Minnesota Wild
Additions: Keith Carney, Pavol Demitra, Kim Johnsson, Mark Parrish, Branko Radivojevic, Wyatt Smith
Subtractions: Filip Kuba, Patrick O’Sullivan, Randy Robitaille, Daniel Tjarnavist, Andrei Zyuzin, Kyle Wanvig, Andrei Nazarov
Analysis
Minnesota is a team on the upswing. I for one am glad about that, as the fans in Minnesota have been very patient thus far. A number of years of slow, patient building and defence first team philosophy have kept the Wild from being much of a party to watch or cheer on. With star forward Marion Gaborik only a short year away from unrestricted free agency, management knew they had to make a splash this summer, and splash they did.
First they acquired Gaborik’s countryman and friend Pavol Demitra from the L.A. Kings, a move that cost them a promising prospect and a high draft pick. The move should pay off immediately however, and the Wild still boast considerable up and coming depth at all positions on the ice. However, prospects and picks are one thing, and an established scorer like Demitra is another thing altogether. He should have immediate chemistry with Gaborik and the two should both have fantastick years.
The Wild also managed to woo Mark Parish and Kim Johnsson over to long-term contracts. Johnsson is a very capable puck moving defenceman, although his health must be a concern. He missed about half the season last year with a concussion, and those injuries never really dissapear. If he stays healthy, however, $4.85 million per year is a bargain considering what other blueliners were getting this summer. Parish was probably overpaid but he’s been a consistent goal scorer through his career (173 goals in 518 games) and if he improves with the significant ice time and responsability he’s likely to see this year, he’ll be a bargain for years to come.
In goal, Manny Fernandez is an excellent young goaltender who’s development had progressed sufficiently to allow the trading of the older Roloson to the Oilers last year. This will also give the younger goaltenders in the system an opportunity to get some NHL experience.
In many ways the Wild are a similar team to the Calgary flames - defence first but with a few offensive studs, solid goaltending and a team oriented plan. While the defence in Minnesota is not as experienced or deep as in Calgary, the Wild still managed to be tied for 4th in the league for goals against. Their only problem was scoring enough goals. Locking up Gaborik and adding Demitra, Johnsson and Parish will help in that department.
Minnesota will need to work hard to make the playoffs next year, but I think they deserve a spot. If they played in either of the other Western Conference divisions I would call them a lock to make the second season, but all 5 teams in the Northwest can be said to have legitimate shots at cracking the top 8. And while it’s technically possible for all 5 to make it, the 8 intra-division games virtually guarrantee that that will not happen. I would expect Minnesota to leapfrog over Colorado and possibly Edmonton, and even Calgary and Vancouver are not out of reach. They will be a longshot once the playoffs roll around, however, with not nearly enough experience on the team to carry them very far.