Unsigned skilled winger Tomas Fleischmann has accepted an invitation from the Wild to attend training camp on a pro tryout, GM Chuck Fletcher says. Fleischmann will join Ryan Carter, who spent the past two seasons with Minnesota, on a PTO in camp.
Veteran Tomas Fleischmann attending Wild camp on tryout
The Wild will give the 32-year-old, who has a history with new coach Bruce Boudreau, a chance to earn a contract in camp
By mikerusso
If the Wild signs Fleischmann, it'll be his fifth team since the start of the 2014-15 season.
(One reason why teams are signing so many PTO's, by the way, is they still must make their best effort to ice eight (what are defined as) "veterans" per exhibition game despite the World Cup going on, although there is some flexibility if it's not practical. Basically, teams have been told there will be a relaxation of the rule with a "reasonableness" and "best efforts" standard. The visiting team has an obligation to consult with the home team to discuss the lineup before each game.).
(Haven't you missed me? How many extra clauses and parentheses can you squeeze into a paragraph?).
Fleischmann has a long history with Wild coach Bruce Boudreau. Fleischmann played for Boudreau for parts of four seasons in Washington and one with Anaheim.
The 32-year-old native of the Czech Republic has scored 137 goals and 335 points in 657 games for Washington, Colorado, Florida, Anaheim, Montreal and Chicago.
In 2011-12, he scored a career-high 27 goals and 61 points for the Panthers. The season before, he was traded by Washington to Colorado and had a ridiculous 21 points in 22 games for the Avs before being diagnosed with a pulmonary embolism.
Advanced stats-wise, he had a shot-attempts percentage of .504 (CORSI) in 57 games with Montreal last season. His career SAT% is 51.2 (53.2 while he played for Washington). So, pretty good possession numbers.
The training camp roster and schedule was just announced. There are 37 players on it, but that'll go up dramatically when players are promoted from Traverse City. The Wild's 0-2, by the way, and has lost Gustav Olofsson to a knee injury and Sam Anas to a possible concussion.
The Wild will hold an open practice Saturday at Xcel Energy Center from 9:45-11:15 a.m.
If the U.S. and Finland don't get their acts together, the Wild may suddenly have a lot of guys back by the end of the weekend (which will warm Boudreau's heart).
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mikerusso
Widely known that Minnesota sports fans are among the most suffering in the nation, this holiday season has the chance to become special, given the recent success of the Vikings, Wolves, Lynx and Wild.