WILD HOCKEY!

[scsavre]

I hope this team building excercise in Bampf works.

I knew we would have a bad streak. I kept saying a 6 game skid, this is crazy.

[knoppers]

the wild need to sign heshootsy scores, seems he has done good for other teams.

[Bear55]

[OnAFly]

Bouchard is out with a concussion, as are Palmer and Lats still. I think the lack of enforcers in the game is turning it into a goon show. Slew foot, flying elbows, jumping before checks, hits from behind, it's all become the norm and it's erratically enforced by the NHL. Guys now figure it they let a guy know they are trying to end his career just be fore they do it, it's OK.

[scsavre]

It isn't looking real good. Our next opponents. Sharks, hawks, blues, flyers, leafs. This skid might just keep skidding.

I had a feeling pmb was gonna go down with the symptons again.

This is terrible.

Sounds like fletcher is looking to aquire but will not move prospect talent.

[schmitty3]

Wild finally pick up a W. Against a hot Shark team to beat, and with PMB out, and Seto a healthy scratch due to disciplinary reasons.. They looked pretty good tonight, generated some good chances and scored 4 goals in regulation and also hit 2 posts. Cullen was all over the place in his 1000th game, scoring 1 and putting one in on the shooutout. Hopefully they can take this win as a stepping stone, and stay in a playoff position.

[archerystud]

They did look pretty good except for the last San Jose goal.

You CAN'T give up a 3-2 with a 1 goal lead and 3 minutes left in the game!!! It was nice to finally see them score a few.

I watched a couple of games in that losing streak where I thought they had good effort, they just couldn't finish.

Gotta wonder in PMB's days are numbered. I love his offensive ability, especially when they put him on the point during the PP. But his size and battling concussions again doesn't make this look too good.

[OnAFly]

I only caught the third. I need to get a portable radio so I can at least listen while I'm fishing.

Logan Coulture's goal was a little fluky. Falk kicked it in accidentally it looked like. It seemed the throw the team off for a minute, in that minute SJ scored again. I think Yeo should have called a TO at after SJ's 3rd goal, but hindsight is 20/20 I guess.

Koivu with yet another super smooth SO goal.

[Bear55]

Gotta wonder in PMB's days are numbered.

I've been wondering about this myself, he has just had too many of these and you have to wonder if he or the dr's might say enough is enough.

[Bear55]

Not sure if anyone even noticed but the wild waived Colten Gillies and Columbus picked him up. He is just another in a long list of 1st rounders who never panned out under the old management. To give them some credit they Wild started out drafting pretty good picking up Gaborik, Koivu, PMB, Burns but then had a terrible run for like 5 years, save for Clutterbuck and potentially Scandella.

[scsavre]

Any kouivu updates. Is he gonna miss any more ice time.

[PierBridge]

Sounds like 4 to 6 weeks although historically he's a fast healer.

[scsavre]

So we can expect our next victory to be in march.....

[Bear55]

Might as well tank for the draft, it was a crazy fun start to the season but we need to get a lot better to compete for a cup.

[OnAFly]

Cheer up everyone. The future is bright with guys like Granlud, Brodin, Larsson, Zucker, Coyle and Bulmer coming up in the next few years. If we can stay healthy and develope our prospects the right way instaed of rushing them into the NHL to fill a minor gap in a poor season, we will be in good shape.

This year has been the year of man games lost. Could we make the playoffs, maybe, but we probably would be a one and done. Either way, I'll be watching to the end.

[Bear55]

Agreed Fly, too bad the way the year has turned out but I will alwasy watch. I do feel we have a bright future ahead of us, in the long run having a poor season now could help us down the road.

[solbes]

Yeah but it's been really tough the last few weeks. What a start and then what a slump.

I'm also excited for the future looking at our guys in the system. 2 years maybe to get a lot of these guys up and contributing? In the mean time, our current team is going to have to stop the bleeding. That Koivu injury is killer, but someone else is going to have to step it up.

[archerystud]

Ugghhh. I didn't watch last nights game as my son had a game. They really can't generate any goals anymore.

Although I guess when 3 guys from your top 2 lines are missing I guess you will be a little short handed in the offense dept.

There is a reason some players are first or second liners and others are third or fourth liners.

I still think the future looks very bright for this team. I'm hoping they can make a big signing like a Parise in the off season and then get in some of their up and coming young talent.

[Bear55]

Wow we are just bad right now, they have to come out of this thing eventually right?

[schmitty3]

This is starting to become hard to watch

[solbes]

I'm not even sure they will come out of it. Guys are clearly frustrated and I would be too. At times I see effort, and at times all I see is flat uninspired play. I'm sure there have been stark turn arounds like this in the NHL before, but I can't remember any as severe.

[Guest]

Solbes - there is absolutely no one on the team that can "step it up" at this point, the talent just is not there. Not to mention that many are probably playing dinged up at this point. The "future" is too far off and still an unknown for those youngsters; they need to trade one of the goalies and maybe a guy like heatley and/or clutterbuck to get a young scoring stud like bobby ryan. I know jason blake could be had for little to nothing and he would love to play for his home state, Mpls is his residence now and he is lighting it up after coming off his injury and time off, is super fast, and is tough. Ducks are 8-2 since he has returned.

[hockeybc69]

Ouch.

There went another MN sports team right into the toilet....

Whos next? Ugh. Not much left unfortuneately...

[archerystud]

I'd be surprised if they don't move Harding before the deadline. At this point I actually prefer him to Backs based on age/salary but the team also has a couple good goaltending prospects for the future. Harding has now proven he can be a No 1. and has recovered from the knee injury. I'm sure he's been playing quite a bit lately to be showcased as trade bait.

I doubt they can get a high enough impact player in return for the playoffs but I don't see how the Wild can keep him in the off season. May as well get something in return.

I thought this team was a bubble playoff team but they've probably had far too many injuries to make it. I was thinking that if they had good years out of PMB and GL that they'd make it. I still think at least the future looks bright for this MN team, not sure about the others.

[Guest]

archerystud: I agree, Harding will be gone and if any team even sniffs around heatley I'd let him go in a heart beat; did not realize that guy is as wimpy as he is and never wins a battle in the corner and I am not sure he even knows our goalies names, his better days are definitely behind him. Sounds like Drew Stafford is on the block, he'd be a good pick up, then do whatever it takes to get Parise in the off season.

[OnAFly]

We can't trade Backs (NTC). We have to trade Harding. We have goalie prospects that look good in the minors and in the Euro leagues.

I don't think Heatley is going anywhere this year. It wouldn't surprise me if Clutterbuck got traded. I think it will take more than him to get Bobby Ryan though.

Getting Parise might be tough, too. We don't want to get into a situation where we are way overpaying for a guy.

[archerystud]

I'd take Stafford for Harding in heartbeat.

I'm not quite as down on Heatley as others are. I do think he still has a good scoring touch and he was getting plenty of opportunities earlier in the year.

You need a couple good players on a line to generate offense, not just one. I don't think they've had a good line combo for him yet. Although his numbers are down and I can see where others are down on him.

I've played in Adult leagues for a while and I finally got paired up with another guy who could score. Both of our numbers have went up dramatically. Not a great comparison (old fart hockey vs pro) but even Ovechkin needs a guy like Semin or Backstrom on his line to get more scoring opportunities.

[archerystud]

Forgot Stafford was with the Sabres, I think they still have a pretty good goalie. Maybe a 3 team trade???

[Bran32]

I don't see why we keep bringing up guys that can't seem to score in the NHL!! Maybe give Rau and Fontaine a look, they scored a ton in college and are playing pretty well in Houston and if you have seen Matt Read play this year I think it shows college players can come right in and bee effective! The 2 best young wild players that I have seen this year are Palmer and Wellman (collegiate players) Sorry but I just do not see Peters, Macmillan, or Macintyer!! Heck i wouldn't mind seeing Genoway come up, he looks just like Spurgeon!! We need to find someone to make plays!!!

[Guest]

One rumor site has the wild trading wellman for jason blake and pairing blake with PMB and Cullen. As for Stafford, I'd give Buffalo Clutterbuck, Heatley and Wellman for him, then trade Harding to Tampa Bay (who wants him) for a Grinder/Scorer whomever that might be.