HINT: It's not the Wild. Yet.
Hello, Wilderness!
Despite feeling to old for this (NSFW), it seems that I am back on these Wilderness Walk's temporarily. I wish WarrenMoonJr. a bountiful harvest on his farm.
We're still in the doldrums of August, but there's still plenty to be excited for. The first thing is that August is almost over, which is welcome news for any hockey fan, and I'm sure welcome news for you loyal readers who have been remaining active on Hockey Wilderness during the summer. Your waiting will be rewarded soon! We're working to bring back the Hockey Wilderness Podcast very soon, and later today, we'll have an announcement that we all hope you will be excited for.
But enough about us. What about the Wild? Let's get on to the Walk.
Wild News
Make sure to listen to the JewelCast (Jewels from the Crown's podcast) from this week, where they preview the Dallas Stars and Minnesota Wild. Their Wild preview starts at 36:50, while the always-awesome Nate Wells joins at the 45:58 mark to talk Vanek, goalies, possession, and more. You can listen to it HERE.
The Team of 18,001: A New Face In The State Of Hockey: Justin Falk- Giles introduces us all to Justin Falk.
RFA Problems Around the Corner for Minnesota Wild- Devin projects what he feels that the Wild's upcoming RFA's should get in their next contracts. I'd think that most of these deals sound a year too long- the typical bridge deal is about 1-2 years, and that's because a 3-year RFA deal puts a player close to UFA status by the time it expires.
Former Wild Draft Pick Kyle Medvec Headed To Austria- Austria gets to experience the magic of Kyle Medvec.
Tending the Fields
Wild Prospect Reid Duke Will Return To Lethbridge- Remember, Lethbridge was so terrible that Reid Duke played well enough to get drafted, and still finished with a -47. It would be hard to blame him if he wanted a trade.
Off the Trail
Report: NHL expansion to Las Vegas "a done deal" - NHL - SI.com- Seattle and a second Toronto team are other locations that have been rumored to be getting an NHL team. Say the report is true, and Seattle gets a team. Could the new Seattle team land in the Pacific, with Las Vegas being in the Central? Either way, Michael Russo is probably super pumped for this report.
The 10 most fascinating NHL players in 2014-15 | Puck Daddy - Yahoo Sports- Greg apparently thinks a slow, terrible, washed-up winger is really fascinating.
3 Traits of Successful Neutral Zone Teams | The Score- You won't believe number 3!
NHL jobs report: What's up for grabs in the Pacific Division - NHL - SI.com- Breaking down the competitions in the Pacific.
After first playoff win, the bar’s been raised in Columbus | ProHockeyTalk- Without any major offseason changes, the Blue Jackets are going to have to rely on internal improvements to make that leap.
Will Johansen be the latest Overhardt holdout? | ProHockeyTalk- For the last time: A player isn't a holdout if he doesn't have a contract. He's unsigned, not a holdout.
Schwartz, Blues haven’t made progress on new deal | ProHockeyTalk- See! Nino and Darcy are hardly the only unsigned RFAs. Don't worry.