Things haven’t been going well with Minnesota’s hockey team, but that doesn’t necessarily mean changes are coming via firings or trades.
On Saturday, Wild General Manager Chuck Fletcher reiterated his confidence in his team and his coaching staff going forward.
The Wild have won just three of 15 games since Jan. 1 and they’re currently riding a four-game losing streak.
Fletcher says Yeo is safe: "we're going to turn this around." #mnwild
— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) February 6, 2016
#mnwild GM Chuck Fletcher said Mike Yeo's job is safe. "We've got a good coaching staff."
— Chad Graff (@ChadGraff) February 6, 2016
The Wild have been through mid-season slumps before.
Last year, Yeo lost it during a team practice and that seemed to spark his team, as they were able to turn things around and make it to the postseason.
Will a similar tactic work, again? Probably not.
As PHT pointed out earlier this week, this slump might not be like the previous ones.
The Wild are just one point behind Nashville (with a game in a hand) for the final Wild Card spot in the Western Conference, but will their top guns be able to get them out of this funk?
The numbers aren’t pretty:
--Zach Parise has no points in his last four games and just one goal in his last nine contests.
--Thomas Vanek hasn’t scored in eight games. He has just one assist during that span.
--Mikko Koivu has four assists in 15 games since the new year began.
--Mikael Granlund has two assists since Jan. 7 and he has a a minus-11 rating since then.
--Jason Zucker has one assist in 11 games. He hasn’t scored since Jan. 7.
How will Yeo get his team’s attention this time around?
Here’s your answer:
Thomas Vanek and Jason Zucker will be healthy scratches for the #mnwild.
— Chad Graff (@ChadGraff) February 6, 2016
Parise on Vanek/Zucker scratches:"it says we have to start playing a lot better. They're really good players, but that's the spot we're in."
— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) February 6, 2016