With the Minnesota Wild sitting in 10th place in the Western Conference and just three points out of fourth place, it was no surprise to see just one Wild member selected to the 2011 NHL All Star Game in Raleigh, North Carolina. That player, defenseman Brent Burns, has been a rock on the blue line for the Wild with with 26 points in 40 games, including 12 goals.
Some may ask, but why just one player? If the Wild are doing well this year, shouldn’t they deserve more? My answer to that is that the Wild aren’t a team with superstars who are All Star worthy. The Wild’s success this season has been based on multiple guys stepping up (Cal Clutterbuck leads this team in goals…yeah moustache boy himself) and spurts of solid goaltending, both from Niklas Backstrom and Jose Theodore. If I had to pick one player on the Wild who I feel may have gotten snubbed, it’d be Marty Havlat. It has been a bounce back season for the winger after a disappointing first-year with Minnesota. In 42 games, Havlat has 38 points (10 goals, 28 assists) and has been a huge key to the Wild’s success, especially with the absence of Guillome Latendresse in the lineup.
This year’s All Star Game is exciting because it will be in a fantasy draft format. Two captains will be selected and they will alternate picks while selecting 12 forwards, six defensemen and three goalies. On Friday, January 14th, myself and Zack Fisch will be doing our All Star Fantasy Draft on Sideline Reporters from 12:30pm-1:00pm on 88.1 fm KVSC and online at kvsc.org. Who do you think we should pick? The complete All Star roster can be found while clicking on the link below:
http://www.nhl.com/ice/page.htm?id=66980
Let me know what you think! Leave a comment!!