When the Wild acquired veteran defenseman Jordan Leopold seven weeks ago, it was the feel-good story of the winter.
His daughter had written a letter to the Wild asking them to trade for her father so she could see him more, and that note went viral, warming the hearts of fans everywhere. The trade was seen as a homecoming for the former Gopher from Golden Valley.
But at the time, it seemed he would be hard-pressed to earn a roster spot come playoff time because Nate Prosser and Matt Dumba were playing so well on the third defensive pairing.