The problem Fletcher may run into is there are only a few teams that may definitely need a goalie -- Philadelphia, Chicago perhaps -- and a lot of goalies that might be on the trading block or available via free agency.
Fletcher said Thursday or Friday he should have further surgery updates. He said a couple players are getting MRI's and "may need some things cleaned up."
-- I've been getting a lot of emails asking "Derek Boogaard back or John Scott?" I don't know, other than Scott is a defenseman and the Wild is pretty filled on the back end. If there are no trades, the returning defensemen are Burns, Barker, Schultz, Stoner, Zanon and Zidlicky. There will only be seven or eight D on the team, and guys like Marco Scandella and Nate Prosser especially, will have a shot for a roster shot.
So I just don't see where Scott squeezes in there, and please, no more emails about Scott's "versatility" of playing forward.
He's a defenseman. He's understandably not a good winger.
"We have to look at our mix back there. He's unrestricted. He has rights too and can explore his options. We haven't ruled out anything. We have to see what we do on the trade front, but it's way too early to assume anybody wouldn't be back." This is regarding Scott. That doesn't necessarily mean Boogaard will be back, but I just don't think Scott will. Again, this is just my educated guess. Also, just because the Wild basically traded Boogaard at the deadline doesn't mean they don't want him back. Coach Todd Richards values the element he brings and a third, fourth and Konopka for Boogaard was one heck of a value and why Fletcher was going to make that trade with Tampa. Fletcher said the longer it goes without re-signing the free agents, naturally some UFA's will want to "peek over the fence and see what's on the other side." There will be conversations with some of his free agents, he said. Fletcher did say that while the Wild doesn't plan to go out and sign any UFA defensemen on July 1 at this point, you can sometimes get terrific values for defensemen a few days after free agency begins. The Wild may want to sign one NHL defensemen just so "players have to earn their way onto the team in September as opposed to anointed in July." Fletcher is referring to the Scandellas, Prossers, Cumas, etc. -- Fletcher and Richards held end-of-the-year one-on-ones with players, but Fletcher said the internal front-office meetings to discuss the roster will be delayed for a little bit. He wants scouts to scout, and he also wants some of the internal anger and emotion of missing the playoffs to dissipate before holding meetings to discuss the future of individual players. -- Assistant to the GM Jim Mill is representing the Wild at tonight's draft lottery in New York. Wild has a 2.7 percent chance of moving from ninth to fifth, so I wouldn't plan your night around watching the draft lottery and partying afterward. -- Wild assistant equipment manager Brent Proulx will serve as the United States' equipment manager at the World Championships in Germany on May 7-23. I don't expect a lot of players. There are a lot of guys dinged up (especially Backstrom, Koivu, Zidlicky, Havlat), so I can't imagine the Wild would want its Olympians who played a lot of hockey this season to participate.
