Minnesota Wild
Key Losses- Tomas Vanek
Key Additions- Mark Stahl
Analysis: The Minnesota Wild rode Mike Yeo’s stale, “dead puck,” trap as far as it could go, beating up on teams that couldn’t carry the puck into the offensive zone (ehhhemm…looking at you Colorado Avalanche), and sneaking into the playoffs as a Wild Card for the last 4 years. But simply making the playoffs wasn’t enough for the folks in the “State Of Hockey,” and some of the players in the Wild began to tune out Yeo’s grinding, abrasive style. While temper tantrums and rants have worked in the past, Yeo went to that well too many times.
After firing Yeo midseason, the Wild went on a tare under interim head coach, John Torcetti. Torcetti got back to basics with the Wild, preaching a defense-first style that also turned loose some of the Wild’s sparse but able offensive talent. Enter Bruce Boudreau, fresh of another division title with the Anaheim Ducks AND another Game 7 loss. The Wild certainly have some talent on their roster. The problem is that aging vets like Ryan Suter and Zack Parise (who single handedly beat the Avs in game 1 last year) have shown some wear on their tires. Injuries sidelined both last year and questions about their durability have surfaced. Former Hurricane captain Mark Stahl suddenly fell off the map in New York last year. I don’t think that going to an offensively challenged team like the Wild will help that. I think that the Wild spot Boudreau a “rebuilding” year as the Wild offensive problems continue and they finish near the bottom of the division.
Season Series: 11/5-H, 11/19-A, 12/20-A, 4/2-A, 4/6-H
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