WildHBCommunity: Canucks Next on Playoff Push Agenda for Wild
Minnesota Wild Finish Road Trip With Showdown in Vancouver
(Photo by Andy Devlin/NHLI via Getty Images)
Tonight the Minnesota Wild 32 - 21 - 7 (71 points) will look to complete a sweep of former North West division rivals as the battle the Vancouver Canucks 28 - 24 - 9 (65 points) at Rogers Arena. The Wild have improved their road record to 11 - 14 - 5 while the Canucks have a home record of 15 - 9 - 5 this season. The Wild have record of 3 - 1 - 1 in their last 5 games and 6 - 2 - 2 in their last 10 games while the Canucks are 1 - 4 - 0 in their last 5 games and 2 - 8 - 0 in their last 10 games. In the last 2 months the Wild has a combined record of 13-4-2 (26 Points) while Canucks combined record during the last 2 months is 5-13-2 (12 Points)
Beating Rival Canucks in Vancouver Will Reinforce Momentum & Confidence for Young Wild
The Wild were lifted up last night by several of their young forwards who in truth are the reason this team is positioned to be a participant in the playoffs this season. Wild Head Coach Mike Yeo almost entirely had the decision to elevate and empower the young 20-something forwards made with him having to give it a second thought as a brutal December and terrible string of injuries had the season circling the drain. My greatest indictment of Yeo has been his avoidance of conflict with veteran players to which I believe it may cost him his job. Injuries to Koivu and Parise eliminated that though as Mikael Granlund and Charlie Coyle have been entrusted to center the Wild's top 2 lines for the past month.
This Canucks team tonight is false advertisement of sorts because I can promise they are capable of much more than their record would indicate. The Canucks at 65 points are hanging around looking to get healthy and make a push towards one of the bottom three playoff spots in the west. They will return Ryan Kesler and Chris Tanev to their lineup tonight and young netminder Eddie Lack will be their backstop versus the Wild. The Canucks will be looking to springboard their final 20+ game push by knocking off this young Wild team they are chasing in the standings.
Tonight the Wild must continue to play a strong team game in both ends limiting chances with forwards contesting shots and passes in the defensive zone. The Canucks are masterful with the cycle and have often victimized the Wild with it the past couple seasons. This Canucks team is going to look to pound the Wild with the forecheck tonight and their fiery first year head coach John Tortorella will be looking to make this one a statement game for his squad.
A Better Appreciation for Direction of the Minnesota Wild After Last Night
The victory last night in Edmonton was an excellent way to return from the olympic freeze no matter how this young Minnesota Wild team achieved the victory. That being said, it was quite evident watching the Oilers play last night they gave less than their best effort. Former Wild centermen Wez Walz @Walz3737 now employed by Fox Sport North as a hockey analyst beautifully savaged the Edmonton Oilers organization from top to bottom for the inability to take advantage of all the talent while showing such little effort last night and in general. Walz savagery was completely justified as last night's showing by the Oilers might just have been the worst NHL hockey I have seen since the porous years here for the Wild.
The difference between the bare cupboard talent starved teams Wild fans painfully survived in the wake of Risebrough/Lemaire dismissal's and that Oilers team from last night is an immense gap in talent and effort. Even though the Wild was full engulfed in some dark lean talent years before regime change, I can never remember a Wild team giving such little effort like was displayed by Edmonton last night on their home ice. I feel for their fans but I know what it feels like to be a fan of a franchise lacking vision and accountability of their decision makers.
I doubt there exists a bigger man fan of Chuck Fletcher and Brent Flahr than I in the Wild content generator community and the significant gap in achievement between the current Oilers and Wild rosters is a huge reinforcing factor for my support of the current front office here in Minnesota. The Oilers have some very talented young players in the NHL and their organization but they have squandered opportunities and assets to have their team positioned to be a factor in the Western Conference. The Oilers will face another deadline where they have significant assets to possibly remedy their current and future NHL roster but I doubt fans have a warm and fuzzy confident feeling their GM Craig MacTavish will get returns that will change the fortunes of this talented bu troubled franchise.
A Quiet 2014 NHL Trading Deadline for the Wild Not Complacency or Failure
I am preparing myself for the outrage and backlash from Wild fans come March 5th when Fletcher is not involved in a blockbuster trade. Here is what I know will occur, the Islanders are going to trade Thomas Vanek to the highest bidder which quite possibly will be a team the Wild will face in the regular season and the playoffs. Vanek will almost certainly be impactful on his new team and could possibly hurt the Wild this year playing for a rival franchise.
What I think will happen at the NHL trade deadline for the Wild is Fletcher moving around players currently at the bottom of the roster for assets that will not require much if any return or commitment beyond short term. Fletcher has worked very hard to rid the roster of marginally talented veterans with inflated contracts and this summer the Wild is positioned to have nearly $21 Million in cap room at their disposal.
The best that could have happened for the Wild with regard to formulating a strategy for this year's trade deadline has occurred in that their young players have proven capable and ready of contributing now and for the playoffs. I am obviously talking about Granlund, Coyle, Nino "KnightRider" Niederreiter, Jonas Brodin, Jared Spurgeon, Marco Scandella, and Darcy Kuemper. Maybe the most important thing that has occurred has been the emergence of Justin Fontaine and Erik Haula though because their versatility has completely transformed the roles and outlook of the Wild's bottom 6 forwards and 3rd and 4th line responsibilities and capabilities.
I really believe the Wild could employ and addition by subtraction approach at deadline which is just 6 days from now. Veterans such as Mike Rupp. Keith Ballard, Dany Heatley, and Torrey Mitchell could find themselves involved in minor deals to open up playing time for the young Wild players waiting in the wings and for players that could be fit types from other teams.
Just My Take, Tony Dean
Follow Me on Twitter @TonyDeanTHW
Also Like the WildHBcommunity of FaceBook here: WildHBCommunity on FaceBook