SAINT PAUL, Minn. – The Minnesota Wild have already had a tumultuous off-season. Head Coach Jacques Lemaire walked away the day after the season ended, feeling he had lost his ability to reach today’s hockey player. Shortly after that, GM Doug Risebrough was given his walking papers, and the search was on for new leadership team. While these moves have instilled renewed hope in Saint Paul, they have also made it excessively difficult to know what direction the team is headed in. New Wild GM Chuck Fletcher has not cleaned house in the front offices, but has reserved the right to do so. This means the same scouts that have provided the background for every pick the Wild has ever made are still in place. The information, however, is being filtered through an entirely new mindset, bent on installing a new system in Minnesota. Fletcher has said he wants to be “more aggressive up ice,” meaning the type of players needed to do so will need to be drafted and developed. He has also made it clear that “draft picks are like gold.” This should signal that he will be unwilling to make moves such as giving up a third round pick to move up one spot in the first round, as his predecessor did last season. That said, Fletcher is likely to be active before and during draft day. With assets to trade, he will likely be looking to stock pile more of the gold bricks he covets. Goaltender Josh Harding is a restricted free agent, and having signed all-star Niklas Backstrom for six years, he is completely expendable. Harding is a solid goaltender, and should the Wild find a willing partner, he should garner a first round pick. Forward Pierre Marc Bouchard and center James Sheppard will also be the talk of draft day trade speculation. In seasons past, Bouchard and Sheppard have been involved in talks for such superstars as Oli Jokkinen. Risebrough was completely unwilling to entertain any trade involving Sheppard. Risebrough truly believed he is an up and coming super star. Fletcher has no such loyalties, and has no preconceived notions about the talent level of any player in the organization. Should any team be willing to part with talent that will improve the Wild immediately, Fletcher is likely to make the move. Focusing on the one pick the Wild currently possess, the needs this team can be summed up in one word: Center. The Wild have very little talent at center after Mikko Koivu. James Sheppard had one of the worst face-off winning percentages in the league last season (41.5%, 189th out of 231 ranked centers). Eric Belanger is a solid defensive center for the checking line, and Dan Fritche has the ability to play the position, but he played mostly at wing last season. The top prospect in the organization is Benoit Pouliot who struggled so much he was returned to their AHL affiliate in Houston after only 37 games. This draft has a plethora of centers ready to go in the first round. With the obvious choices going early in the round, and the Predators taking Nazem Kadri in our mock draft in the eleven spot, the Wild are left with a tough decision. Do they choose the hometown hero Jordan Schroeder, the overall best available center remaining on the board, or do the Wild pass on Schroeder because of size limitations and move to the next best available center in Louis LeBlanc, or do they go with someone that has sheer physical size and take Chris Kreider, who also brings breakout speed? The Wild will surely need to weigh the fact that Schoeder comes in at just 5’ 8″, 175 pounds, and has been criticized by his coach at the University of Minnesota for being afraid to shoot the puck. Minnesota already has a player that could be described in exactly the same terms as Schroeder (which is not necessarily a compliment), which is Pierre-Marc Bouchard. The Wild have plenty of playmakers, and no one to finish off the play and put the puck in the net. Despite being the best player, and the best center left on the board, the Wild are going to be reluctant to choose a player of such a small stature. The next best center available is Louis LeBlanc from Omaha of the USHL. He has the size the Wild are likely to be looking for (6 foot, 178 pounds). He is still growing into his frame at only 18 years old. NHL Central Scouting’s Jack Barzee said this about LeBlanc. “The most impressive things about Louis LeBlanc are his hands and his evasiveness with the puck. That separates him from other players on the ice right away.” LeBlanc looks to be the prototypical player for a Chuck Fletcher system. In real life, should Kadri not go at 11 to the Predators, the Wild will surely scoop him up. However, if the draft follows according to the Pro Hockey News mock draft, then this is what Chuck Fletcher will be saying with his first ever first round draft pick.”With the twelfth pick in the 2009 NHL entry draft, the Minnesota Wild are proud to select, from the Omaha Lancers of the USHL, center Louis LeBlanc.” The author can be reached at bryan.reynolds@prohockeynews.com
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