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New Faces, More Changes Coming?

January 18, 2019, 1:58 PM ET [6 Comments]
Dan Wallace
Minnesota Wild Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
A lot to to discuss with the Wild with the two trades, the abysmal play against some of the league's worst, and who is going to be the roster casualty with the additions of Pontus Aberg and Victor Rask.

Let's begin with one shootout win in a four game stretch with three of the opponents entering the games in last place in their respective divisions, and the fourth team having not won in a month.

That in itself is quite the storyline for a team that had shown signs of being a very solid playoff team, over stretches of the first half of the season. With the oldest roster in the NHL and all of the veteran talent, one would expect a better bounceback after the first of those losses, not shaking their heads after the fourth straight lackluster performance.

Paul Fenton fortunately came to the realization that his team is not even the "good, not great" version that he thought he inherited when he took over for Chuck Fletcher last Spring.

The message is clear that the results on the ice are what drives the decisions off of the ice. We have long talked on this blog of the complacency of the Wild players which shows up on the ice.

The team has been in desperate need of a spark. The leadership within the team are great workers, who come to work every day giving everything they have. It is not a knock on the captain Mikko Koivu or his assistants Ryan Suter and Zach Parise. They bring it each and every night, as was evident last night as Parise had a career high 11 shots on goal in the 3-0 loss to the Ducks.

The question is how does the locker room work and what kind of messages are being sent from peer to peer. Are the players all pulling in the same direction and if not how does that change, if the leadership group remains constant. That all is a topic for another day, but food for thought as Fenton constructs his Wild team.

The trades are interesting in their own respect. Pontus Aberg is clearly an offensive player, and the reason he was dealt from Anaheim, was the fact that he was unreliable in his own zone. That should change with Boudreau's system, and the offense is sorely lacking or at the very least sporadic for the Wild, so a good add by Fenton. Contract situation of both Aberg and Justin Kloos are very similar with both RFAs at year's end, so pretty much a wash.

Victor Rask for Nino Niederreiter is a bit confusing, as Rask has struggled to just one goal in 26 games this season, but has scored in the past. He is just 25 and has the same term left on his deal as Nino did, but with an annual savings of $1.25M for the Wild.

Rask is a center who can play the wing as well. The move frees up some cap space, and seems like a precursor to another deal.

That brings us to the final point and that is who will be the roster casualty, now that Aberg and Rask are in with just Niederreiter subtracted?

Is it going to be Joel Eriksson Ek, which does not make much sense. JEE needs to play, to see what the Wild have, or as a showcase for a trade. So that leaves J.T. Brown or Matt Hendricks? Will it be youth and speed over wiley veteran with strong locker room presence or vice versa?

As the Wild turn continues...

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