Wild – Page 73 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Dubnyk and Wild Look at Big Stage

Posted on March 30, 2015March 30, 2015 by David Shama

What an interesting spring this will be for the Wild and “Superman” goalie Devan Dubnyk.

The Wild has six regular season games remaining before the Stanley Cup playoffs begin. A franchise with shaky playoff ambitions a few months ago, the Wild has made a remarkable recovery since acquiring Dubnyk in a trade. The man wearing a “Wild cape” has won 26 times in 34 games for Minnesota. The NHL’s hottest team and hottest goalie look like they will not only play in the postseason, but be a favorite for a deep run.

In the playoffs a superb goalie can be even more valuable than during the regular season. With a short series, it’s win or start relaxing on the golf course. The Wild and their fans hope they see the same goalie in the playoffs they’ve watched with awe in January, February and March.

That’s not a guarantee, though. Despite Dubnyk’s superhero performance so far he is (as far as we know) human. In his NHL career with three other clubs he didn’t win or compile the same impressive goals against average (1.70) and save percentages (.939) as with the Wild. A change in goaltending technique that better helps him track the puck receives at least partial credit for the upgrade that puts Dubnyk among the league’s best goalies now.

Dubnyk’s salary, reportedly at $800,000, certainly doesn’t place him among the NHL’s top paid goalies. At 28, with five previous seasons in the league, he is a journeyman who has found sudden success, almost like a character in a Broadway play. Dubnyk turns 29 on May 4 and if the Wild are still in the playoffs and toying with the possibility of winning Minnesota’s first Stanley Cup ever, it will be a great script for the 6-foot-6 Canadian.

Dubnyk, who has led the Wild to five straight wins and 10 in a row on the road, is an unrestricted free agent after this season and unless he flops in the coming weeks he will command a huge pay upgrade. Not as much compensation as Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist’s $8.5 million per season (per Spotrac.com) but perhaps in the $4 million to $5 million range.

Those numbers are much more likely if Dubnyk doesn’t lose his kryptonite and the Wild at least make the Western Conference Finals, if not the Stanley Cup finals. An NHL title is a no-brainer for a long-term deal at major money.

Dubnyk is in his prime career years and 2015 could be his best and last chance to secure a max deal. Lundqvist is the league’s top paid goalie and six others make $6 million or more, according to Spotrac’s 2014 goalie salary rankings. If Dubynk is wowing the NHL as summer approaches, Wild general manager Chuck Fletcher will have competition in re-signing the goalie he aced with his trade last January, giving up a third round draft choice to the Coyotes.

If Dubnyk has the Wild in a bidding war, the team’s fans can feel some confidence about owner Craig Leipold’s willingness to open his wallet. Leipold wants to win and he puts that in writing every time he signs the checks of Zach Parise and Ryan Suter, two players he signed to long-term $98 million deals in July of 2012.

The challenge for the Wild, though, is how to fit all the salaries on their roster together and stay near the league’s expected payroll cap of about $73 million. Part of the puzzle and challenge is there are other free agents beyond Dubnyk. One helpful move could be to buyout the contract of backup goalie Niklas Backstrom who reportedly is due $4 million for next season.

The summer of 2012 was interesting. This spring will have its own drama.

Worth Noting

In Sports Illustrated’s baseball preview issue last week the magazine included a story on Byron Buxton, saying he can “hit to all fields like Kirby Puckett, possesses the arm of Russell Wilson” and “is nearly as fast as Bo Jackson.” The 21- year-old center fielder is ranked No. 1 by Baseball Prospectus and MLB.com, according to the magazine, and the publication reports the much-hyped Twins prospect threw a 98 miles per hour fast ball in high school and has been timed in 3.9 seconds from home plate to first base.

The Minnesota Football Coaches Association has honored the O’Brien family including Gophers senior associate athletic director Dan O’Brien and his 15-year-old son Casey O’Brien with its Cal Stoll Award. Casey has recovered from bone cancer after an ordeal that included a seven hour operation and 24 rounds of chemotherapy. His support group includes his family and Gophers coach Jerry Kill who has praised the young man for his courage. The award is named after Stoll, the former Gophers football coach, and is given to someone who has overcome adversity.

The MFCA honored Dwight Lundeen, the only coach in Becker High School football history, as its Man of the Year on Saturday night. Lundeen coached Becker to 13 consecutive wins last year including the 4A state title.

The MFCA’s Minnesota Football Clinic had a record 1,263 registrations and 67 vendors last week. The clinic dates next year are March 31, April 1 and 2.

Joe Haeg, the 6-6, 300-pound former Brainerd High School player who walked on at North Dakota State and is now an All-American, has the interest of pro scouts and might be selected as an offensive tackle in the early rounds of the 2016 NFL Draft. He will be a senior for the Bison this fall.

Greg Kleven reported in the March 26 Eden Prairie Sun Current that Eden Prairie High School safety and linebacker Blake Cashman will be a preferred walk-on with the Gophers this summer. Kleven wrote that Cashman turned down Division I offers from Iowa State and North Dakota State, hoping to earn a scholarship at Minnesota.

Gophers basketball coach Richard Pitino signed four recruits late last year for his 2015 incoming class this summer. He has three more scholarships available, although not all of them maybe used this spring. “We believe we will have a top-25 recruiting class when it’s all said and done,” Pitino wrote on his Gophersports.com blog last week.

Big Ten women’s basketball drew a record total of more than 869,000 fans for the home games of its 14 conference teams this past season. The Gophers, with an average of 3,846, finished 10th in average home attendance.

The women’s WCHA is represented by 40 current or former players at the International Ice Hockey Federation World Championships that started last Saturday and continues through April 4 in Malmö, Sweden. Seventeen of the women played during the 2014-15 season, while 23 are WCHA alumnae. The list includes three Gophers from the 2015 national championship team: Hannah Brandt, Dani Cameranesi and Lee Stecklein.

Comments Welcome

Nanne Raves about Wild GM Fletcher

Posted on March 9, 2015March 9, 2015 by David Shama

When Chuck Fletcher was an assistant general manager of the Penguins six years ago his resume had the approval of Lou Nanne. Now Nanne believes there isn’t a better GM in the NHL than the Wild’s front office boss.

Nanne played for the NHL’s North Stars, later coached them and also led the franchise as general manager and president. He remains a passionate and knowledgeable observer of the Wild and NHL.

Fletcher, the Wild’s general manager since May of 2009, earned the attention of the Minnesota sports public three years ago when he and owner Craig Leipold brought high profile free agents Zach Parise and Ryan Suter here by signing them to $98 million contracts. Last spring Fletcher’s roster and Mike Yeo’s coaching had the Wild making an improbable playoff run that ended in the second round against the Blackhawks.

This winter Fletcher has negotiated trades that have included bringing goalie Devan Dubnyk and forward Chris Stewart to Minnesota. Dubnyk has made 24 straight starts, a franchise record, and has won 18 games.

Stewart, 6-2, 230 pounds, was acquired just last week and adds size and toughness to a roster that has been lacking those qualities. He complements the team’s speed and depth. The Wild is unbeaten in three games since his arrival from the Sabres.

Nanne said the addition of Stewart rounds out the roster while the trade for Dubnyk is in a class of its own among trades made this year by NHL clubs. “Far and away,” Nanne told Sports Headliners. “There’s nothing like it.”

Before Dubnyk joined the Wild the team was nine points out of a playoff spot. Now the Wild are No. 1 in the Western Conference Wildcard standings.

Nanne raves about Fletcher’s work as GM. “He’s been terrific. I expected him to do a real good job but he’s done a sensational job. He’s definitely one of the best general managers in the National Hockey League.”

Nanne praised Fletcher’s hockey support staff. “I think the Wild have been very fortunate with the front office staff that they’ve hired. They’ve identified…real quality people. They’ve hired them. They’ve let them do their jobs. I think the Wild operation is sensational.”

Fletcher’s staff is impressive but sometimes decisions have to be made by one person. “…He’s not afraid to make decisions,” Nanne said. “That’s very important for a general manager. You have to make crucial decisions at critical times, and some people are not good at it, and he’s terrific at it.”

Decisions sometimes go against the majority opinion. A franchise’s inner circle, media and fans may see things differently than the GM. “…He’s steadfast,” Nanne said of Fletcher. “He knows what’s going on and he’s got the confidence to go forward when many people are pushing in another direction.”

The Wild are on a 16-3-1 streak, including five wins in their last six games. Despite the club’s recent success, Nanne isn’t changing his prediction from awhile ago about the team’s 2015 postseason chances. “If they’re healthy at the time the playoffs begin, if they’ve got their whole team—like I said at the beginning of the year—the team is capable of winning the (Stanley) Cup or missing the playoffs. That’s how tough it is in that conference.”

Worth Noting

The telecast of last Tuesday night’s Wild-Senators game from Xcel Energy Center was the highest-rated regular season Wild game ever on Fox Sports North. The game had a 7.12 household rating in the Minneapolis-St. Paul market area, according to Nielsen Media Research and was the No. 1 program in the area among all male demographics.

The Wild defeated the Senators in a shootout game, 3-2. Also adding interest to the telecast was the addition of Jordan Leopold and Chris Stewart through trades the previous day. The 7.12 rating broke the previous 6.13 record the Wild set on February 24 against the Oilers. February’s 4.63 average was the highest-rated month ever for the Wild on Fox Sports North.

In the Minneapolis-St. Paul market, 17,280 households represent one rating point, indicating more than 123,000 households tuned in for Tuesday evening’s game.

On Senior Day yesterday the Gophers lost their fifth game in the last six when Penn State won 79-76 on D.J. Newbill’s last second three point shot. Minnesota is 17-14 overall and 6-12 in the Big Ten heading into the conference tournament on Wednesday when the Gophers, the No. 11 seed, play Rutgers, the No. 14 seed, starting at 6 p.m. in Chicago.

Gophers senior center Elliott Eliason, who started 35 games last season, has been given minimal playing time as of late with coach Richard Pitino using more minutes on freshmen. Eliason received his second start of the season yesterday but only played four minutes after not participating at all in the two previous games.

Apple Valley High School sophomore shooting guard Gary Trent, Jr., who is among the state’s most recruited prospects, sat in the second row near the Gophers’ bench for yesterday’s game. Trent has offers from Minnesota, Providence and Texas Tech, according to Rivals.com. Trent’s teammate, junior center Brock Bertram, has an offer from Tech where former Gophers coach Tubby Smith has finished last in the Big 12 Conference with a 3-15 record.

Ken Lien from the Mr. Basketball Committee e-mailed names of the five finalists for the 2015 Mr. Basketball Award: Sacar Anim, DeLaSalle; Bjorn Broman, Lakeview Christian Academy; JT Gibson, Champlin Park; Jarvis Johnson, DeLaSalle; Marshawn Wilson, Hill-Murray. The award goes annually to a high school senior, and this year’s winner will be announced after the boys state tournament games.

Next Sunday ESPN airs the new “30 for 30” documentary on Christian Laettner. The program focuses on his career and polarizing fan reaction that followed him long after his game-winning shot against Kentucky, advancing Duke to the 1992 NCAA Final Four. Laettner, the former Timberwolves No. 1 draft choice, will be headlining two youth clinics at Wayzata East Middle School in Plymouth on March 21 for the Timberwolves Basketball Academy.

The Gophers football team has spring practice sessions Tuesday and Thursday at the Gibson-Nagurski Football Complex. Both practices begin at 4:15 p.m. and are open to the public. Thursday’s practice is the Gophers’ last until resuming sessions again on March 24.

The Minnesota United leaves for Brazil on Wednesday to hold a preseason camp. The NASL club had an earlier preseason camp in Arizona and opens its regular season on April 11 at Tampa Bay. The home opener at the National Sports Center in Blaine is April 25.

The United has six Brazil natives: forward Pablo Campos, midfielders Ibson, Daniel Mendes and Juliano Vicentini, and defenders Tiago Calvano and Cristiano Dias. The United roster includes forward Miguel Ibarra who is also a member of the U.S. Men’s National team.

The United will play several exhibition games in Brazil and return home on March 24.

Ryan Galindo, who was announced as the new Washburn head football coach last week, is a 1999 graduate of the Minneapolis high school. He played college football at St. Thomas and from 2003-2009 was an assistant coach at Washburn. Later he was an assistant at Gustavus Adolphus under former Washburn head coach Pete Haugen before rejoining the Millers staff. He was offensive coordinator for the Millers last year, working for head coach Giovan Jenkins who last week started as a volunteer coach at Minnesota.

Comments Welcome

Gophers No Cinch for NIT Return

Posted on February 6, 2015February 6, 2015 by David Shama

The possibility draws a yawn from Gophers basketball fans but the team that once had NCAA Tournament goals is now more realistically competing for a spot in the National Invitation Tournament.

The Gophers, 14-9 overall and 3-7 in the Big Ten, have eight remaining regular season conference games including four at home against Purdue, Northwestern, Wisconsin and Penn State. The Gophers must play Iowa, Indiana, Michigan State and Wisconsin on the road. Of those seven opponents, only Northwestern, 1-8, and Penn State, 2-8, have losing records in the Big Ten. The other five teams are a combined 33-15 in league games.

Let’s say the Gophers win four of their final eight regular season games—leaving them at 18-13 overall and 7-11 in league games going into the Big Ten Tournament in Chicago March 11-15. That resume won’t interest the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee. To qualify for the “Big Dance” the Gophers probably would need to win all their games in Chicago, earning automatic entry into the NCAA field of teams as the Big Ten Tournament champion. The chances of winning the league tourney are minimal because several conference teams have superior personnel.

If the Gophers win one Big Ten Tournament game before losing a second, the team’s overall record could be 19-14. That probably earns a place in the NIT, the postseason tournament for second level teams.

But what if the Gophers only win three more games? If they went 3-5 in their remaining regular season games and then lost the Big Ten Tournament opener, Minnesota’s record would be 17-15. Last year Indiana finished 17-15 and was left out of the NIT’s 32-team field. A record around .500 is no sure thing to win the approval of the NIT Selection Committee which must include Division I teams that won their regular season league titles but weren’t invited to the NCAA Tournament.

The Gophers have participated in the NIT 14 times and won three championships, although the 1998 title was later vacated because of NCAA violations. Minnesota’s record in 2013-2014 was 25-13, including five consecutive victories in the NIT to win the tourney. With four starters returning, the Gophers looked like a team that could finish among the top six in the Big Ten standings and be selected for the NCAA Tournament. Minnesota breezed through a mostly unchallenging nonconference schedule, playing 10 games at home and compiling an 11-2 record with impressive team numbers in steals and assists.

But the Gophers haven’t recovered from a slow start in the Big Ten with a schedule that had them playing three of their first four games on the road. Minnesota also lost its first two home games on the way to a 0-5 start.

Despite the disappointing record to date of 3-7 in the Big Ten, the Gophers have played competitively. Minnesota has lost six conference games by a total of 21 points.

What’s the problem? The Gophers need to be better defensively. They rank ninth among conference teams in points given up per game (league play only) at 66.3 points per game.

A major issue is defensive stops when needed, particularly late in games. That’s not just on the defense because other teams get second and third shots by out rebounding Minnesota. The Gophers rank 13th out of 14 teams in defensive rebounding.

The Gophers have created problems for themselves, too, with excessive fouling and giving opponents free throws. Also, Minnesota’s free throw percentage of .665 ranks 11th in the league.

Despite the struggles, coach Richard Pitino likes his team’s attitude. Since the 0-5 start, the Gophers are 3-2, with home wins over Rutgers, Illinois and Nebraska. “They’ve never really felt sorry for themselves, and just found a way to win,” Pitino said. “That’s the way it’s gotta be with our guys.”

Gophers senior point guard DeAndre Mathieu said if the team becomes better defensively they can beat anybody. “We definitely aren’t down on ourselves. We feel like we can win a few games.”

The Gophers played last Saturday against Nebraska and for the first time this winter don’t have a midweek Big Ten game. The rest is welcome during a long season when fatigue and nuisance injuries can pile up. “These guys are banged up,” Pitino said. “It’s never been a question of effort, so they need that break because we don’t have a lot of depth right now.”

The Gophers play a physical Purdue team tomorrow led by twin-monsters Isaac Haas (7-foot-2) and A.J. Hammons (7-feet). In the season opener at Purdue Hammons hurt the Gophers the most, with 11 points and nine rebounds in the Boilermakers’ 72-68 win.

The Gophers need different results tomorrow, because—strange as it is to write on February 6—this team is playing for an NIT invite more than anything else right now.

Worth Noting

Timberwolves Rookie of the Year candidate Andrew Wiggins and Gophers center Mo Walker, both natives of Canada, know each other. “We’re pretty cool,” Walker said. “Like if I see him, I’ll say, ‘What’s up?’ He’ll say, ‘What’s up?’ He knows who I am and I know who he is.”

The Gophers football team opens its 2015 schedule on Thursday, September 3 against national championship contender TCU, but Michigan and Wisconsin have interesting first weekend games, too. The Wolverines will have a rare road opener at Utah on September 3 in a game sure to draw a boisterous crowd in Salt Lake City. The Badgers play Alabama, another national title hopeful, on Saturday, September 5 at neutral site AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

A hockey source told Sports Headliners he believes the Wild will “make several million” dollars from the outdoor game (NHL Stadium Series) scheduled for next winter at TCF Bank Stadium. The February 21 game against the Blackhawks—the Wild’s first outdoor game at home—can be a revenue stimulus for ticket sales and other income sources.

The source said the game represents a tryout for the Wild to one day host the prestigious and even more lucrative Winter Classic outdoor game held annually in a host NHL city during early January. The NHL’s Stadium Series and the Winter Classic are national TV attractions, generating revenues for the league and NBC TV.

The Wild has won four consecutive games. New goalie Devan Dubnyk has given up only four goals in the last five games. After a slow start before the NHL All-Star Game break, the Wild are trying to recover and make the playoffs. “They’ve got a lot of ground to make up,” the source said.

Minnesota State University, Mankato is the No. 1 ranked men’s college hockey team in the polls. Coach Mike Hastings might be the hottest college hockey coaching name in the country now. During the next couple years the Mavericks may have to fight to keep Hastings who reportedly annually earns $225,000. He is considered an outstanding communicator who relates effectively to players and others.

The Minnesota Minute Men announced the 10 candidates (high school seniors only) for the 31st Annual Mr. Hockey Award: Jack Achcan (Burnsville), Will Borgen (Moorhead), Dixon Bowen (East Grand Forks), Jake Jaremko (Elk River), Dylan Malmquist (Edina), Jack Poehling (Lakeville North), Nick Poehling (Lakeville North), Jack Sadek (Lakeville North), Peter Tufto (Saint Thomas Academy) and Christiano Versich (Saint Thomas Academy). Stephen Headrick (Breck) and Dyllan Lubbesmeyer (Burnsville) are the finalists for The Frank Brimsek Award in recognition of the state’s top senior goaltender. The 31st annual Mr. Hockey Awards Banquet will be held at noon on Sunday, March 8 at the Grand Ballroom at RiverCentre.

1 comment