The Minnesota Wild have been remove off, once again, by hockey analysts and panels nationwide. This seems to be a regular thing, despite the fact that they keep making the playoffs, year-on-year.

it’ll be interesting to see the difference this year, as last year really put a chip on the team’s shoulder – it meant they became determined to show they were larger than the sum of their parts.

The , mentioning that  called everyone out with the ‘no-respect card’:

That’s Brucey, he finds a way to light a fire under people every day. That’s why guys like him. He’s a motivator. – Matt Dumba

It’s clear, that whether it’s because of Boudreau’s message or whether it’s quite simply a group mentality derived from more than that, the Minnesota Wild team has a certain chirpiness to their approach.

Put elite sportspeople with their backs to the wall and more often that not, they’ll find a way to perform.

That’s exactly what the press are doing by painting the Minnesota Wild into a corner whereby they don’t think they can escape the Central Division.

Now, obviously the challenges the team shall face won’t be easy to overcome; the Nashville Predators got no weaker over summer, the Winnipeg Jets got a year older and the St. Louis Blues made some big moves in free agency in a bid to push back into the playoff picture.

It’s definitely a hope that the team find themselves removed from any shackles associated with media expectations.

They can feel free to play the game that they want – a relaxed team is usually a happy team. Even better, a team that has that swagger and want to prove people wrong.

That is the sign of a team that has all the potential to put it to their doubters and continue their play-off streak. Fingers crossed.