Well, this was the first weekend since I can remember only having caught maybe 20 minutes of a Wild game and it was on Friday. Sheppard and Pouliot were both scratched Saturday, with Clutterbuck returning to score the OT winner.
Big game tonight in Chicago. Havlat returns. Wild can get their first road win. Wild can get their first regulation win. Jeez, that's a lot of firsts and I am probably forgetting a few.
Even though everyone has heard this from bloggers, journalists, and message board posters, this has got to be the biggest point in Sheppard's Wild career to date. He has been benched, is doing horrible in the faceoff circle, hasn't scored a point and appears lost. He needs to start showing something when he returns. And I have to eat crow because 3 games ago, and in my last blog, I thought he looked good. But, he does that from time to time. And that is why he is so frustrating. Sheppard seems to have the mental capacity to understand the game but his media persona is that of a premadonna that is too stubborn to realize that he has to produce in order to get the recognition he probably had the first 19 years of his life. And you wonder if he doesn't get it soon, he never will unless he has a change of scenery. And that will really cripple an already crippled team. To have another first rounder not be a part of the core or be used as an asset in a trade will cause us Wild fans to be even more patient. The reason I feel this way is because if Sheppard and Pouliot were top 6 forwards, we'd lock them up for awhile and have a much more solid core. Look at Duchene and O'reilly of Colorado in comparison. They are two 18 year olds that are already contributing and will for years to come. Colorado did add a solid goaltender (thus far) but they lost Sakic. So, I would contend that having two youngsters being able to step in and be a part of the core is what has changed that franchise. And with having Sheppard struggle, it really causes problems, both short-term and long-term, for Fletcher.
As far as Pouliot is concerned, it is really a broken record. He has played much better this season this far but I still question whether or not he has the Alexandre Daigle sydrome, in that he doesn't come across as someone that truly loves the game. But, this is from a guy watching him on TV. I did see Koivu talking to him on the bench a few games ago and maybe the guy is getting down on himself...now, I won't pretend him getting down on himself means the guy is going to make it, I am saying that showing some sort of emotion would be a much better sign than him simply being uninterested.
While I would love to be able to get access to these two guys, Marco Scandella and Harri Ilvonen, two Wild defensive prospects, are putting up good statistics for their respective teams. Hopefully, sometime throughout the year, I will try to contact the teams and see if I can interview them (along with any other prospects that are worth keeping an eye on).
With that, HAPPY MONDAY
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