Darroll Powe Joins Wild

The jokes are plentiful, and so is the exclamation.

POW(E)!

The Minnesota Wild traded for Philadelphia forward Darroll Powe (rhymes with "How") Monday, adding some -- sorry, Brian Burke -- truculence to a team that sort of needs more of it.

Powe had nearly 200 hits -- which means you have 200 chances to make "POWE!" jokes -- a year ago for the Flyers, and he has contributed 22 goals in his 204 NHL games.

Don't make any mistake. He's not here to score 50 goals. Or 50 points.

He's going to have a very specific role on the 2011-12 Wild. Hit people, skate hard, play two-way hockey, win faceoffs, and kill penalties.

Oh, and if Maxim Lapierre is still irritating NHL teams, he can do more of this.



If Maxim Lapierre wants to get his face beaten in again.

Powe gives the Wild penalty-killing depth, and he is a guy who can play center and wing. He's a heart-and-soul guy who plays with character. Basically, he's a more athletic and significantly younger version of John Madden, who played last season for the Wild and was generally disappointing.

With this move, the odds of the Wild being at all active in free agency took a hit. There is still the need for a veteran defenseman, but the Wild can't be expected to add a whole lot. They'll have some cap room, but it just doesn't make sense to splurge with a youth movement obviously underway.