Dan Wallace: Just How Far Away is....

The Wild definitely aren't far off from being a playoff team again.

At the same time, if you look at the teams advancing in the playoffs, I'm not sure which you are comparing to the Wild. Colorado & Toronto went through rebuilds recently. Columbus is all in, one shot, blowing up the team after this year. The Islanders, Blues, Stars, Sharks, Golden Knights, Bruins, and Capitals are all teams that had already been making it this far (or farther) in the playoffs more recently than the Wild.

A few first round upsets doesn't change the fact that teams who normally have at least a little success in the playoffs, and teams who went through big rebuilds, are the teams having success in the playoffs now.

I've always routed for the Wild and I also don't think they are too far off, however, I really think they hurt their rebuild by trading Nino. That's a player that is not easily replaced.

Meh, i still say blow it up... Yes Fenton has added a few pieces with skill and speed, but as we all know, it's about hard nosed hard hitting grind it out hockey in the post season. I dont' think the Wild with their smallish size players could survive in the post season. Yes, they have a few big bodies, but the Wild just don't play the hard hitting grind it out style well.

They get knocked around in the regular season, playoffs a whole different game.

I think the Wild have been built to be a very good regular season team, but not built for the playoffs. Everything seems to be on a pin-point when it comes to the playoff season and I just have never seen enough to expect the Wild to be a true Cup contender. Now with that said, if this off-season can make sure truly earth-shattering changes, things might be different. As a Wild fan, I am hoping so.

Something that I have noticed now over the last couple of weeks...does anyone else notice how young the Iowa Wild are probably going to be next year. They are signing everyone under the sun right now to ATOs, with (my guess) the real good chance they play there next year. Fenton did say when he was first hired that he wants the Wild to develop young talent for the future, more than they ever have done in the past. I really like what I am seeing being done with the minor league club. Now if they can make a couple of good moves for the big club this off-season, things will be looking up and the Fenton bashers might have to quiet down.

Interesting story on the news tonight about some of the current players (Kunin, Greenway, Donato) playing for the Iowa Wild. Good for them. It's like going from the varsity to the JV.

It's nice to see that the proposed future captain for the Wild (Luke Kunin) is playing his butt off in the AHL playoffs. And it's nice to see that Donato and Greenway are helping out as well...though I have heard that it appears that Greenway is only going at about 80%. And it's really nice to see that Gerald Mayhew is tied for the scoring lead on the team in the playoffs, along with Kunin and Matt Read. I really hope that Mayhew gets a legit chance to make the Wild roster next year. I think I might take him over JT Brown for the 4th line RW spot.

Good article on Cal O'Reilly in the Athletic this past week as well. I hope he does resign with the Iowa Wild to be "coach on the ice" for them, with the chance that he could come up and fill in at 4th line C if the need was there. From reading that story, when he is ready to hang his skates up, Wild should be looking at him to possibly be a coach in Iowa.