Good.. but not great. The Minnesota curse.
- 10inchTerror
The Wild stand to be good for many years. I’m not sure how they take that next step to become a contender, or elite top 5 team, that can compete for the Cup multiple years in a row. Their draft position has never been ideal and will only get worse with more success.
Outside of internal growth, the Wild really could use a good trade that’s lopsided in their favor. Guerin is a solid GM, but he’s got to find someone to prey on - difficult proposition currently. But a little luck can go a long way. As an Avs fan, two examples stand out - the Lindros trade that set them up for Cups around the millennium and the Duchene trade that paid huge dividends. In both cases, the Avs management found a trading partner who was somewhat desperate and felt their window of opportunity was fast approaching. I’m not sure who that currently is.
The obvious contracts hamper them some, but become more meaningless as the years go by. Getting rid of Fletcher was the single most important step - Philly fans have no idea what’s in store for that team in the near future.
And the biggest sign of a different team in MN is the lack of a complete breakdown this year. Everyone’s been waiting for it and it’s not going to happen. Interesting times in Minny for sure.