Update: The Wild signed Brad Staubitz, acquired from San Jose yesterday for a fifth-round pick, to a two-year, $1.15 million deal. Salary-cap hit is $575,000. One-way contract, meaning NHL salary if he were to play in the minors. He'll be here in Minnesota.
It's finally here -- three weeks earlier than normal actually: The Wild's 2010-11 schedule.
After a week in Finland, including a preseason game in Tampere, the Wild opens the regular-season Oct. 7-8 against the hated Carolina Hurricanes. Apparently, the Wild, expected to be a salary-cap ceiling team at between $56-58 million next year, will be facing a team whose salary-cap will be close to the $43-$45 million cap floor.
That's what GM Jim Rutherford, one of the game's great managers by the way, apparently told WRAL's Jason Jennings yesterday, according to canescountry.com.
The Wild will then return back to Minnesota, take five off-days and open the actually home schedule Oct. 14 against the Edmonton Oilers, Oct. 16 against the Columbus Blue Jackets and Oct. 19 against the Vancouver Canucks. Seven of 10 games in October are home games.
At actual Xcel Energy Center, the Wild plays eight of its first 10 at home, including a season-long five-game homestand that includes Cup champion Chicago.
The Wild's annual New Year's Eve traditional game will occur against the Nashville Predators.
March, usually the Wild's undoing because of the absurd travel due to other events at the X (OK, my opinion), is actually very tame this year.
