What Went Wrong: A Season Ends, but So Does a Legendary Career

After the Eastern Conference's Final Four was filled up, it was the West's turn to start the possible process of thinning out their numbers. The first of the three West Game Sixes that took place was between the Vegas Golden Knights and the Minnesota Wild, and that was a series that saw a split in the first two games in Vegas. The Wild took Game Three, and looked like they would take Game Four, only for overtime to be forced, and Ivan Barbashev to strike. Thanks to an offside call against Minnesota in Game Five, overtime was needed again, and it was Brett Howden who struck for Vegas.

Game Six was key. The Golden Knights broke the ice, but with 4 seconds left in that opening frame, Ryan Hartman tied it. Jack Eichel made it 2-1 for Vegas in the 2nd, and in the third, Mark Stone made it 3-1. Then Hartman struck again. Now it was getting interesting. I was pulling for OT, because, well, it's the playoffs. Minnesota was definitely trying. They were scrambling with all sorts of fury, but in the end, they came up short once again.

The playoff woes for the Minnesota Wild continue. They still have not come close to having that same magic they had all the way back in 2003, the year they reached the Western Conference Final. And with this exit, the Wild have now gone a full decade since they won a series. Seriously, that whole state is cursed in pro sports. I remember when the NBA's Timberwolves had problems winning series, and it took MLB's Twins two decades for them to win another playoff game (they still get owned by the Yankees in October). And I could write about 1500-2000 words on how messed up the Vikings are.

The answer to "What Went Wrong?" is the same as it has been in recent years: Kirill Kaprizov can't do it alone. Per usual, Kirill the Thrill was the leader on the ice. Nine points, five of them goals, in six games. Matt Boldy did his share as well. Seven points, five of them goals. Ryan Hartman was third on the team with 6 points, which included the two goals he scored in Game Six--his only goals of the series. As for the underperformers, Mats Zuccarello was one of them, only three points in the six game series. But at least Zuccarello found the net. The same cannot be said for Joel Eriksson Ek. A key player on the team this season, and a huge miss when he was out for so long this year, Eriksson Ek only had three points in the series, and they were all assists.

So the Minnesota Wild's season ended early once again, and they will spend another offseason figuring out what they need to do to make sure they have a more successful run. That's what most of the Wild will do. However, there is one player whose destiny we know already:

The Wild's season is over, but it also marks the end of a fantastic and prestigious career. Marc-Andre Fleury, the last player left who was drafted before the season-killing lockout, had already announced that this season would be his last. You talk about a player with nothing else to prove, that's "The Flower." A two-decade career with the Penguins, Golden Knights, Blackhawks, and Wild. 575 career wins. Only Martin Brodeur has more. Won three Stanley Cups with the Penguins, and was part of the Golden Knights' Cup Final run in the team's very first year. Captured the Vezina Trophy back in 2021. Played in 1,051 games, and when he took the ice in relief in Game Five, he officially participated in his 18th postseason, which is an NHL record for goalies.

The Minnesota Wild will have quite a few questions regarding the offseason and next season, that's a fact. However, there's no question what will be next for Marc-Andre Fleury: straight to the Hockey Hall of Fame.