Brunette Officially Returns to Wild

Back in 2003, this goal by Andrew Brunette accomplished a few meaningful things.

It gave Minnesota their first-ever playoff series win.
It ended the legendary career of Patrick Roy.
It cemented Brunette as the kind of player Wild fans would never forget.

After the NHL lockout, Wild general manager Doug Risebrough decided not to re-sign Brunette, who went to Colorado. The thought was that Brunette's lack of speed would hurt him in the "new NHL". Instead, Brunette tallied over 200 points in three years for the Avalanche. Oops.

Today, the 34-year-old Brunette inked a three-year deal with Minnesota, bringing him back to the place he made a name for himself as a pro.

Brunette scored 55 goals in his previous three-year stint with the Wild. Forward Brian Rolston is thought to be as good as gone, so the Wild will probably need more than that out of Brunette this time around.

The Wild also tried to bolster their defensive corps. They acquired Marek Zidlicky from the Nashville Predators in exchange for young forward Ryan Jones and a second-round pick in 2009. Zidlicky is a good offensive defenseman, but he doesn't bring much to the physical side of the game. The Wild are clearly upgrading the blue line with puck-moving players, but it appears they may be falling short of the physical presence they'll eventually need there.