That all changes this season. Minnesota drew gasps from the crowd in Vancouver when they traded the #17 pick and prospect Patrick O’Sullivan, the AHL Rookie of the Year, for center Pavol Demitra. Demitra’s scoring prowess and keen ice vision instantly upgrades the Wild’s top line. It also increases the odds that the team can keep super stud Marian Gaborik in a Wild uniform. He and Demitra are good friends and play together in Slovakia when not skating up in the NHL. They looked dynamic together in the Olympics last year, and it is believed that success will carry over to their performance together on the Wild this coming season.

That move alone was enough to get Wild fans excited about the upcoming season, but GM Doug Risebrough wasn’t done upgrading the Wild’s roster. After admitting that he probably should have added one more scorer last season instead of relying so much on the kids, he went out and added more depth to the roster through free agency. On wing, he brought in Mark Parrish, the Bloomington native and SCSU alum who brings an element of grit and a Ciccarelli-esque nose for goals close to the net. Both are elements that have been uncommon on the Wild’s roster for five seasons.

After shoring up the offense, Risebrough turned his attention to the defense, which has played well under Lemaire’s defensive system, but lacks true talent to play at the NHL level. Not anymore though. Risebrough brought in Keith Carney to be a top line shutdown defenseman. Carney’s leadership and physical style is something the Wild have sorely missed since their inception. Willie Mitchell tried to fill that role, but Carney brings a much stronger resume and much more respect into the Wild locker room. With the departure or Mitchell last season, and Filip Kuba and Andrei Zyuzin this season, Minnesota’s blue line depth has been severely depleted, so Doug kept going. Late Saturday he came to terms with offensive-minded defenseman Kim Johnsson, who played for the Flyers last season. Johnsson agreed to the richest contract in Wild history, and will probably be paired with Carney to form an impressive top defensive line the likes of which haven’t been seen in Minnesota since the days of the North Stars.

Look for more signings to come yet. Minnesota is believed to be the top suitor of Edmonton forward Jaroslav Spacek. The Wild could also use another veteran defenseman or two on its roster. Don’t look for any huge names to be added now though. With the restricted free agents Minnesota plans to resign, they probably only have about $5 million in cap room left. But that shouldn’t upset Wild fans. The five year plan is over and Risebrough’s putting his money where his mouth is now. Wild fans should enjoy the fruits of this spending spree next season and beyond.