UPDATED
Fleischmann will not be attending Wild training camp
The Wild signed the veteran winger to a pro tryout, but he failed his physical.
By mikerusso
GM Chuck Fletcher said Saturday that veteran forward Tomas Fleischmann will not be attending Wild training camp.
Coach Bruce Boudreau said Friday that Fleischmann didn't pass his physical. He didn't provide details, but Boudreau said doctors were conducting more tests. It's uncertain the issue, but Fleischmann has been diagnosed with blood clots in the past and perhaps the Wild just wasn't willing to accept the liability.
I say that because both Fletcher and Boudreau said they hope Fleischmann catches on somewhere else, so whatever was discovered doesn't seem like it would inhibit him from playing.
Fletcher said out of respect for Fleischmann, he'd provide no more details.
"I just said goodbye to him," Boudreau said after Day Two of camp was complete. "He's such a good person, it's unfortunate. So I hope he catches on somewhere else. It's just a disappointment. I like him enough that I want to see him succeed somewhere."
It doesn't sound like Fletcher will look to bring another forward in on a pro tryout right now. They have Ryan Carter in on a tryout and will get a flux of World Cup participants reporting for camp Monday.
He said the team will watch the young kids throughout camp, and if it looks like they're not ready to make the team immediately, he could always look to sign a player later in camp. Remember, all tryout players leaguewide are free to sign with any team, so Fletcher said the Wild would be scouting unsigned free agents in preseason games.
Boudreau said today was "OK" when it came to the practices. He just said there was some confusion at times as he introduced the neutral zone and combined it with D-zone. He's looking forward to Monday's exhibition debut against the Sabres at Penn State. He said it would be a typical first preseason lineup, meaning a lot of young guys with the mandatory eight veterans. By the looks of practice, the top line could be Zucker-Coyle-Stewart.
Boudreau has been real impressed with the blue liners so far, even youngsters like Hunter Warner and Nick Seeler. I'm doing a story on the battle for those last couple spots in Sunday's paper focusing on Mike Reilly and Christian Folin, so please check that out.
Also, go to this link if you're interested in attending any or all of the four Star Tribune Fans Night Out games. It includes a Chalk Talk with myself and Wes Walz before the games.
The promo code is FANS.
Talk to you Sunday.
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Minnesota lost its fourth game in a row, this one to the league leader and a Central Division rival.