Kukla's Korner Hockey

Kukla's Korner Hockey

A Bad Year For The Minnesota Wild

01/11/2015 at 8:43am EST

from Jim Souhan of the Star Tribune,

While Fletcher’s primary problem is simple, its solution is not. There is no goalie available via trade who would be sure to improve Minnesota enough to guarantee a playoff spot this season, much less a playoff victory. And while the Wild’s young players have disappointed, Fletcher would be mistaken to trade them while they remain promising and while their trade value is at low ebb.

Here’s what Fletcher should do:

1. Apologize for placing so much faith in Kuemper and Thomas Vanek, who, on a 2-on-1 with Zach Parise on Saturday, tried a mindless behind-the-back pass, as he continues to look for easy ways to play a hard game.

2. Nothing. At least, nothing to mask the flaws of the current team, which played in the second and third periods as if its water bottles were filled with NyQuil.

If Fletcher wanted to take a long shot at the playoffs, he could fire Yeo and trade for a goalie, but that would be like dabbing Neosporin on gangrene.

more

from Tom Powers of the Pioneer Press,

The Wild are as soft as a featherbed.

Not the way we expected them to be, however. Physically, they've held up reasonably well. But mentally, they are as fluffy as cotton candy. Emotionally, they're like expensive bath towels straight out of the clothes dryer. It's a discouraging, unexpected, embarrassing turn of events.

They often bring no attitude, no commitment, no resolve to do their jobs over a full 60 minutes. And other teams know that, if they just bide their time, the Wild will mentally float away to a special place all their own where they eat gingerbread men and play with balloons.

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Paul Kukla founded Kukla’s Korner in 2005 and the site has since become the must-read site on the ‘net for all the latest happenings around the NHL.

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