WildHBcommunity: Wild West Shootout on the Duck Pond

Minnesota Wild Continues Strong Play in Anaheim With 4-2 Victory

The Wild earned a huge 2 points against a Ducks team that just does lose in their home rink, especially not to the Wild. Before tonight the Ducks had only 1 regulation loss in Anaheim this year which happened on January 21st against the Winnipeg Jets. The Ducks entered tonight with back to back victories over the Los Angeles Kings to include Saturday night in the Coors Light NHL Stadium Series in Dodgers Stadium.

The Ducks tied the second best star on home ice in NHL history through 24 games with a record at the Honda Center of 21-1-2 in 24 games before tonight. The Ducks had gone 15-7-2 versus the Wild all time in the Honda Center before tonight and 24-16-9 all time versus the Wild. Just cant express how big a victory tonight was for the Wild.

Darcy Kuemper has been just outstanding during his current opportunity with the Minnesota Wild starting 8 consecutive games with a record of 5-2-1 during that stretch which being honest does not reflect how well he has played. So many young players have stepped up for the Wild this season but none more impressive or important than Kuemper.

When Jason Pominville was acquired at the trade deadline last year a couple different reactions occurred the first being wow the Sabres just traded their captain but retained Thomas Vanek, Ryan Miller, and Drew Stafford. The second reaction was Wild general manager Chuck Fletcher had over paid for Pominville with a package that included prospects Matt Hackett, Johan Larsson, 1st round pick in 2013, and a 2nd round pick in 2014.

Since the trade Pominville has become the Wild’s leading goal scorer and currently also leads the team in points as well. Pominville resigned with the Wild before ever touching unrestricted free agency. Hackett was perceived to be near NHL ready when the Sabres acquired him but he has since stumbled at the AHL level with a record of 11-12-2 this season. Kuemper drafted in the 6th round of the 2009 NHL draft the same year Hackett was selected in the 3rd round by the Wild as well. Kuemper had eclipsed Hackett last season in Houston with his performance and has now proven to Fletcher and his staff right on their gamble to included Hackett in the Pominville deal.

The other intriguing angle of the Pominville deal was the inclusion of center Johan Larsson a player the Wild selected in the 2010 draft which has provided the franchise with their current young core. Larsson was on of three Wild draft picks in the second round in 2010 along with Brett Bulmer and Jason Zucker. Larsson turned pro after winning the World Junior Hockey Classic as Captain of Team Sweden. In 62 games in Houston, Larsson had scored 15 goals with 37 points before being traded to the Sabres. The emergence and development of Erik Haula a 7th round pick in the 2009 draft had to factor heavily into the decision to include Larsson in the Pominville trade as well.

Haula put together an impressive resume of hockey once arriving in Minnesota from his native Finland to play at the hockey factory Shattuck-St.Mary’s and then the University of Minnesota. Last year was truly a breakout year for Haula with the Gophers as he proved capable of playing both the center and wing position. Haula put together back to back solid season scoring 49 points as a sophomore and 51 points as a junior. Before his call up this year from Iowa, Haula had scored 9 goals and had 17 points in 24 games. Haula has played in 21 games for the Wild scoring 2 goals with 4 points total.

Larsson still looks to be an important part of the Sabres future and may eventually even fulfill his potential especially his strong leadership component and become their fuuture captain. Larsson has struggled though to make an impact with the Sabres this year accounting for just 1 assist in 21 games in the NHL this year. Larsson has scored 5 goals with 17 points in 19 games in the AHL this year as well though. The 2013 1st round pick the Sabres received in the trade was used on huge skilled Russian dman Nikita Zadorov.

Fletcher and his staff rolled the dice on a major move last year at the deadline and nearly a year later their swap of a hefty package for the Sabres captain looks to be a complete success. I still believe that this trade has a major component that has yet to become reality which of course is the return of Thomas Vanek to Minnesota via free agency this summer.

Lots of different opinions exist on where Vanek will land once he hits the free market this summer. Gotta love that Islanders general manager Garth Snow rolled the dice acquiring Vanek despite him being an impending unrestricted free agent. Vanek is playing on a highly successful and talented line with John Tavares and Kyle Okposo.

The impending Olympic freeze and NHL trade deadline to follow will be an intense game of chicken for Snow to have to decide whether to deal Vanek for assets or risk losing him in the off season without compensation. Vanek has been forth coming about not signing a new deal until after the season so despite everything going about as good as could have been hoped for the Islanders since his arrival nothing is certain. I bet Snow stands pat on trading Vanek at the trade deadline despite not having a new contract in place.