Disappointment and frustration weren't the only reactions the Wild had after its five-game fizzle against the Jets in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Uncertainty was also palpable, especially since the team's first postseason decision was to part ways with General Manager Chuck Fletcher.
"You almost felt like that was the first domino [to fall], and then there was going to be more and more," winger Zach Parise said.
But when the team starts training camp Thursday at Xcel Energy Center with fitness testing and medicals, it will look almost the same as the group that slipped up last season — a summer-long development that, while surprising, has emboldened the returning core.
"Everyone likes what we have in that locker room," said Charlie Coyle, one of the players in summer trade speculation, "so we're really looking forward to the challenge ahead."
Fletcher's departure did seem like it would be the first of at least a few waves of change to rock the organization.
The Wild had a 45-win, 101-point finish that ranked third in the Central Division and eighth in the NHL. The playoff exit against an upstart Winnipeg team came with the caveat that top defenseman Ryan Suter was sidelined, but it was the fourth first-round exit in six seasons and third in a row. Owner Craig Leipold clearly wanted a change with the installation of Paul Fenton at GM.
Fast forward nearly five months, though, and the ripple effects have been mild. Fenton's makeover revolved around a slew of free-agent depth signings that included veteran forwards Eric Fehr, J.T. Brown and Matt Hendricks, defense-man Greg Pateryn and goaltender Andrew Hammond. Veteran forwards Matt Cullen and Daniel Winnik were not re-signed, and Tyler Ennis was bought out.
