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If Chuck Fletcher is Shopping Mikko Koivu it is a Tricky Deal to get Done

June 10, 2015, 12:13 PM ET [25 Comments]
Tony Dean
Minnesota Wild Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
If Chuck Fletcher is Shopping Mikko Koivu it is a Tricky Deal to get Done



When Ek Speaks About the Wild, The State of Hockey Better Listen

Over the course of the past 2 seasons as writer/blogger covering the Minnesota Wild for Hockeybuzz, I have been fortunate enough to see first hand from interactions with Ek that is his extremely plugged into the team. During the 2013-14 NHL season the Wild had an injury/illness epidemic ravage about every netminder on the roster leading to a huge buzz at the trade deadline that general manager Chuck Fletcher was going to add a goalie.

As I participate heavily in Twitter and other social networking sites, I fell victim to a Wild has a done deal to acquire Martin Brodeur tweet. I immediately sought out the captain of the HockeyBuzz ship Ek. Through a text Ek shared with me that he was 99.999% sure, that Fletcher was going to acquire Ilya Bryzgalov from the Edmonton Oilers for several reasons.

I wondered why Bryzgalov was the choice especially given that he at the time had a record of 5-8-5 record in 20 games with a 3.01 goals-against average. In connecting the dots on why Fletcher selected the charismatic but problematic Russian over Brodeur or the other heavily rumored backstop Jaroslav Halak, the overwhelming reality was the price tag and familiarity won the day.

For Halak it took a huge package from Buffalo to get a deal done with St.Louis, and he was then traded again for a lot more than Fletcher was comfortable spending on a bandaid goalie at the deadline. The other very important detail that Ek had at his disposal was that Fletcher had been in the front office of the Anaheim Ducks during which Bryzgalov was there as well.

Fast forward to the 2014-15 NHL trade deadline when Ek had put the Wild on a "Big Name", nobody else anywhere was providing even rumors that Fletcher would add a major player via trade. In fact Fletcher had spoken multiple times saying he wanted to protect his draft choices and young players. So as Ek stated that the Wild were in on a big name, I ran with it because I realize based upon my experience that he is connected.



Sure enough the Chris Stewart trade was announced as the deadline passes, the return being a 2017 2nd round pick which is arguably a lot less than most believed it would take to add the power forward. I explain all of this to highlight that if Ek says the Wild are shopping Mikko Koivu, it is something to pay close attention to no matter the adversities that come with shipping out Kaptain Finn.

Why Would Fletcher be Working on a Trade of Kaptain Koivu?

I think two crowds of Wild fans exist, the first being the diehard supporters of Kaptain Koivu who will defend him tooth and nail to the end no matter the rationale. The other crowd is the Koivu has to go by any means necessary group.

I think this past season specifically I came to appreciate truly the impact of koivu on the Wild because of his size and skill combination. Koivu's defenders use his defensive ability and puck possession game in the offensive end to defend him against questions about his offensive production numbers and overall impact especially in the playoffs.



A glance above at Koivu statistics shows that he is pretty consistent in his production output especially over the past two seasons. The fancy stats guys love Koivu's impact because of his ability to win faceoffs and protect the puck once he has it in the offensive zone. Koivu also has proven to be among the NHL's best defensive centerman over his career.

The argument that Koivu is a bad hockey player is atrocious, instead I have wondered if he does not stack up well against other players considered to be "franchise' type guys for their teams around the league. Koivu's salary cap number and stipulations of his contract most specifically a no-move clause often incite arguments between Wild for and against his trade from the Wild.

I think the thing Fletcher is weighing right now and probably the driving force behind shopping Koivu is a third season in a row of very limited playoff output and an expensive aging veteran core which is making things very tight salary cap wise. I think there is certainly a market for Koivu being that he is a leader and size/skill pivot.

For any deal to make sense for the Wild though, adding a size/skill center this summer would be a necessity especially if Koivu is shipped. For Fletcher to be able to trade Koivu, he would need Kaptain Finn to waive his no-move clause to go to whatever team is on the other end. Besides agreeing to a trade that Fletcher would feel makes his team better or more capable to maneuver, he would have to bring it to Koivu and get him onboard.

Lots of politics and leveraging to any sort of deal that Fletcher could possibility get working. I certainly believe Koivu would waive his no-move clause but I think it is a very delicate dance to get that to happen before a deal is completed. Fletcher has a veteran core and group of young players that he hand selected currently making up the Wild's roster. This current group has melted three straight years against Chicago in the postseason. Although I certainly believe he could go all summer standing pat with this group, I am not sure that is what is on his mind.

So if Koivu is moved this summer, it would certainly be a shot across the bow of this current group and be a culture changing dynamic move. If you deal Koivu not only do you have to find a suitor he agrees to but his hefty $6Mil+ cap hit is a huge factor. Also if your going to deal your only size/skill pivot, you must come up with a comparable replacement or run the risk of being exposed in the Western Conference.

Pay close attention because Koivu could certainly be the huge move Fletcher looks to make at the draft or before unrestricted free agency begins. Fletcher has Mikael Granlund and Darcy Kuemper to deal with currently but Koivu could be on the move very soon.

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Thanks for reading I truly appreciate you!


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Tony Dean




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