2014-15 Minnesota Wild Preview

Published February 05, 2015

The Minnesota Wild won their first playoff series in 11 years last season, and a nice mix of forwards and defensemen hope to get the team deeper into the playoffs this season.

Minnesota qualified for the first wild card spot in the Western Conference, and engaged in a classic first round series with the Colorado Avalanche that saw the Wild win a Game 7 overtime decision on the road to win their first playoff series since defeating the Vancouver Canucks in the 2003 semifinals.

The biggest addition to the team is forward Thomas Vanek, as the 30-year-old Austrian signed a three-year deal worth nearly $20 million to come to the Gopher State.

Departing from the team were forwards Matt Moulson and Dany Heatley, both of whom signed free agent contracts with other clubs.

A team built around a solid nucleus of veterans, along with several key younger players, the Wild can compete every night and be in the mix for a postseason date. The big question, though, with Mike Yeo's club will be consistent goaltending.

FORWARDS - The leader of the offense is Zach Parise, who is heading into his third season with Minnesota after the team signed him away from New Jersey.

Despite missing 14 games last season with a broken foot, he totaled 29 goals and 27 assists, good for second in points on the team and he surely would have led the team were it not for the injury. Also, he added 14 points (4g, 10a) in 13 playoffs games. Entering his 10th season, Parise has totaled 241 goals and 263 assists.

One of the problems the Wild had throughout the season was finding a guy who could pot goals, and they hope to have solved that problem with the signing of Vanek. With 277 goals in 663 games, including 113 power-play markers, Vanek has the potential to top 30 goals every season, but he hasn't reached that plateau since scoring 32 in the 2010-11 season with Buffalo. Vanek turned down bigger offers from the Islanders and Sabres before signing with the Wild.

Vanek will find a familiar face on the team in Jason Pominville, who led the Wild last season with 60 points, posting 30 goals and 30 assists while lacing up the skates for all 82 games in his 10th season. Pominville and Vanek played several seasons together in Buffalo.

Back for his 10th season with the Wild is captain Mikko Koivu, who totaled 54 points in 65 games as he missed 17 contests with a broken ankle.

Filling out the top two lines will be Mikael Granlund and Charlie Coyle. Granlund is entering his third season after posting eight goals and 33 assists over 63 games last season, while Coyle is also entering his third season and had 12 goals and 18 assists in 70 contests last season. Both players were first-round draft picks in 2010.

The top six forwards offer Minnesota a solid top two lines that can match up well against nearly any team. While the emphasis for the first two lines is always scoring, they also work well in the defensive zone.

Minnesota's third line will likely feature wingers Matt Cooke and Nino Niederreiter, along with center Erik Haula, who had 15 points (6g, 9a) in his rookie campaign in 2013-14. Niederreiter, the fifth overall pick of 2010, had a fantastic third season as he had 14 goals and 22 assists along with a plus-12 rating in 81 games. Cooke, who came to the team from Pittsburgh last year, had 10 goals and 18 assists in all 82 games last season and the 36-year- old will be entering his 16th season in the NHL.

Skating on the fourth line will be Kyle Brodziak at center with Justin Fontaine and Jason Zucker opposite him on the wings.

DEFENSE - Guiding the backline is one of the best defenders in the game in Ryan Suter. He signed with the team on July 4, 2012 to a 13-year contract worth close to $100 million, and the 29-year-old has been worth every penny so far.

The Madison, Wisconsin native posted eight goals and 35 assists in all 82 games last season, his second with the Wild. Along with a plus-15, three of his goals came on the power play while averaging almost 30 minutes of ice time per game. During the playoffs, he added another goal and six assists.

Suter is entering the prime of his career, and so long as he stays healthy there is always a chance that he will be up for a Norris Trophy when the awards are handed out after the season.

Suter's partner on the top unit is third-year player Jonas Brodin. The 21- year-old followed up a fantastic rookie season with an eight-goal, 11-assist effort over 79 games in 2013-14.

On the second defensive unit is another strong duo in Jared Spurgeon and Marco Scandella. Spurgeon, 24, enjoyed the best season of his four in the NHL, scoring five goals and adding 21 assists while finishing with a plus-15 in 67 games. Scandella, also 24, had a strong 2013-14 season, giving three goals and 14 assists with a plus-10 in 76 games.

Keith Ballard, 31, is coming off a tough 2013-14 season, as injuries limited him to just 45 games, and he has missed significant stretches of time in the past four seasons.

Another pair of youngsters hope to see significant playing time this season in Matt Dumba (23), who played in 13 games last season, and Christian Folin (23).

GOALTENDING - Where Minnesota is going to find its biggest problems this season, is who will be their top goaltender, if they even find one.

Last season, four different goaltenders played significant time in net for the Wild, with Josh Harding leading the way with 29 appearances. Harding led the team in most goaltending categories and was expected to battle with Niklas Backstrom for the top spot, but he broke his right foot just before the start of training camp and will be out indefinitely. Harding was placed on injured reserve in December of last season and did not play again.

Due to Harding's misfortune, the Wild invited Ilya Bryzgalov to training camp to battle for a spot. Bryzgalov came to Minnesota late last season and helped the team win its first-round matchup with Colorado

However, Backstrom and Darcy Kuemper are in competition for the No. 1 job. Backstrom went just 5-11-2 with a 3.02 goals against in 21 games last season, while Kuemper, playing his first season in the NHL, went 12-8-4 with a 2.43 GAA in 26 games

WHEN ALL IS SAID AND DONE - Minnesota has a very strong mix of forwards and defensemen who can put the puck in the net, play solid defense, and grind out battles with the best the rest of the NHL has to offer. As talked about, though, the goaltending question is a huge concern for the team. This team has the talent up front that even a decent performance from whoever is in net will give the team a chance to win every night, and it might be enough to see them make the playoffs for a third straight season.

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