and the other 35 games are (for now, we'll see what TV wants) at 7:00 PM.
And, to top it all off, the last five games of the season: Pittsburgh at the 'X', at Winnipeg, then three more home games (vs. Boston, St. Louis, and Nashville on the season's last day).
The Wild's press release says the Wild travel over 44,000 miles this season, which is actually less than they have previously, as Vancouver, Edmonton and Calgary are no longer divisional rivals.
More on this later in my next post; I still need to get my head around this schedule after last season's 48-game scramble. But for now, let's suffice it to say that the NHL schedule makers still don't have a soft spot in their hearts, for our locally-based sextet.
More later...
Sunday, July 7, 2013
It's amazing what one man can do...
Minnesota Wild start 2013 free agency season with a trade and a big Bang
This is almost geeting too eerie, isn't it, folks? Fourth of July weekend, everyone's out celebrating and then...
BOOM! Once again, here comes GM Chuck Fletcher and the Wild, marching across the local media landscape like Sherman thru Georgia, with another 'I can't believe he did THAT'-type of free agency blockbuster.
Well, the master of July hockey fireworks did it again last week, as the Wild, after trading away restricted free agent Cal Clutterbuck to the Islanders for Nino Niederreiter, cleared out veterans Matt Cullen and Pierre-Marc Bouchard, both of whose contracts were expiring, and, via trade with Winnipeg, Devin Setoguchi, then picked up ex-Vancouver Canuck (and Florida Panther) Keith Ballard, and then, shortly after 6:00 PM Friday night, Fletcher turns around and drops 'the Big one' on Wild fans, by signing the NHL's Public Enemy No. 1, uber-pest forward Matt Cooke, who was an unrestricted free agent after not being re-signed by the Pittsburgh Penguins.
What to make of all this movement? Of all this upheaval and change? Of the NHL's all-time cheap-shot king, making Minnesota his in-season home for the next three seasons, at $2.5M per?
The jury has just only begun to deliberate. Not all the facts are in, either.
We just don't know which Matt Cooke will actually show up at the 'X' in September: the one who, supposedly 'reformed', played as a servicable winger on the Penguins' 3rd line for five seasons; or the 'love-to-hate' player, who was along with Jarkko Ruutu (now with Ottawa). Cooke and Ruutu were, at least in their Vancouver years, two of the most despised players in hockey, along with Todd 'Big Bert' Bertuzzi.
Both Fletcher and Head Coach Mike Yeo had Cooke in Pittsburgh during their pre-Wild tenures, and they both swear up and down that Cooke has reformed his game, that he's not all about the cheap hits and the after-the-whistle stickwork anymore. But, for players and fans alike, old habits are hard to break. And there's the images, such as from 2003, when Matt Johnson took a stick butt-end to the groin from Cooke, and then, Cooke ran, precipitating a fight which spilled over into the stands at then-GM Place (now Rogers Centre).
And, there may be even rumblings that the fun hasn't ended yet, as supposedly Zenon Konopka is being shopped around by the Wild before the pre-season has even started.
So what to think?
Just My Opinion, folks, but... Let's actually see what Cooke does bring to the table in the fall. The cheap stuff aside, the guy does hit, does go into the corners and can score. The Wild need every scorer they can get, and if he happens to play the third line, all the better to spread the goals around. If he can keep his nose clean, and stay out of the post-whistle scrums, he can be a reasonable alternative on a 3rd or 4th line.
According to Russo's depth chart on his 'Russo's Rants' blog, Cooke will play one side with Niederreiter on the other side, and Kyle Brodziak at center. This could be a pretty good third line, with the 6'2" Niederreiter, who has shown he can score at every level of hockey except the NHL, learning defensive skills from the likes of Cooke and Brodziak, both of whom are considered defensive specialists; Brodziak has the big winger on his one side he has never really had on his third line; and Cooke, the hitter, gets to ply his trade with two guys that will probably be there all season, unlike in Pittsburgh, when his linemates routinely stepped up to play alongside both Crosby and Malkin at times last season.
There's a lot to think about, as the Wild plods on thru the rest of the summer, looking for the right combination to take this team towards where we all want them to go. The fans want a winning team, Can the Wild hierarchy say that they have all the tools necessary to get them far in the playoffs on a consistent, year-after-year basis?
Only time will tell for sure.
This is almost geeting too eerie, isn't it, folks? Fourth of July weekend, everyone's out celebrating and then...
BOOM! Once again, here comes GM Chuck Fletcher and the Wild, marching across the local media landscape like Sherman thru Georgia, with another 'I can't believe he did THAT'-type of free agency blockbuster.
Well, the master of July hockey fireworks did it again last week, as the Wild, after trading away restricted free agent Cal Clutterbuck to the Islanders for Nino Niederreiter, cleared out veterans Matt Cullen and Pierre-Marc Bouchard, both of whose contracts were expiring, and, via trade with Winnipeg, Devin Setoguchi, then picked up ex-Vancouver Canuck (and Florida Panther) Keith Ballard, and then, shortly after 6:00 PM Friday night, Fletcher turns around and drops 'the Big one' on Wild fans, by signing the NHL's Public Enemy No. 1, uber-pest forward Matt Cooke, who was an unrestricted free agent after not being re-signed by the Pittsburgh Penguins.
What to make of all this movement? Of all this upheaval and change? Of the NHL's all-time cheap-shot king, making Minnesota his in-season home for the next three seasons, at $2.5M per?
The jury has just only begun to deliberate. Not all the facts are in, either.
We just don't know which Matt Cooke will actually show up at the 'X' in September: the one who, supposedly 'reformed', played as a servicable winger on the Penguins' 3rd line for five seasons; or the 'love-to-hate' player, who was along with Jarkko Ruutu (now with Ottawa). Cooke and Ruutu were, at least in their Vancouver years, two of the most despised players in hockey, along with Todd 'Big Bert' Bertuzzi.
Both Fletcher and Head Coach Mike Yeo had Cooke in Pittsburgh during their pre-Wild tenures, and they both swear up and down that Cooke has reformed his game, that he's not all about the cheap hits and the after-the-whistle stickwork anymore. But, for players and fans alike, old habits are hard to break. And there's the images, such as from 2003, when Matt Johnson took a stick butt-end to the groin from Cooke, and then, Cooke ran, precipitating a fight which spilled over into the stands at then-GM Place (now Rogers Centre).
And, there may be even rumblings that the fun hasn't ended yet, as supposedly Zenon Konopka is being shopped around by the Wild before the pre-season has even started.
So what to think?
Just My Opinion, folks, but... Let's actually see what Cooke does bring to the table in the fall. The cheap stuff aside, the guy does hit, does go into the corners and can score. The Wild need every scorer they can get, and if he happens to play the third line, all the better to spread the goals around. If he can keep his nose clean, and stay out of the post-whistle scrums, he can be a reasonable alternative on a 3rd or 4th line.
According to Russo's depth chart on his 'Russo's Rants' blog, Cooke will play one side with Niederreiter on the other side, and Kyle Brodziak at center. This could be a pretty good third line, with the 6'2" Niederreiter, who has shown he can score at every level of hockey except the NHL, learning defensive skills from the likes of Cooke and Brodziak, both of whom are considered defensive specialists; Brodziak has the big winger on his one side he has never really had on his third line; and Cooke, the hitter, gets to ply his trade with two guys that will probably be there all season, unlike in Pittsburgh, when his linemates routinely stepped up to play alongside both Crosby and Malkin at times last season.
There's a lot to think about, as the Wild plods on thru the rest of the summer, looking for the right combination to take this team towards where we all want them to go. The fans want a winning team, Can the Wild hierarchy say that they have all the tools necessary to get them far in the playoffs on a consistent, year-after-year basis?
Only time will tell for sure.
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