Minnesota Wild: Prosser Looks to Be Odd Man Out

It’s no secret that the Minnesota Wild have a bit of a logjam that has developed in their defensive depth chart.  With two excellent young defenders in Reilly and Folin up to the task of NHL play, is there room any more roster for Nate Prosser?

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Yesterday the Minnesota Wild announced that Mike Reilly would be sent down to Iowa in a move that was largely seen as a salary cap saving measure.  With the Wild pushing right up against the league’s $73 million cap ceiling, there needed to be a move to made sure that when Joel Eriksson-Ek is ready any day to come up to Minnesota to make his debut that there will be enough space salary wise for him.  Indications though are that this was not necessarily a demotion due to Reilly’s play in the first game of the regular season.

Since Reilly can go to and from Iowa and Minnesota freely without waivers, it makes sense when the cap is so tight to keep him off the roster because he does carry a higher cap hit that is close to $1 million.  Michael Russo explained it best saying that “As GM Chuck Fletcher said a few weeks ago, he has asked the coaches to give him the lineup he wants for each game and he’ll adjust accordingly.”  Basically if the Wild want to play Reilly, Fletcher will make sure the call-ups and call downs are done accordingly.

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Sure Reilly will get some playing time in Iowa, but the issue really isn’t about playing time anymore with him it’s about getting the right type of playing time.  When looking at the Wild’s defensive depth chart he certainly deserved to play in the first game and be on the roster.  But it was also a good move to keep him out of the lineup in favor of Christian Folin against the Jets so the Wild could matchup better size wise.

It just seems as if the Wild have great options as far as loading their defense to match up better with different teams.  Reilly offers more defense and puck moving upside, while Folin offers solid classic shutdown defense.  Also the Wild could really use performance factors in game and during practice to make more informed decisions as to which defenseman will make it into the next game.

The situation thus far seems to lead you to the idea that the Wild are banking their season on rotating the two youngsters.  But looking at the roster there’s another player Nate Prosser on the defensive depth chart that has not logged a single minute this regular season and figures not to any time soon.

Folin’s stock is up this season.  He came into training camp slimmed down and ready to do what the coaches wanted him to do, and by all accounts he done it.  He’s riding high after his strong game against the Jets, and Boudreau considers him one of the biggest bodies on the team who is essential for the Wild in physical matchups.

So if Folin is the defensive big body option, and Reilly is the scoring puck mover…where does that leave Nate Prosser?  The idea of having him around to pad the roster because of injury is a great idea, but it’s a luxury that the roster and salary cap cannot afford right now.  The Wild are afraid to put Prosser on waivers to send him to Iowa, because they think he might get claimed.  So if he’s not playing and he’s contributing to the salary cap issue then why be afraid of losing him?

If the Wild lose Prosser in the waiver process, then part of their logjam is solve and Reilly and Folin can be up with Minnesota for options.  The idea that Reilly can be recalled easily is certainly true, but if the Wild are far into a road trip, or if the Wild play back to back games it might be easier on all involved to make sure that if Reilly is indeed the 6th/7th defender on the depth chart that he be up with Minnesota and ready.

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The reality of Prosser is he’s a backup player now as Reilly and Folin are proving to be more NHL ready by the day.  His clock is expiring quickly, and originally it looked like he’d make it to the end of the season, but now it seems as if his time with Minnesota may be running out a bit quicker.  My thought is he’ll see waivers by the end of the year.  That result will depend on a lot, but I think he’ll pass through them and eventually end the season in Iowa.  Of course this is all barring a serious injury, and then all bets are off.

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It just feels like despite all the situations to changes the Wild’s NHL defensive roster in the short term, the long term plan is almost inevitable that it will be Reilly and Folin filing out the depth chart.  It’s not a knock on Prosser or what he’s done for the team, it’s just the way of the league.  New players come up and veterans sometime become the casualty of their rise.  For Prosser, it just seems like his time to be a casualty is coming sooner than expected.