It’s easy to be positive about teams before their seasons begin but there is a legitimate sense of optimism about the Minnesota Wild. There’s a consensus that this is one of the NHL’s better teams and season seven could be the best in franchise history.
The Wild’s identity for defense is established. The Wild gave up just 184 goals last season and for the last four years has been among the top four defensive teams in the NHL. An early exit in the playoffs against Anaheim after almost winning the Northwest Division of the Western Conference was a downer but the disappointment was eased some when the Ducks won the Stanley Cup.
Sports Headliners asked former Minnesota North Stars president Lou Nanne about the Wild. “I think they’re in the top quarter of teams in the national league (NHL) and they’re fun to watch,” Nanne said. “They’re an exciting team to watch because of (Marian) Gaborik and (Pavol) Demitra and (Brian) Rolston, and (Pierre-Marc) Bouchard is a very creative guy and fun to watch. But they’ve still got room to move up. There’s a lot of good teams in the national league so they’ve got some competition.”
That competition probably includes Detroit, Nashville, Anaheim, San Jose, Dallas and Vancouver, all teams from the Western Conference that had more points than Minnesota last season. The Wild’s Gaborik leads the group of forwards Nanne mentioned and Gaborik’s health will have fans nervous after missing 34 games last season with a strained groin. The Wild were 33-9-6 with him in the lineup.
What must the Wild do to improve? “The Wild got to do a couple things,” Nanne said. “One, they need a little more production out of the center ice position. They got a lot last year but they need a little more depth, and they’re trying to do that with (Eric) Belanger (a free agent acquisition). And (second) they got to tighten up defensively, (have) a good physical defenseman to go along with what they’ve got. They’re going to be a good team. …”
Wild general manager Doug Risebrough is “excited” about the coming season and said the team’s training camp roster includes more size than in the past, the result of a strategy to become bigger. Defensemen on the roster include John Scott, 6-8, 247, Andre Lakos, 6-6, 230 and Kurtis Foster, 6-5, 235.
Risebrough is expecting the “most competitive” training camp in team history as veteran and young players try to earn places on the final roster. Part of the plan for success, too, is the coaching staff led by Jacques Lemaire, the franchise’s only head coach in its history. “We believe our coaching staff is the best in the league,” Risebrough said.
The Wild opened their pre-season schedule last night at home, losing 6-1 to Detroit.