Who says the offseason had to be uneventful? Certainly not the Minnesota Wild. The Wild pulled off arguably its biggest trade in franchise history by dealing Brent Burns and a 2nd round pick in 2012 to San Jose in exchange for Devin Setoguchi, promising power forward prospect Charlie Coyle and the 28th Overall selection in the 2011 draft (Zack Phillips). After pulling off a blockbuster deal like this, many teams would feel content to just wait until the opening of free agency a week later and then maybe consider making some additional noise. Not the Wild however, and late yesterday pulled the trigger on a deal that delivers a 3rd round pick in 2013 to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for Darroll Powe. Powe certainly does not have the notoriety that Devin Setoguchi does but this trade is another sign this team wants to be far different to play against than it was in the last two seasons. It is refreshing, exciting and a bit nerve wracking that Wild General Manager Chuck Fletcher is making all of these deals but he is certainly giving Wild fans lots to talk about. This fan certainly doesn’t mind talking hockey, especially Wild hockey so while my pace of writing has reached a regular season-like level in the last week or so I’m not really complaining as it certainly has broken up the monotony that is the summer.
So who is Darroll Powe (pronounced POW)? For those of you not familiar with him, he’s a 5’11”, 204lbs speedy hitting machine that has been a great energy forward for the Flyers the past few seasons. He plays with tons of heart and brings intensity each and every shift as well as an element of versatility being able to play at center or left wing. The Princeton alum (yes, the Ivy league school) racked up 196 hits last season to lead the Flyers and was good for 23rd in the league as well as blocking 60 shots. The Saskatoon, Saskatchewan-native is also noted as a tremendous penalty killer and excels in the shutdown role. The 26-year old had 7 goals, 17 points, 41 penalty minutes and was a -6 in 81 games played last season. He is a player whose style of play will remind a lot of Wild fans of Cal Clutterbuck and there certainly would be a chance these two players would be used on a line together to create their own version of the ‘Bash brothers.’ Powe will give the Wild lineup more speed and more grit, which fits in with the philosophy that Fletcher and most importantly, new Wild Head Coach Mike Yeo wishes to employ. Like Clutterbuck, Powe is a fairly clean hitter but just as it is with the league’s reigning hit leader the last few seasons his willingness to dish out body checks makes him a natural agitator. He certainly did not pile up a huge amount of penalty minutes but he’s not afraid to drop the gloves either. In addition Powe will give the Wild an additional physical presence that will force other teams to account when he’s out on the ice and if that can make opposing forwards second guess themselves when they find themselves skating near the boards then that gives Minnesota a mental advantage.
Click on “Read More” for the rest of the article…
So what does this mean for the Wild?
Apart from some of the obvious elements that Powe gives the team; speed and physical play Powe’s addition could have a consequence for a pretty special player. The special player in question is veteran John Madden. With Powe, the obvious choice as a 4th line center that could make Madden the odd-man out. Madden by all accounts was terrific for the Wild in the 4th center role. The 38-year old center was a contributor to the team both on and off the ice. A natural leader who exudes professionalism and a winning attitude Madden is very well respected in the Wild locker room as a 3-time Stanley Cup winner should be. Madden was a key penalty killer for the Wild, and despite his winning pedigree he did not hesitate to hold himself accountable for plays he felt weren’t up to his high standards. Seriously, how many players, let alone older veterans would call themselves out on a mistake the way Madden did? Madden provided the Wild a sense of stability and surprised many by finding ways to chip in occasionally on offense scoring 12 goals and 25 points in 76 games. Those certainly are totals that are not going to shatter any NHL records but any team would be happy with a 4th line center that can register 20+ points and double-digits in goals. Perhaps what is most interesting is how he seemed to have felt very comfortable in Minnesota; declaring towards the end of the season that he’d like to come back to play for the Wild next season and if not he’d retire. He also is planning on staying in the State of Hockey as his family loves it there and simply does not want to make another move in their lives which is rather understandable in the transient existence that professional sports can be.
I have to admit, the thought of replacing Madden actually has me pretty torn. Darroll Powe brings two things I like a lot; speed and physicality but Madden to me really brings an element of experience, leadership, and a culture of winning that this team needs. The 2000-01 Selke Award winner as the league’s best defensive forward came to the Wild for a very reasonable price of $1 million last year; and I am fairly certain the price would be more or less the same if the Wild were interested in the unrestricted free agent. Nothing official has been stated about the Wild’s intentions with Powe or Madden, so as of right now it seems a little premature to say John Madden’s time with the Wild is at an end. If the Wild do indeed pass on re-signing him does he retire? Hard to say. Madden always seems to have his heart on his sleeve but ever since he entered the league as an undrafted player out of the University of Michigan he has always had a 1st class attitude. I don’t believe John Madden played more than 3-4 games without sporting a black eye and that certainly wasn’t because he was dropping the gloves; it was because of his hustle and willingness to do whatever it took for his team to win. So when July 1st rolls around and perhaps the days and weeks after we’ll find out if Madden’s future with the team is at an official end.
Wild send qualifying offers to 7 players
The Minnesota Wild sent pretty clear message to its group of young players already in its system when it dealt qualifying offers to 7 of them; Justin Falk, Darroll Powe, Jarod Palmer, Casey Wellman, Colton Gillies, Jeff Penner and James Sheppard. With the exception of Powe who I think has a spot with the big club barring a horrible training camp the remaining 4 or so roster spots will likely be players within this group to fill. Sheppard is an interesting case since I think he probably already has a flight booked for Houston. I just don’t see how he could manage to make the team after missing an entire season with a knee injury sustained in a pre-season ATV accident.
If you really look at the likely line combinations for next season the Wild only need two or three forwards; one to fill the 4th line center role (check, Darroll Powe), and then a 3rd/4th line left winger spot as they’d battled against incumbent Eric Nystrom. If I had to take a guess as to which prospect I believed had the best chance of sticking out of the aforementioned group I’d go with former 1st round pick (16th Overall in 2007) Colton Gillies. Gillies is a big-bodied (6’4″, 195lbs) fast energy player who has been used in a checking role with the Aeros the last two seasons. He had a very strong playoffs where he scored 7 goals in 24 games and earned a lot of praise from then Aeros’ bench boss Mike Yeo and Wild management. Considering how set the team’s roster is, its doubtful the Wild will make any giant move in free agency. One player that was not tendered a qualifying offer and is set to become an Unrestricted Free Agent is former Wild 2nd round pick (56th Overall in 2003) Patrick O’Sullivan. O’Sullivan was of course a part of the team’s most notable trade in franchise history when he was dealt along with a 1st round pick to the Los Angeles Kings for Pavol Demitra. Since that trade O’Sullivan has had a hard time staying with any team for all that long, and at the beginning of last year he was a waiver wire pick up by the Wild. O’Sullivan wasn’t able to provide the scoring that the team hoped for and thanks to his two-way contract he was dispatched to the Houston Aeros where he was a huge dose of instant offense to a team that sorely needed it. Yet, even though its a long shot the team may wish to sign O’Sullivan as a UFA as he would be able to be signed to a two-way contract so we may not have seen the last of the former scoring ace of the now relocated Mississauga Ice Dogs.
The team is also interviewing coaches for the Aeros’ Head Coach vacancy. Candidates include, former Blue Jackets’ assistant and interim head coach Gary Agnew, Trent Yawney, and former Hartford Wolfpack (yes I know its the Connecticut Whale now) head coach Ryan McGill. I have to admit, I am a little surprised that Daryl Sydor hasn’t been named as a potential candidate for this job.
Could Jerry Maguire save Cam Barker’s career?
Cam Barker is placed on waivers
The Minneapolis Star Tribune‘s Wild beat writer Michael Russo is reporting that the team’s current most popular whipping boy by the fans, Cam Barker has been placed on waivers. Since the team acquired Barker near the deadline two years ago he has struggled to both stay healthy and establish himself as a solid member of the Wild’s blueline. The former 3rd Overall (2004) pick came to the Wild with a fair amount of expectations after the trade with the Chicago Blackhawks where the team chose to part ways with its top-minute munching defenseman at the time, Kim Johnsson and its 2009 1st round pick in Eden Prairie’s Nick Leddy. Johnsson didn’t last very long and finished the Blackhawks’ cup winning season on the disabled list not having appeared in a single playoff game. Leddy, however surprised just about everyone by wow’ing the Chicago upper management at a summer prospect camp that he dropped out of the University of Minnesota and signed a pro contract. He continued his solid play in training camp and earned an initial spot on the roster; but would later be sent down to the minors only to be called back up late in the season as injuries became an issue for the team. Partly because of Leddy’s surprisingly stable play, this ramped up pressure by Wild fans on Barker to deliver what they had hoped would be decent two-way play. It never really happened and his annual $3.25 million salary seemed obnoxious for a 3rd pairing blueliner that many criticized for his bumbling and hesitant play. The Wild took another step in re-shaping its roster by placing Barker on waivers which could be a prelude to a buyout. The buyout would not only allow the Wild to step away from the disappointing blueliner but also save money as a clause in the current collective bargaining agreement puts team’s on the hook for just 1/3rd the salary of any player under the age of 26. Barker’s agent (J.P. Barry) met with Chuck Fletcher to plead for his client to get one last chance to prove himself, but apparently it wasn’t that convincing. The Wild are not saying whether they’re for sure going to buy him out or not; but I think I’d be far more surprised if the Wild chose not to do so at this point. If the buyout is completed, the Wild would be on the hook for 1/3rd of Barker’s salary the next 2 seasons at $375,000 next year and $541,667 in 2012-13. The buyout would officially make the ‘Leddy trade’ as it is called by Wild fans to be an outright disaster. In the interest of my own accountability, I must admit I embraced it when it happened but now it appears I was very wrong about Nick Leddy and the trade itself. Sorry Cam, but you didn’t have me at hello.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
