Wild looks to keep it rolling tonight in Detroit; Trade deadline, Haula scuttlebutt

Tonight in Detroit, the Wild looks to sweep a road trip of 3-or-more games for the first time since Jan. 4-8, 2011, at New Jersey, Boston and Pittsburgh.

The Wild did have a five-game trip last year split into 4 and 1 where it won the first four games before returning home for a day and continuing the trip. But that technically still is considered a five-game trip, plus, since the loss Dec. 13, 2011, was in Winnipeg and that loss began the Wild's nose-dive-of-a-century, it shouldn't count just for that alone.

The Wild has won three in a row in regulation (COL, at COL, at VAN). It last won three in a row in regulation in the final five games of a seven-game winning streak Nov. 28-Dec. 10, 2011. Minnesota has won three straight on the road for the first time since a seven-game road winning streak Nov. 13-Dec. 10, 2011.

Niklas Backstrom vs. Jimmy Howard tonight. Mike Rupp and Tom Gilbert again skated this morning but won't play. Coach Mike Yeo says neither is 100 percent, and Rupp did leave the ice early shaking his head negatively to athletic therapist Don Fuller.

Nate Prosser gets a second consecutive game, meaning Brett Clark continues to wait to make his Wild debut.

Patrick Eaves won't play after being hit with a puck in practice. The Red Wings have recalled Gustav Nyquist.

Tonight's game is on NBC Sports Network. Doc, Edzo and Pierre at the mics.

The two facets of today's article are 1) GM Chuck Fletcher says he is not trading Matt Cullen and Niklas Backstrom and indicated that while he's interested in talking to them about extensions, since there's no pressure to get it done now, he'll wait 'til the end of the year to talk to both; 2) He doesn't want to block the development of the Wild's youngsters and part of development is getting a playoff taste. In 2006, that's what Anaheim did with a couple rookies named Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry. They won a Cup the next year.

In other words, there's different steps to development and Fletcher feels it would be a shame to make a move that would lessen or eliminate the roles of Jonas Brodin, Charlie Coyle and Jason Zucker and thus "skip" a necessary step of development. So I wouldn't expect a "rental" trade for say a first-line right wing or top defenseman.

I still believe Pierre-Marc Bouchard is still on the block, and knowing Fletcher, he would be interested in making what he likes to dub "hockey trades." (i.e. Nick Schultz for Tom Gilbert).

On Cullen/Backstrom, my gut says the Wild will want to extend Cullen. Before the year, I felt this would guaranteed be his last year because they'd need his spot to open a door for a kid, like Mikael Granlund or Johan Larsson or Brett Bulmer. But, you know what? You can't have all kids, Cullen can still play, skates like a 26-year-old and has been as important of a forward for the Wild as any other the past five weeks.

As for Backstrom, you can't just hand the reins to two rookies next year. You need a quality veteran who can start games and mentor. With Josh Harding's health uncertainty and the fact that they'd have to sign a veteran anyway because of what I initially said, I think you re-sign Backstrom if you can for a quality price on a short-term deal.

Defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson just got a six-year deal worth $5.5 million a year coming out of his entry-level deal from Phoenix. This could very well wind up being the Jonas Brodin comparable if he continues to evolve offensively. Coyle, Zucker, these guys could get big second deals.

It's imperative the Wild doesn't put itselves in positions where it has a tough time re-signing their kids. This wouldn't preclude them from picking up players or signing players on short-term deals, but it very well could preclude them from signing or trading for huge names. Like I said, I'll write more about that in the Thursday paper.

But, embed this in your brains for awhile whenever you want to ask me, will the Wild go after X and X and X the next few deadlines and free agency periods.

Brodin made his NHL debut in this building in January. Very excited to be back and to be playing so well.

Lastly, there's a report from a web site in Finland that Karpat Oulu is trying to sign Gophers center and Wild draft pick Erik Haula. I'm sure he gets offers like this all the time, but the Wild isn't worried. This is a Finnish kid that came to America to play high school and college. His goal is obviously to play in the National Hockey League.