Minnesota Wild 2009-10 Season Preview

SAINT PAUL , Minn- The only two words that can be used to describe the feeling around the Xcel Energy Center are “Cautious Optimism.” Those two words take into account an off-season filled with change from the top down, the hope those changes bring with them, and the fear of absolute failure.
 
Front Office: As has been widely reported, the Wild had a major overhaul in the front office this off-season. Coach Jacques Lemaire stepped down, eventually landing in New Jersey for his second term as head coach there. General Manager Doug Risebrough was let go, as owner Craig Leipold wished to take the team in a new direction. With the departure of the GM came the departure of many members of his staff, including AHL Houston Aeros GM Tom Lynn, and several of the team’s scouting staff.
 
In place has come a team of up-and-comers in General Manager Chuck Fletcher and Head Coach Todd Richards. Both were high on their respective candidate lists as the next in line to do great things in the NHL. They have promised an “up-tempo” style of play, something that the Wild’s faithful fans have never seen before.
 
Forwards: The only story that may over shadow the overhaul of the front office would be the departure of Marian Gaborik. The oft-injured speedy winger holds the Wild franchise record for many offensive categories, but fell out of favor with fans with yet another injury plagued season. Gaborik landed in New York , where he has played in just one pre-season game due to “soreness.”
 
Gone also are forwards Stephane Vielleux who signed in Tampa, Peter Olvecky (Nashville), and late season acquisition Dan Fritsche who remains unsigned, but on a try out with Atlanta as of this writing.
 
In the place of Gaborik, Fletcher has brought in another injury riddled forward in Martin Havlat. However, Havlat played in 81 games last season and showed little sign of his injuries reoccurring. Havlat left Chicago under dubious circumstances and will have a chip on his shoulder giving him motivation all season.
 
Other additions to the roster of forwards include veteran wing Petr Sykora with a one year deal. Sykora’s ten year streak of 20-goal seasons were tarnished by a shoulder injury last season that left many teams with doubts about his ability to bounce back. Kyle Brodziak, brought in from Edmonton , has shored up a weak corps of centermen. Wild prospects James Sheppard and Benoit Pouliot have made strides in camp, and have given the Wild a glut at the center position that may make the new management have to make some tough decisions.
 
The returning forwards include wreaking ball Cal Clutterbuck who has had a strong pre-season and may be well suited for the new system. Able to bang away in front of the net, something the Wild have sorely lacked, Clutterbuck is willing to take the punishment and certainly has the ability to trash talk needed for that role.
 
Defense: The Wild have made huge upgrades to their blue line during the off-season. They did not make contract offers to Martin Skoula nor Marc-Andre Bergeron, two players that had the worst of reputations in Minnesota . Kurtis Foster, after rehabbing a broken leg for a year, signed a contract in Tampa Bay .
 
Incoming defensemen are Shane Hnidy formerly of the Boston Bruins, and Greg Zanon who played last season in Nashville . Both players are defensive minded players with Hnidy a physical player who is not afraid to hit anyone or anything, and Zanon is a shot blocking extraordinaire.  Both players are major upgrades for the team, and added to Nick Schultz, should allow the remaining defensemen to be involved in the offense without worry.
 
That offensive touch will fall to Marek Zidlicky, Kim Johnsson, and Brent Burns, though the other defensemen will be expected to play a role as well. Zidlicky and Johnsson have both shown they can handle that expectation. Zidlicky has topped forty points four times in his career and Johnsson has done so twice. Both players were brought in during the Risebrough administration in order to add offense from the blue line, and they should now be able to reap the benefits of a system geared toward that goal.
 
Goaltending: Not much needs to be said here. Niklas Backstrom returns for the first year of his new contract, and will continue his All-star level performance. The only thing lacking will be the all out focus on team defense, which could make for some early headaches for Backstrom. Also worth noting in the fact that backup Josh Harding was signed to a one year, $1.1 million contract this summer. Harding has long been a target of trade rumors, and the new regime has made it clear that trading him is a priority.
 
Competition: The Northwest division, and the Western conference, have not gotten any easier to play in. In the division, Vancouver has extended goaltender Roberto Luongo for twelve years and re-signed the Sedin brothers. The team make up has changed very little and will be a hard-nosed, physical team yet again.
 
Calgary still has Jarome Iginla, and that fact alone makes them a contender. Add in Oli Jokkinen centering Iginal for a full season, and it becomes even more mind boggling. Mikka Kiprusoff is still the goalie to beat and has shown no signs of slowing down. The addition of Jay Bouwmeester to a blue line that already included Dion Phaneuf makes Calgary a truly imposing threat.
 
Edmonton has added Nikolai Khabibulin to shore up the goaltending, but Khabibulin is now 36 years old, and they have no true prospects at that position. Despite the lack of depth in net, the Oilers will be a tough squad this season. There were no major losses through free agency, and the Oilers added young gun Patrick O’Sullivan at the end of last season.
 
Colorado has had a long, hard fall from grace, but that does not make them any less dangerous. Joe Sakic retired, but Paul Stasny is right there to take his place. Milan Hejduk will continue to be the ever present threat, and they have second overall pick Matt Duchene ready to make is impact felt. The main weakness in Colorado , and it is a huge weakness, is the goaltending. Gone are the days of Patrick Roy, and the Avalanche have struggled mightily to find someone to right the ship, let alone replace Roy. This year’s experiment will be Craig Anderson, formerly of the Florida Panthers. Anderson has never played more than 31 games, and has never won more than 15.
 
In the West overall, the Wild still face the perennial President’s trophy contenders Detroit and San Jose . They still face the physical beating while playing Anaheim , and still face several very good, very young teams such as Chicago and Nashville . The Western conference has not suddenly become a friendly place for the Wild just because there is a new regime in place.
 
How it Plays Out: The Wild have some major issues to sort out. New GM, new coach, new system, and new players. Any one of those factors would cause chaos in most locker rooms, and they get to deal with them all simultaneously. They need to focus on turning the individuals into a team, finding the strengths and identifying the weaknesses. The first month of the season could be painful to watch.
 
If Coach Richards can find the right lines, and the players can find some chemistry, they should be able to put together a positive season. However, the Wild are still missing pieces, such as a number two center. Their forwards are still mostly third and fourth line grinders, with a handful of guys with true offensive ability. They have the defense and the goaltending to compete with anyone, but they still lack the offense needed to make Richards’ system a full success.
 
Should the players find chemistry early in the season, the system falls into place, and the players buy in completely, the season could be more than just positive. Should Martin Havlat show the skill he has in the past and stays healthy, add in some help from the scoring wings and the blue line, and this team perform quite well.
 
On paper, it still does not look like a team that can compete with Detroit , San Jose , and Calgary . As the old cliché goes, however, that’s why they play the games on ice, and not on paper.
 
My predictions for the season are that the Wild finish third in the Northwest division, behind Calgary and Vancouver . Where they finish in the Western conference depends greatly on the performance of other teams such as Nashville , Dallas , and Saint Louis , but the Wild should finish seventh or eighth and make the playoffs. They likely will run head long into one the top three teams in the conference and see a first round exit.
 
Outside the standings, watch for the Wild to be much more active in the trade market, especially at the deadline in March. Harding will be dealt this season, for picks alone if necessary. Center Eric Belanger is another likely trade we will see, as the Wild now have cheaper options to fill the same role Belanger is filling, and he is an unrestricted free agent this season.
 
If the Wild are outside contention for the playoffs as the deadline approaches, the trades could come quickly. Kim Johnsson, Marek Zidlicky, Owen Nolan, Derek Boogaard, Craig Weller, and John Scott are all pending free agents that could be attractive to teams in contention and feel they are missing just that one last piece. Petr Sykora and Shane Hnidy are also both only on one year deals and could be moved for the right price.
 
It will certainly be a dynamic year in Saint Paul . The team’s record sellout streak is in danger, and the fans are looking for a reason to come back. If all of the praise for Fletcher and Richards is true, the team should find its stride quickly and make doubters look silly. More likely is the team goes through some growing pains and looks to build on this performance next season.
 
The author can be reached at bryanreynolds@prohockeynews.com