2010-2011 NHL SEASON INFORMATION EXTRAPOLATION
It’s that time of year again!!! The air is getting colder, and the sweater are coming out. The hockey sweaters that is. From now until Opening Day of the NHL 2010 season, look out for new division previews, new in depth team outlooks, and big predictions and prognostications of the glorious season to come. Today, we take a look at the Minnesota Wild, and what to expect for the season
By: Bryan Vickroy
New Names: Matt Cullen, C (Ottawa), Eric Nystrom, LW (Calgary), Brad Staubitz, RW (San Jose), John Madden, C (Chicago)
Faces to Forget: John Scott, D (Chicago), Andrew Ebbett, LW (Phoenix), Derek Boogaard, LW (NYR), Jamie Sifers, D (Atlanta)
Last Season
Anyway you look at it, last season was a complete and total disaster. The team never really found a complete grasp on coach Todd Richard’s system. Players missed significant chunks of time to injuries, and they proceeded to score the same amount of goals as the death trap regime of Jacques Lemaire. They fell of a cliff immediately, going 0-9 to open the season, and never being a threat to win when they were the visiting team. The lone bright spot was the acquisition of Guillame Latendresse for waste pick Beniot Puliot. Glimpses of what could’ve happened appeared toward the end of the season, but this was a team who was never even near competing for a playoff spot beyond game 1.
Offseason
The Wild were very quiet this offseason. They tried shopping some players around, most notably Josh Harding and Brent Burns, but found now takers. Because of their high salary totals, they were only able to bring a couple fringe veterans to add a dose of experience to the lineup. In the draft, Minnesota took Mikko Koivu clone Mikael Granlund eighth overall, and began the long hard process of stocking the cupboards left dry by on Dean Riseborough.
Forwards
Andrew Brunette – Mikko Koivu – Pierre Marc Bouchard
Guillame Latendresse – Matt Cullen – Martin Havlat
Cal Clutterbuck – John Madden – Antti Miettinen
Chuck Kobasew – Kyle Brodziak – Brad Staubitz
The top line looks to get a chance to finally play together after missing PM all of last season with a concussion. He has gotten the clearance to ramp up his workouts, and is hoping to make it back for the team’s first game. If he isn’t able to go, look for Antti Miettinen to get some time on the top line. The second line looks to be special, with Latendresse back in the fold for a full season, and Havlat looking to rebound from a very disappointing season. The third line will be high energy and will agitate many a player. Cal Clutterbuck is always looking to break his single season hits record, and is starting to develop a scoring touch. The big line looking to add some muscle is all imported within the last few months. Staubitz has already dropped the gloves a few times so far in the preseason, so the playmakers up front have plenty of protection at their back.
Defensemen
Marek Zidlicky – Greg Zanon
Brent Burns – Cam Barker
Nick Schultz – Clayton Stoner
Minnesota is usually know for being a stout, shutdown team where goals are hard to come by, and chances are few and far between. Last year the Wild blueliners were broken time and time again, or burned by sloppy play in and around their own net. While these rotations may change throughout the year, the actual players most likely won’t barring injury. Clayton Stoner is by all indications the number six defenseman, despide being -9 so far in the preseason. Burns needs to stay healthy. If so, he and Barker could make and exciting tandem that can put goals into the net. Nick Schultz seemed to be lost last year, so although his ice time may not be as high as in some years past, he will get the chance to get back to being a pure shutdown defenseman, most likely babysitting one of the young prospects.
Goalies
Niklas Backstrom
Anton Khudobin
Matt Hackett
What went from a position of considerable strength, has suddenly gone into a strong level of chaos. Niklas Backstrom had a terrible season for his standards last year, and has been a bit shaky so far this preseason. Look for him to shake off the funk and get back to his highway robbery self of old. The more pressing question comes behind Backs. Josh Harding had his knee obliterated the other night, and will miss the whole season. That leaves space for either Anton Khudobin or Matt Hackett to make an impression, and show enough to make a legitimate claim at the #2 spot for this season and beyond. Look for a better season this year, and an extra special moment when Backstrom takes the ice in front of his countrymen back home in Finland.
Special Teams
The always stellar penalty kill took a bit of a slide last year, in part due to the lack of unit cohesion. Madden should add a good jolt to one of the units, and it should be expected to rebound back to its usually stellar ways.
The power play was surge or short-circuit last year. And short-circuit it did terribly at times. The Wild gave up 13 shorthanded goals, by far the worst in the league. Sloppy passing, and an unwillingness to shoot plague this unit. If it is to function, look for the points to get the action started towards the net.
Farm System
This group had been severly neglected over the years, and GM Chuck Fletcher has done a good job restocking it through the draft and many undrafted free agents in the mix. Casey Wellman and Robbie Earl got a taste last year and showed good promise with the big club. Nate Prosser, Marco Scandella, and Justin Falk are all young and mobile, and will get some experience in Houston before getting their shot in St. Paul. Goalie Matt Hackett will be the man for the Aeros, and will be groom to be the possible heir apparent to Backs.
Positives
The team, save for James Sheppard and Josh Harding, is finally healthy. All of their offensive weapons should be ready to go when the season starts. They have a full season of coach Todd Richards’ system, and should look much more competent on the ice this year. Much of the team underperformed last year, and even just bouncing back to their should be helpful in the long run. The 2011 NHL draft comes to St. Paul next June!
Negatives
The defensive corps hasn’t shown the ability to stop people from scoring, much less pass the puck cleanly to other teammates. If Backstrom can’t get his groove back, or is injured, there is no longer a proven backup behind him. Who the hell is going to score more than 20 goals for this team? Somebody besides Mikko needs to make plays, otherwise this team is going to go nowhere fast, again. With so many players making such large amounts of money, they are pushing right up against the cap ceiling, leaving them little room to work with, monetarily or roster wise.
Predictions
2010-11 Top Scorer: Martin Havlat, RW. Havlat surprised people last year by playing 73 games. That’s about all he had going for him. He couldn’t find his way to the back of the net for the longest time to start the season, and never got his mojo working. He loves playing for the Wild, and has seemed more like the high scoring sniper that he was supposed to be so far this preseason. Look for him to rack up a big point total playing with the veteran Cullen and hulking Latendresse.
Shooting Up the Ranks: Casey Wellman, C. This kid finished college last year, and came on instantly for the wild, showing a strong offensive burst, and speed that is sorely lacking in the Wild lineup. The preseason injury to James Sheppard opens up a big opportunity for this kid. Look for him to stick and become another reliable goal scorer.
Falling Out of Favor: Antti Miettinen, RW. Miettinen is the king of the post shot, which contributes to his rather paltry offensive contribution. He is the place holder for Bouchard on the top line, but if PM returs, look for Miettinen to plummet down the lineup, and end up fighting a group of youngsters for minutes every night.
Most Important Games:
1. Game #2 @Carolina (in Helsinki, Finland) 10/8/10. If Wild won game one, then they’re looking to break out of the gates with a streak going, and have some momentum to carry them through the rocky couple of weeks following their season opening trip. If they lost game one, they MUST win, or face the idea of another long losing streak to open the season. The hope must be kept alive this year, there never was any last year.
2. Game #67 vs. Colorado 3/8/11 If the Wild want to make the playoffs this year, they have to take care of last years participant, and fellow conference foe, Avalanche. A strong showing here can keep them in the playoff picture.
3. Game #82 vs. Dallas 4/10/11. While this is also the final regular season game, and it could have playoff implications, much bigger things are at stake here. The Wild began their inaugural year with a magical victory over the traitor Stars, officially ushering the NHL back to Minnesota. This game will bookend the season long Year Ten celebration, and what better way to go out than by beating the former residents.
Barring another 0-9 start, this is a team who should have stabilized itself enough, become comfortable in its new system, and should be much more competitive than it was last year, or than it’s shown so far in the preseason. Look for them to be fighting for one of the last couple playoff spots right up until the end of the season. If injuries continue to attack like they have the last couple weeks, this could be a long and painful winter in the State of Hockey. Year ten of the reincarnation of hockey along the banks of the Mississippi is no longer about the joy of hockey being back. It’s about the ability to field a proper and competitive team that suits the wants of the world’s most intelligent fans. The Wild must finally perform for their money’s worth.
Bryan Vickroy has an addiction to hockey, and is willing to partake in all its forms. He is skating extra shifts this season, covering the Minnesota Wild, the NHL, and NCAA hockey all year long. Look for new articles throughout the week. He can be followed on Twitter at www.twitter.com/bryanvickroy/ . If you’d prefer to speak in more than 140 characters at a time to him, he can be reached at bryan.vickroy@gmail.com