Breaking News: Wild Re-signs Clutterbuck
Per Mike Russo,
The Wild avoided restricted free agency this summer with heavy hitter Cal Clutterbuck by extending the winger’s contract this morning. Clutterbuck signed a three-year, $4.2 million contract ($1.4 million cap hit).
“Cal is an intense competitor who has quickly become a fan favorite with the Wild,” GM Chuck Fletcher said. “We look forward to watching his development for years to come.”
Clutterbuck, 22 (11/18/87), set the NHL’s single-season hits mark in 2008-09 with 356, and again leads the NHL this season with 252 hits. Clutterbuck has recorded a career-high 12 goals in 54 games this season, while also tying his career-high with 18 points. The 5-foot-11, 213-pound native of Welland, Ont., has posted 36 points (23-13=36) and 110 penalty minutes in 134 games over two-plus seasons with the Wild. Clutterbuck was the Wild’s third-round pick (No. 72 overall) in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft.
Obviously myself, as well as every other Wild fan out there, loves this move.
Clutterbuck has been a breath of fresh air to this franchise since he arrived here and is one of the more loved members of the organization.
His gritty, physical play injects energy into the team every time he hits the ice and is beginning to find his offensive game as well.
The Wild have just three other RFA’s to lock up and, from what I have gathered, are currently in talks with leading goal scorer Guillaume Latendresse to extend his contract.
The Minnesota Wild Trade Deadline Primer
The Olympics are just a few days from being over, and the Minnesota Wild have hit the ice once more, practicing together for the first time since the Olympic freeze on Wednesday.
Looking at the standings, the Wild have a daunting task ahead of them. With 21 games remaining, they sit five points out of the playoff race and, seeing Kim Johnsson shipped out to Chicago, are looking more and more like they will be sellers at the March 3 trade deadline.
As Hockey Reference shows, the Wild’s chances of making the playoffs are slipping drastically.
The bottom line remains that the Wild simply are not consistent enough to be in the playoff picture this season. They cannot sustain any sort of solid effort on the ice in a single game, much less in a stretch of games.
Keeping that in mind, here is a look at the players that the Wild could potentially move and what their going rate might be.
Owen Nolan: After Johnsson, Nolan is probably the next “big ticket” item that the Wild have to offer.
I know what you’re thinking. 14 goals, 28 points? How is Nolan a big ticket item?
I’ll tell you how.
65 playoff games.
He’s been there and done that, plain and simple. At the trade deadline, playoff contenders are typically looking at two things. Veteran leadership and either defensive help or scoring punch (depending on the team’s needs).
Nolan brings both veteran leadership and the ability to score clutch and timely goals. He has been a key part of the Wild’s locker room this season and a great number of Wild fans will be extremely sad to see him go; however, he is a player that the Wild could get some good assets for the future for.
Estimated Cap Hit: $598K
Expected Return: Prospects and/or picks
Eric Belanger: Belanger is having one of the best seasons of his career. He’s just two points off of his career high in points and assists and he’s been a huge asset defensively for the Wild.
He also has something else that playoff teams tend to look for.
He can win faceoffs.
If there’s a big draw to be taken, Belanger will be in on it. He’s been a large part of many of the Wild’s successful runs this season and has also started showing a bit of a gritty side to his game.
As a penalty killer, he’s one of the better ones on the Wild’s squad and has started to exhibit that he has the hands to be a threat on the offensive side of things as well.
In addition, Belanger has the added upside of still being relatively young (or, at least compared to Nolan). If the fit is good enough, there’s the potential for the team to get a couple more solid years from him after the trade.
Estimated Cap Hit: $390K
Expected Return: Depth roster player and/or pick(s)
James Sheppard: Wild fans will attest to the fact that Sheppard’s stock has fallen like a rock this season.
Sheppard has gone from the asking price for Olli Jokinen to being less tradable than Benoit Pouliot (which, in Wild fans eyes, was saying quite a bit).
If there’s one thing that Chuck Fletcher has proven, though, it’s that he’s more than willing to move a player that might need a change of scenery and Sheppard could use just that.
I’m firm in my belief that he can be successful somewhere—I just don’t think that somewhere is in Minnesota.
Sheppard was touted as the “next big thing” for the Wild, and he certainly hasn’t turned into that. Fans have begun to tire of seeing him on the ice, to the point where many would rather see Derek Boogaard get Sheppard’s ice time.
The bottom line is that Sheppard needs to play somewhere where the expectations facing him are tempered, and that place isn’t in Minnesota.
Estimated Cap Hit: $312K
Expected Return: Struggling young roster player
Derek Boogaard: I’m putting Boogaard on this list because there is the chance that he could get moved, but I’ll say this right now.
The chance is slim-to-none.
Boogaard is one of the most feared enforcers in the game on a team that lacks a suitable replacement and is earning ice time this season.
While it’s a possibility, it certainly isn’t probable.
Estimated Cap Hit: $212K
Expected Return: Late round draft pick
Shane Hnidy: The Sherriff has been an excellent addition to the Wild’s blueline this season, but two facts remain.
One, he’s been an excellent addition, meaning that he would be an excellent and cheap addition to a team needing defensive help and two, what he brings to the team can be done by either a) Clayton Stoner or b) Jaime Sifers.
If any team is looking for an injury filler or depth on the blueline, Hnidy can certainly fill that need and fill it quite well.
In addition, he has gotten more playing time this season on the offensive side of things (more notably, on the powerplay) and has exhibited an extremely heavy (if not very accurate) shot from the point.
While the return for Hnidy probably wouldn’t be great, he could be a low risk, high reward pick up for someone in need of a d-man.
Estimated Cap Hit: $167K
Expected Return: Mid-to-late round draft pick
John Scott: Let’s face it. Scottie won’t be on the team next season.
He’s regressed this season in terms of the ability that he brought to the table that had the Wild keep him around, but he’s moved forward in his enforcer ability—something that teams may be looking for.
He brings toughness and he can play solid defense, if you don’t take into account his lack of skating ability.
Scott is the more likely of the two “big men” that the Wild have to be moved, as he quickly became expendable on the blueline—even moreso with the emergence of Stoner.
Scott could easily be a boon to a team looking to increase its toughness heading into the playoffs.
Estimated Cap Hit: $123K
Expected Return: Late round draft pick
Josh Harding: Harding is the player that he Wild will likely look to shop the hardest, especially with the emergence of Anton Khudobin this season.
Hards had a tough start to the season, but has rebounded nicely and if there is one thing that teams love heading into the playoffs, it’s a capable, young backup that can take over in the case of injury (see: Cam Ward).
Harding can provide that for a team and deserves the chance to be someone’s goaltender of the future because, with Backstrom planted in net for the Wild and Khudobin and Matthew Hackett coming up behind up, the Wild’s net is starting to get a little crowded.
Harding is a restricted free agent this coming off season and would be a tremendous pick up for just about any team looking to improve in net.
Estimated Cap Hit: $245K
Expected Return: Roster player and/or prospects or picks
The Draft Picks/Prospects: Fletcher has said that he’s not interesting in trading picks or prospects for players; however, he will be willing to part with picks or prospects if the price is right.
If he can get a good, young player that can have a future on this club, he will not hesitate to pull the trigger, even if it involves a pick or a prospect.
While it may be maddening to some, it is a stark contrast to the strategy of Doug Risebrough, and ultimately leads to the line…
In Chuck We Trust.
My Thoughts: Olympic Preliminary Round
Wow. Just wow. What a great preliminary round of hockey!
I haven’t been doing too much to keep track of the Olympics here on Wild Nation because, quite frankly, I haven’t really wanted to.
Pardon me for a second while I hide in shame.
……
Okay. Now that I’m done feeling great shame, let’s get on with it. The preliminary rounds are finished and the seeding has been established…
Sooooooooooooooo….
What better time than now to talk about my impressions thus far in the tournament by taking a look at the big seven?
#1 Seed; USA – If you would have told me when the teams were selected that the US would have a bye out of the quarter finals, I would have proceeded to laugh in your face. I would have laughed even harder when you told me that the US would be the top seed. Just like I would have laughed in your face if, two days ago you would have told me that Team Canada would get upwards of 40 shots on goal and the US would still beat them.
Hold on a second. They did?
The bottom line is this: Despite two less than average games against two less than average teams, Team USA sits atop the heap.
Why?
Well, in my personal opinion, it’s because they are more than just an all-star team.
This is a team built to play like a team. When you see some of the other big teams in this tournament, it’s a veritable buffet of talent. The US? Don’t get me wrong. These guys are good, but Team Canada, they ain’t.
The Stars and Stripes are getting everything that they needed to be competitive in this tournament, however. Good goaltending, solid team defense and, most importantly, chemistry and team play.
I won’t anoint them as the gold medal winners yet because, quite honestly, seeds two through seven still scare the hell out of me in the “we can win at any point in time” category. But a first seed still is quite a nice way to start out.
#2 Seed; Sweden – First of all, let me say that this Team Sweden might be even better than the team that won the gold four years ago. They might not be as dynamic on the offensive side of things, but holy crap are they good defensively!
I’m the first to pile on the abuse to Henrik “Mattress Pads” Lundqvist, but even I have to admit that he’s having an absolutely stellar tournament so far. Throw in the fact that the Wonder Twins and Alfie are clicking and that Nicklas Backstrom looks like a young Peter Forsberg and you’ve got one dangerous team. It’s too bad that Peter Forsberg himself is looking more like an old Peter Forsberg.
Have I mentioned yet that ol’ Mattress Pads has yet to give up a goal in this tournament?
Because it’s true.
Everyone has always said that the Olympics typically hinge on a goaltender getting and staying hot and, well, ain’t no one hotter than Hank right now.
You could have notched his first shutout up to the fact that it was against Germany, but his second? Against the hated Finns.
You’ve got to love Sweden’s chances to give themselves some more Olympic hardware this time around too, because there’s no way that players like Forsberg, Hornqvist and Zetterberg are going to stay silent forever.
#3 Seed; Russia – Seriously. I’m not even playing in this tournament and looking at this team’s top two lines scares the crap out of me.
Need a goal? Just go ahead and stick Semalchkin out there. Or what about Afinokovalsyuk?
All funny line naming aside, any team faces a significant problem when squaring off against Russia. The loss aside, both Nabokov and Bryzgalov are having a tremendous tournament and are playing great hockey.
What’s even more impressive is that the team’s third and fourth lines and defense are sharing the load, taking some of the pressure off of their big six.
Of course their big players are going to be chipping in, but when you have players like Radulov, Fedorov and Zaripov pitching in, not to mention Morozov, that makes for a dangerous, dangerous team.
Of course, what everybody is salivating over is the potential Quarter-Final matchup between Ovechkin and Crosby, and that is definitely a possibility. To have that rivalry bubble over into the Olympics would be something extremely special.
Just so long as we don’t overlook the other fantastic players in the matchup.
#4 Seed; Finland – If there’s any team that has the potential to both explode or shut down an opponent at any point in time, it’s the Finns.
First, their scoring is extremely balanced. Only two players have more than two points for them. You shut down Saku Koivu’s line and you’re looking at facing Mikko Koivu’s. Shut down them and you still have Antti Miettinen’s to deal with.
Second, they probably have the deepest goaltending of any team in the tournament, save for Team Canada. With Kipprusoff and Backstrom, right away they have two world class goaltenders and Nittymakki isn’t lagging too far behind at the moment.
The one thing that has hindered the Finns so far has been consistency. After two inspired performances, the team laid an egg against the Swedes—a goose egg.
Granted, the situation in nets looks a touch different for the Swedes than it did for Belarus and Germany, but there’s no telling how dangerous this Finnish team can be if they can get on a roll.
With their depth, they have the potential to be dangerous—much more than they’ve already exhibited. But, the cold facts so far reveal a team that might have problems scoring in a one-and-done game.
#5 Seed; Czech Republic – Many people’s bronze medal choice has just seen their road to the medal round made a touch harder with their loss to the Russian’s.
Now, after dispatching Latvia (let’s be honest…does anyone expect that they won’t?) the Czechs now need to go through a defensively tough Finnish team.
Can they do it? Absolutely. But it won’t be easy.
One thing that really stands out about the Czechs is that their defensive unit in front of Vokoun is really nothing to be scared of. Nothing against Kaberle, Kubina and Kuba, but this is not a defensive unit that is capable of playing at an extremely high level for an entire game—especially not against the likes of Canada or Russia.
Vokoun is going to need help if they Czechs want to move past Finland, and this defensive unit might very well not be up to the task.
On the other hand…Man are these guys fun to watch. This is a team built for offense, and if they can keep the tempo and direction of the game in their favor they’re going to win more often than they lose.
#6 Seed; Canada – Wow. I mean, wow. You go from the team considered to be the front runner to the sixth seed in one game?
That’s just brutal.
It is, however, the nature of the beast.
Throw in the fact that you now have the added distraction of a goalie controversy and an impending match up against the Russian juggernaut and you’ve got one tough situation.
In the impending game against Germany (and, likely, the rest of the tournament), expect to see Bobby Lou in nets. Not only has Brodeur essentially lost the job after laying an egg against Team USA, but Luongo deserves the chance to show that it’s time for a changing of the guard.
I don’t envy the Germans’ position right now, as they are facing off against a Canadian team that has just been upset on their home ice, in front of all of their countrymen.
A message is going to be sent against Germany, in a big way.
But, to be fair, it wasn’t all Brodeur’s fault against the Americans. Plain and simple, the Canadians took 45 shots and scored just three times. Their offense has got to be better at picking their spots and burying the puck.
Especially if they’re going to be successful against Russia.
#7 Seed; Slovakia – This Slovakian team is a riddle wrapped inside an enigma wrapped in a puzzle.
Gaborik, Hossa, Demitra, Chara. Some world class players.
Yet just one regulation win.
After scoring early against the Czech Republic, Gaborik has all but disappeared, only adding to the talk that he cracks under pressure. Hossa and Demitra have been two of the team’s best players, along with Michael Handzus who has continued his strong play from this season.
What’s more, is that Jaroslav Halak has looked surprisingly (in my opinion) solid in net. He has started all three games and given up just four goals.
Their defense has been fantastic. If their offense can get going, it could make for an interesting quarter final match should they get by Tore Vikingstad and the Norwegians.
So there you have it. That’s my thoughts on the “big seven.” The playoff qualifiers are tomorrow, and it should be a fun-filled day of hockey as the tension gets ratcheted up a couple notches!
Random, Random, Random
Well, the Olympics are here.
That means that the Wild news slows waaaaaaaaaaaaaay down. At least for a few weeks.
Day one of the Olympics brought exactly what was expected. Team USA ground out a win over the Swiss, Team Canada overcame early jitters to dominate Norway and Russia overpowered Latvia.
But, no Wild players played, so there’s really not much for me to talk about.
Today, though, could be a different story. At 2 p.m. Central time, the puck will drop on Finland’s first game of the tournament, which will see Mikko Koivu and Antti Miettinen take the ice for their home country, and Niklas Backstrom likely get some splinters backing up Miikka Kipprusoff.
That leads me to the match up of the night. The new versus the old. Martin Havlat versus Marian waitheshurtagain? Well. Nevermind. I guess the subtext to that matchup just won’t work here. But in all seriousness, it should be one hell of a game, as it will be the first time that two of the teams considered medal contenders face off in this tournament.
Now that I have that out of the way, it occurred to me that I never weighed in on my thoughts of the Wild’s big trade in the hours leading up to the trade freeze.
Wow. I mean, wow.
Whether you like the trade or not, there’s one thing that you absolutely have got to admit. Chuck Fletcher’s got balls. I mean a biiiiiiig brass set.
Personally, I love the trade.
Fletcher managed to dump the Wild’s most unsightly contract (let’s be fair, Butch gets a free pass here until he’s had at least a full season under the new system) and picks up a solid top four NHL defenseman and he’s 23 years old? What’s not to like?
I’ve read the fan reactions to the trade a hundred times and it seems to be a 50-50 split. Half love the trade, half hate it. But, I’d be willing to assume that the half that hate it were also the half that were whining about Doug Risebrough never making any moves of significance at the trade deadline or never trying to improve the team or always know what’s best for the team.
Again, personally, I love the trade, and here’s why.
First, it saves the Wild some money. It moves Johnsson’s contract before the Olympic Break, meaning that the Blackhawks, not the Wild, have to pay him for sitting on his duff doing nothing.
Second, it moves an older player with an expiring contract for a younger player with a few years left without giving up anything. Say what you will about Johnny and Barker, but they both have relatively the same skill set, though Barker seems more willing to throw his weight around.
Third, it moves a prospect that, quite frankly, I haven’t been too impressed with. I wasn’t the biggest fan of the team drafting Leddy, but I did my best to try to see it in a positive light. The bottom line is, though, that Leddy’s development (as was the case with Kyle Okposo before him) had started to stall. The U is known for a great many things, but their development of their players over the last few years has been much less than stellar. The Wild recognized that and decided to take the devil they knew over the devil they didn’t, so to speak.
Leddy could very well turn into a top flight defenseman down the road, but he’s still at least three to four years away from being an NHL player. Barker, meanwhile, is just five years older than Leddy, has 201 NHL games under his belt and is ready now.
Barker will help a powerplay that has been shaky, at best, this season and will give the Wild a third young defenseman that they can count on as part of their defensive core.
Does Barker have many of the defensive shortcomings that Johnsson did?
Absolutely.
But the difference between the two is that Barker is young enough to have those bad habits broken by our defensive taskmaster, Mike Ramsey.
Anywho…That’s all for now. I swear I’m still working on the mailbag and will have it up sometime during this Olympic break. If you want your questions answered, I’m still taking submissions so feel free to send them in!
Almond Recalled; Earl Demoted
Veeeeeeerrrrrrrrrry interesting.
The Wild have sent Robbie Earl down to Houston, recalling Cody Almond. This is Almond’s first call up to the big show and, as Brian Stensaas said over at Russo’s Rants, there’s a chance that he cracks the lineup tomorrow against the Atlanta TrashOurYoungGuys (in all seriousness, the Thrashers are my favorite team not named the Minnesota Wild…I just thought that the name given by Razor was funny).
Almond is having a decent season with Houston, despite having struggled after an early injury. He has four goals and ten points in his last nine games with Houston and has been one of the team’s more intriguing prospects over the last year or two.
As for Earl, Richards said that he “has slipped a little.”
It will probably be determined tomorrow whether or not Almond debuts, but I’d say there’s a good chance.
Gameday Thread – Game 59 – ‘Yotes @ Wild
It seems like forever since I’ve written one of these, so I may be a bit rusty, but bear with me — this could be a game that you’re going to want to watch if you’re a Wild fan.
Over the last couple years the Wild have, to use a Mike Milbury-ism, been the Coyotes’ daddy. Prior to this season, the Wild were a stunning 9-1-0 against the Glendale Canines, and were firmly in control of the match up.
Funny how an off season can change things.
With new coaches, the two teams began to take on different styles of play and the Coyotes were no longer the doormat that the Wild were used to.
Long story short, this season has been a largely different story in the series, with the Coyotes taking the first three games of the season series by a combined score of 11-6.
Soooooooo, what does this mean exactly?
Well, this means one of two things. Either the Coyotes will continue their dominance of the boys in Iron Range Red tonight or, gosh darnit, the Wild are due.
The Wild come into this game five points out of playoff contention with 24 games to play. Not insurmountable odds, but a harrowing task indeed. They also come into this game having gotten 42 of their 62 points at the Xcel Energy Center—where tonight’s game is being played.
A look in the infirmary shows that the Wild are slowly but surely starting to get healthy again. Niklas Backstrom could return to action tonight and Andrew Brunette, who has sat out the team’s last two practices for maintenance issues, will be a go tonight. “Sherriff” Shane Hnidy is going to be a game time decision tonight, as he missed practice yesterday with an illness, and Anton Khudobin will likely be the second goaltender in place of Josh Harding.
Lineup(s)
With the M*A*S*H unit that has been the Wild’s lineup this season, it’s hard to tell who might be in, but after last game’s physical tone I would expect Richards to counter with a physical lineup tonight.
Brunette-Koivu-Miettinen
Latendresse-Brodziak-Havlat
Nolan-Belanger-Clutterbuck
Boogaard-Ebbett-Earl
The physical lineup means that James Sheppard will again be sitting up in the press box, observing.
Now I don’t like to speculate too often, but one has got to wonder if Sheppard will be shopped around much like Benoit Pouliot was. Contrary to his stats, Sheppard is a talented player—he just seems to need a fresh start. I doubt that the return for Shep would be all that great right now, but he could be a useful piece to add on to a deal.
On defense, I’m guessing that Hnidy will be ready to go, as he’s what is commonly referred to as a warrior, so our defense shouldn’t change.
Zanon-Zidlicky
Johnsson-Schultz
Burns-Hnidy
And finally, the six-million dollar question. Who starts in net?
I’m gonna go with my gut on this one and say that Khudobin starts with Backstrom backing up. I say this for two reasons. One, Backstrom has sit out the last six games and should get a little more than just a few practices before he is tossed to the wolves and two, why not ride the hot hand? Khudobin has two wins (one in relief) in his NHL career and has given up just one goal. That could earn him another shot.
What to Watch For
The last meeting between these two teams ended with some fairly heated exchanges and what looked to be some bad blood.
Now, with Minnesota on the outside looking in and Phoenix playing extremely good hockey right now, I’d look for this to carry over. The Wild will need a spark at the start of this game and will look to come out with energy and with physical play and, let’s be honest, in terms of this stuff a lot of hockey player have long memories.
As far as Phoenix is concerned, keep an eye on Matthew Lombardi.
Lombardi had his first career five-point game on Monday night and is riding high after being moved from center to wing. Playing with Robert Lang and Shane Doan, look for him to continue to be an integral part of their offense.
For Minnesota, they need to find a way to get to Ilya Bryzgalov. Bryz has historically not had a whole lot of success against Minnesota, but this season has played lights out against the Wild.
Minnesota needs to figure out how to recapture their success against Bryz and against the Coyotes to gain any sort of momentum. These last three games of their homestand are incredibly crucial to the direction of the team after the Olympic break, as they will have exactly two days to decide which direction they will take in regards to the trade deadline.
Minnesota has not seriously flirted with the playoffs yet this season, but a strong last three games could put them in the position to do so and influence general manager Chuck Fletcher’s moves going forward.
Key(s) to the Game
Honestly? Open the scoring before the second period. If Minnesota can do that, they’re already part-way towards success against Phoenix.
Getting on the board early and getting their confidence will be key against a Phoenix team that has not given them much to be confident about this season.
Past that, just coming out and playing a solid, physical game.
Minnesota is proving this season that they have a team that is capable of throwing their bodies around and are starting to turn into a very difficult team to play against.
They’re playing against a Coyotes team that is riding high, and they need to be that difficult team to play against. Play physical, send a message to Phoenix that they won’t be pushed around.
It’s that simple. If they can dictate the tempo by playing physical, they can come away with a victory in this one.
The puck drops at 7pm CST and is broadcast on Fox Sports North.
On My Soapbox: Post-Hit Fights
Here’s the deal. It’s not like I think that Steve Ott is a horrible human being…
Well, okay. Let me rephrase that. While I may think that he’s a horrible human being, I’m sure that he’s actually a really nice guy.
Wait, let me rephrase that again. I’m not sure, but he probably is actually a really nice guy—just a nice guy who enjoys annoying the hell out of anyone and everyone on the ice.
But I’m going to be flat out honest here. What he did not once, but twice last night might not have been wrong, but it was certainly was dishonorable, as Puck Daddy made mention of.
Here’s the deal. I am a Wild fan. I make no bones about it. While I try my hardest to remain objective, there are many times that I view plays during Wild games through Iron Range Red tinted lenses.
But what Steve Ott did last night is a growing epidemic in the NHL in general, as Bob McKenzie pointed out at TSN.ca.
I’m all for fighting in the game, and I’m all for spontaneous fighting at that. But there’s one thing that gets me on both of the fights that Ott started.
Each one followed a 100% good, clean check by Cal Clutterbuck.
Why, pray tell, should Clutterbuck be expected to defend himself against someone other than the man that he just embarrassed by knocking his brain about ten rows up into the seats?
A couple seasons ago, Wild defenseman Brent Burns jumped in on something that was much similar to this when he set up forward Stephane Veilleux to get Phaneufed, so to speak.
My response then was the same as it is now. Why in the world should the hitter have to defend themselves against anyone but the recipient of the hit for a good, clean hit?
Don’t get me wrong. I love seeing players skate with such raw emotion. But this is now bordering on ridiculous.
In his post-game comments, Ott brought up the 60’s and 70’s bench clearing brawls saying that a hit like that on a star player simply can’t go without a response.
Yeah. He may be right, and you at least have to respect his sentiment. But at what point did we start saying that this response has to be in the way of a fight? Or even that the star players can’t respond, themselves?
McKenzie brings up a great list of what he believes would constitute as “appropriate responses” in his column, and I happen to agree 200% with him:
I suppose I’m old fashioned but for me the appropriate response to the Stuart hit would have come from a menu that includes the following: a) Kopitar gets up and exacts revenge by scoring a goal against Boston; b) If Kopitar was really incensed by the hit, he drops the gloves himself with Stuart (don’t laugh, the point is the game had more honor when players fought their own battles); c) the Kings take Stuart’s number and the first time he’s in a position to get hit, he gets creamed; d) the Kings begin laying more hits and physical abuse on Boston’s best offensive players Marc Savard and Patrice Bergeron, and believe me Wayne Simmonds would be excellent at this; e) all of the above.
Why does the response have to involve a player now having to drop his gloves with someone nowhere near the play, just because he cleaned the clock of a star player? My guess, in both situations, is that the star player got to his feet thinking to himself: “Damn, I should have kept my head up.”
But, if he were really upset over it, he should fight his own battles like McKenzie suggested. To Ott’s comment, I’m certain that’s what would have happened in the 60’s and 70’s.
What’s more, the NHL instituted the “instigator” penalty to prevent just this. As Mike Russo mentioned in his postgame blog, the instigator rule at hand (and, make no mistake, Ott was the instigator in both fights), would punish Ott with a 2-5-and-10 laundry list of penalty minutes for his role in starting the fight.
As Russo said:
Tonight, for some reason Ott didn’t get an instigator (2-5-and-10) for going after Clutterbuck after he lay a clean check on Brad Richards. I don’t know why. The league has publicly said that if you start a fight after a clean hit,. it should be a 2, 5 and 10. The refs tonight gave him 2 for roughing.
I’m sure I’m not alone in this sentiment, but I don’t want to get rid of hitting in the NHL—especially not the open ice kind, nor do I want to get rid of fighting. Both aspects of the game are absolutely electric and can energize a crowd and a team and both aspects are as much of a part as the game’s fabric as scoring goals or making saves.
But, for the life of me, I just can’t understand why a player would have to defend himself for a clean hit—especially when he’s not defending himself against the player that he hit, and I can’t, for the life of me, understand why the NHL would institute such a rule as the instigator penalty if they refuse to enforce it to the letter of the law.
Owen Nolan is Too Important for the Wild to Trade
The trade deadline is looming, and with the moves made in the past couple days by the Maple Leafs and the Rangers, it looks like everyone’s trying to get an early jump on the trading.
The trades that have been made would likely be considered blockbusters, but it is rarely the blockbuster trade that wins one a Stanley Cup. The trades that win the cup are the ones for crafty veterans that have been there before. Players like Doug Weight and Mark Recchi, or Billy Guerin, or Owen Nolan.
That’s right, Wild fans. Our very own Cowboy has the potential to be a trade deadline move, and why shouldn’t he?
Throughout his career, this crafty veteran has been a 20+ goal scorer ten, count them, ten times and is on pace for that mark yet again this season.
He’s proven with the Wild over these last two seasons that, while he may not be the player he was in his prime, he still has plenty of tread left on the tires.
So, if they’re out of contention, why shouldn’t the Wild trade him? He’ll likely be one of the more valuable rentals that this team has to offer, and his cap hit will be very palatable for just about any team looking for some veteran scoring punch.
He’s been to the playoffs before and has shown that he can still bring the grit that made him one of the game’s most feared power forwards.
So, again, why shouldn’t General Manager Chuck Fletcher look at trading him?
Because he is arguably the most important player to the Minnesota Wild.
Say what you will about this, but trading Owen Nolan would be akin to ripping the heart out of this young, inexperienced Wild roster.
Nolan brings to this team something that they simply don’t have a whole lot of. Winning experience.
Even if the team is out of contention, trading Nolan sends one message to every single young player in the Wild’s locker room: “We don’t believe that you can win.”
Meanwhile, Nolan continues to lead this team on and off the ice, regardless of whether or not he has the C on his chest. With all due respect to Mikko Koivu, it is Nolan that is the captain of this team.
This is no more apparent than in his comments to the Star-Tribune regarding the trade deadline.
“We’re in a battle here. We’re in a good race. If we stick to our guns, we’ll be in,” Nolan said. “I can’t worry about [being traded] at all. This is my team. This is who I play hard for. We’re right there. There’s no reason why we can’t make the playoffs and I can stay.”
Sure, it’s the right thing to say. Sure, every other player in the locker room would likely say the same thing. But with Nolan? There’s something about his attitude, his words that lets you know that he really means it.
“This is my team.”
That says it all. There’s no extra words, no extra justification. Just the simple statement that this is his team.
Last season, the signing of Nolan was looked at by many as a move made by a desperate general manager who was unable to sign anyone of value, and maybe that’s what it was, but when Marian Gaborik went down for the majority of the season, it was Nolan who picked up the slack.
The Wild’s poor December last season?
In Nolan’s absence.
Their record this season when the grumpy old man doesn’t suit up?
2-3-0, averaging just two goals for per game.
Quite honestly, the team needs Nolan not only for his on-ice presence, but for what he brings to the locker room and, in the end, that is why the team needs to keep him.
Not for any on-ice boost that he might give them, but for the leadership and mentoring ability that he has and is able to impart on the youngsters on this team.
That is why the Wild should not and, in my opinion, cannot trade Nolan.
That is why Nolan should have a spot on this roster as long as he wants to play.
A Quick Link
Hey all Wild Nationites. (God, I really need a better name for all of you than that!) I’ve got my nose to the grindstone on a couple of articles that I’m working on, but I’ve got a quick link for all of you guys to check out.
A couple months ago I got approached by Paul Swaney, the owner of a bourgeoning blog known as Stadium Journey. (Hint: There’s a link towards the bottom of the page if you haven’t noticed it yet.) Mr. Swaney asked me to write an article for him reviewing our very own Xcel Energy Center, and I gladly obliged.
So I’m here to ask you guys a favor. If you haven’t already checked out my article, please do so. But please, don’t just go to check out my review. 90% of you who visit Wild Nation have been to the X. You know how great the experience is and you certainly don’t need me to tell you.
Sure. Check out my article. Re-affirm what you already know. But please, don’t stop there. This is an unbelievably cool site. From MLB Stadiums, to NFL Stadiums, even to NCAA Arenas, they cover it all. They even have a little something called the Lucky 13, where you get to pick the winners of 13 important games around the world of sports in hopes of winning the cash prize that they offer.
This might not be the first site to offer all of these options, but I think you’ll agree that it is certainly the best so please, do what you can to go check out a friend of Wild Nation’s and Hockey Primetime’s and check out the Stadium Journey. It’s well worth the few minutes out of your day that it’ll take to check out!
