Matt Hendricks – McKeen's Hockey

No(Staal)gia – Minnesota Wild 2018-19 Season Preview

Ryan Dadoun — Sat, 15 Sep 2018 18:15:40 +0000

REVIEW / STATE OF PLAY – The 2017-18 campaign represented the sixth season since the Minnesota Wild made the bold move of signing UFAs Ryan Suter and Zach Parise to matching 13-year, $98 million contract that was designed to help push them into being a serious contender. Unfortunately, it hasn’t panned out as planned.

Last season was more of the same for Minnesota. The Wild posted a 45-26-11 record in the regular season to make the playoffs for the sixth consecutive year and earn at least 100 points for the third time in four seasons. However, they were expelled in the first round by the Winnipeg Jets over just five games, making it the Wild’s third straight first round exit. Minnesota still hasn’t gotten past the second round since Suter and Parise joined the team.

UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT – If 2017-18 had been an isolated incident then Minnesota’s mantra would probably be of patience, but with it being the sixth straight disappointing end in the postseason, a change at the top was warranted. With that in mind, Paul Fenton has been hired to replace Chuck Fletcher as the team’s general manager.

If you were expecting Fenton to immediately make his mark on the team though, you’ve probably felt disappointed this summer. Rather than make a big splash on the trade or free agent market, Fenton has simply made minor tweaks to the team.

A couple bottom-six forwards in Tyler Ennis and Matt Cullen are gone while new role players J.T. Brown and Matt Hendricks were brought in. The team’s defense has been largely left untouched with the exception of Greg Pateryn, who signed a three-year, $6.75 million contract and will probably end up on the third pairing. As for the team’s goaltending, Devan Dubnyk and Alex Stalock are projected to return as the starter and backup respectively. Should either get hurt, journeyman goaltender Andrew Hammond will be an option after he signed a one-year, two-way deal.

Those are the tweaks that were made and while there is still the chance that the Wild will make a significant trade either during the preseason or perhaps near the deadline, right now we’re looking at largely the same team as 2017-18, just with a different man at the top.

Ryan Suter and Zach Parise

WILL THEY BE HEALTHY? – That might actually be alright if the team has better luck on the injury front this season. After all, Zach Parise missed half of the 2017-18 campaign and then suffered a broken sternum in Game 3 of the first round. Ryan Suter was able to play 78 games last season, but fractured his right ankle and missed the Wild’s entire playoff run as a result. That’s two cornerstones of the team that the Wild lacked when they needed them the most.

On top of that, Jared Spurgeon missed the final 12 games of 2017-18 due to a hamstring injury. He did return for the playoffs, but was logging just 21:48 minutes per game, down from an average of 24:33 minutes in the regular season despite the fact that Ryan Suter, who typically eats 26:47 minutes, wasn’t available.

Those weren’t even the only noteworthy injuries. Charlie Coyle and Nino Niederreiter took big steps forward in 2016-17 and both regressed in 2017-18, in part due to injuries. Coyle dealt with a fractured fibula early in the season that likely disrupted him and then played through tears in both of his wrists. Niederreiter suffered a broken fibula that was bothering him even after he returned. So you have to wonder what Minnesota’s season might have been like if so many of its key players were both available and functioning closer to 100%.

OUTLOOK – Even without making any noteworthy additions over the summer, the Minnesota Wild remain a competitive team that should at least make the playoffs. With a little better luck than they had in 2017-18, they could even be competitive in the postseason. However, when you look at the top-tier teams in the NHL today, Minnesota does appear to be just a small step below them. The Wild are a team with many of the right pieces like a strong goaltender, a good defensive core, and offensive depth, but the Wild aren’t necessarily in the very top tier in any of those areas. For as talented as Suter and Parise are, they also don’t have those one or two superstars that set them apart to the same extent as teams like the Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals, and Tampa Bay Lightning.

Training Camp Notes – October 3rd, 2017

Ryan Dadoun — Tue, 03 Oct 2017 22:25:53 +0000

Anaheim

Ryan Getzlaf – Sustained a lower-body injury last week and hasn’t resumed skating yet. A couple days back Ducks coach Randy Carlyle did say on Saturday that he expected Getzlaf to play in the opener, but that’s on Thursday so we’re cutting it pretty close now.

Patrick Eaves – Didn’t end up playing in any preseason games. His lower-body injury might keep him out of the season opener as well. He’s another player Carlyle projected to be available for the opener while speaking on Saturday though, so we’ll see.

Arizona

Oliver Ekman-Larsson – Good news on this front. His recovery from his knee injury has progressed to the point where he’s been practicing with the Coyotes. It looks like he’ll be ready for the season opener.

Antti Raanta –A lower-body injury kept him out of the Coyotes’ last preseason game. He practiced with Arizona on Sunday though, so he’ll probably be fine for the opener.

Boston

Torey Krug – The Bruins are hoping that his jaw injury only sidelines him for the first three-to-five regular season games. In the meantime, he has been skating. For what it’s worth, when he does return he’ll be wearing a protective mask.

Buffalo

Benoit Pouliot – Was on a line with Ryan O'Reilly and Kyle Okposo during Sunday’s practice. He had been practicing as a bottom-six forward previously, so it will be interesting to see if he ends up on that unit to start the campaign.

Zemgus Girgensons – It was bad news for Girgensons. He was previously on Ryan O'Reilly and Kyle Okposo’s line, but Girgensons was knocked down to the third unit with Sam Reinhart and Jason Pominville. The Sabres’ third line has potential though.

Rasmus Ristolainen – After averaging 26:28 minutes per game last season (up from 25:17 minutes in 2015-16), Sabres coach Phil Housley wants to cut Ristolainen down to 22-23 minutes per game. The hope is that will keep him fresher for the final stretch.

Calgary

Jaromir Jagr – Signed a one-year contract with Calgary that comes with a $1 million base salary. Not sure what line Jagr plays for, but here’s a fun aside: Jagr was drafted the same year as Matthew Tkachuk’s father Keith. Keith Tkachuk retired seven years ago.

Carolina

Lee Stempniak – His hip/back problems remain something of a mystery. On Monday Hurricanes coach Bill Peters remarked, "We've got to get to the bottom of it sooner rather than later." Stempniak is questionable for the season opener and how much time he might miss beyond that seems like anybody’s guess.

Chicago

Connor Murphy – Sustained a lower-body injury on Saturday and didn’t practice on Monday as a result. It’s not clear if he’ll be available for the opener.

Colorado

Jonathan Bernier – As mentioned before, he sustained a groin injury on Sept. 25. The good news is that he resumed practicing with the team on Monday.

Columbus

Brandon Dubinsky – Got into the preseason finale on Saturday after missing all the previous exhibition contests due to a wrist injury. He should be fine for the season opener.

Pierre-Luc Dubois – Although the Blue Jackets have experimented with using him as a center, it looks like he’ll be serving as a left winger to start the campaign. His projected linemates are Brandon Dubinsky and Matt Calvert.

Boone Jenner – His back injury will keep him out of the season opener. Beyond that there’s no timetable for his return. He hasn’t skated with the Blue Jackets yet.

Detroit

David Booth – Signed a one-year, two-way deal with the Red Wings. It sounds like he’ll be in the lineup for the season opener, probably alongside Riley Sheahan and Luke Glendening.

Florida

Owen Tippett – He’ll be part of the Panthers’ roster for the start of the 2017-18 campaign. The downside is that it might be as a fourth line forward, so he might not be a fantasy factor for a while still.

Los Angeles

Mike Cammalleri/Jonny Brodzinski – The two might find themselves on either side of Anze Kopitar to begin the season. Obviously that would be great news for both of them, but it’d be a particularly big opportunity for the rookie Brodzinski.

Minnesota

Zach Parise – Is now expected to miss the first two games of the regular season due to his back problem. He also missed the Wild’s whole preseason schedule.

Nashville

Viktor Arvidsson – There’s been talk of him not opening the season with Ryan Johansen and Filip Forsberg. Two potential candidates to replace him on the top line would be Kevin Fiala and Scott Hartnell. None of that’s been finalized yet though.

New Jersey

Jimmy Hayes – More of an FYI because he doesn’t have fantasy value, but he did earn a one-year, $700,000 contract with New Jersey after attending the Devils’ training camp on a PTO.

Pavel Zacha – He’s getting a big opportunity off the bat as he’s projected to open on a line with Taylor Hall and Kyle Palmieri. It’s not set in stone, but Devils coach John Hynes called it a “strong possibility.

NY Rangers

Kevin Shattenkirk – It’s not surprising, but it looks like Shattenkirk will be paired with Ryan McDonagh to start the season.

NY Islanders

Jordan Eberle – Another bit of anticipated, but nice to be basically confirmed news is that Eberle will be starting the campaign alongside John Tavares. The third member of that unit should be Anders Lee. Islanders coach Doug Weight has been happy with that trio so far.

Ottawa

Derick Brassard – Has been cleared for contact, so he might be able to play in the season opener. He’s been recovering from a shoulder injury.

Erik Karlsson – Still dealing with a foot injury, it’s now very unlikely that he’ll play in the opener. Not sure when he’ll be back.

Philadelphia

December 5, 2015:Philadelphia Flyers Defenceman Shayne Gostisbehere (53) moves the puck out of the Flyers zone in the first period during the game between the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Philadelphia Flyers at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, PA. (Photo by Kyle Ross/Icon Sportswire)

Shayne Gostisbehere – Sustained an upper-body injury during Sunday’s game. There hasn’t been an update yet, but he did join the Flyers’ flight to San Jose (ahead of Wednesday’s opener), so you could take that as an encouraging sign.

Travis Sanheim/Sam Morin – They were battling for a spot on the roster, but if Gostisbehere isn’t available then they could both stay on the roster for now. Fellow rookie defenseman Robert Hagg did make the roster so he should remain with the squad regardless of Gostisbehere’s status.

San Jose

Joe Thornton – He made his preseason debut on Saturday, clearing the way for him to participate in the opener. He underwent knee surgery to repair a torn ACL/MCL.

St. Louis

Scottie Upshall – Not of much fantasy relevance, but he did sign a one-year contract with the Blues. He began on a PTO with Vancouver, but found an opportunity with the Blues instead due to their injuries. Upshall is likely to enter the season on the fourth line alongside Kyle Brodziak and Chris Thorburn.

Washington

Tom Wilson – He’ll have a hearing tomorrow (Tuesday) for boarding the Blues’ Sam Blais. He already served a two-game preseason suspension over interference, so maybe this will be a harsher punishment as a result.

Brooks Orpik – Capitals coach Barry Trotz is tentatively planning to pair Orpik up with John Carlson to open the season. Orpik usually played alongside Nate Schmidt last season, but he’s not with the team anymore. Similarly, Carlson’s most common 2016-17 partner, Karl Alzner, is also gone.

Jakub Vrana – Not set in stone, but there’s a chance that Vrana not only opens the season with the Capitals, but does so on a line with Alex Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov.

Winnipeg

Matt Hendricks – Is on the injured reserve after sustaining an undisclosed injury during Wednesday’s preseason contest. He’s regarded as day-to-day.

Andrew Copp – Suffered a knee injury during Saturday’s preseason contest. Jets coach Paul Maurice hasn’t ruled out Copp for the season opener though.