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This is Michael Russo's 17th year covering the National Hockey League. He's covered the Minnesota Wild for the Star Tribune since 2005 following 10 years of covering the Florida Panthers for the Sun-Sentinel. Michael uses “Russo’s Rants” to feed a wide-ranging hockey-centric discussion with readers, and can be heard weekly on KFAN (100.3 FM) radio.
Also find Russo on Facebook.
Email Michael to talk about hockey.
Posts about Wild training camp
NHL cancels schedule through Oct. 24; Aeros trim roster by 12
Posted by: Michael Russo Updated: October 4, 2012 - 4:07 PM
The NHL canceled the regular-season schedule through Oct. 24, meaning games from Oct. 11-24 won't be played.
That affects five Wild games -- three at home.
The wording of the league's release was somewhat vague, the reason being that there is a brief window to reshuffle the schedule and have an 82-game season per team if there is a quick solution to the lockout.
Of course, the way talks are going, that is slim.
Said NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly in an email to the Star Tribune: "It was an extremely disappointing but necessary decision. There is simply not enough days left to open the regular season on time. We remain committed to continuing to work hard to try to figure something out that will result in the breakthrough we need to get this agreement done and behind us. But obviously, we haven't been able to do that yet. And for better or worse, we need a negotiating partner to make that happen."
In a statement, NHLPA Executive Director Donald Fehr said, “The decision to cancel the first two weeks of the NHL season is the unilateral choice of the NHL owners. If the owners truly cared about the game and the fans, they would lift the lockout and allow the season to begin on time while negotiations continue. A lockout should be the last resort in bargaining, not the strategy of first resort. For nearly 20 years, the owners have elected to lock-out the players in an effort to secure massive concessions. Nevertheless, the players remain committed to playing hockey while the parties work to reach a deal that is fair for both sides. We hope we will soon have a willing negotiating partner.”
Players expected the cancellations when I spoke to them earlier this week.
“It’s not like tomorrow I’m going to wake up and be shocked that we’re not starting on time,” said Vancouver Canucks defenseman Keith Ballard, a former Gopher who is skating and working out weekly in the Twin Cities.
“People ask me every day what I think is going to happen, are we going to play this season, I have no clue. I don’t know. Obviously it’s going to take two sides. We’ve been willing to negotiate and talk, but they think a certain way, and unless they get it, they don’t want to talk, I guess.”
The NHL has made three proposals off a July 13 initial proposal that cuts the player share from 57 percent of league revenue under the final year of the expired CBA to 47 percent in the final four years of a new six-year proposed CBA.
The league has made clear that’s negotiable, but the union, in the league’s mind, hasn’t budged or made a proposal since its first and only proposal Aug. 14.
The NHL has said it will not make another proposal until the union counters last month’s NHL proposal. The union has refused, saying this isn’t a game of “Ping-Pong.”
More than 100 players have already left to play in Europe for the duration of the lockout. That includes the Wild’s Jared Spurgeon and perhaps soon Zach Parise, who has an offer to join Spurgeon in the Swiss League.
More players are expected to flood Europe, while others, like Ballard, who skates four times a week in St. Louis Park and works out every morning with the Gophers’ hockey team at Mariucci Arena, plans to stay put for now.
“I guess we continue to do what we’ve been doing, which gets old, but it’s part of your job and part of what you need to do to stay sharp and to stay in shape,” Ballard said. “We’ve given a couple good proposals, and as a union, our last proposal was pretty good.
“But just kind of reading through what Bill Daly and the league is saying, nothing is going to happen unless we change. So we’ll see what happens, I guess. It doesn’t sound overly encouraging from that standpoint.”
Technically, because the league has not canceled games outright and is reserving the right to reschedule, some teams aren't going to issue immediate refunds.
The Wild isn't one of those teams.
The Wild is offering the second-highest interest in the league to keep money in your accounts -- 10 percent APR. I believe Nashville is 10.5.
When a game is at least postponed or canceled, from that moment, if a season-ticket holder keeps their money in their account, the STH would receive 10% APR interest for each day it remains canceled or postponed and last until the NHL announces a new schedule.
I assume because of the 10 percent, Wild COO Matt Majka says a minuscule amount of fans are actually asking for refunds. The Wild will immediately begin cutting checks to those fans. Those checks will be cut the 15th of every month for the value of the games canceled the previous month.
In other words, on Oct. 15, the preseason games scrapped from last month will be refunded. If no games are played this month, on Nov. 15, the October home games will be refunded.
In other news:
The Houston Aeros, the Wild's American Hockey League affiliate who open their season at home against Charlotte on Oct. 13, trimmed their roster by 12.
No surprises and it's essentially what I wrote on the blog Sunday:
Colton Jobke was returned to his Western Hockey League, Regina, where the Wild says there's a chance he may be a captain.
Others dismissed from Houston?
Sean Lorenz, Kyle Medvec and Josh Caron were sent to ECHL Orlando, as was Ryan Ginand, Corbin Baldwin, Nick Petersen and Rob Mignardi.
Eric Lampe was assigned to ECHL Las Vegas, while Mike Montgomery, Ryley Grantham and Brennan Vargas were sent to CHL Allen.
The remaining Houston roster looks like this:
Forwards: Joel Broda, Brett Bulmer, Charlie Coyle, Kris Foucault, Justin Fontaine, Mikael Granlund, Johan Larsson, David McIntyre, Carson McMillan, Jarod Palmer, Nick Palmieri, Zack Phillips, Chad Rau, Jason Zucker.
Defense: Drew Bagnall, Jonas Brodin, Brian Connelly, Tyler Cuma, Kris Fredheim, Chay Genoway, Steven Kampfer, Marco Scandella.
Goalies: Mike Brodeur, John Curry, Matt Hackett, Darcy Kuemper.
As you can see, Palmieri finally signed his AHL deal and has arrived.
Not to add to your depression, but here's one final look at the 2012-13 Wild schedule as we once knew it:
MINNESOTA WILD 2012-13 SCHEDULE
DAY DATE OPPONENT TIME (CT)
SEPTEMBER – PRESEASON
Tue. 25 Dallas (@ Boise, ID) 8:00 P.M.
WED. 26 DALLAS 7:00 P.M.
THUR. 27 ST. LOUIS 7:00 P.M.
Sat. 29 @ St. Louis 7:00 P.M.
OCTOBER – PRE SEASON
TUE. 2 WINNIPEG 7:00 P.M.
Thur. 4 @ Winnipeg 7:00 P.M.
Sat. 6 @ Calgary 8:00 P.M.
OCTOBER – REGULAR SEASON
SAT, 13 COLORADO 7:00 P.M.
TUE. 16 COLUMBUS 7:00 P.M.
Thur. 18 @ Dallas 7:00 p.m.
Sat. 20 @ St. Louis 7:00 p.m.
TUE. 23 MONTREAL 7:00 P.M.
Fri. 26 @ Columbus 6:00 p.m.
SAT. 27 FLORIDA 7:00 P.M.
MON. 29 WASHINGTON 7:00 P.M.
NOVEMBER
THUR. 1 LOS ANGELES 7:00 P.M.
Sat. 3 @ Tampa Bay 6:00 p.m.
Tue. 6 @ Boston 6:00 p.m.
Thur. 8 @ N.Y. Rangers 6:00 p.m.
Sat. 10 @ Detroit 6:00 p.m.
Sun. 11 @ New Jersey 4:00 p.m.
Tue. 13 @ Philadelphia 6:00 p.m.
THUR. 15 ST. LOUIS 7:00 P.M.
SAT. 17 DETROIT 7:00 P.M.
Mon. 19 @ Vancouver 9:00 p.m.
Tue. 20 @ Calgary 8:00 p.m.
FRI. 23 TORONTO 5:00 P.M.
Mon. 26 @ Pittsburgh 6:00 p.m.
WED. 28 CHICAGO 7:00 P.M.
Fri. 30 @ Colorado 8:00 p.m.
DECEMBER
Sat. 1 @ Nashville 7:00 p.m.
Wed. 5 @ Phoenix 8:30 p.m.
Sat. 8 @ Los Angeles 9:30 p.m.
Sun. 9 @ Anaheim 7:00 p.m.
Wed. 12 @ St. Louis 7:00 p.m.
FRI. 14 EDMONTON 7:00 P.M.
SAT. 15 N.Y. ISLANDERS 7:00 P.M.
TUE. 18 CHICAGO 7:00 P.M.
THUR. 20 VANCOUVER 7:00 P.M.
SAT. 22 COLORADO 7:00 P.M.
WED. 26 DALLAS 7:00 P.M.
FRI. 28 BUFFALO 7:00 P.M.
Sat. 29 @ Dallas 7:00 p.m.
MON. 31 EDMONTON 5:00 P.M.
DAY DATE OPPONENT TIME (CT)
JANUARY
Wed. 2 @ Winnipeg 6:30 p.m.
THUR. 3 CALGARY 7:00 P.M.
SAT. 5 NASHVILLE 7:00 P.M.
Wed. 9 @ Anaheim 9:00 p.m.
Thur. 10 @ Los Angeles 9:30 p.m.
Sat. 12 @ San Jose 9:30 p.m.
TUE. 15 ANAHEIM 7:00 P.M.
THUR. 17 SAN JOSE 7:00 P.M.
SAT. 19 PITTSBURGH 8:00 P.M.
TUE. 22 LOS ANGELES 7:00 P.M.
Sun. 27 NHL All-Star Game (Columbus, OH)
TUE. 29 PHILADELPHIA 7:00 P.M.
FEBRUARY
Fri. 1 @ Carolina 6:00 p.m.
Sat. 2 @ Columbus 6:00 p.m.
Tue. 5 @ N.Y. Islanders 6:00 p.m.
THUR. 7 VANCOUVER 7:00 P.M.
SAT. 9 COLORADO 7:00 P.M.
Mon. 11 @ Vancouver 9:00 p.m.
Wed. 13 @ Calgary 8:30 p.m.
Thur. 14 @ Edmonton 8:30 p.m.
SUN. 17 DETROIT 6:30 P.M.
TUE. 19 NASHVILLE 7:00 P.M.
Thur. 21 @ Edmonton 8:30 p.m.
Sat. 23 @ Calgary 9:00 p.m.
TUE. 26 CALGARY 7:00 P.M.
MARCH
Fri. 1 @ Chicago 7:30 p.m.
SUN. 3 OTTAWA 5:00 P.M.
TUE. 5 EDMONTON 7:00 P.M.
Sat. 9 @ Nashville 7:00 p.m.
SUN. 10 VANCOUVER 5:00 P.M.
TUE. 12 PHOENIX 7:00 P.M.
THUR. 14 ANAHEIM 7:00 P.M.
Sat. 16 @ Colorado 2:00 p.m.
Mon. 18 @ Vancouver 9:00 p.m.
Tue. 19 @ Edmonton 8:30 p.m.
SAT. 23 SAN JOSE 1:00 P.M.
TUE. 26 CALGARY 7:00 P.M.
WED. 27 PHOENIX 8:00 P.M.
SAT. 30 ST. LOUIS 7:00 P.M.
APRIL
Mon. 1 @ Chicago 7:30 p.m.
Wed. 3 @ San Jose 9:30 p.m.
Fri. 5 @ Colorado 8:00 p.m.
Sat. 6 @ Phoenix 8:00 p.m.
Tue. 9 @ Detroit 6:30 p.m.
THUR. 11 DALLAS 7:00 P.M.
SAT. 13 COLUMBUS 7:00 P.M.
BOLD INDICATES HOME GAME
DATES AND TIMES SUBJECT TO CHANGE
Wild signs Dumba
Posted by: Chris Miller Updated: July 19, 2012 - 12:23 PMMatt Dumba, the defenseman the Wild took in the first round (7th overall) of the NHL draft, has agreed to terms.
Dumba, who will turn 18 on Wednesday, will play for Red Deer in the Western Hockey League, his former team, if he doesn't make the Wild in training camp.
Russo reports Dumba's deal is for three years and worth $2.75 million if he plays in the NHL. The annual cap hit is $1.633 million with potential bonuses.
Russo's draft night story tells you the young lad's tale.
Here is the team's press release:
Minnesota Wild General Manager Chuck Fletcher today announced the National Hockey League (NHL) club has signed defenseman Mathew Dumba to an entry-level contract. Dumba (pronounced DUHM-bah) was the Wild’s first-round pick (No. 7 overall) in last month’s 2012 NHL Entry Draft and just wrapped up participation in his first Wild Development Camp.
Dumba, 17 (7/25/94), posted 57 points (20-37=57) and 67 penalty minutes (PIM) in 69 games for the Red Deer Rebels of the Western Hockey League (WHL) in 2011-12. He led all WHL defensemen in goals and was sixth in points, while leading Red Deer with nine power play goals. Dumba was captain of Team Canada at the 2012 Under-18 World Championships, recording a tournament-best 12 points (5-7=12) in seven games. He was named the Best Defenseman of the competition en route to capturing a bronze medal. Dumba was the WHL’s Rookie of the Year in 2010-11 after he led the Rebels in rookie scoring (15-11=26). The 6-foot, 185-pound blueliner was born in Regina, Sask., before moving to Calgary, Alberta.
Wild prepares for season opener vs. Blue Jackets; Saturday's likely lines
Posted by: Michael Russo Updated: October 7, 2011 - 1:51 PMMy second favorite day of training camp is the first. My favorite day is the last. Everything else in between feels like, yuck, work.
Well folks, training camp is officially over, and the 2011-12 season is officially upon us!
Finally.
The Wild put in a final up-tempo practice this morning down at the X, and the Columbus Blue Jackets should arrive into town around 11 p.m. for Saturday night's opener after hosting Nashville tonight.
Good thing that game's in Columbus, otherwise the Jackets would have no shot. Nothing's more a given than a Columbus loss in Nashville. Well, maybe a Wild loss in Dallas. But other than that, nothing.
I'll be on Fox 9 Sports Primetime tonight at 10:15 p.m. I'll also be on KFAN Saturday at 5:45 p.m. live from the front of the X, and I'll be on the Fox Sports North pregame show right inside of Gate 1 entry at 6:30 p.m.
Hopefully you checked out today's Dany Heatley profile. If not, go to startribune.com/wild
Couple housekeeping items:
--Eric Nystrom cleared waivers and was reassigned to Houston. He'll be in the Aeros' Sunday lineup against the Texas Stars for their opener -- barring a trade or maybe a claim on re-entry waivers if the Wild ever decides to go that route. If the Wild really, really wants to get out of the contract, taking a contract back via trade or trying to entice another team to take Nystrom at half his $1.4 million salary via re-entry would be the best ways to do it.
-- Nick Schultz will be a full-time alternate captain this season, while Matt Cullen and Dany Heatley will share the other 'A." Cullen will wear the A at home in the first half, Heatley on the road. In the second half, that'll flip.
-- Looks like Matt Kassian will be taken off IR Saturday and he'd play depending on the toughness of Columbus' lineup, it sounds like.
-- Edmonton injured defenseman Taylor Fedun was aiming to get out of the hospital today in St. Paul and return to his hometown of Edmonton. He's in good spirits, said GM Chuck Fletcher, who has visited Fedun along with owner Craig Leipold, fellow Princeton alums Darroll Powe and Brent Flahr and Tom Reid.
-- No update on Mike Lundin, but he's apparently getting better from his back injury.
-- Todd Richards comes to town Saturday as Columbus' assistant for his first return to Minnesota.
Lines for tomorrow:
Setoguchi-Koivu-Heatley
Latendresse-Cullen-Bouchard
Clutterbuck-Brodziak-Bulmer
Gillies-Powe-Johnson (Kassian)
Scandella-Schultz
Zanon-Zidlicky
Stoner-Spurgeon
Backstrom
One of four guys
Based feels after today
Yeo on Saturday:
"I expect us to play the system very well tomorrow. I expect us to, like in every game, you're going to have ups and downs and there probably will be a breakdown here or there, but I'm confident that the guys have a very good grasp of what it is we’re trying to do and the way we have to play the game. Now where the questions need to be answered is how do we respond when the pressure's on, or how do we respond when there’s adversity in the game or how do we respond when you maybe get up a couple goals, and the tendency is to drop your urgency level? Are we able to keep our focus, keep our execiution level at a 10 in those moments?"
When the Wild is playing well, expect the Wild to do the majority of the forechecking, of getting pucks behind the D, of the defensemen keeping the play in front of them and not joining the attack a ton.
The core of the Wild's game is very similar to Pittsburgh's, at least that's what Minnesota hopes.
Watch the Pens, it's the same system. Listen to coach Dan Bylsma speak, Yeo says virtually the same stuff. After all, they worked together in Pittsburgh.
Yeo said he hopes that some of the Wild players watched Pittsburgh's game vs. Vancouver last night to see the way their D were executing, the way they get the puck up ice quickly, the way the team as a whole has a mentality of getting to the offensive zone and playing there.
That was at least in the first half of the game before the Canucks rally.
OK, that's it. I have a ton of work to do. Catch you Saturday after the morning skates.
Nystrom clears waivers; Heatley extras
Posted by: Michael Russo Updated: October 7, 2011 - 11:07 AMMorning. Great night of hockey last night. Vancouver rallied for a shootout loss against Pittsburgh, so the Canucks lead the conference with a point.
Wild already chasing because of these darn 3-point games!!!!!!
Couple items:
1. I'll be down at Buffalo Wild Wings at 9:40 a.m. on the University of Minnesota campus broadcasting with Paul and Paul on KFAN. Not that I'm endorsing skipping class, but ...
2. I'll be on Sports Primetime tonight on Fox 9 at 10:15 p.m. with Dawn Mitchell talking Wild puck
3. Bunch more games on tap today, including two games from Europe at noon: Ducks vs. Sabres and Rangers vs. Kings
Update: 4. Eric Nystrom cleared waivers at 11 a.m. today. Nystrom will likely be assigned to AHL Houston. Nystrom makes $1.4 million. The Wild could opt to eventually place him on re-entry waivers to entice another team to take him at half price.
5. Wild is hosting a Wake-Up Rally with refreshments and most importantly, the Star Tribune, from 6-9 a.m. down on Kellogg by the arena.
6. Buy a paper today because there's a ton of hockey coverage. Here's the Dany Heatley feature I've been working on. Heatley's been exceptional to deal with so far from my perspective. Laid back, funny, great quote, accomodating, and he's been good on the ice and good in the room.
I had to squeeze this out of the story, but I loved this story from his buddy Jay Reimers:
“When he was in Atlanta, we walked into a restaurant and in walks a kid with a Thrashers jersey on,” Reimers said. “You could see the ‘15’ on the sleeves. So he Heater spots the kid and gives me the nod, like, ‘Check it out.’ He was pumped and feeling proud.
“About 15 minutes later, the kid ends up walking by the table and it was an Andrew Brunette jersey. We both started laughing hysterically. The funny thing is now that he’s again taken Bruno’s number, I hope it happens again. Although, it would be even better if it was a James Sheppard.”
Heatley on his golf game:“Golfing in Blaine was enough. [Last month], I made a nine. The next hole, I put it 300 yards down the middle and made a birdie. Now that’s a humbling game.”
"You know what, I’m excited. I was excited then, I was excited now. This is a good situation to come into. We made a lot of changes. I think this team’s missed the playoffs the last three years, but having played them, they were right up into the hunt until the end. Other than that, were right there. Goaltending is great, got some top-end talent, excited about Mike and the whole staff. Talking to them and talking to Mikko, it’s going to be a good year."
Relish being the go-to guy? "I do. I do. Don’t get me wrong, it’s nice to play on a team with a bunch of guys that can score and contribute. There were a lot of guys that could put up numbers [in San Jose]. But being here, it’s always fun to have that pressure. I think myself, Mikko, Seto’s going to have a big year. I think they’re expecting a lot from Seto, I think they’re expecting a lot from me, I think they’re expecting a lot from guys that maybe had down years, that were hurt the last year or two. So there’s a lot of guys on this team with a lot to prove, and that’s going to bring out good things."
Your potential, rebounding from a down year? "It was a down year. It’s the old saying. You get 100 points or whatever, and people expect that every year. I think they should. I think you should expect that from yourself and try to get better every year. I never like to set number goals. I never like that. But people have put out the 50 goals and 100 points. That seems like a target. I just like to get my game to where I know I can score and get chances. And if I’m doing that, then I’m going to put up a lot of numbers."
Struggles last year? "It was a year where I could never really get in a rhythm. There were some small injuries here and there that you mess around with, but it was just a weird year. I wasn’t consistently getting chances game in and game out, and that’s always been something that’s been a key for me. Whether you’re scoring or not, you’re always getting chances. I think last year at times I’d go through stretches of not getting enough shots, not getting enough chances, and I just have to get back to that."
Playoffs, were you hurt? "Later, but no excuses. I think that was the same thing as the regular season. Have a good game or two and then have a game where you were just not generating enough offense and not getting enough chances. So, it was a tough year all the way through, especially being expected to produce and help that team win. We had as good a team as any in the league, and it was a disappointing year. But it’s in the past."
Used to playing playoffs, don’t want be off in april? "Playoffs have to be our goal. The west is so close. Iot’s tight. You look at every team in the west right now, they all think they have a better team and think they have a shot at the playoffs. So it’s going to be tight every night. I think we have a real good chance."
Nystrom placed on waivers; Boogaard free of felony charge
Posted by: Michael Russo Updated: October 6, 2011 - 12:06 PMUpdated with Nystrom quote and Chuck Fletcher quotes:
The Wild placed forward Eric Nystrom, who's been a fourth-line center in training camp, on waivers this morning.
"I'm definitely disappointed, but I've got air in my lungs, health on my side," Nystrom said. "If this is the worst thing that happens to me, I'm a lucky man. I'll be back with a vengeance no matter what happens."
Nystrom, who signed a three-year deal July 1, 2010, has two more years left on a one-way deal at $1.4 million each.
What's this mean? It opens the door for Matt Kassian to stick around after he's activated off injured reserve.
The big question is who plays center on that fourth line. Today, it was Darroll Powe.
The Wild isn't keeping Brett Bulmer here if he's going to be a 13th forward or play six minutes a night, so he moved up to play with Kyle Brodziak and Cal Clutterbuck, and Powe moves down and will play for now with Colton Gillies/Nick Johnson/Kassian.
With Kassian looking like he's staying, I do wonder how secure Brad Staubitz should feel once his three-game suspension ends.
Nystrom had a difficult first year with the Wild last season and here's a story I did on him earlier in training camp.
As I mentioned on the blog yesterday, I was questioning who may be the guy sitting on opening night on the fourth line. I had my suspicions they weren't happy with Nystrom's camp, especially after Yeo praised Colton Gillies yesterday, so I was assuming Nystrom would be the extra.
But I never considered they'd throw him on waivers and be willing to pay that hefty salary in the minors if nobody took him. I'd assume there's a good chance Nystrom clears if for no other reason than this: The Wild's trying to get out of a bad contract. If you're another team and you want Nystrom, you'd probably not claim him the first time around assuming the Wild would put him on re-entry waivers. You claim him then and you get Nystrom at half price, with the Wild picking up the other half. But that depends on how many teams -- if any -- want Nystrom of course.
Also, remember, if you clear waivers, you can still stay with the team. But the Wild's told Nystrom not to practice today, which is not a good sign about his immediate future in Minnesota.
Here's Kent Youngblood's email with Chuck Fletcher quotes:
FLETCHER
ON THE NYSTROM NEWS:
Q. Is it to make room for kassian?
A. It will give us a little more roster flexibility. we have 22 players on our active roster now, and still three players on IR. it gives us little more flexibility and the coaches have their lines set for saturday. this is how we'll start.
(at practice thursday: bulmer on third line with clutter and brodziak). powe centered line with three wingers moving in and out: kassian, johnson and gillies)
we'll see how things evolve and progress as we get through the first few games.
Q. how hard a decision was it.
A. it's always a tough decision. he's a good person, a character guy, he worked hard in camp. but, it's ... we're looking to get better. we're looking to look at some different options as we go into the first part of the season here, but it's a long season. one thing i know is there is constant change in this business.
Q. who center fourth line
A. right now it's darrell powe. .. we'll see. for right now, coaches make the lines and that's the combinations they had out there today. we'll see how quickly kassian comes back from injury, and lundin, but we have more flexibility to add players as they come off the ir.
Q. looking at waiver wires, too, to make another move?
A. well, right now we have some players that we're evaluating, we want to see what they can do, in the early portion of the season, you never know who's put on waivers. but we're not actively looking to juggle players at this point. i think we need to get a read on what we have, and then make adjustments as we see what we made need to do going forward
Q. and you can bring someone up if needed
A. yeah, there are a lot of players in houston we're comfortable with. obviously Peters and ortmeyer had strong camps, and you look at wellman and mcintyre. and on defense, genoway and bagnall and cuma, as he continues to progress back from the knee injury he had last year. there are a lot of players down there who could play. but at this point we need to get playing games. we need to see where we're at and what we have and go from there.
Q. move is really about flexibility
A. it is. again, right now we have our roster for saturday. things change quickly. you see it all the time, you never really have a final roster. you're always looking to make changes and improve your team and you're always responding to injuries or strong play from somebody in houston or poor play from somebody here. . so, you're constantly making changes during the course of the season. but for the early part of the season, this is what we'll start with.
q. bulmer gets more of an opportunity
A. he's earned the right to be here. . clearly, the regular season is a different animal than preseason. so it will be a challenge for him as the pace of play picks up and the intensity picks up and the veteran players kick it into high gear for the start of the season. so, there is no reason to assume he can't handle it. but every day will be a challenge for brett. and if he continues to play the way he's played, then he'll be fine.
Q. more on bulmer... moving up
A. he's not on the fourth line today. he's in the top nine, and again we'll see and coaches will make the lines and the players will play, and their performance will dictate how the coaches make their lines going forward. so again, every day is a new day. but today we're comfortable starting with this group, and we have a lot of work to do, as a group, to continue to get better. this week has been great. today was another good practice, working on a lot of systems work and a lot of conditioning work. so, i feel we've definitely taken advantage of this week, and i think we're in a good spot. i think everyone is excited for saturday.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Also, in other news, a Hennepin County judge today threw out the felony charge that Aaron Boogaard unlawfully distributed painkillers prior to brother Derek's May 13 death. Here is the story . There is five days for the prosecution to appeal the decision
His lawyer John Lundquist:
"On behalf of our client and his family, we are very pleased with the Court's decision to dismiss the felony drug count. The Court found that, even under the State's version of the facts, there was no probable cause to believe that Aaron had distributed drugs. We hope and believe that the dismissal of this charge will be a step toward complete resolution of the case."
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