Whenever a team loses in the first round of the playoffs, there will always be questions and changes that will need to be made. Winning is how teams are judged and the fact is the Wild now have five years of playoff futility to digest. Three of those years including the last two, they were out in the first round.

Yes, changes must be made. but what exactly will those changes look like?

I still feel that this team is in need of an identity, just what kind of team are they. Structured is often the term used to describe the Wild, built on solid defense and strong goaltending. But who do people around the NHL think about when they think Minnesota Wild?

Ryan Suter and Zach Parise were brought in to push this team to new heights. So far that has not been the case. The Wild have been a playoff team in each of Suter and Parise's five years spent in the State of Hockey. But nothing more than a couple playoff series wins to show for the identical 12 year $7.5 million deals signed prior to the 2013 season. They both have an astounding seven years remaining on their contracts.

That investment is looking worse and worse as the playoff failures mount. We all knew that the last years of both deals were going to be suspect at best, but to be in this position through the first five years of those deals is absolutely unacceptable.

Chuck Fletcher admitted that he went all in at the trade deadline, going for the Stanley Cup. That is interesting considering, owner Craig Leipold, made the statement "we haven't got that type of team, we haven't built it yet" speaking of the Wild as a true Stanley Cup contender. So are owner and GM on the same page, and is there reason to believe that Chuck Fletcher's job may be in jeopardy after the most recent playoff failure in Minnesota?

The day Fletcher made the Hanzal/White deal, I wrote, that I was not sold on the Hanzal part of the deal, but I liked the White acquisition. I thought that the Wild needed to add a bit of grit and a player that plays with an edge, which is very valuable in playoff hockey, especially as series where on. White never really established himself in that role and of course the Wild playoff run ended abruptly to boot.

Hanzal seemed to me to be a luxury, and one the Wild did not really need to make, especially at the cost of a first round pick. A depth center was available, in Bryan Boyle who not only would have filled the Wild need but also would have brought with him 100 playoff games worth of experience, including two trips to the Stanley Cup Final and a trip to the Conference Final all in the last three seasons.

Fletcher also failed to address the backup goaltender position, which would have paid huge dividends in March when the team suffered through 4-10-2 record, ultimately costing them top spot in the Central Division and Western Conference.

Now I am not saying that Fletcher needs to go, but there is food for thought that the throw caution to the wind mindset, is not exactly the answer for long term Wild success.

Change is inevitable, even when you win, but even more so when you clearly underachieve as the Wild did in 2017.

Now they do have a stable of very good young forwards in the system, arguably the best in the entire NHL. So besides Eriksson Ek, who will be up with the big club next season? Will we see Jordan Greenway, Alex Tuch, or the highly anticipated Luke Kunin? Only time will tell, but the future is bright for the Minnesota Wild, for sure at least on the offensive side of the ledger.

The expansion draft will bring about it's own set of questions and scenarios as teams will be maneuvering to see if they can get something for an asset that will lose for nothing in the draft.

The Wild are sure to be losing an asset as will all the teams around the NHL. Now who that is and how will that player be replaced that remains to be seen, but either way the 2017-18 Wild team needs to establish an identity.

I believe that starts in goal where Dubnyk needs to be challenged not just anointed. A proven capable backup is a necessity if the Wild are going to improve on this season, next year. There can't be any doubt that Boudreau can go to his backup at any time and feel confident that the Wild will experience very little dropoff between the pipes.

On defense Ryan Suter needs to step up his game and make those around him better. I felt that he was made better by Spurgeon's career season, not the other way around as it should have been.

Suter is a rock on the Wild blueline, but not good enough to warrant the amount of ice time he is getting. As his minutes increase, his play diminishes, especially his decision making with and without the puck, which often led to penalties late in games this season.

The great defenseman that have won Cups, led by Duncan Keith and Drew Doughty are constants when it comes to Norris Trophy discussion before during and after the season. Something that you rarely hear Suter's name associated with. So is that because he is just overlooked playing in Minnesota, or is it because he is just not in that elite level, even though his contract states otherwise?

Leadership combined with exceptional teamwork, is what separates the great teams from the good ones. Champions have the it factor, and it starts with the coaching staff and filters throughout the team.

So Boudreau, and his staff had fairly successful first campaign in the State of Hockey, but that success began to waver and ultimately turned into disappointment as the season wound down and the playoffs began.

The lessons learned need to be adhered to so that this Wild team can finally take the leap forward that we have all been waiting for from this collective group.

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