Scott Stevens resigned yesterday, in a move that was unexpected to say the least. He stated that his family is the main reason for his decision and no one can fault the man for that ever. He made it work as a long distance relationship with his family who make their home in New Jersey.
We don't know if Stevens will take on a similar role with one of the NY/NJ teams as a result, but either way this is a tremendous loss to the Minnesota Wild.
Stevens was a calming presence on the bench and was instrumental working with the young and blossoming Wild defense corps.
The year that Stevens spent with this team will be felt moving forward but replacing his presence will be the part that will be the toughest.
Stevens is one of the most respected defenseman to ever lace up the skates and his Hall of Fame career was the stuff of legend. You could see that when he spoke with the players they all took what he said with tremendous respect and worked to earn his in the process.
The Wild overall team defense improved dramatically and until the late season swoon, they were one of the top two or three in the league, ultimately finishing number 7. The penalty kill was where Stevens' influence may have been felt the most as the Wild returned to be one of the top PKs in the league,finishing the season with an 83% kill rate, good for eighth in the league.
So now losing Scott Stevens, along with the impending expansion draft, where it is widely expected that the Wild will lose one of their excellent defenseman to the Vegas Golden Knights.
Quite a serious blow indeed.
Chuck Fletcher, if you thought youroff season was already a challenge, it just became that much tougher.
Good luck Scott Stevens in your future endeavors and we are thankful for the year you spent with the Minnesota Wild.