The Minnesota Wild were predicted to perform miserably this season, and high expectations were placed on the Pittsburgh Penguins. My friends, the Wild have the 8th best record in the league, and the 5th best in their conference. The Pens are still where they've always been for the past few years: 28th in the league and dead last in their conference. Pittsburgh drafted Sidney Crosby and signed all kinds of free agents with hopes of contending for the cup this year. The Wild stayed on course with their 5-year plan and brought up their draft picks from earlier years. Which team is team is having more success for their money? Or for that matter, which team is having any success at all?
I think it's a little funny that Pittsburgh had a huge increase in season ticket sales this season, only to remain in the bottom of the standings as they always have. Maybe their fans only bought tickets to see Sidney Crosby. If so, they should be happy. If they wanted to see an improved Penguins team, then they're probably very disappointed. You can't compliment a crappy team with free agent signings and expect to get better. You need a solid core of players to start with, and the Pens don't have one.
I predicted that something like this would happen in a number of previous posts: The Wild will be fine: free agents are hype, The Trap will not die, and Lemieux's Expectations. Hate to say I told you so.
Now, if you know me, you know that I'm not one to brag or boast much. I tend to just sit back and watch events unfold and observe. I hate attempting to predict the future for fear of being wrong and made fun of later. I like having solid ground to stand on, and anticipating how sports teams will perform throughout a season is anything but solid ground. Plus, the NHL season is very, very young right now. Anything can happen. But I really feel strongly about how the mass free agent signings before the NHl started were all hype, how Lemieux was misguided in thinking he'd have a decent team this year, and how the Wild's strong skating skills and defensive-minded game will give them the advantage with the new NHL rules.
Let's review:
- The NHL's new rules reward good skating. The Wild is one of the best skating teams in the NHL.
- The NHL is cracking down on obstruction penalties. The Wild beat their opponents positionally with good skating, and opponents can no longer hold or obstruct them when they get beat.
- The NHL's new rules do not penalize a defensive strategy. The Wild continue to employ "the trap" to neutralize opposing teams' offense. The trap kills any benefit of the new rules if executed well.
I'm curious to see where this goes. The last time the Wild got off to a hot start, they made the playoffs.