Five things: Are Minnesota teams getting closer to fixing perpetual issues?

Your first instinct upon reading that headline might be to roll your eyes or want to throw your phone or keyboard. That's fine.

I'm not saying any of the major men's pro sports teams in town have definitively fixed problems that have ailed them for years (if not decades).

But I also can't help but notice the effort a lot of them are making to acknowledge and address these fundamental and vexing weaknesses. Here are five examples:

*I talked about the Wild's center-heavy draft on Friday's Daily Delivery podcast. They had three picks in the first or second round on Wednesday and Thursday. And they picked three centers — the first two quite intentionally, and even with the admission that they bypassed someone higher on their draft board to take 6-3 center Charlie Stramel No. 21 overall.

The Wild have been trying to address a deficiency at center for years, a need that is even more apparent now after the emergence of star wing Kirill Kaprizov. Marco Rossi, a first-round pick in 2020, got a chance last season but wasn't ready.

Even if Rossi sticks this year, more quality help is needed. It might not arrive for a couple years, but at least the Wild are admitting the problem.

*Minnesota United has been searching for a quality finisher for five years, coinciding with their decision to let go of Christian Ramirez. They've tried countless internal candidates and designated players with varying levels of mediocrity or downright failure.

But that hasn't stopped them from trying. They recently signed Finland's all-time leading scorer Teemu Pukki, a player with Premier League experience. He'll be eligible to play next week and could jump-start the Loons' offense (finally).

*For a long time, the Vikings' biggest weakness has been offensive line. They spent a first- or second-round pick on an offensive lineman five straight years from 2018-22, and all of those players were starters last year.

They had varying degrees of effectiveness, but the Vikings at least seem like they have found their cornerstone tackles in Brian O'Neill and Christian Darrisaw.

Now they can focus on a bigger question: Upgrading to a cheaper and more dynamic young quarterback.

*The Twins have been searching for elite starting pitching forever. This year their starters have the fourth-best ERA and have pitched the third-most innings in Major League Baseball.

It's just a shame that the Twins can no longer hit.

*The Wolves haven't had one consistent issue in the last 20 years. Their biggest consistent problem has been "staying relevant."

I would argue that they are as relevant now as at any point since Kevin Garnett was traded in 2007.