Here is the sad thing....another game without Koivu, another game where the Wild looked so much faster. You have to figure that even Mikko sees this as a big problem. If he was a true leader on the team, he should be marching up to Boudreau's office and handing him the C off his sweater. And I say this as a HUGE Koivu fan. If Koivu's leadership is defined by leading by example, he should be doing this asap. It's been a fun career for him, but he just doesn't have the speed to be in the game now. 4th line C on very limited minutes, playing PK and when a big faceoff win is needed.
On another note, I think this is what Wild fans want the most for this season...for it to be a competitive game, but to come out with a loss at the end. Greater chances for an impact draft choice. I know TweaterBen wants this. Though he also might be leaning towards the Wild just getting blown out in every game too. They have their work cut out for them, as there are still 6 teams below them that have figured a good way to not tank, but not win either. The bad part of all of this is BB shouldn't be the blame for this, but he eventually will be and will be let go at season's end.
On a whole other topic, it looks like Dmitry Sokolov just might be figuring it out. Looks to be a large increase in his scoring recently and his games player are starting to rise. Not sure if he was hurt in the beginning of the season or was just not playing. I tend to lean towards the latter, as he has not worked hard enough on his craft to earn playing time. Maybe something has finally gotten into his head and he is working harder. Either way, it's a good sign. And Mayhew and Anas are still sitting as the #2 and 3 scorers in the AHL. I really don't think Mayhew has anything left to prove. It would be nice to see Guerin start moving some people to open up spots to bring guys like Mayhew up. Others of note that appear to trending up are Menell and Nico Sturm. So there is some youth in Iowa that could make quite a few Wild players tradable. It's not like they are on a Cup run this year.