The Wild play well for a full 3 periods
By mcrow
BUT STILL MANAGE TO LOSE.
The 2-1 lost the the division rival Canucks was tough. It was the first game in my estimation that the Wild gave a solid effort for a full three periods. Defensively the team looked good, Backstrom was very good in goal.
The Wild figured to be a offensively challenged team before the season started but with Havlat,Pierre-Marc Bouchard, Petr Sykora and Cal Clutterbuck all out the Wild are pretty well offensively castrated from a roster point of view. They only mustered 18 shots on goal and not many of them were good scoring chances.
The news has not gotten any better with The Star Tribune revealing that PMB will be out at the least another 10 games.
Michael Russo also notes that the Wild have put Sifers on waivers in order to send him down to Houston and make room for Kobasew. I don’t think anyone will be claiming him.
The Wild is trying to fill the gaps with the acquisition of Chuck Kobasew, which is an indication of how long they expect PMB to be out since while he’s on LTI (Long Term Injury) his salary does not count toward the cap. Kobasew will cost $2.33m toward the cap. So it will be interesting to see what happens to the roster when/if PMB comes back.
Kobasew should be a big help given the current roster situation. He’s a streaky scorer who has scored 20+ goals and 30+ points in three of his six seasons. Not a huge trade but the Wild give up a couple of prospects for a guy who can help the team.
CORRECTION: The Wild sent Weller and 2011 2nd round pick and this year’s 4th rounder (Fallstrom) to the Bruins for Kobasew.