Kevin Fiala scored Tuesday in Montreal and became the 42nd player in the NHL to enter the coveted 30-goal zone this season.
For those waiting to see the 25-year-old Wild winger put it all together, wait no more. He's crafty, creative and full of flair. He's awesome in transition. He still makes mistakes and turns over the puck more than he should, but he's already sitting on a career high in goals and is in his finest season as a pro.
So that settles it, right? The debate over keeping Fiala or defenseman Matt Dumba this summer — because of salary cap issues, the Wild can't have both — is over now? The team surely can't part ways with Fiala, who will be a restricted free agent following the season. That would mean it needs to move on from Dumba, who has a salary cap hit of $6 million next season in the final year of his contract. With limited cap space — mostly because of $12.7 million in dead money following the buyouts of Zack Parise and Ryan Suter — Dumba's gotta go to make room for an improved contract for Fiala, who is making $5.1 million this season. And Fiala might not yet be at the height of his powers, potentially a tantalizing development for the win-now Wild.
