Filed under: Minnesota, General NHL, Avalanche, Wild, Stanley Cup, NHL Free Agency

Expectations were higher.

Even after Kurtis Foster was injured and Nick Schultz went under the knife, a first-round exit was simply not going to be tolerated.

Especially like this.

Minnesota lost Saturday to Colorado, 2-1, dropping their first-round series in six games. The Avalanche simply outworked and outhustled Minnesota for most of the series, using their forward depth to wear down Minnesota’s depleted defensive corps.

It’s the fifth straight year that the Northwest Division champion has failed to get past at least the second round of the playoffs. It’s not a stat with a lot of meaning, as two Northwest teams (Calgary and Edmonton) have made the Stanley Cup Finals in that stretch, but it shows that a division title means nothing but lame t-shirts for the fans and pointless banners in the home arena.

The Avalanche await their second-round opponent, while Minnesota tries to find a teetime. The Wild were slightly better during the regular season, but were undone in the playoffs by Colorado goaltender Jose Theodore, who backstopped the Avs to at least two of the four wins they picked up in the series.

(He stole Game One and Game Five for them, while Colorado won the other two games by being the better hockey team.)

This site shows what lies ahead for Minnesota. It’s a lot of uncertainty, and possibly the most significant offseason in the short history of the Wild franchise.

Continue reading What’s Next for the Wild?

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