It is a very exciting time to be a Minnesota Wild fan as the team embarks on a new era under new coach Bruce Boudreau. General Manager Chuck Fletcher has been tasked with the responsibility of making the necessary moves by both addition and subtraction to tweak the current roster to take the Wild from a playoff team to a Stanley Cup contender.

On the eve of the NHL draft the fun is just about to begin. The hiring of Boudreau shows that the Wild are committed to making every effort to win now. Boudreau brings a tremendous track record of getting his teams to perform at a consistent his level, with his teams having won division titles in 8 of his 9 years behind an NHL bench.

Now the pressure is on Fletcher to make the right moves to bolster the current roster to take the next step. Boudreau brings an entirely new culture to the State of Hockey which will be something very new and different around here. The Wild have been a solid team for a long time, but never considered a real threat, that time is about to change.

As fans it is a time to enjoy each step of the process, from being a non playoff team to landing the big free agents, Ryan Suter and native son, Zach Parise, to making the playoffs, to winning playoff series, to getting a Stadium Series game. Exciting times for sure, but in this age of negativity and instant gratification fans often get so wrapped up in the now that they forget the journey.

So as the next chapter is unfolding slow down and enjoy the process. As a fan of sports all I ever wanted from my favorite teams, was an owner and management team that was committed to building a winner even if that meant taking a step backward to take a leap forward.

Wild owner Craig Leipold is committed to bringing the Stanley Cup to Minnesota, no question about that. GM, Chuck Fletcher is on the clock to make it happen on the hockey side. That is what every Wild fan should be excited about. The draft is the next step in the process and the possibility of draft day deals, then the Wild free agent market which is very intriguing to say the least with some very big names available on July 1st. Then of course there is the looming expansion draft and salary cap to be navigated.

Exciting times for sure, so Wild community enjoy the ride, and keep the mind open as not every move that will be made is necessarily a move for now, there is a big picture as well.

Let's Go Wild!

Follow me on Twitter @dwallace17

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