Wilderness Walk for 2-26-2012: Game Day Edition

by BReynolds on Feb 26, 2012 8:00 AM CST in Wilderness Walks

Big day today. The Wild will don their camo sweaters for warm-ups and then put them up for auction, benefiting Defending the Blue Line. It sounds like the auction will start on the 28th, so get your credit cards out and be ready to bid big. The other option is to use that tax refund to buy one of the sweaters...

Everyone over the excitement of the big trade? Hope not. Tonight is the first look Wild fans will get at the new recruits... and the not so new recruits. It should be fun to see how Kurtis Foster and Stephane Veilleux are recived by the fans at the X. Could be an interesting case study in the memory of the Team of 18,000.

Enjoy your Walk, all. Talk to you soon.

VOTE - Today of all days... please vote. Defending the Blue Line needs your vote.

Wild News

Final thoughts on Marek Zidlicky trade from Wild to Devils; Staubitz on re-entry waivers | StarTribune.com
- Russo goes about shooting down my thoughts on Staubitz. Sometimes... I tellz ya what...

Hitting The Post: Fletcher Flops The Nuts - Nick certainly has a way with titles, doesn't he?

Rau, Hackett Sent To Houston; Info On Draft Picks | - Glen updates his Wild.com story.

Wild hopes to bring Staubitz back | StarTribune.com - Guess they would rather have him in the press box than in Houston.

Young assets in Burns trade impressing Wild | StarTribune.com - Indeed.

Enemy News

San Jose Mercury News - Newspaper of the Sharks.

Fear The Fin - One of my favorites on the network. Stop by and say hi.

Off the Trail

Michael Russo’s Sunday Insider: It's time to make a deal | StarTribune.com - I'll take door number three.

Marek Zidlicky happy, but not surprised, to be a Devil | NJ.com - Wait... Zidlicky talks to the press?

Why we aren’t predicting Nashville’s regression: Five theories | Backhand Shelf | Blogs | theScore.com - Filed under: Self Congratulatory BS. Us good. You idiots. STATS!!!!11

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Comments

According to Russo..

Kass and Prosser are scratches tonight.

Falk and Prosser are paired together.
Palmieri is RW with Cullen & Clutterbuck.
Veilleux is LW with Peters & Ortemeyer.

Minnesota Wild's international fanbase.

Follow @GerDevine

by GerDevine on Feb 26, 2012 9:52 AM CST reply actions

Did you mean Falk and Foster?

That's Finntastic!

by niemonster3 on Feb 26, 2012 9:56 AM CST up reply actions

Yes, yes I did.

I’ll put that mistake down to tiredness.

Minnesota Wild's international fanbase.

Follow @GerDevine

by GerDevine on Feb 26, 2012 10:00 AM CST up reply actions

Does that mean

that the Kaptain is back?

by WildEast on Feb 26, 2012 10:22 AM CST up reply actions

God I hope so...

by wild32384 on Feb 26, 2012 10:38 AM CST up reply actions

No.

Editor:Hockey Wilderness Swarm Beat Writer:In Lax We Trust Now with more Twitterness: ReynoldsSBN

Master of unsustainable passive regression.

by BReynolds on Feb 26, 2012 12:37 PM CST up reply actions

With Brodziak signed, I think trading Cullen makes sense. I think Larsson will make the team and can fill in for him next year. NTC may be a problem.

Thoughts?

by Kingpin45 on Feb 26, 2012 10:48 AM CST reply actions

I'd stick with Cullen for another year.

He’s a key 2-way player for this team and can still contribute while the prospects are phased-in.

Minnesota Wild's international fanbase.

Follow @GerDevine

by GerDevine on Feb 26, 2012 10:55 AM CST up reply actions

First of all,

he has a no-trade clause; Minnesota is his home; and, someone would have to want to take on his contract for next year. Some hurdles there, but for the right return, it could make sense.

by WildEast on Feb 26, 2012 10:56 AM CST up reply actions 1 recs

That said,

I basically agree with GerDevine.

by WildEast on Feb 26, 2012 11:00 AM CST up reply actions

He's not going anywhere.

He lives here, loves playing here, it’s in his top five hockey moments of his life signing here. I can even see them resigning him at a much much much cheaper rate after next year as well and possibly getting a job with the team down the road too.

by cgp711 on Feb 26, 2012 2:29 PM CST up reply actions

I agree

Cullen has been the first real high-profile Minnesotan to play for the Wild. Nothing against Darby and Co., but none of them have the pedigree and NHL history of Cullen.

I smell a deal like Prospal’s, where they just keep giving Cullen a one-year deal until he’s ready to retire. After that point, he’ll end up with a job in PR or something where he’ll stay in the public eye.

You know you're a Wild fan if Spam Whoopie Gerald-buns comes up in conversation
Mikael Granlund = Suomi Savior

by JDesthubert on Feb 26, 2012 4:03 PM CST up reply actions

Where will he play?

Between Granlund, Larsson, and Phillips there are 3 top six centers in the system.

It would be good to have him around though. He’s vocal and always seems to be giving it his all out there.

by J.A.Berty1330 on Feb 26, 2012 10:31 PM CST up reply actions

Well, Larsson and Phillips probably won’t be competing for spots next year. In a two years, if Cullen returns, then he can always slide over to wing.

As for Granlund, I’m still not convinced the Wild play him as a center. They might, but if it were me, I would move him to wing. It would free him up from the defensive responsibilities of being a center and allow him to start rushes with the puck.

You know you're a Wild fan if Spam Whoopie Gerald-buns comes up in conversation
Mikael Granlund = Suomi Savior

by JDesthubert on Feb 27, 2012 3:20 PM CST up reply actions

Yea, keep Cullen. Perhaps a draft day trade but I would hold onto him. He has definitely earned a spot here.
Don’t know about you guys but I am still smiling from this weekends trade, especially after reading this: http://www.barrymelroserocks.com/2012-articles/february/inside-the-devils-front-office.html

Twitterverse: @hobey_baker

by The Nooge on Feb 26, 2012 11:04 AM CST via Android app reply actions 2 recs