Minnesota Wild 2015-16 Season Primer

Looking at the Minnesota Wild heading into this season – outlook, potential lines, roster, top prospects, draft history, stats and season schedule.

2014-15 record: 46-26-8, 100 points
Where they finished: 4^th in the Central, 6^th in the Western Conference, 11^th in the League

Player Salaries: $71,714,167 (22)
Cap Payroll: $69,496,336
Bonuses: $850,000
Cap Space: $1,903,664
Forwards: $38,780,000 (12)
Defensemen: $21,974,000 (7)
Goalies: $9,000,000 (3)

In: Tyson Strachan, D (FA – Buf), Mike Reilly, D (FA), Ruslan Fedotenko, LW (FA-Minors), Zac Dalpe, RW/C (FA – Buf), Marc Hagel, RW (FA-Minors)

Out: Chris Stewart, RW/LW (FA – Ana), Kyle Brodziak, C/RW (FA – StL)

Source: Sports Forecaster 

Outlook for the Season:

The theme of last season’s Wild was “Surprise!” What started as the season sure to see Coach Mike Yeo out the door, ended as one of the most unbelievable runs to the playoffs in recent memory. It was led by the acquisition of Devan Dubnyk, who quickly earned the starting goaltender spot and then simply refused to leave the net. While their Stanley Cup dreams ended in the second round at the hands of the Chicago Blackhawks, it wasn’t quite the spectacular blowout most expected, with 3 of 4 games being decided by one goal.

Dubnyk is again going to be the name to watch for the Wild. With a shiny new $4.33mil/year contract that has him locked down for 6 years, the team is going to expect a repeat of his 27-9-2 performance that almost singlehandedly dragged them back to relevance. While Dubnyk is a better goaltender than his past performances with Edmonton and Arizona suggest, it’s unlikely he’ll be able to sustain the ridiculous 0.936 Save percentage he put up last year. Still, having a goalie they can trust should settle the nerves of Wild fans, and put them once again in the playoff mix.

With no changes to the Wild’s Top 6 forwards, it’s easy to expect more of the same from the Minnesota offense this coming year. Last season they averaged a respectable 2.77 Goals/Game, sandwiched right between Anaheim and Columbus. Parise in particular, will be looked at to lead the way as he was the only Wild player over 25 goals last season.

Perhaps the most exciting contributions to Minnesota’s offense, however, will be names only recently creeping into the collective hockey fan lexicon. Nino Niederreiter, 22, and Jason Zucker, 23, both passed the 20 goal mark last season. Mikael Granlund, 23, and Charlie Coyle, 23, put up 39 and 35 points respectively. Granlund is again expected to play on the top line centering Parise and Pominville, and would’ve easily cracked 40 points last year if not for injury. Look for him to really own his 1C role this coming season. Coyle could also find his role increasing, as the Wild just signed him to a 5 year $3.2mil/year extension, a much larger contract than you’d expect for a 3^rd liner.

Defensively, the Wild were one of the most stifling teams to play against last year, led of course by Ryan Suter, one of the best paid Dmen in the business. He posted a 54% Corsi For % (a shot based measure of possession), second highest of any Wild defenseman. The highest? That honor goes to the 20 year old Matt Dumba. Dumba, slated to be a 3^rd pairing defender, not only put up the best overall possession numbers, but also had the best Points per 60 minutes (P60) of any Dman over 40 games with the Wild. Expect to see him to get more time on the power play, where he was extremely effective, putting up 4.24 P60 compared to Suter’s 2.34.

Another exciting addition to the Wild’s cadre of young defensemen is Mike Reilly, the much sought after college free agent who signed with the team this summer. Reilly, who was originally drafted by the Columbus Blue Jackets, put up 42 points in 39 games with the University of Minnesota last season, winning the B1G Defensive Player of the Year and was named a Hobey Baker Award finalist. He capped off an amazing year by representing the USA at the World Championship in Prague this May where he helped the team win bronze. Mike Yeo has been good at patiently developing his defensemen, so don’t expect Reilly to get big minutes right away, but his talent will find a way to shine, regardless of his role.

Trending Up:

Marco Scandella: Probably the most emblematic of the success of the Wild’s defensive core, this 25 year old was just signed to a 5 year, $20mil extension. Last season, he managed to put up 23 points while having the second most “defensive” usage at even strength, and spending more time on the PK than any other Wild Dman. He and D-partner Jared Spurgeon will be back again this season to shut down the high powered offenses of their Central Division rivals, and will be looking to improve on one of the league’s best goals against records.

Trending Down:

Darcy Kuemper: Once expected to take the reins from aging goalie Niklas Backstrom, Kuemper’s performance in 14/15 was two steps back for the goaltender. In 28 starts, he managed to put up only 14 wins (2 losses in OT), with a tepid Save % of 0.905. Once Dubnyk joined the Wild, Kuemper was only given 2 starts, both in April after the Wild had clinched their playoff spot. While Kuemper is the clear backup going into this season, he has a lot to prove to earn back Yeo’s trust. Plus, this upcoming season will be his last chance to earn a raise, as he’ll be negotiating as an RFA next summer.

Trade Deadline Outlook:

Standing pat in the offseason has again made the Wild a playoff contender, barring a complete 180 by goaltender Devan Dubnyk. As heroic as his efforts were last season, look for the Wild to be weighing their options for backups, as goaltending is still the only area where the Wild lack depth. If they want to make a strong playoff run, they can’t play Dubnyk for 37 games straight in the regular season, and then expect him not to collapse in exhaustion in the second round.

Projected 2015-16 Range: Playoff Chances: Bubble

Written by Carolyn Wilke, who can be found on twitter @Classlicity

Wild: Outlook | Lines and Roster | Top Prospects | Draft History | Stats | Schedule

Potential line combinations, defensive pairings, and goalies.

Zach Parise – Mikael Granlund – Jason Pominville
Thomas Vanek – Mikko Koivu – Nino Niederreiter
Jason Zucker – Charlie Coyle – Justin Fontaine
Ryan Carter – Erik Haula – Jordan Schroeder
Tyler Graovac – Zac Dalpe

Ryan Suter – Jonas Brodin
Marco Scandella – Jared Spurgeon
Mike Reilly – Mathew Dumba
Christian Folin

Devan Dubnyk
Darcy Kuemper

Wild: Outlook | Lines and Roster | Top Prospects | Draft History | Stats | Schedule

Some top Minnesota Wild prospect lists heading into the season.

* Different sites have different guidelines for who is a ‘prospect.’

1. Mike Reilly: Defence – 6′ 2″ / 196 lbs – Like Justin Schultz before him, Reilly completed his college career and remained unsigned by the team that drafted him. After three years he became a free agent and elected to sign in the state where he played college hockey. It is also likely not a coincidence that he signed in Minnesota, a team where his father is a minority share owner. Regardless of the reason, Columbus’ loss is Minnesota’s gain as they added NCAA defence scoring leader in the 22 year old. In his final year, Reilly racked up 42 points, was a top ten finalist for the Hobey Baker Award, and earned a roster spot on team USA at the World Championship. He is NHL ready and could step right into a top four role straight out of training camp.

2. Alex Tuch: Right Wing – 6’4” / 213 lbs Tuch played last season in the NCAA with Boston College and had an impressive 28 points in 37 games, leading the team in scoring as a freshman. He also had a roster spot on team USA at the WJC, scoring a goal and an assist in five games. Players in college tend to play for several years, but as Tuch is a big, physically mature player already and has good hands and is a powerful skater – he may only play one more year before making the jump to pro.

3. Joel Eriksson Ek: Centre – 6’2” / 180 lbs – Eriksson Ek had a great draft year; he started with Farjestad in the Swedish Junior league and scored 21 goals in only 25 games. This performance earned him a call up the senior league, where very few draft eligible players are able to play. He has also been a regular to represent Sweden in international tournaments, including a five goal and six point performance in the WJC. Eriksson Ek has NHL size at 18 and may continue to fill out his tall frame. He already is renowned for his defensive responsibilities and two-way play and has shown an offensive touch. All this projects to a promising NHL career and eventual successor to franchise centre Mikko Koivu. He still needs some seasoning and perhaps some time adjusting to North America, but he is already signed by the Wild and could be ready in a year or two.

4. Gustav Olofsson: Defence – 6’4” / 191 lbs – A shoulder injury that required surgery claimed all but one game of his season in Iowa (AHL). He was recalled be the Wild after he was healthy for the post season, but never got off the black aces. He would have seen NHL time if it were not for the injury and after missing an entire season, he may need some time in the AHL to get his timing and game back.

5. Tyler Graovac: Centre – 6’5” / 200 lbs – Graovac continues to improve and is shaping up to be a tremendous draft steal from the seventh round for the Wild. Graovac had a breakout season in his final year of junior playing for the Ottawa 67’s and Belleville Bulls. His rookie pro season showed promise as well as he scored 25 points, but was a minus -23. Last year he improved both stats posting 21 goals and 46 points to lead the team in scoring while posting a minus -8. Graovac made his NHL debut as well, playing in three games averaging 9:13 minutes of ice time in a limited role. He is close.

Expanded Top 10 Minnesota Wild prospects with videos and stats can be read here.

Wild: Outlook | Lines and Roster | Top Prospects | Draft History | Stats | Schedule

A look at the Minnesota Wild drafting from 2010 to 2015.

Wild: Outlook | Lines and Roster | Top Prospects | Draft History | Stats | Schedule

Minnesota Wild 2014-15 player stats.

Wild: Outlook | Lines and Roster | Top Prospects | Draft History | Stats | Schedule

A look at the Minnesota Wild 2015-16 schedule.

Wild: Outlook | Lines and Roster | Top Prospects | Draft History | Stats | Schedule