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NHL Preview 2005-06: Minnesota Wild
By BRIAN PIKE, MOP Squad Sports Hockey Editor
Oct 5, 2005 - 12:10:00 AM

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The Wild make five for today, and that's it. Minnesota will likely bring up the rear in the Northwest division, and I'm exhausted. A quick note: if the Pacific division isn't finished tomorrow, it'll be done by Thursday. Sorry, folks, but doing so many previews in so short a time has taken it's toll, and if I get through the Pacific tomorrow around six hours of classes and the Oilers-Avalanche game, well, it'll be a miracle. They'll be done Thursday or early Friday for sure, I promise.

These previews will now appear five a day (hopefully), or one division on each of Monday (Central), Tuesday (Northwest), and Wednesday/Thursday (Pacific) until the season starts on October 5th.  They will be put on-site by division, roughly in order of predicted finish.  Note that the rookies listed are only those most likely to make the team, not necessarily ones who have already sewn up a spot, and surprises always occur in training camp, though with camps out at this point the guesses are more solid than they were two weeks ago.  The In/Out portion represents significant players added and lost since the end of the 2003-04 season.  And now, on with the show...


In: Scott Ferguson, Todd White, Brian Rolston, Randy Robitaille, Daniel Tjarnqvist, Andrei Nazarov

Out: Andrew Brunette, Matt Johnson, Eric Chouinard, Antti Laaksonen, Richard Park, Jason Wiemer

Rookies: Mikko Koivu, Matt Foy, Kyle Wanvig, Rickard Wallin, Stephane Veilleux

While other teams, particularly some in their own division, were making big headlines with impressive additions, the Wild decided to stick with essentially the same roster they had in 2003-04, except for a few changes here and there. Veterans and longtime Wild like Brunette, Johnson, Laaksonen and Park were jettisoned to make some room for a few of the team’s younger forwards. This team will be depending heavily on some improvement from players such as Pierre-Marc Bouchard, Stephane Veilleux, Kyle Wanvig and Rickard Wallin, as well as continued development from star forward Marian Gaborik. It may not pay off this season, but it should down the road.

Strengths: 1. Few things Jacques Lemaire has done in his coaching career were as impressive as when he took a team with one offensive star and a bunch of no-names to the Stanley Cup semifinal in 2003. While his team took a step back the next season after a holdout by Gaborik and the loss of several key veterans, Lemaire is still a great coach, an excellent teacher, and a brilliant tactician. Undoubtedly Lemaire has already figured out how to use each of the NHL’s new rules to their fullest advantage for his team. Lemaire is a master at getting the most out of the players he’s got, and while some of his younger stars have been frustrating at times, he has molded them all so that they are undoubtedly his players. Once again, Lemaire will have a team with a few veterans of mid-range talent, some young talented forwards and next to no expectations. Whether or not he can get them to the playoffs will be an interesting question.

2. Lemaire and GM Doug Risebrough clearly believe defense is the cornerstone of a good franchise, and have quietly crafted one of the deepest and most underrated back ends in the NHL. It starts in goal with goalkeepers Dwayne Roloson and Manny Fernandez, both veterans cast aside by other teams in the past who are hungry for the opportunity to be the number one goaltender, but are kept on their toes by Lemaire’s rotation system. The defense features hard shooting Filip Kuba as its centerpiece; Kuba mans the point on the power play and is big enough to handle things in his own zone. The same holds for Willie Mitchell and Alex Henry, who have really come into his own under Lemaire. Both are defensive stalwarts and excellent at keeping the front of their own goal clear. Free agent signings Ferguson and Tjarnqvist will add a bit more veteran poise to the blueline, though Ferguson in particular isn’t necessarily talented enough to play every day. Zyuzin provides some mobility from the point, as does Nick Schultz, who is only 23 and already entering his fourth full NHL season. Brent Burns is another interesting piece; he spent most of his rookie season, in which he played 36 games, on the right wing, but was moved back to defense, his position before being moved to forward in Canadian junior hockey, late in the season. He spent all of last year re-learning the position in the minors, and provides size and a heavy shot from the blueline. While every forward has to be responsible defensively on Lemaire’s team, the Wild have some forwards that are particularly good at doing so in Wes Walz and Brian Roston as well.

Weaknesses: 1. It’s been true for much of the Wild’s history, and it’s still true today: this team always has a hard time scoring goals. When the Wild did make the conference finals in 2003 it took some offensive magic from Gaborik, Walz and departed veterans Brunette and Sergei Zholtok to get them there, as well as a truly deadly power play. That power play deserted the Wild last season, and with it went any dreams of an above-average offense and, in the end, a playoff spot. Gaborik’s contract dispute and slow start in 2003-04 didn’t help matters, but it can’t all be laid at his feet, particularly when the Wild are a team that has to have balanced scoring to survive. Minnesota will need stronger seasons from Gaborik, Bouchard and Pascal Dupuis, as well as significant contributions from Rolson, Walz, Alexander Daigle, Todd White and their rookies if this offense is going to scare anybody. With Gaborik on the injured list to start the season the Wild are already behind the eight-ball in terms of offense.

2. We mentioned the power play, but the Wild’s penalty killing is a concern as well. Surprisingly, for a team that’s so well coached, the Wild have rarely been particularly good in either stat; in their first season they had an above-average PK but their power play was dead last, in 2001-02 they were 23rd and 22nd, respectively, the next year they were 6th on the penalty kill but 23rd with the man-advantage, then in 2003-04 were 14th and 28th. The power play stat isn’t completely surprising, not from a team without a lot of offense, but the penalty killing one is, particularly since lead penalty-killer Walz was a part of all of those teams. For the Wild to be a playoff contender this season they need to get their penalty killing back among the league’s best while finishing at least middle-of-the-road on the power play.

Don’t be Surprised If: The Wild do much like they did in 2003-04 and deal off a number of veterans before the NHL trade deadline. This team has already admitted they’ll stick with their young players this season; that likely won’t translate into a lot of wins, and this team has never been shy about dealing away veterans that are about to walk as free agents. Roloson’s contract is up after this season, and at 35 with young Josh Harding waiting in the wings the Wild might not be interested in bringing him back. Walz and Rolston each have two years left on their deals but are very useful players and could be worth a lot on the market to a contending team. Daigle, Fernandez, and Kuba can also become unrestricted free agents next summer.

Outlook: Unless Lemaire can pull off another minor miracle, this is simply not a playoff team. Gaborik is still too inconsistent and the scoring support around him still too meager. In fact, considering how competitive the Northwest will be this season the Wild will be lucky if they can stay out of the Western Conference basement.

Centres: 1. Wes Walz  2. Todd White  3. Marc Chouinard  4. Mikko Koivu  5. Randy Robitaille

Wingers: 1. Marian Gaborik  2.  Brian Rolston  3. Pascal Dupuis  4. Alexander Daigle  5. Pierre-Marc Bouchard  6. Kyle Wanvig  7. Rickard Wallin 8. Stephane Veilleux  9. Andrei Nazarov

Defensemen: 1. Filip Kuba  2. Willie Mitchell  3. Nick Schultz  4. Andre Zyuzin  5. Brent Burns  6. Daniel Tjarnqvist  7. Alex Henry  8. Scott Ferguson

Goalies: 1. Dwayne Roloson  2. Manny Fernandez

Restricted Free Agents: none.


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