Minnesota Wild 2009 Season Preview, Picks & Odds

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Minnesota Wild 2008-’09 record:
40-33-9, 89 points (3rd in Northwest, 9th in West)

Minnesota Wild 2008-’09 playoffs:
Did not qualify

Last season was an agonizing affair for the Wild. Minnesota finished with a 40-33-9 record, a mere two points out of playoff position despite significant time lost to injury for Gaborik and powerplay catalyst Brett Burns! However, there were a lot of bright spots. Goaltender Nicklas Backstrom had a great season and established himself as one of the league’s elite at his position and earned recognition as a finalist for the Vezina Trophy. The Wild saw a number of young stars establish themselves as scoring threats and Owen Nolan had a major comeback season to lead the team in goals despite missing 20 games. In short, the Wild were very close to a playoff berth.

Minnesota Wild 2009 Preview

Minnesota Wild General manager: Chuck Fletcher (1st NHL year, 1st team)

Minnesota Wild Coach: Todd Richards (1st NHL year, 1st team)

Minnesota Wild Captain: lternating captains

Minnesota Wild Top Returning Scorer: C Mikko Koivu (20 goals, 47 assists, 67 points)

Minnesota Wild Top Returning Goalie: Niklas Backstrom (37-24-8, 2.33, .923)

Minnesota Wild Key Additions: RW Martin Havlat; C Kyle Brodziak; D Shane Hnidy; D Greg Zanon; D Jaime Sifers; G Wade Dubliewicz; C Nathan Smith; D Ryan Lannon; RW Petr Sykora.

Minnesota Wild Key Subtractions: RW Marian Gaborik; LW Stephane Veilleux; D Kurtis Foster; C Krys Kolanos; C Dan Fritsche; D Martin Skoula; D Marc-Andre Bergeron.

Minnesota Wild Top Line: LW Andrew Brunette; C Mikko Koivu; RW Martin Havlat

Minnesota Wild Top Defensive Pairing: Kim Johnsson, Brent Burns

For starters, this is going to be significantly more fun Wild group to watch. Under former coach Jaques Lemaire, the Wild routinely trapped and bored their opponents into submission. This worked well at times, as only Boston allowed fewer goals last season, but the Wild often didn’t score enough to win and frustrated players and fans alike with their passive play.

This season should produce a much more up-tempo group of forwards. Putting Havlat on the wing with talented center Mikko Koivu (67 points last year) and Andrew Brunette (22 goals, 50 points) gives the Wild a bonafide #1 line, assuming Havlat can stay healthy. Remember, his 77 points in 81 games last year was the first time in half of a decade that Havlat managed to play in more than 70 games. If he stays healthy, both he and Koivu could approach the 100 point mark.

Behind the new first line is a bevy of solid contributors as well, led by Nolan and young stars Pierre-Marc Bouchard and Antti Miettinen. Also keep an eye on Cal Cutterbuck, whose extremely physical style could result in a bevy of goals during his 2 nd year in the NHL. There is a lot of depth on hand and the Wild should find scoring from a lot of sources.

Another asset to the scoring is the presence of a highly mobile set of defensemen. Brett Burns, Kim Johnsson and Marek Zidlicky are extremely talented at hitting big breakout passes and should contribute heavily in both ends. Furthermore, the acquisition of Zanon and Hnidy gives Minnesota a solid group of defensemen in front of Backstrom. Expect another strong season in their own end.

2009 Minnesota Wild Goaltending:

Workhorse Finn Backstrom signed four-year, $24 million contract extension in March after season in which he was a Vezina Trophy finalist. Absent of panic, makes the sensational save appear simple. Beginning to play more aggressively and challenge shooters instead of sitting back in blue paint.

2009 Minnesota Wild Player To Watch:

D John Scott. Concussion suffered in preseason by tough-guy Derek Boogaard opened opportunity for 6-foot-8, 258-pound rookie to crack lineup. Collected one assist with 21 penalty minutes in 20-game trial with Wild last season. Can also play on the forward line and offers a physical presence.

2009 Minnesota Wild Offense:

Richards comes over after a stint as an assistant with San Jose, which posted the NHL’s best record last season. Richards was in charge of a power-play unit that was third in the league with a scoring rate of 24.2 percent.

Minnesota Wild 2009 Season Predictions

Take away longtime coach Jacques Lemaire and Gaborik from this mix and it’s a whole new world for the Wild, one which may take them some time to tame.

We predict that the Minnesota Wild will finish 4th in the NHL Northwest, 12th seed in West: 87 points.

Minnesota Wild Betting

Minnesota Wild Stanley Cup Odds: +4000
Minnesota Wild Western Conference Odds: +2000
Minnesota Wild Northwest Odds: +700

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