The 2014-15 Minnesota Wild: Forwards

Photo: Wild.com

If there is one great strength for the Wild in 2014-15, its going to come from their forward position.

No Need For An Amnesty

Photo: Mike Carlson/Getty Images

When the clock strikes midnight tonight, the NHL's amnesty buyout window officially opens. While some teams appear to be destined to use one (Buffalo-Ville Leino, San Jose-Martin Havlat, New York-Brad Richards), the Minnesota Wild strike a curious case as they have one amnesty left.

2013-14 Season In Review: Kyle Brodziak

Photo: John Autey/Pioneer Press

Its everyone's favorite scapegoat, Kyle Brodziak. Lets see how his season went.

Key Players For The Wild Against Colorado

Mikael Granlund (left) and Erik Haula (center) are key players for Minnesota.
Photo: Brace Hemmelgarn/USA Today

Earlier today, we looked at five keys to victory for the Wild in their opening round series against Colorado. Now, we take a look at who the Wild need to be at their best from an individual standpoint.

Gameday Thoughts

Photo: Ann Heisenfelt/AP

Wild host the Blackhawks tonight at 7 PM. Since I have about 1,000 (slight exaggeration) thoughts right now, lets get on with it.

Thoughts From Hollywood

Somehow, the Wild got two points last night. Photo: Jayne Kamin-Oncea/USA Today Sports

Though last night was one of the more lopsided games in terms of puck possession by any team this year. And yet, it was one of those nights where the score was far from the story of the game.

O Brodziak, Where Art Thou

It has not been a good start for Brodziak. Photo: Lance Thornson/Getty Images

Yesterday was for giving thanks, counting your blessings, and all that good stuff. Today, not so much. In fact, we are going to a near opposite of giving thanks.

For the 2013-14 Wild, there are two distinct players who have stood out among the rest when it comes to being our favorite scapegoat. One of them is Kyle Brodziak.

Monday Thoughts

Photo: Gerry Broome/AP

Good afternoon everyone. Good to see the squad pick up a shootout victory after we talked about the lack of goal scoring in shootouts on Saturday. Here are some thoughts as we head into a three game home stand:

The 2013-14 Minnesota Wild: Forwards

Two seasons ago, the Wild were the worst scoring team in the league. They averaged just over two goals per game and had the most lifeless offense in the NHL. So how does Chuck Fletcher fix that lifeless offense? He totally retools the forward position by infusing the lineup with a good mix of veteran stars and young kids with vast potential.

Wild Interested Jordan Staal?

The offseason can't come enough for Wild fans. The team holds the #7 pick in the entry draft, they are expected to sign Mikael Granlund (The team's #1 prospect) to his entry level contract, and nearly $18 million of cap space so they could pursue notable free agents such as F Zach Parise and/or D Ryan Suter. But Sunday, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review suggested that the Wild are one of four potential canidates to land the Penguins Center.

The article suggests that Staal would be a perfect leader for the team (Taking a shot at its current leader, Mikko Koivu), citing old Penguins connections with Chuck Fletcher (former Pens assistant GM) and Mike Yeo (former Pens assistant coach), so he would be familiar with Yeo's system. It then goes on to list who the Wild could offer in return, saying Cal Clutterbuck, Devin Setoguchi, and the team's #7 overall pick in the entry draft would be tossed around.

After I read this article, I came away with the following thoughts:

1. There would be a surplus of centers. Should Staal put on the iron range red next fall, the Wild would have Koivu, Staal, Kyle Brodziak, and Matt Cullen all slotted in at center. Meaning, someone (Most likely Cullen) would have to take the demotion to the fourth line, unless they would accept a spot on the wing. And don't forget Granlund is a center, but one would think he will play wing for a year or two before moving into the middle.
2. The Wild would be unwilling to part with Clutterbuck and the #7 pick. Despite what Josh Yohe (the writer of the article) think, the Wild value both of them quite a bit. Clutterbuck is a perfect player in the Mike Yeo system. He gives it 100% every shift, plays gritty, and can score a goal when is called upon to do so. And the team would be more than likely to draft a defenseman (something they sorely need down in the system) with the #7 pick, so giving that up for another forward would just not work out to Chuck Fletcher's advantage. As for Setoguchi, one could see the Wild be willing to part with him due to all the young forwards coming up in their system. And he is coming off a down year, so perhaps he could use a fresh start on a team featuring Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin as the top centers.
3. Staal would have to sign an extension before being traded here. Staal is under contract with Pittsburgh for just one more year. So giving up a very good package for him would be a waste on just a one year rental. The team would need Staal to sign a contract extension (Probably somewhere around $7 million a season over 4-6 years) before they even think of pulling the trigger. 
4. Who would be top line center? Mikko Koivu has been the team's #1 center for four years now. He's also been the team's permanent captain for three years. But in those years he has seen his share of wings come and go, and this past season it appears he found a good linemate with him in Dany Heatley. But a big knock on Mikko is he is not considered a top line center. He is more suited for a second line center spot. So should the team get Staal, it should be assumed that Jordan would man the top line center spot. But, it easily could go the other way too.

After taking all this in, I came to this conclusion: The Wild should not go after Jordan Staal simply due to the fact he would cost this team too much. There are plenty of teams interested in him, and even the package listed in the article would simply not be enough compared to what other teams can offer. They should and most likely will stick to going after the free agents with all the cap room they have.

It was a nice thought. But its one of those things you can try out in a video game, not real life.

Kyle Brodziak Resigns

Yesterday, following a stellar 2-0 win over the defending champs Boston Bruins, the Wild announced that they have resigned center Kyle Brodziak to a 3 year contract extension. Russo writes that the deal is worth $8.49 million, which accounts for a $2,833,333 cap hit for the team in each of those seasons.

As I wrote on Friday, this was something the team needed to do. Brodziak has played extremely well this year, and has seen plenty of time as a second line center (some due to injuries to Mikko Koivu and some because of his stellar play). Brodziak is currently fourth on the team with 29 (15 G, 14 A) points. He does hold a +/- rating of -11, but if you watch this team on a regular basis, that does not properly show the way Brodziak has played this season.

The move is extremely crucial for this organization. And Nate over at First Round Bust describes that pretty adequately in his post from yesterday:

"Signing Brodziak - a guy who wants to play in Minnesota - is also a good way to show free agents that the Wild organization is on the up; especially in light of two players with no-trade clauses (Marty Havlat and Zidlicky) wanting out. It's tough to convince the Zach Parises (even if he's "one of us!") or Ryan Suters to sign with an organization that hasn't made the playoffs in three years (possibly four) and is trying to embrace a youth movement while being competitive. Minnesota may have money (approximately $20 million in cap space give or take Zidlicky, albeit some of it will be taken by guys like Mikael Granlund and Guillaume Latendresse if he gets qualified) but they're not alone.

At the same time, I also like the length and money of Brodziak's contract. One of the issues the Wild have had in the past is having money tied up in long-term deals which saw guys overpaid and not produce. Some of it had to do with poor drafting but it's better having guys like Brodziak, Latendresse and Devin Setoguchi (all who can score 20+ goals) for under $3 million while letting the Granlunds, Coyles, Zuckers and Phillips slowly develop. Kyle has proven he can produce with a plethora of players (this season has shown he didn't benefit from Havlat), is durable (he's only missed two games in three years) and play two-way hockey.

If all goes right, Brodziak can help develop the next generation of Wild players - by the time his contract is up the prospect pool should be ready - and the deal is far from being an albatross if the time comes to trade."

Perhaps this deal, at this point, shows that the team still wants to make a playoff push. Or, it could merely just be a coincidence that it was signed with one week to go until the February 27th deadline. I do think they will sell (Zidlicky, Zanon, Lundin, and possibly Harding) more than they buy. But this is a definite sign that things are starting to look up for this team.

We may not see things get better until next year (Granlund, possibly Parise, and hopefully a solid blueliner is brought in), but we will all be glad Kyle Brodziak will be in a Minnesota sweater for the next three as well.

Cold Hard Facts

I saw this segment on NHL Live yesterday, so I figured I would give this a try on here. This one is not pretty so please read with caution:

1. Guillaume Latendresse and Pierre Marc Bouchard will not return this year: Russo hinted at this the other day, I believe. But to expect either of these two players to return to action this year, is rather ridiculous. Both are battling concussion symptoms (Latendresse returned briefly in December, but had a relapse after throwing his body around too much), and as we all have seen, this takes a lot of time to recover from. The Wild have suffered greatly with both out of action due to the team’s lack of depth, and it will continue moving forward with both out of the lineup. So please don’t expect both to return at all this year…but one can hope right?

2. The Matt Cullen signing has failed: If hockey were a 2 month sport, Matt Cullen would Wild’s top scorer. But, unfortunately, it’s not. And Cullen has been abysmal in the months not named October or November in his two seasons in a Wild sweater. In 56 games this year Cullen has posted an 11-18-29 line, and is a -7 on the season as well. He is on pace to score around the same amount as he did in 10-11 (12-27-39 in 78 games). Cullen was brought in to add some offense and some depth to the power play. But he has done nothing to that extent (It pains me to watch him on the power play now). When you are being paid $3.5 million, you have to put up more than 39 points in a season. Too bad we have to endure one more year of this.

3. Time to resign Kyle Brodziak: Before injuries to Latendresse and Bouchard, Brodziak was playing unbelievable hockey. But, he has come back down to earth a bit, but nonetheless, it’s time to sign him to an extension. Brodziak has been the team’s best center at times (sorry Mikko) this year, and held sometime on the top line while Mikko Koivu was down with injury. He is a very valuable asset to this hockey team now and for the future, so locking him up should be a no brainer for GM Chuck Fletcher.

4. We still got the better of the Heatley-Havlat trade: Despite Heater’s slow production pace to start the year, he has picked it up as of late. He currently holds a line of 19-21-40 and has played in every game this season. Heatley still has a shot to hit the 30 goal mark this season (He needs to score 11 in the team’s final 26 games), something that has not been done since Marian Gaborik resided in St. Paul. Meanwhile, Havlat has seen injuries holding him back to just 26 games so far this year, and has produced horribly (2-13-15) on a very offensively gifted team. So if there is one thing Wild fans can hold their head up about this year, it’s this trade that landed us Dany Heatley.

5. This team will not make the playoffs: It can’t get much worse than this. This team was atop the NHL standings in mid December. But since, it’s been a train wreck. The team has lost all confidence in its ability to do anything. And it cost them their spot atop the NHL standings, the West, the division, and now it will cost them an appearance in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. It’s been a very painful couple of months for the State of Hockey, and it won’t get better until next season. The front office might as well admit defeat and start trading some players (Zidlicky, Zanon, Harding) and get something in return. In fact, at the rate their playing, they could end up with a top 5 pick in June’s entry draft. And what’s the harm in that?

Be Thankful

For a change, the Wild are sitting nicely in the standings this Thanksgiving. They have stunned everyone in the NHL with their 13-5-3 record at the quarter pole in the 2011-12 season. With that said, here are some things to be thankful for today while we sit around and eat turkey:

• Matt Cullen has 8 goals and 12 points so far this year, he scored 12 goals and 39 points all of last year.
• Josh Harding has fully recovered from his torn ACL and his 6-1-1, 1.82, .942 line is one of the best in the NHL.
• With the great outings from Harding, Nik Backstrom has stepped his game up (7-4-2, 1.97 GAA, .935 SV%) giving the team a potent 1-2 punch between the pipes every night.
• The young defenseman (Marco Scandella, Jared Spurgeon, Justin Falk, Nate Prosser) have carried on the success of playing for Mike Yeo, and have stepped up to deliver on of the league's best defenses.
• Mikko Koivu and Dany Heatley click very well on a line together.
• Kyle Brodziak gets the job done with good old fashioned hard work.
• Cal Clutterbuck's mustache is second to none.
• Mike Yeo has this team believing they can win every night...and it shows.
  
• The Wild are first in their division, in their conference, and in the National Hockey League.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving Folks!