It's strange to have expectations for a Minnesota Wild team missing the playoffs. The Wild's 2023-24 season is all but over, unless something insane happens in the final two games, but it's coming to an end on a pretty good note.
Instead of losing in the first round and worrying about what this team will do next season, I was given an early break, and I feel like that's enough. Marat Husnutdinov is as advertised, a hard-working center that is every coach's dream, and Liam Ogren had a goal and an assist in his second NHL game last weekend. The two rookies have relaxed expressions as they experience top-level hockey for the first time.
Add these players to Marco Rossi, Matt Boldy, Brock Faber, and Jesper Wohlstedt, and you have a hugely talented group of players under the age of 23 that has grown exponentially to the Wild's all-time top-ranked roster. Suddenly, a pool of promising players will come to fruition in the NHL.
Will all of these players actually be on the starting roster next season? Maybe not. Ogren may fall victim to the stuffing of the Wild's veteran forwards, but beyond that, all the other players should thrive.
Again, it feels so weird to feel like this team would be totally okay with missing the playoffs just because they're distracted by talented players making their debut.
That's wild
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In a similar fashion, if the Wild re-signed Fleury to make the Finals; Last Once he finishes the season in the league, he will need to support Wohlstedt at Iowa. [Hockey Wilderness]
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Speaking of the University of Iowa's crease, the Wild signed college free agent Kyle McClellan to an entry-level contract, shortly after he won the Mike Richter Award for the best goaltender in college hockey. [The Hockey News]
I went off the road.
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It's the talk of the town. At this point, there are still questions about the Arizona Coyotes' potential move to Salt Lake City. [Sportsnet]
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Cutter Gauthier rejected the team that drafted him and decided not to sign with the Flyers, signing with ELC after a controversial trade from the Philadelphia Flyers to the Anaheim Ducks. [NHL dot com]
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