On the Minnesota Wild …
- Platinum Seat Ghosts: Darren Dreger: “I still think that Minnesota is a team where (Drouin) would be a good fit.”
- Michael Russo of the Star Tribune: There are few trade options out there that might help the Wild turn things around. They have a bunch of veterans on long-term, big money contracts – Zach Parise, Ryan Suter , Mikko Koivu (those three aren’t going anywhere), Jason Pominville (who would take him with three years left), Thomas Vanek ($7.5 million next year) and Niklas Backstrom (hasn’t played in over a year).Their depth on the blueline has taken a hit with Jonas Brodin out with a broken foot and Jared Spurgeon left Saturday’s game. Brodin’s name has been in trade rumors.
Pending free agents Justin Fontaine, Jarret Stoll and Ryan Carter don’t have a lot of trade value, and the Wild are without their 2nd, 3rd and 5th round picks this year, as well as their 2018 2nd round pick.
Don’t count on the Wild being in the rental market.
“We have assets that other teams like, I can tell you that much from the conversations I’ve had. The question is: Are you going to make a good trade? That’s the whole point right now. I’m not interested in moving young assets for rental players at this point.”
GM Chuck Fletcher added that he’s not feeling any pressure to make a trade.
“That’s when you make mistakes. I’m approaching this the same as if we had won five or six in a row. If there’s an opportunity to make our team better, I’ll do it.
“Obviously I’m talking to GMs every day. This is the time of the year where you’re in regular conversations with your counterparts, and there may or may not be opportunities to do something. … We can’t be sitting around waiting for help from the outside. This group has won before, it’s a good coaching staff, it’s a good player group, we have a good leadership group, and it’s incumbent upon all of them to figure this out.”
