MNWild: Wild State of Affairs the Dany Heatley Effect
The Minnesota Wild is currently entrenched in a pivotal stretch of their 2013-14 schedule with each contest providing glimpses of the strengths and weaknesses of this current group. The first two months of this season did well to renew confidence in the Wild despite what has been viewed as favorable schedule. Tonight at the X, comes another litmus test against the Chicago Blackhawks. Tonight is about feast or famine for the hometown team in what is sure to be an anxiety filled lead in for the fans who will be waiting to see which Wild squad shows up.
The Wild faces adversities that can truly be attributed to growth and execution of the vision on general manager Chuck Fletcher. It is very easy and convenient to point to all the negative that can be attributed to Dany Heatley this season, I have been very good at that here at HockeyBuzz and on Twitter. Taking a step back though, Fletcher acquiring Heatley has been very productive for the Wild as an organization. No question in my mind Heatley’s play has been truly atrocious this season and it is factually accurate he would no longer be a member of this organization had they been able to buy out his contract. Still so many positive and fruitful things can be attributed to Heatley’s arrival in Minnesota.
While I think it is quite evident
Zach Parise and
Ryan Suter got everything that they wanted in committing to sign with the Wild, Heatley was a major factor in their recruitment here. Heatley also was shipped for a player that Fletcher made his first splash free agent signing to a long term deal in
Martin Havlat. In addition to Heatley being more productive and healthy than Havlat since the swap, it erased for the most part the ugliness that surely would have be associated with the contract and attitude issues Havlat brought to MN. Fletcher already had so much negative association for the
Nick Leddy for
Cam Barker trade. Heatley was rock solid his first season in MN, his second was rocky and ended badly, and now in his third and last is a delicate balance of keeping it from becoming toxic.
Still I must confess I am truly impressed with Fletcher and Yeo for their delicate tap dance with Heatley thus far. It was truly a no win scenario this past offseason when CBA rules do not allow for Fletcher to use a compliance buyout on Heatley’s $7.5Mil buyout. To compound the situation Heatley’s season ended last year in an ugly fashion and although I am not in his head, I can believe he felt very supported by his team or the fans going forward into this season. Yeo has been a lot more decisive with limiting Heatley’s ice time and role this season which is something he nearly completely avoided doing last year. Heatley is honestly a liability nearly every time he hits the ice this year.
Heatley has been a liability in a season in which the Wild has seen its future become reality with the graduation of their young prospects. The bright spot may just be the $7.5Mil in cap room next season at their disposal rather than the final season of Havlat’s deal. When Havlat hit the market and signed with the Wild, the organization was talent bankrupt and he cashed in. He then became a negative presence for the team and was exposed as a mostly complimentary player dependent on playing with scorers. Disgruntled and buyer remorse are usually fatal errors for a decisions maker in their first opportunity to guide a franchise. Heatley for Havlat effectively buried what can honestly be viewed as a damning miss by Fletcher.
I elaborate my thoughts on why Heatley has been more positive than negative for the Wild because I think despite the current state of affairs in the relationship, it has facilitated Fletcher’s ability to build the franchise and solidify his vision as a top personnel man in the NHL. I also think the handling of Heatley by Yeo last season to this season has provided a very good example of his savvy and leadership in my opinion. Obviously I wish the Wild was a bit farther along as a franchise but I believe them to be on the cusp and in good hands. Tonight with the Blackhawks in town it is yet another up close and personal view of what a franchise looks like when the exercise the daemons and breaks through for perennial success.
The idea of this being a bridge year probably does not sit well with the fanatical types or the Wild organization but I believe just because they mostly likely don’t win the Cup, it does not mean fans should feel very good about what will be accomplished this season. Sure nothing but space and opportunity left this season and ultimately the Wild’s story is unfinished. I am just not confident given the set of circumstances Fletcher and Yeo are faced with currently, they are able to remedy the needs of this current roster which is not an indictment rather a growing pain of solidifying the Wild brand.
Just Giving Take,
Tony Dean
@TonyDean1204
Minnesota Wild Blogger • 
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