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We can go through history of team sports and find prime examples of Hall of Fame players that never won a championship, yet they are revered as "Superstars." Is the term too often used? Absolutely!!! So what characteristics make a player a superstar, and is a superstar always a superstar, even after their better days are behind them?
Talent is clearly at the top of the list when it comes to characteristics of star athletes. But there is also a whole lot more, drive, intelligence, heart, just to name a few.
So taking a closer look at the Minnesota Wild, and more importantly Mikael Granlund. Granlund was drafted with the 9th overall selection in the 2010 NHL draft. He was highly touted from the very start, but his progression in the NHL has been a bit more methodical.
The accolades that are being used to describe Granlund, by his new head coach Bruce Boudreau should speak volumes of just how good Granlund is and he is just now scratching the surface of the player that he can become. Boudreau has called Granlund "as good a playmaker as I have ever seen for a winger." That is some pretty lofty praise from a guy that has been around the professional hockey game for most of his life, having coached and played with some of the very best to ever play the game.
Boudreau, himself deserves a lot of credit in helping Granlund to become the player he is today. The move to the wing has been a perfect fit for Granlund, combined with the free reign that Boudreau gives to his players to use their creativity, have unlocked the previously untapped potential of #64.
Granlund has always been a relentless worker and very reliable on the defensive side of the puck. Now we are seeing the spectacular vision and creative playmaking ability coming to fruition in the offensive zone. Granlund has always been a gifted scorer, he is just now tapping into it all at the NHL level.
It takes time for players to mature and not every player does this at the same pace. In our instant gratification world that we currently live in, we often get caught up in current happenings and miss the process of how things and in this case players progress.
There were more than a few Wild fans that had grown to think that the tremendous offensive talent from Granlund would never materialize at the NHL level. Many called for him to be part of any deal to bring in the much needed scoring that previous Wild teams were missing.
Well fast forward to February 2017, and Mikael Granlund is now leading the Minnesota Wild with 48 points which is also tied for 13th in the NHL, with Capitals superstar, Alex Ovechkin.
As the trade deadline approaches keep in mind that often the best moves that teams' make may just be the trades they never make.
Chuck Fletcher is absolutely working the phones as he should be, but the moves he is contemplating are taking a whole different scope this season, than they have in years past. This Wild team has clearly established themselves as an upper echelon Western Conference contender. So the moves Fletcher makes must be looked at a lot differently as well.
Chemistry is the common denominator in every top team, from every sport. So any move that Fletcher is contemplating, he must take into account the long term affects on his team's locker room. We often make it sound so simple, but managing the salary cap, the upcoming expansion draft, and future considerations make being an NHL GM a full time 365 day a year job, with not much time to stop and smell the roses.
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