RALEIGH, N.C. – Sunday night against Colorado, Sean Bergenheim is expected to play his sixth game with the Wild. Disregarding morning skates, the recently acquired Wild forward will have had one full practice with his new team since that trade from Florida.
Chris Stewart and Jordan Leopold could be playing their fourth games. They will have had no practices with their new team since being acquired Monday from Buffalo and Columbus, respectively.
"It's that time of year," Leopold said before the Wild faced Carolina on Friday night. "That's one of the reasons it's so hard to get traded at the deadline."
With the schedule so condensed these days, not to mention the four CBA-mandated days off per month, teams barely practice this time of year. The Wild had games Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, was off Wednesday and won't practice Saturday.
"Anyone who's ever been traded, especially at the deadline, knows it's not easy to come into the locker room and come in and play a sound game," Leopold said. "You don't know the personnel as much, you don't know the systems as much. You're really just out there trying to read and play hockey."
"It's not ideal," Stewart agreed. "It would be nice to get a couple practices in so you could learn more about teammates and their habits. As hockey players, we're a creature of habits. But it's also good to get thrown into the fire. I'll pick it up on the go. I have no choice."
Coach Mike Yeo said the Wild is relying on video work and teaching moments in games to help Stewart, Bergenheim and Leopold along. Luckily, all three have been in the NHL a long time and on numerous teams, so they should adjust quickly.
"I think the biggest thing when you get into a new locker room, you have to try to find where you fit in," Leopold, traded eight times, said. "I know a lot of guys in here. I don't know all of them. You try to learn a couple names a day, really, because when you're on the ice, you want to call people by name. It makes things a lot easier rather than yelling, 'Hey,' and, 'I'm open.'
