Continuity was the story of the summer for a Minnesota Wild team that has lost to the Chicago Blackhawks in the second round of the playoffs in each of the past two seasons.
The player who had the biggest impact on the Wild last season was goaltender Devan Dubnyk, who was on his way to washing out of the league after a miserable 2013-2014 season, but after Dubnyk won 27 of 39 starts for Minnesota, posting a .936 save percentage, the middling Wild were thrust into playoff position. As a result, Dubnyk was Minnesota’s top priority in the offseason and that’s fine so long as there isn’t an expectation that he continue to play at that level over the long haul, because that’s just not fair.
Minnesota’s forward group is anchored by veterans Zach Parise, Mikko Koivu, Jason Pominville and Thomas Vanek, but if there is to be serious improvement, it will come from young forwards. Mikael Granlund, Jason Zucker, Charlie Coyle and Nino Niederreiter could all play significant roles and if one or two have a breakout season, then that would have the Wild headed in the right direction.
Ryan Suter is the steady veteran on the Minnesota blueline, but this is another group with upside. Jared Spurgeon, Marco Scandella and Jonas Brodin have established that they can handle top-four roles, but Matt Dumba is pushing for a bigger role and prized collegiate free agent signing Mike Reilly offers additional long-term value.
Is it going to be enough to overtake the top teams in the Western Conference? Right now, it looks like the Wild are good enough to get to the playoffs, but will need some improvement to take it to the next level.
OFF-SEASON HEADLINES
June 27: Devan Dubnyk signs six-year contract extension with Wild
July 1: Wild lock up centre Mikael Granlund, add former Gophers blueliner Mike Reilly
2015-16 MINNESOTA WILD
* Off-season Addition
Projected Lines
LW | C | RW |
---|---|---|
Zach Parise | Mikael Granlund | Jason Pominville |
Jason Zucker | Mikko Koivu | Thomas Vanek |
Nino Niederreiter | Charlie Coyle | Justin Fontaine |
Ryan Carter | Erik Haula | Jordan Schroeder |
Tyler Graovac |
Fighting For Jobs: LW Ruslan Fedotenko*, RW Kurtis Gabriel, LW Michael Keranen
Projected Pairs
LD | RD |
---|---|
Ryan Suter | Jonas Brodin |
Marco Scandella | Jared Spurgeon |
Mike Reilly* | Matthew Dumba |
Nate Prosser |
Fighting For Jobs: RD Christian Folin
Projected Goalies
No. 1 | No. 2 | No. 3 |
---|---|---|
Devan Dubnyk | Darcy Kuemper | Niklas Backstrom |
Off-season Departures: RW Chris Stewart, C Kyle Brodziak, LW Matt Cooke, G Josh Harding
Projected Lineup: Michael Russo/Minneapolis Star-Tribune
SERAVALLI'S THREE QUESTIONS
1. Will goaltender Devan Dubnyk remain as good as he was last season after his $26 million deal?
2. Will free agent signee Mike Reilly live up to the hype as an instant addition?
3. Will the Wild opt to carry seven or eight defencemen?
BUTTON'S TOP PROSPECTS
Top 2015-16 Prospect
D Mike Reilly (Minnesota, NCAA): Great head and combined with excellent skating & passing ability, he can dictate the game.
Long-Term Prospect
C Joel Eriksson Ek (Farjestads, SweHL): Smart, versatile centre who can contribute in multiple ways. Needs time to mature.
* Listed with 2014-15 teams
BY THE NUMBERS
Three-Year Breakdown (League Rank)
2012-13 | 2013-14 | 2014-15 | |
---|---|---|---|
Points | 94 (15th)* | 98 (11th) | 100 (11th) |
Goals For | 2.5 (T-22nd) | 2.4 (T-24th) | 2.8 (T-12th) |
Goals Against | 2.6 (T-15th) | 2.4 (7th) | 2.4 (6th) |
Power Play | 18% (16th) | 18% (16th) | 16% (11th) |
Penalty Killing | 81% (18th) | 79% (27th) | 86% (T-16th) |
SAT% Possession | 49.4% (16th) | 48.6% (22nd) | 51.0% (16th) |
* 2012-13 points: Pro-rated lockout-shortened total
ESTIMATED PAYROLL vs. CAP - $71.0M/$71.4M
Minnesota doesn’t have much cap room as long as goaltender Niklas Backstrom’s $3.4 million-plus is on the books. If Backstrom, who has played 40 games over the past two seasons, ends up on long-term injured reserve, then there would be plenty of space, but until then, Minnesota will have to pay close attention to their cap situation.
PARTING SHOT