Minnesota Wild have deep roster, will keep Nummelin on the ice

It's a good thing to have plenty of good players and despite a rollercoaster of wins and losses this season, I would say the Minnesota Wild have a deep bench.  When Sean Hill returns from his steroid suspension, the Wild will have eight NHL defensemen to fill six spots. Petteri Nummelin started the season as a fill in for Hill, but coach Jacques Lemaire has used him as a wing to compensate for injuries as well. Nummelins' productivity on Power Plays may keep him on the bench in his breezers as opposed to his suit like his friends Keith Carney and Matt Foy who have been healthy scratches lately.

Petteri Nummelin is small for a NHL defenseman (listed as `5 10" - I think more like 5'8"), but he is good at moving the puck with his stick. He is also great at shootouts - 8 for 9 so far - and the Wild will need him as the silver bullet in those though OT turned shootout games.

It kills me to see Keith Carney sitting out. This MN Wild Freak has to wonder if Lemaire doesn't have it out for him. He is a solid player and last year was a franchise-high plus-22. So far this year he has only played 10 games and is being paid $2.1 million in the last year of a two-year contract - seems odd to see him watching the game in his blazer, not his breezer.