Despite struggles, Wild GM Fletcher will stay the course

As Chuck Fletcher stood in the general manager's box during the second intermission Tuesday night granting a "state-of-the-team" interview regarding the Wild's first 32 games, his face was red, his voice hoarse.

Fletcher had just watched two periods in which the team he constructed wasn't even close to playing well enough to beat the Philadelphia Flyers. Predictably, the game got away from the Wild in the third period and the team face-planted into the Christmas break with arguably its worst performance in a string of nine losses in 14 games.

Fletcher talked about the tale of two seasons, how the 10th-place Wild "dominated games" and was "arguably as good as any team in the league the first month" and how the past month it has "lost our way" with struggling players making uncharacteristic mistakes because they've lost confidence and are frustrated.

"We don't seem to have the patience just to play the right game, stay within our structure and let things come to us," Fletcher said. "We're always forcing things and as a result, getting away from what we are, making too many unforced errors and confidence is starting to wane."

But with the Wild about to begin a crucial stretch Saturday with a home-and-home series with division rival Winnipeg, a team it is trying to catch, Fletcher said he believes in this team, his coaching staff (Fletcher says, they're "absolutely safe") and the players he has assembled. He noted that the Wild is still top-five in puck possession, how its shot differential (+5.3) ranks second, how it ranks 11th in goals per game (2.84) and how "on paper, to me, this is the most talented team we've had since I've been here."

Despite another season of scratching and clawing for eighth, despite another season of extreme highs and lows for the Wild, a shake-up should not be expected, Fletcher said.

"I like our group," Fletcher said. "Every year since I've been here, we've routinely got outshot, we routinely can't score goals. We dominate most games we play in, our goal scoring's getting better. Now we've got to get our defensive structure back, get back to the details of the game. But I think anybody that has watched our team this year sees the talent and ability of the team. It's a good hockey team and right now we just have to get back to doing what we do well."

Despite expectations to join the top tier in the West after getting past the first round for the second time in team history last spring, the Wild's fifth in the Central Division with 35 points in 32 games.

That's six points fewer than the Wild had through 32 games last year.

With 50 games left this season, the Wild is six points behind defending Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles for the bottom wildcard spot and eight s behind Winnipeg for the top wildcard spot (the Wild has played three fewer games than both).

Last season, the deepest hole the Wild got into came after a sixth consecutive loss Dec. 31. The Wild, also in 10th place, was four points back of eighth. It won its next four to climb back into eighth and went 23-10-7 in its final 40 to secure the top wildcard spot.

The Wild was one of four teams (along with Dallas, Columbus and the Rangers) that ended up making the playoffs last season despite being outside their conference's top-eight at the Christmas break.

"… I just want to see us play the right way and just trust each other and trust the system. That trust is lacking right now."

He wants better play from key players. He wants better play from youngsters, although he said their inconsistency is "symptomatic" of normal growing pains. He feels Vanek's production and attention to details is improving: "He's never going to win the Selke Trophy (best defensive forward), we all know that, but every night you see more and more examples of him grasping what we're trying to do away from the puck."

And as far as the goaltending, Fletcher said, "Our defense has been a problem the last month. … To single [the goalies] out and absolve the other 18 skaters would be a huge mistake. It's a total team effort.

"We have a lot of confidence in both guys. We have no doubt [Kuemper's] going to be a topnotch goalie in this league. There's going to be ups and downs. We know that. We said that before the season anytime you have a 24-year-old goalie. We're just going to ride these things out."

As to whether the Wild needs another defenseman, Fletcher said, "We'll see."

"You can't every time you go through a little slump or have struggles look to the outside and airlift somebody in and assume they're going to solve all your problems for you," Fletcher said. "You've got to battle through. … Learning how to win means you have to see your mistakes and overcome adversity.