WildHBcommunity: Minnesota Wild STATE OF EMERGENCY
This is Not a Test Minnesota Wild Declare State of Emergency
Well everything that could go wrong has gone wrong here in the State of Hockey for the Minnesota Wild. Owner Craig Leipold was clearly doing everything at his disposal to build momentum for his franchise with the July Zach Parise & Ryan Suter free agent signings and yet here we are just hours from a must win game against the worst team in the NHL.
Here is my take like it or love it
Here at HockeyBuzz we have the freedom to speak freely as Ek will surely make us accountable should he take issue but he also does not censor us or have us conform to politics that come in the Hockey world when it goes bad for a franchise. Let’s just say it now, this thing has gone full-fledged meltdown for the Wild with no remedy in sight for the team.
I can only imagine what is going through the head of Leipold right now as he has worked so diligently to re-brand the Wild and attempt to hold the NHL accountable with regards to marketing and specifically seeking to bring the Winter Classic to Minnesota. So much positive momentum and good will built up since the epic collapse of December 2011 for the Wild. It had to appear to the owner his franchise was on the verge on something huge this year.
Although the Wild still has 39 games left this season after tonight, their fate appears sealed as a team that will miss the playoffs in the Western Conference. Head Coach Mike Yeo narrowly avoided being dismissed after his second season on the job as rumors would have it, now is almost completely assured to have no chance at returning to coach the team next season let alone finish this one. Yeo has gone into a sort of shock when facing the media during this current 6-game losing streak not even attempting to spin a positive approach to what has gone on with his team.
Chuck Fletcher has to feel the heat despite assumptions he is safe
The great majority of hockey minds and content generators for Wild hockey seem to all believe that general manager Chuck Fletcher has built enough equity with Leipold to survive this fatal collapse. Fletcher will have to navigate the rest of this current NHL season very carefully because the bottom has definitely fallen out for his team. The Wild has generated very positive storylines this year and Fletcher’s young players have flashed the potential he has promised but there are some glaring issues he is directly responsible for as well.
Fletcher this summer signed veteran goaltender Niklas BackStrom to a 3yr/$3.5 Million per deal which upon further inspection looks like a very larger error in judgment. Players go through peaks and valleys with their play in general but Backstrom has looked every bit of his 35 years of age this season. In 16 games played this season, Backstrom is 2-9-2 with a goals against average of 3.32 and a save percentage of .893 for the Wild. He has clearly not been capable of being the Wild’s top netminder and his play can be directly attributed as costing the Wild victories. Backstrom’s play falling off the cliff does not pass the eye test as just a slump in my opinion making his contract with two more years remaining scary to think about at this point.
The bottom of the roster for the Wild has created such a lack of flexibility it can also be identified as a Fletcher misstep. The acquisition of veteran winger Mike Rupp in a trade with the Rangers February of 2013 was explained by Fletcher and Yeo as a move to add size and a player that understands the system. Bringing in Rupp was clearly an attempt to reinforce Yeo’s system and ability to have it translate to the Wild. Rupp has failed to be able to contribute much in his tem with the Wild unfortunately due in great part to his diminished skating ability. Rupp’s performance and contract has trapped the Wild this season as he would most likely go unclaimed on waivers and still count against the team’s salary cap.
The issue that looms the largest for Fletcher in my mind is Dany Heatley. Even before the season began Fletcher and his staff could see the writing on the wall as it was apparent Heatley would be a perfect candidate for a compliance buyout. Though it was just well informed speculation that Heatley was done with the Wild, there truly was just no way to explain it away when Heatley was deemed ineligible and returned to the Wild this year. Heatley’s has been very clear about his mind state and attitude this season proving through his play how little effort he has decided to expel on a nightly basis for the Wild. Heatley is clearly checked out and has been for the entire season. At a cap hit of $7.5 million this season Fletcher has nowhere to go with Heatley and Yeo has refused to hold Heatley accountable for his performance choosing to elevate him from the 4th line several different times this year while never making hima healthy scratch once.
Basically my message is this, buckle up because I don’t see it getting any better from here for the Wild. A loss tonight at home versus the Buffalo Sabres could be the ignition to a complete blown up of the organization. All eyes on the will be on the Wild here in Minnesota and around the NHL in the next week to see what is the next move by Leipold.
Just My Take, Tony Dean Follow Me on Twitter @TonyDean1204
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