After yet another demoralizing home performance against a team that had lost six straight heading into the game, the Wild are officially in free fall once again.

With their best player, Matt Dumba, already on the shelf for the foreseeable future and now their top shut down forward and captain, Mikko Koivu, out for the season, it is easy to make excuses.

We all know about excuses, no one cares. Injuries and set backs open up opportunities. Sports has forever been and will always be about opportunity and those that step up and take advantage are the ones that succeed.

The problem with the current Wild roster and the past regime, is that they tried to build this balanced team that can compete for long stretches yet they failed to take into account the personalities of the players and how those guys will handle adversity, nor how they will interact with the next generation of NHL player.

So today we have a Wild roster that has been pierced together around this core with what appear to be complimentary players, yet the chemistry just isn't strong enough to get the collective group to reach elite level.

Bruce Boudreau went off on his team after last night's game saying they are a shell of the team he had known for his first two and a half years in Minnesota. His focus was directed at Mikael Granlund in particular saying that he had been one of the top 10 players in the league, in his eyes, yet that is not the case currently.

As far as Granlund is concerned, yes he has underperformed to date, and he needs to look inside and find his game again quickly. However, I cannot absolve Boudreau himself of his fair share of Granny's lack of production.

When you place your top offensively gifted forward on a line with your top shut down center, what is the message that is being sent?

I have long said that the coaching staff of the Wild view some of their own talent with rose colored glasses, due in large part because of their professionalism and how they give 100% every day. Rewarding that effort with extended ice time on scoring lines, powerplay, and overtime has set a precedent that skill is not a priority and that hard work gets the ice.

So while the rest of the NHL has focused on skill and hard work, the archaic theories of yesteryear run rampant in Minnesota. The result is a mediocre team that can dazzle at times and baffle more often.

The next two weeks should be some of the most interesting in recent Wild history. Paul Fenton has no allegiance to this roster.

Follow me on Twitter @dwallace17

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