The Wild are carrying one defenseman too many, which one should go?

It is a lot like musical chairs.  The nervous anticipation as you walk around the chairs with the music playing as you wait for the moment the music stops to make your mad scramble for a place to sit.  After every turn there is relief except for one unlucky individual.  There is no seat to be found and your time in the game is over.  I think this describes the Wild’s current situation with its bottom 4 defenseman rather well.  For Keith Ballard, Nate Prosser, Christian Folin and Mathew Dumba there is a nightly game of musical chairs as the team decides which two are going to play and which two will be a healthy scratch.  Too many players, not enough spots in the lineup.  Who should be left standing when the music stops?

I understand why you carry an extra defenseman.  You want them in case someone gets hurt or perhaps to match up better against a specific opponent.  Yet carrying two extra defenseman?  Its one too many in my opinion.  Matching up front is just as important as being able to match up on the blueline.  The truth is, the aforementioned group of defenseman do not provide a wide variety of match up possibilities.  Similar body types, somewhat similar styles of game make for limited versatility.  So how do you decide who should stay and who should go?

The Wild always get a small dose of nastiness when it chooses to dress Nate Prosser. Apr 28, 2014; Saint Paul, MN, USA; Minnesota Wild defenseman Nate Prosser (39) and defenseman Clayton Stoner (4) are held back from Colorado Avalanche forward Patrick Bordeleau (58) and forward Cody McLeod (55) by referees during the third period in game six of the first round of the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Xcel Energy Center. The Wild defeated the Avalanche 5-2. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

You really have to look at the smallest details.  In Keith Ballard and Nate Prosser you know what you get.  You have veterans who have been around and play the game with a little tenacity but with a limited ability to contribute offensively.  Neither are super punishing but they’ll provide some physical play.  Prosser is the more steady of the two defensively speaking, while Ballard provides a bit more mobility.

In Mathew Dumba you have dynamic offensive skills and some potential to be a contributor on the power play.  Defensively you have a player who is still prone to major mistakes in his own zone, especially if you let him play his high-risk, high-reward game.  Its part of what you accept when you draft a player with his skillset.  In Christian Folin the team gets far more size and a true two-way game.  So who should be dispatched elsewhere?

If I’m Wild General Manager Chuck Fletcher I’d be sending down Mathew Dumba to Iowa as well as looking to waive Keith Ballard.  Dumba still has lots to figure out at the professional level, both in regards to being responsible in the defensive zone as well as finding out the delicate balance of when to press the attack.  I think time in Iowa, where he can benefit from increased ice time and opportunity would be more beneficial to him instead of bouncing him in and out of Minnesota’s lineup.

As far as Ballard goes I just believe his struggles to stay healthy as well as the lack of consistency to his game also makes him a logical choice to be the odd-man out.  While some may say what about Nate Prosser; Prosser has been remarkably consistent even if his game is not exciting or dynamic.  Prosser’s play rarely hurts the Wild while the same cannot be said of Ballard whose play can seem rather mistake prone.  Folin gives Minnesota’s blueline some more size which it needs and I think he plays a more safe game.  If we learned anything from the Wild’s game against the Anaheim Ducks is that the team isn’t quite strong offensively to recover from its own miscues in its own end.

So how do you fix this?  You send your two mistake-prone defenseman away and consider it addition by subtraction.  You subtract their mistakes and suddenly the team is in a lot better shape overall.  Its sort of like being a quarterback, you don’t necessarily have to have a ton of touchdowns if they can limit their turnovers which will help their team win games.  The Wild are still trying to figure out what they have in their bottom 4 defenseman but I think at the end of the day Dumba will be playing in Des Moines and Ballard might be at another crossroads in his NHL career.