Wild declares itself "all-in" with busy NHL Trade Deadline

ST. PAUL -- Wild General Manager Bill Guerin has chosen to push his chips to the middle of the proverbial table and declare the Wild "all in" on a Stanley Cup this spring.
And why not?
With a team that has been among the NHL's best through the first 2/3 of the season and a salary cap crunch coming over the next couple of seasons, there's no better time than now to make a run at winning the State of Hockey's first-ever professional hockey championship.

"These guys have done their part, so, I have to do my part," Guerin said, pointing in the direction of the Wild dressing room. "It's because of them. It's not what I'm doing today, it's because of what these guys have done all year - the way that they've played and the way that they've changed things around here. This is a credit to them. Like I said, I'm doing my job, I'm doing my part.
"We're taking care of our own business. I do believe in this group. The additions we made I think to talking to each and every one of them they're all in, too. They all seem like terrific guys. I've had people texting me all day about Jacob Middleton and what a great guy he is, great teammate. We're excited to meet these guys and get them going."
In its pursuit of a Cup, the Wild's Trade Deadline day got off to a hot start Monday when it was announced it had acquired three-time Stanley Cup champion Marc-Andre Fleury from the Chicago Blackhawks.
In addition to a resume that will one day land him in the Hockey Hall of Fame, Fleury, a former teammate of Guerin's in Pittsburgh, is widely considered to be one of the best personalities in the game today.
A popular guy both in the dressing room and amongst fanbases of the three cities in which he has called home, Fleury brings a ton of veteran experience to form one of the NHL's finest goaltending duos.

The first overall pick in the 2003 NHL Draft, the 37-year-old Fleury has 928 games of experience under his belt, with a career goals-against average of 2.57 and a save percentage of .913.
This season in 45 games with the Blackhawks, Fleury has a 19-21-5 record with a 2.95 goals-against average and a .908 save percentage, but has played behind one of the leakier defensive units in the NHL.
Playing behind a defensive unit that should be considerably stouter, the expectation is that Fleury could look a lot more like the goaltender that won the Vezina Trophy as the NHL's top goaltender last season, when he went 26-10-0, 1.98 goals-against average and a .928 save percentage with six shutouts with the Vegas Golden Knights.
Wild fans likely remember Fleury from his postseason exploits, when he went posted a .931 save percentage and a 1.71 goals-against average in the Golden Knights seven-game series win over Minnesota.
Fleury brings 162 games of postseason experience to the Wild, having gone 90-70 in those games, including 16 shutouts.
"I know Flower. I know him very well. He's had a lot of playoff success. I think he can help all of us. That experience is key," Guerin said. "We just want him to come in here and play and be himself. It's not all on him or all on the new guys. They're part of the team and we still have to work together.
"We just want him to come in and have fun and play and help us win games and get into playoffs and be himself. That's the most important thing for all these guys. It's not pressure on one guy. It's just be part of the team."

In addition to Fleury, the Wild continued to add size and grit to its lineup, acquiring the defenseman Middleton from the San Jose Sharks, sending goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen and a 2023 fifth-round pick to the West Coast in return.
At 6-foot-3 and 220 pounds, Middleton adds some much needed heft to the Wild's back end, and like Nicolas Deslauriers, acquired Saturday from the Anaheim Ducks, isn't afraid to defend teammates or do the hard work in front of the crease.
"I love the way he plays because he's big, he's aggressive," Guerin said. "He gets involved, he sticks up for his teammates and he's been playing a lot. He's been playing some big minutes for San Jose. He'll have a big role."
Middleton has played alongside puck-mover Erik Karlsson for much of the season in San Jose, an interesting clash in styles.
In 45 games this season, Middleton has three goals and nine points but is a plus-3 and has 69 penalty minutes. He's an accomplished penalty killer as well, much like Deslauriers and Tyson Jost, added from the Colorado Avalanche in a trade last week.
"It's the play, more than the rough stuff, it's the play, being able to box out, it's being able to move guys from the front of the net, it's the reach, it's being in the way," Guerin said. "I just like when guys stick up for their teammates. I don't think that's lost in the game, I think it's very important. That's a type of thing that makes teams close, when you're doing things like that. It's tough, but you're willing to do it for your teammates."
In addition to the new players added, Guerin managed to flip prospect Jack McBain -- a former third-round pick -- to the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for a second-round pick in this summer's NHL Draft, a selection that originally belonged to the Vancouver Canucks.
Between Jost, Deslauriers, Fleury and Middleton, Guerin has managed to add a little bit of everything to the Wild roster as it aims to contend for a championship this spring and hopefully into the summer.
He's also done it without mortgaging the Wild's future.
As of now, Minnesota will enter the offseason with a first-round pick, at least one second rounder as well as picks in the third, fourth, fifth and sixth rounds.
The Wild's own second round pick, which is now in the hands of the Blackhawks, could become a first, should Minnesota reach the Western Conference Final and Fleury wins at least four postseason games along the way.
But that's a price Guerin would be happy to pay.
"Totally, and you have to give up something to get something. There's a price to pay no matter what level," Guerin said. "We traded away some really good guys, and guys that did some good things for the team. It's tough. But we got good guys in return and we're ready to move on and see what we can do."