MINNEAPOLIS — The Wild will choose their 25th first-rounder on Wednesday when the NHL draft is held in Nashville. Barring maneuvers, the choice will come 21st, reflecting both another season of competent play followed by playoff disappointment for our St. Paul heroes.
The highest-ever Wild selection was the franchise's first, with Marian Gaborik being taken at No. 3 in 2000, and becoming an explosive player with injury issues.
The Wild have followed that by taking unsigned Filip Johansson and ascending star Matt Boldy as consecutive first-rounders, Jonas Brodin (741 NHL regular-season games) and Zack Phillips (zero NHL games) as 2011 first rounders, and Brent Burns at No. 20 and Tyler Cuma at No. 23 to play defense.
