Minnesota Wild Lose Nick Seeler to Waiver Claim

After a hard practice yesterday, the Minnesota Wild put Nick Seeler on waivers to be assigned to Iowa. The Chicago Blackhawks claimed him because he’s an NHL caliber defenseman that was on a team with too many NHL caliber defenseman

The first casualty to the Minnesota Wild roster wasn’t exactly where we thought it would be. Nick Seeler, a defenseman caught in the awkward and unfortunate circumstance of too many cooks in the tiny kitchen, was claimed by Chicago Blackhawks because they need a fine defenseman and the Wild have to try something to get this team going.

Because of the emergence of Carson Soucy and ever since Greg Pateryn has been healthy enough to play, the Wild are forced to scratch two defensemen a night, typically Brad Hunt and Nick Seeler. Seeler was put on a two-week conditioning stint to Iowa just to keep him in playing shape. He’s only had the opportunity to play in six NHL games this season. For those wondering about Brad Hunt, he’s being kept in Minnesota because of his offensive potential on the blue line and on the power play.

I’m sure Bill Guerin tested the market to see if they could get anything for Seeler, but I’m certain every GM knows he could be had on the waiver wire at some point.

If you need any proof that Nick Seeler was beloved by the Minnesota Wild, Russo reported this statement from Coach Bruce Boudreau

After an utterly horrific first game back after the break against the Boston Bruins, a 6-1 loss, it was clear something will likely be different about this team once February comes to an end. Outside of potential trades, we could see the promotion of Several AHLers. For example, Gerald “Gerry TIme” Mayhew, is leading the AHL with a career-high 31 goals in 39 games.  Nico Sturm (10G, 13A in 39GP in Iowa) is another option; in a quick stint with the team in December, he impressed with some NHL caliber skill and was quietly an impactful player in the 6-4 Wild win over the Avs on December 27th. Even the undersized Sam Anas (15G, 34A in 47GP) could get the call.

While researching Nick Seeler, I found out he was one game short of playing his one-hundredth game in the NHL, all would have been with Minnesota. Gosh, that hurts.

I loved Nick Seeler’s game, he provided a tough skill set, one that wasn’t very prominent on the Minnesota Wild. He only has eleven career points (2G, 9A), and isn’t a statistical sweetheart, but he was a fan favorite. Assisted on Eric Staal’s 400th goal, and had another assist and scored a goal that day against the Blues.

The rest of this article will be a tribute to Nick Seeler’s time with Minnesota. He might not have been a franchise-altering player, but he was an absolute gem. The epitome of a team player.

Nick Seeler’s First Point

Man, Chris Stewart was still on this team. Another Wild gem.

Nick Seeler’s First NHL Playoff Points, Two Assists in Game 3 Win vs Jets

Nick Seeler’s First NHL Goal and Three-Point Game

Nick Seeler Immediately Winning the Hearts of the Wild Fans

https://twitter.com/Ginohard_/status/970858555581415424

Standing up for a teammate on a borderline hit.

Nick Seeler Chirping

Nick Seeler Taking a Visit to the Jets Bench

Marcus Foligno and Nick Seeler were problems for other teams.

Nick Seeler Eating Three Massive Shots, Which Lead to Goal

The most impressive “For the Team” defensive effort I’ve seen from a player on the Wild.

Nick Seeler Training to be Modern-Day Paul Bunyon

https://twitter.com/NHL/status/1153742904277590016

Nick Seeler’s Last Fight for the Minnesota Wild

I think I can speak for every Minnesota Wild fan; we love Nick Seeler and certainly going to miss him. He might be rather unknown to the rest of the league, but he’s a folk hero to us. Some of us knew him since he was an Eden Prairie Eagle, some since he was a Gopher, and most likely most only knew him while he was in the Wild organization. Any way you cut it, #36/#55 was beloved in our franchise.

Never Change Nick. We’ll miss you

With Love,

Wild Fans.