Hockey Wilderness · Jun 5, 2017
Erik Haula turns in average season, faces uncertain future
Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY SportsErik Haula entered the 2016-17 season with a fresh set of raised expectations and a fortified role down the middle of the Minnesota lineup. Riding the coat tails of a career year that featured an offensive explosion in the second half, Haula cemented himself as a fixture at the pivot position and finally escaped his magnetic pull back to the 4th line and the dog house he lived in under Mike Yeo. Interim coach John Torchetti had discovered a secret weapon by uniting Haula, Nino Niederreiter, and Jason Pominville, who would go on to be one of the most effective lines in the NHL for the stretch run of the 2015-16 season.