Minnesota Wild need to embrace a long, overdue rebuild

The Minnesota Wild have been stuck in mediocrity for the past few seasons. It’s time for them to begin rebuilding, and maybe their slow start to the 2019-20 season will encourage them to start.

They say the worst thing a sports team can be is mediocre. It means not being good enough to be serious title contenders, yet not being bad enough to have a good chance of getting a high draft pick. Perhaps no NHL team defines “mediocrity” better right now than the Minnesota Wild.

Ever since the Wild made a tidal wave splash in NHL free agency in 2012 by signing Zach Parise and Ryan Suter to long-term deals, they’ve been a consistently good, but not great, team. Despite making the Stanley Cup Playoffs in six straight seasons from 2012-13 to 2017-18, they’ve only made it out of the first round twice.

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Last year, the Wild failed to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time in the Parise and Suter era. At the deadline, they decided to re-tool by swapping Charlie Coyle for Ryan Donato and Mikael Granlund for Kevin Fiala. So far, the results have been mixed.

The Wild got back to trying to win now by signing Mats Zuccarello in free agency. You don’t sign a forward over the age of 30 to a five-year deal unless you’re want to win right now. The Wild are not built to win right now. They’re built to be mediocre. Sure, the Wild might make the playoffs, but a first-round exit is the most likely outcome.

Fans have long wanted the team to rebuild. All of the reasons why they want a rebuild have been on display in their 0-3-0 start to their 2019-20 season. The Wild have scored just six goals while allowing 14, which is nearly five per game.

Head coach Bruce Boudreau has managed to keep his job despite the Wild replacing their general manager twice in roughly 18 months. His track record of regular-season success is one that isn’t matched by many. However, it has become clear Boudreau isn’t the right coach for the Wild anymore. He’s a good coach, just not the right one.

Firing Boudreau would be significant for the Wild. And perhaps necessary. If the Wild fire a coach who is known for getting his teams into the Stanley Cup Playoffs, it would signify a chance of focus for the organization. They’ve been focusing on winning, but have failed to do so. It’s time for the Wild to focus on retooling and rebuilding.

However, the Wild’s roster isn’t exactly meant for a rebuild either. They have Parise, Suter, Zuccarello, Matt Dumba, and Jared Spurgeon signed to long-term deals. All of them except for Dumba are signed for at least the next five seasons and are over 30 years old.

Sure, the Wild have intriguing veterans on shorter deals, such as center Eric Staal and goaltender Devan Dubnyk. Even defenseman Jonas Brodin, who has two years left on his deal, could fetch them a solid return if they’re willing to retain some salary. Mikko Koivu has a no-movement clause and he’s their captain. If the Wild can somehow convince him to be receptive to being traded, he’d bring them a nice haul.

However, it’s hard to rebuild when you’ve got multiple older players signed to deals that you simply aren’t going to be able to move. Nobody’s taking on the six years left on Parise’s contract, especially not with his injury history. Suter remains a great defenseman who gobbles up tough minutes for breakfast, but the six years left on his deal is going to scare other teams away.

Spurgeon signed his extension in September. He’s one of the NHL’s most consistent and underrated defensemen. However, Spurgeon’s best years are most likely behind him, as age is rarely kind to defensemen. It will be very difficult to move him, as he has a no-movement contract until the 2024-25 season when the NMC turns into a modified no-trade clause that allows him to submit a 10-team no-trade list. Spurgeon will be 34 when that happens.

A terrible season might give the Wild the motivation they need to rebuild. Albert Einstein once said, “the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again while expecting different results”. The Wild are trying to remain competitive despite an aging roster that lacks the elite talent required to win a Stanley Cup. It’s clearly not working. So perhaps it’s time for the Wild to accept their time has come and gone. The sooner they do, the less painful the rebuild will be.