One of the bigger storylines from the Minnesota Wild’s summer was the sheer amount of forward depth they parted with. Longtime vet Jason Pominville got moved to Buffalo. Rental center Martin Hanzal went south to Dallas. Speedster Erik Haula got moved to Vegas, along with NHL-ready prospect Alex Tuch.
There were plenty of reasons why general manager Chuck Fletcher made these decisions, even if the moves themselves were sub-par. He was trying to navigate a tricky salary cap bind. He had Vegas’ expansion draft to contend with.
And he also had a rookie crop that seemed primed to start taking on NHL roles.