It's all over

It was a nice effort, but the Minnesota Wild's 3-2 loss in the nationally televised game against Detroit all but put an end to this inconsistent and disappointing season. Mathematically the Wild are still in the chase for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference, but realistically, it would take a miracle to reach it. Minnesota entered the game 3 points out, with a game in hand, and needed the 2 points awarded for a win to have any hope. But now the team sits much further on the outside, with little hope of an extended season. At one point not too long ago, in order for the Wild to climb back into the hunt, it needed a little help from some of the other clubs. Now they need a ton of help, and considering that there are only 3 games remaining for all teams involved, it would be a safe bet to call it over.

The game today was a typical Wild game. Scrap for a couple of periods, while getting out-shot badly, and rely on the stellar play of its All-Star goaltender. The hope remained as Minnesota pulled to a 2-2 tie late in the second period. And for much of the third, the Wild looked as if they would steal the game and actually came away with the better scoring chances. Unfortunately, the much better and more talented team found the back of the net with less than a minute remaining in the game. Wild netminder Nicklas Backstrom played another solid game and held the team in it but as has been the case all too often this season, it was not enough.

All attention will now focus on GM Doug Risebrough and whether or not he can dig this team out of the hole that he has put them in. The talent that he seems to let go without batting an eye has not been replaced during his tenure, a that trend has to end in order for this franchise to climb the standings for years to come. Puzzling is the fact that Wild management does not see things the same way and at some point you have to start to question their level of expertise. I have a feeling that new Wild owner Craig Leopold will be stepping in shortly, after the seasons end, to sort through things. In a perfect world, it would be a wise to try and convince Coach Jacques Lemaire to give things another season, something I doubt will happen, especially if Risebrough departs.

It's been a roller coaster season and will end fittingly...a win here and a loss there. The disheartening part to this is that player personal miscalculations were made and I am afraid that if some drastic changes are not in the works this off-season, we will be looking at years of seeing our franchise ending its season on the last day of the regular season.

To Trade Or Not To Trade...

Yes, that is the question that faces every NHL team this time of year. Unfortunately for the Minnesota Wild, the question is complicated this time and has many factors to consider. It seems this season, more than any other, there are more pieces to the puzzle that are not fitting in as they should. And by that I mean off-ice and contractual issues, not on-ice issues. The unfortunate thing is that the pieces not fitting was done by the teams own doing. And I am one of those fans that deeply wants the team to make a big move, make headlines in the NHL. But I am not so sure this is the season to make such a move. There are too many unknowns with two of it's big players...

First we have the Marian Gaborik factor. He was supposed to be the 'ace in the hole' for the Wild this season, as I believe GM Doug Risebrough was set to field offers from all sides of the NHL for this franchises first legitimate star. But his surgery has somewhat melted the ice away to how big a payday Gaborik would see and/or the big return the Wild would get for a trade. I do believe that there was an earnest attempt to lock-up Gaborik earlier this season. And if published reports are correct, there was a legitimate offer on the table. It seems however that either the team waited too long to strike up meaningful contract talks or that Gaborik absolutely does not want to play for this team. So the team now has to explore other avenues. And at this point, I am uncertain what a Gaborik trade would fetch in return, although anything is better than letting him walk. But I stand by my thought that the best thing to do would be to sign him, long or short-term.

The once 'hidden gem' in goaltender Niklas Backstrom, has to also be considered when talking trade. His value is certainly as high at has ever been and he would most undoubtedly be the most sought after goaltender if he were on the trading block or was allowed to enter the market of unrestricted free agency. If the Wild end up re-signing Backstrom, they will either get lucky with a 'deep discount' taken by the Finish netminder (who has stated publicly that he would like to stay), or they will end up paying a pretty big load over what they could have signed him to before the season began. I am not a believer that the Wild cannot afford his true market value, so if he is either traded or allowed to walk, don't buy the line that the team cannot compete when it comes to paying their players. The option of trading Backstrom could certainly bring in some big talent. Remember, he is in the middle of an All-Star season, where he is at or near the top in every goaltender stat. I admit that I go back and forth on a possible Backstrom trade, but I do think it needs to be an option and am actually warming up to the idea.

With the current core group of players on this team the question has to be whether or not they can compete in the post-season and make a deep run into the playoffs. As the roster sits now, I don't think that they can. In fact, standing pat with this group may bring an early vacation and no playoff run at all. But would a significant addition make that much of a difference? With a healthy Gaborik I think it would. Believe me, I was the biggest anti Risebrough campaigner after the Chris Simon deal last season. I want my team to be involved when it comes to signing the big name players. However, this season is different. There might be something to be said for letting the roster ride and concentrate on the off-season moves. However, there should be no question though, both Gaborik and Backstrom need to be moved if they cannot re-sign them in the next few weeks.

And that is what I am referring to when I say it's more complicated than in years past. You have two marque players set to become unrestricted free agents at seasons end, who were allowed to play-out the final year of their contracts. Sign one or both, trade one or both, who knows what Risebrough will do. I don't see an easy answer, other than to deal them if you can't sign them. But as for a 'big deal' that will push this team into a deep run, I don't see it happening.

All-Star Thoughts...

The National Hockey League's big showcase weekend is here and the town of Montreal is buzzing with hockey super-star excitement. It's the one time every season where the NHL can put its biggest names on one sheet of ice at the same time. The problem is that some of the leagues top players are missing and also missing is my excitement for this event.

Why can't I get revved-up for this? After all, I am a huge hockey fan and fan of the NHL (although not obsessed as the line goes next to my photo), I love to watch up-tempo games (which is always the case with the actual game), and I certainly enjoy watching the best the league has to offer. I guess there one thing this weekend that I do consider a worth-while event. The skills competition is a fun event, kind of a neat and different look at what the players bring to the ice...but that's about it for me. So I guess you could say that I enjoy about one-third of the annual showcase.

I realize that there are fans out there that really eat this type of stuff up. But before the players convene to Montreal for the festivities, I am one of the fans that has already turned sour for the weekend. The selection process is really a non-laughable joke. The stating lineup, voted by the fans, is no more than a popularity contest. And every season there are always a handful of players that should not be on their respected teams, thus a handful of players who should be playing. I know in a lot of cases it is a tough call, but I guess I believe that the league could do a better job in making sure that all of the players are deserving. Eliminating the 'every team must be represented' rule is one step that could be taken to help turn the game into a true all-star event.

Another turn-off I have is the current format. From changing the way the selection process is handled all the way to when the event is held, there are areas that could be improved. I for one would like to see an end-of-the-season event, where players would have already finished their seasons grind and would have a nice break in their sights. Having players break near the mid-point of the season, when their respected clubs could possibly be in a dog-fight to make the playoffs, is asking a lot. Letting the players take a deep breath at the end of the season would allow them to possibly add more to the event.

One final note...it was announced that Pavel Datsyuk and Nicklas Lidstrom of the Detroit Red Wings will be suspended one game each for not participating in this years All-Star event. This was another brilliant league-strengthening move made at last years general managers meetings, and Bettman imposed the rule to 'legitimize injury claims and improve All-Star Weekend attendance.' And to top it off, Nicklas Backstrom, of the Washington Capitals, is sitting out the YoungStars Game and will not be disciplined. Backstrom went as far as saying, "I can assure Caps fans that I am not injured". Colin Campbell stated that in the future, the attendance policy may include the YoungStars Game as well. This is just another example in a long list of decisions that have been made, showing that the league seems to always be 'sweating the small stuff' instead of rolling up their sleeves and concentrating to what is important.

Again, a big congrats to our Wild goaltender Niklas Backstrom, for making the Western Conference team. It was well deserved and I hope he enjoys himself.