**Rating system for “Plus/Minus” Series**
+3 = Major Upgrade
+2 = Upgrade
+1 = Slight Upgrade
0 = Same as prior year
-1 = Slight Dowgrade
-2 = Downgrade
-3 = Major Downgrade
Team: Minnesota Wild
2010-11: 86 points, #12 in Western Conference
GOALIES
Returning: Niklas Backstrom
Arrivals: Josh Harding
Departures: Jose Theodore
Grade: -1
Jose Theodore played 32 games for the Wild, and posted almost the same GAA and SV% as Backstrom. He also had a better record. Its hard to imagine Harding will be as good as Theodore, hence the -1 rating.
DEFENSE
Returning: Nick Schultz, Marek Zidlicky, Greg Zanon, Clayton Stoner, Jared Spurgeon
Arrivals: Mike Lundin, Marco Scandella
Departures: Brent Burns, Cam Barker
Grade: -3
While the addition of top prospect Marco Scandella is a positive, losing Brent Burns is going to leave a major hole on Minnesota’s blueline. This is a guy who scored 17 goals (8 on the PP) and played over 25 mins per game.
FORWARDS
Returning: Mikko Koivu, Pierre-Marc Bouchard, Cal Clutterbuck, Matt Cullen, Kyle Brodziak, Eric Nystrom, Brad Staubitz
Arrivals: Dany Heatley, Devin Setoguchi, Guillaume Latenderesse (return from injury), Darrol Powe, Colton Gillies
Departures: Martin Havlat, Andrew Brunette, John Madden, Antti Miettinen, Chuck Kobasew
Grade: +3
If you break it down player-for-player; Heatley is better than Havlat in terms of goal scoring, Latendresse brings more than Andrew Brunette, and Setoguchi is a major upgrade over Miettinen, who couldn’t even get a job with an NHL team. Powe and Gillies are simply younger versions of Madden and Kobasew for the bottom 6.
OVERALL RATING: -1
2011-12 Prediction: #12-#14 in Western Conference
In a tough Western Conference, I just don’t see their defense and goaltending being good enough to be a playoff team. They are in a rebuilding phase, so some patience will be required.
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Written by Corey Krakower
I am the Director of NHL Content & Habs writer for ProSportsBlogging.com; I have spent 8 seasons behind the bench as a minor hockey coach; and I am the future GM of the Montreal Canadiens (according to my mom). I spend my days managing the Harrow Sports brand in my hometown of Montreal and I moonlight as a Hockey Advisor for Pi Athlete Management. Most importantly, I'll throw anyone under the bus for a laugh.
jeff Jul 30 201111:43 pm
Really? 12-14 in the West? With Heatley and Setoguchi I think the Wild will be a offensive force to be dealt with. Theodore was inconsistent and I think Backstrome will rebound for a subpar performance last year. The defense core is still solid (even though Burns and Barker will be missed) with Schultz, Zidlicky, Stoner, and Zanon. Lest we forget that Prosser had an excellent year last year in Houston and stands a good chance at making the big club this year.
Let’s look at the other teams that won’t likely be in the playoff hunt this year (in my opinion because I don’t think they have improved their team): Kings, Avs, Oilers, Blue Jackets, Ducks, Blues, Preds, or Coyotes. Yes, I know some of these made the playoffs last year, but as tight as the race was (4th through 10th place was decided by 4 pts) and these teams not really making roster improvements they are going to fall behind.
The Wild won’t with the Presidents Trophy or the Western Conference. They probably won’t win the Northwest either (due to Vancouver’s returning core). But I certainly think they are a playoff caliber team, even if it is the lower half of playoff qualifiers (Think a 5th to 7th place finish in the West is certainly possible).