The Minnesota Wild, after adding Thomas Vanek this offseason and the seemingly simultaneous, high-profile signings of Zach Parise and Ryan Suter a couple of years ago, appeared poised to make a serious run - if not several runs - at the Cup.
But after injuries to some key pieces, including a concussion to Parise, and a four-game losing streak culminating in a 3-1 loss to the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday, the Wild now sit at 10th in the standings in the Western Conference.
All of which has some wondering; could changes be coming for general manager Chuck Fletcher, owner Craig Leipold and the beleaguered franchise?
"As of today, Fletcher has approximately $8 million in salary cap space, and since Leipold has pushed the Wild's payroll in the top third of the NHL in the past two seasons, it's safe to assume Fletcher has the ability to add money to his cap total," writes Adam Proteau of The Hockey News. "He was going to have to anyway to cover contract extensions for pending RFAs Granlund and Haula, but if the losses continue, he'll have a tough time justifying recommitting to a core that can't keep up with the true top teams."
The Wild have only won three playoff rounds total since their inaugural season in 2000-01.
They posted 44 wins last season, but failed in the playoffs. Leipold said last season that they must make it to the second round of the post-season in order for the organization to turn a profit, Sid Hartman of The Minnesota Star Tribune reported.
They have a plethora of contracts that extend beyond this season, which provides stability of course, but those very same contracts belong to players contributing directly to the Wild's 10th place standing.
"It would be easy for Fletcher to send head coach Mike Yeo to the unemployment line, but it's hard to pin the team's woes on him when his goaltending duo of Darcy Kuemper and Niklas Backstrom have been inconsistent to say the least," Proteau continues. "Similarly, even with Suter and Brodin, Minnesota's defense corps isn't considered to be among the cream of the crop."
The situation in Minnesota is not impossible. A few tweaks, the return to health of some important cogs and improved play from the goaltenders would right the ship almost immediately.
But should some or all of those things fail to happen, look for the Wild to shake things up in the coming weeks - failure to make the postseason and advance is not an option.
