The Expansion Draft came and went and the Minnesota Wild defense is still intact. That was what needed to happen for this team that is in win now mode.

In order to win in the NHL you need strong defense as well as deep defense. The prospect of losing any of these pieces for nothing was imperative for Fletcher and he was able to make it happen.

Yes there was a price to pay, first in Erik Haula and second but maybe even pricier was Alex Tuch and a future conditional 3rd round draft pick.

Haula was a solid contributor for the Wild since the 2013-14 season and has improved his goal scoring production in each of his four seasons with the Wild.

The former Gopher and Shattuck St. Mary's standout, Haula has called the State of Hockey, his home away from his native Finland since 2008. It will be a new start for him in Vegas and a new multi-year contract that has been wel, earned.

Haula was a seventh round draft pick in 2009, the same draft that brought the Wild, Nick Leddy, Matt Hackett, and Darcy Kuemper (Jordan Schroeder was also drafted #22 overall by Vancouver).

Alex Tuch was slated to make a strong run at a Wild roster spot this season, after a very successful 1st pro season in Iowa that saw him score 18 goals and 37 points in 57 games. Tuch made his NHL debut in February playing 6 games with the Wild, registering no points in his limited ice time. The future is very bright for Tuch, and he will be missed, but that is the way that the NHL works today. Teams can't keep everyone and Fletcher weighed his options and Tuch was the piece that had to be cashed in to insure that the Wild did not lose Dumba, Scandella, or Staal.

So in the end Fletcher did an admirable job, and as a fan we wish Haula and Tuch well and look to the future. Fletcher has a lot more work to be done, with new deals necessary for Mikael Granlund and Nino Niederreiter. With Haula moved, that takes one contract negotiation off of Fletcher's plate, but he still needs to address the backup goaltender position as well.

Rumors are flying, but does Fletcher make any more deals prior to the draft?

What would it take to grab a 1st round pick, and how high would it need to be to draft Eden Prarie phenom, Casey Mittelstadt?

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