There are a lot of nay-sayers out there who are very, very disappointed that the Minnesota Wild haven't taken advantage of the new free agent market in the NHL. They've signed a few "role" players here and there but haven't made any big moves like many other teams have. Stars and solid veterans like Petr Forsberg, Mike Modano, Paul Kariya, Teemu Selanne, and Chris Pronger (to name only a few) have been picked up by teams trying to improve their odds for winning the Cup (e.g. Columbus, Atlanta, Edmonton, Pittsburgh). Also, existing elite teams like Philadelphia and Toronto are opening their pocketbooks and signing big names. In addition, the NHL rules have changed and now aim to favor offense - thus justifying the need to pick up a star player.

Should the Wild be worried? Definately not.

Whoa, wait a minute. How should they not be worried? It's a bit painful to look at the 2005 offseason transaction log, see all of the talent that's been signed, and not see the Wild take advantage of it. How does that spell anything BUT worry for the Wild? One word: defense.

One of the hallmarks of the Wild is their defensive mentality. It's the exact style of play that the league hates. The new NHL rules will try to discourage teams from employing it. The problem is that the rules themselves open opportunities for offense, but don't penalize teams for using good defense. Why would the Wild quit using a defensive style that's worked well for them? Teams that used a successful defensive strategy in the past will likely keep using it. The new rules created to encourage offense will only be used by defensive-minded teams when an appropriate opportunity presents itself. They won't take advantage of the new rules until their opponent makes a mistake as a result of their good defense. Personally, I'd get a lot of satisfaction in seeing the Wild shut down Lemieux and his freshly stacked Penguin lineup (Crosby, Palffy, Gonchar) because they can't find open ice or complete a pass.

A lot of NHL fans think that the Wild are a clutch-and-grab team. Clutching and grabing are obstruction tactics that are illegal (resulting in a penalty) and slow down the offensive game. The stereotype is that a clutch-and-grab team isn't very skilled and they need to rely on dirty tactics to win. Well, that's very true - but the Wild are not a clutch-and-grab team. They are excellent skaters who use superb defensive positioning and checking. You'll find the Wild's opponents clutching and grabbing more often than the Wild do. The new rules also aim to be tougher on penalizing obstructions, and it will only help the Wild for when their opponents are clutching and grabbing.

Perhaps two role-model teams for the Wild are the Ottawa Senators and New Jersey Devils. Both the Senators and Devils are defensive-minded, develop their team through drafting (rather than free agents), and haven't signed any big free agents this offseason (except to keep their own players who became free agents). Both the Senators and Devils are consistently in the playoffs.

The fans who are upset about the Wild not signing many free agents are forgetting something. Because of the new salary cap in the NHL, unless all of the stars in the NHL are willing to take pay cuts there is a maximum amount of talent that a team can have. In order to gain something, you have to give up something. Take the Philadelphia Flyers for example. They've gained a lot of talent in new players they've signed such as Petr Forsberg and Derian Hatcher, but have had to give up all-star Jeremy Roenick to land Forsberg and Hatcher. The Flyers went over the salary cap and will need to give something up.

All of these free agent signings in the league just means that the talent is being spread around. It has to come from somewhere, and that means a team has to give it up. The Wild haven't given much up and they will be successful with gameplay strategies they have used in the past.