The Minnesota Wild dealt their first-round pick in the 2013 NHL draft to the Buffalo Sabres in the Jason Pominville trade and, as a result, will be have their first selection at No. 46 overall in the second round.
With that pick, the Wild should select a defensive defenseman. While the team needs to address its goaltending situation, many of the best goaltenders come from later in the draft and need a lot of time to season in the minors.
As evidence of this, look at the past four champions. In 2009, the Pittsburgh Penguins won with Marc-Andre Fleury in net, the first overall selection in the mighty 2003 draft. Fleury was benched during the playoffs, however, and may not be in the team’s plans going forward.
In 2010, the Chicago Blackhawks won with the undrafted Antti Niemi tending goal. Nemo, as he is known colloquially, was a victim of Chicago’s salary cap purge and signed with the San Jose Sharks after winning the Cup. The undrafted netminder is currently the starting goaltender in the Bay Area.
Tim Thomas was in net when the Boston Bruins won the Stanley Cup. The No. 217 overall selection by the ...
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Article written by Tom Schreier
Facts You Need to Know About Minnesota Wild’s Top Targets in 2013 Draft
June 10th, 2013 by Tom Schreier Leave a reply »
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