The Minnesota Wild close the symbolic first half of the season tonight against Arizona, and the Wild are in search of a spark. It looked like they might have gotten it on Thursday night when backup goalie Darcy Kuemper backstopped a 3-0 win in Los Angeles to halt a five-game losing streak.
Kuemper looked so good in making 32 saves, he got another start in San Jose on Saturday afternoon. With Devan Dubnyk having lost his last four starts, it certainly couldn’t hurt. The Wild were in position to at least get a point out of the game until Joe Pavelski scored the winner with 1:24 left in the game. 
With the 4-3 loss, the Wild slumped to 3-7-2 in its 12 games in 2016. Combined with the Colorado Avalanche’s blistering January (8-3 with two games left this month), Minnesota dropped behind the Avs for the second Wild Card spot, with Nashville close behind.
As far as the Central Division goes, getting into the top 3 may be a pipe dream. Chicago, Dallas and St. Louis are the three best teams in the Western Conference, and almost out of sight of the chasing pack. So what do the Wild need to do to stay in the playoff chase after the All-Star Game?
Dubnyk is the lone Wild player making the trip to Nashville, and while getting pelted with shots in the new 3-on-3 format won’t hurt his confidence, Wild fans can hope he’ll get a boost out of a strong showing in Music City. Despite his personal losing skid, he has only given up 8 goals in those four games, while the offense has only managed 3 goals.
Getting their No. 1 goalie on the winning side of things is going to start with their offense. In the last two games with Kuemper in goal, the Wild scored 6, so perhaps things will start heading in the right direction.
The recurring concern in the offensive end appears to be Thomas Vanek. Until the loss in San Jose, Vanek didn’t register a shot on goal for four straight games, and has three points (two goals, one assist) in the calendar year. Yes, he’s the third leading scorer on the team, but he will have to find assertiveness in the offensive zone.
Fletcher Needs To Take A Risk
There’s one name that has been consistently linked with Minnesota: Jonathan Drouin. The Tampa Bay Lightning’s talented forward has been on the trade block since his demands to be dealt were made public amidst his demotion to the AHL.
Drouin would represent a huge risk for Minnesota GM Chuck Fletcher. The public stance he and/or his representatives taken with the Lightning has not painted him in a good light, culminating in his refusal to suit up for Syracuse. Although Tampa is holding out for a premium return for Drouin, the public nature of the dispute should keep the price in check. Plus, the second-year forward is under team control for another full season plus an RFA year. It’s a move that Fletcher should be considering.
A trade would be a huge risk, but it’s become clear that the locker room needs some new blood.
Follow Lonny on Twitter @lonny_goldsmith and you can always reach him at Lonny.Goldsmith@prohockeynews.com
You must be logged in to post a comment.