We are exactly one month from the 1st preseason game against Winnipeg. So how has the Wild summer been as far as getting the 2017-18 version of the club ready to compete at the highest level?

It has been a very interesting ride since the Blues unceremoniously sent our Wild home for an early Summer.

The expansion draft took center stage of course creating some tumultuous waiting for the Wild fan base as Chuck Fletcher worked to keep his very talented defense corps in tact.

The first domino to fall was the trade of Tyler Graovac to Washington for a 2018 5th round draft pick.

Fletcher then pulls the trigger on the deal that sent RFA Erik Haula to Vegas, in order to keep them away from selecting either Dumba, Scandella, or Eric Staal.

Vegas selects Alex Tuch and the Wild successfully dodged that bullet. Not at all saying that losing two players instead of one, is in any way good, but every team was going to lose an asset for sure. That is how the rules were established.

Fletcher did his very best to move a player that he knew was due a raise in Haula, and of course the price to keep the D corps in tact was promising young center Alex Tuch.

The draft of course came next and with the Wild not having a pick in either of the first two rounds. A lot of rumblings that Fletcher would make a trade to acquire a higher pick but that never materialized.

Fletcher and the Wild scouting staff did their due diligence to select the best talent available beginning with Ivan Lodnia of the Erie Otters with the 85th pick. The Wild had two fourth round picks which saw them select two centers Mason Shaw and Bryce Misely. In the fifth round they took defenseman Jacob Golden and in round six Fletcher continued his trend of looking to Russia with the selection of KHL center Andrei Svetlakov. With the final selection in the 7th round the Wild tapped RW, Nick Swaney, of Lakeville.

Those selections are all years away from seeing Xcel Energy Center Ice, but there is some upside potential in that group, despite the lack of the early round picks.

Next up on Fletcher's Summer job, came with the trade of Marco Scandella and Jason Pominville to Buffalo for Tyler Ennis and Marcus Foligno. There were draft picks swapped as well in the deal with the Wild getting the Sabres 3rd round pick in 2018 and Buffalo getting Minnesota's 4th round pick also in 2018.

That deal accomplished a few things from a Wild perspective. The obvious is they rid themselves of Pominville's contract, but also added a much needed power forward in Foligno. Tyler Ennis gives the Wild another dynamic offensive threat, and at 27 is in the prime of his career.

Ennis has had injury issues in each of the last two seasons, but has produced in this league largely for a team that was not deep in talent either.

Scandella became the chip that Fletcher cashed in to upgrade the Wild offense.

Fletcher then turned his sights on RFA forwards Mikael Granlund and Nino Niederreiter who both filed for arbitration. Fletcher avoided the arbitrator with both and locked them each up for 3 and 5 years respectively.

Not finished tinkering with the roster, Fletcher brought in Morehead native and three time Cup champion, Matt Cullen to add that desperately needed veteran winner and leader.

Fletcher still has work left to do as newly acquired Marcus Foligno is still in need of a new contract.

Given the daunting task that Fletcher had in front of him, with the sour taste left from the early playoff exit and the sting of the failed trade deadline deal for Martin Hanzal and Ryan White, Fletcher has done a very good job of retooling his team without panicking.

Of course time will tell how the moves will play out on the ice, but the fact that Fletcher stuck to his plan and stayed patient through the process it what stands out to me.

He could very easily have buckled under the pressure, that we all know he is feeling given the playoff woes of five straight seasons, compounded by the collapse this past season following his monumental deadline deal.

Fletcher's Summer grade: A-

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