The Minnesota Wild Season in Review Part 5 of 5: Looking Ahead

Well, it’s taken a lot longer than I’d expected, but here we are—part five of my five part season in review.

I’ve looked at the season on a whole, the forwards, the defense, the goaltenders, the management and now it’s time to take a look ahead to what this off season could bring.

The Wild have a long shopping list for this off season and not a whole lot of money to shop with. They currently have 17 players under contract and have restricted free agents Guillaume Latendresse and Josh Harding yet to sign.

Their shopping list will likely include another defenseman and at least one more forward, but likely two, just to be safe.

So, let’s look at what the team needs, shall we?

The first need that the team will try to address, for sure, will be another stay-at-home, shutdown defenseman. With six defensemen under contract and approximately $16.6 million allotted to these defensemen it’s hard to believe that the Wild will go out and spend on a top-flight free agent blueliner.

What I can see, however, is the Wild spending anywhere between one and two million on a defenseman that is reliable, but not flashy—someone that they can pair with their more aggressive, offensive defensemen.

The problem is that there aren’t too many players available with that description for that price tag.

Possible Targets: Milan Jurcina, Brett Lebda, Kurtis Foster

Another need that the team desperately needs is a second line center.

The Wild do already have someone within their organization that they are hoping will fit this bill in Pierre-Marc Bouchard.

The big question about Butch, however, is his health. While he has been cleared to begin light exercising, Bouchard is still experiencing many post-concussion symptoms.

With that being the case, I would expect the Wild to pursue a center looking to spend between two and four million on him.

With the impending departure of Mike Modano from Dallas, there are a few that are hoping for a nostalgic end to the former North Star’s career. In my opinion, that would be a huge mistake for the Wild.

While Modano would be a significant upgrade from James Sheppard, the fact remains that he’s 41 years old and his production has decreased significantly over the past few seasons.

What they do need, however, is a gritty, skilled center to play on their second line between Latendresse and Martin Havlat.

Possible Targets: Matthew Lombardi, Mike Comrie, Brendan Morrison, Chris Higgins

Another player that the Wild will likely look towards is a gritty forward to replace the likes of Andrew Ebbett, Owen Nolan and Derek Boogaard, all of whom will likely leave in free agency.

This is one thing that there are a lot of in this year’s free agent market.

They won’t have to pay a lot for these players, but these players are going to be invaluable to the Wild in the future and General Manager Chuck Fletcher knows this.

With the trade for Brad Staubitz, Fletcher has gotten some of this toughness but judging from how both the Ducks and the Penguins were built, and make no mistake that those teams had his finger prints all over them, he’s not done with this.

Possible Targets: Adam Burish, Raffi Torres, Colby Armstrong, Evgeny Artyukhin

Finally, I’d look for the Wild to take a shot at trying to acquire another top-six forward; probably a winger.

It won’t be any flashy signing like Ilya Kovalchuk, unless Fletcher can work some serious cap magic, but there is a definite need for a player that can score consistently to play alongside Andrew Brunette and Mikko Koivu on the team’s first line.

Again, I would expect the team to go after someone in the two to four million dollar range for this, as it’s going to need to make sense both economically as well as for the team on a whole.

Possible Targets: Marek Svatos, Alexander Frolov, Slava Kozlov, Alexei Ponikarovsky

Whatever the Wild does, there is going to be a sense of excitement surrounding the team come July 1.

It’s Christmas in July for NHL fans and fans in Minnesota are hoping that the Wild come out on top.

Wild Draft Recap; Part Five of Season Review Soon to Come

It’s officially three days before the free agency period starts. The draft is over, the die has been cast on the players that the Minnesota Wild selected and it’s now a waiting game to see how they progress.

But what do they look like initially?

Let’s take a look, shall we?

Round 1, Pick 9 – Mikael Granlund, C, HIFK Finland – I already mentioned what I think about this pick, but let’s just say this—it’s a tremendous pick for a team that is rebuilding, but not rebuilding.

Granlund is a smooth skating, fast player with incredible vision who also plays a lot bigger than his 5’10”, 180-pound frame.

He gets to the puck, he gets to the net and he gets points.

The bottom line is that this kid is going to help the Wild in a big, big way, possibly as soon as next season.

Round 2, Pick 39 – Brett Bulmer, RW, Kelowna Rockets – The Wild went a little off the board with this pick. Bulmer was one of the fastest rising players in terms of his CSS Rankings, skyrocketing himself up to number 65 in the Final Rankings from number 164 in the Midterm Rankings.

He’s a project, to be sure, but he also exhibited a lot of promise in the second half of his season this year.

He proved to be a very quick learner this season in the WHL and plays a pro-style game, even if he is still lacking a bit in the development area. As Kelowna coach Ryan Huska told NHL.com, “He doesn’t say a lot. When we talk to him, it’s yes or no, and then he applies what we tell him.”

While much has yet to be discovered about Bulmer, one thing is for sure. For a project pick, that sort of mentality bodes very, very well.

Round 2, Pick 56 – Johan Larsson, LW, Brynas Jr. – Larson was considered the best player in the world at the Under-18 World Championships this year, leading Sweden to a silver medal.

He has great hockey sense and had a decent season with Brynas this last year.

He scored 34 points in 40 games and he plays with a bit of an edge, tallying 80 penalty minutes in that time. Larsson was ranked 34 in European Skaters by the CSS and has plenty of upside that the Wild can look forward to.

Round 2, Pick 59 – Jason Zucker, LW, US U-18 NTDP – Zucker could easily be considered to be the player that the Wild drafted in the second round with the most upside to him. In fact, the Wild coveted Zucker so much that they traded their third and fourth round picks to the Florida Panthers just so they could select the young winger from Las Vegas.

Zucker has become known as a big game player and has the potential to become a big time goal scorer. He, along with goaltender Jack Campbell, is also one of two players to have won three gold medals in the last year.

In other words, this kid knows how to win.

In addition to his winning experience, Zucker also led the U.S. Developmental Team in goal scoring, with 29 goals.

He’s fast, he’s gritty, he’s competitive and he’s got himself a nasty streak that could translate well to the NHL.

Round 6, Pick 159 – Johan Gustafsson, G, Farjstad Jr. – Many people thought it surprising that Johan Gustafsson fell as far as he did. Former Wild assistant General Manager Tommy Thompson actually had the young Swede rated 44th overall in his rankings.

Gustafsson was a large reason why the Swedish Under 18 team made it to the finals in the U-18 World championships and he is a big, athletic goalie and, more importantly a young player with a great attitude.

It will likely be a few years before Gustafsson is ready to sniff the bigs, but he gives the Wild a fantastic goalie prospect in their organization.

Round 7, Pick 189 – Dylen McKinlay, RW, Chilliwack Bruins – With their last pick of the draft the Wild selected McKinlay, a winger who had a solid second season with the Chilliwack Bruins, totaling 20 goals and 42 points in 72 games with the Bruins.

Overall the Wild had a fantastic draft, in my opinion.

They recognized the need for forwards in their system and used the first two rounds to pick up four forwards that could legitimately make a huge impact on the team down the road.

Fletcher utilized the assets that he had, not to make a splash but to make trades and picks that will have a lasting effect on this franchise. Though I would have liked to see the Wild land a number two center that could help the team immediately, as I’m sure many Wild fans would agree, the trades and draft picks were both extremely shrewd and addressed immediate needs in the organization.

While this draft may not make an immediate impact on the squad, I firmly believe that Wild pundits and fans alike will look back at this draft five or six years down the road and point to this as the start of an organization that is filled with skill and character players from top to bottom.

Overall Grade: A

Wild Grab Granlund; Struggle to Make Trades

Well, the Wild went into the first round of the draft with one simple mandate; take the best player available.

With both Cam Fowler and Brandon Gormley still available when the Wild came up to pick at their number nine pick, there was a lot of discussion at the draft table.

Now, I wasn’t sitting anywhere near the draft table, but I imagine that the conversation had something to do with whether to take the “best player available” or whether to draft to the team’s needs.

Fortunately, the Wild’s front office blinked and a less than enthusiastic Chuck Fletcher announced that the Minnesota Wild selected forward Mikael Granlund from HIFK Helsinki.

Granlund, a 5’10”, 180 pound center averaged nearly a point-per-game in his rookie season for HIFK, playing as a 17-year old in a league of men.

He is an exceptional playmaker and a player with terrific hockey sense—a player that should thrive under Richards’ up tempo, aggressive system. In fact, Granlund has been called the most imaginative playmaker in the draft.

Needless to say, I like this pick.

The Wild has a lot of depth in their system at defense. Between young up-and-comers in Tyler Cuma and Marco Scandella, more established AHL players in Justin Falk and Maxim Noreau and players who have sniffed the roster in Nate Prosser and Clayton Stoner.

What they don’t have a lot of are forwards.

Cody Almond and Casey Wellman are the only two players that are even close to being ready to compete in the NHL and the Wild need depth at forward—more notably at center.

With Granlund, the Wild have found a player that could actually be NHL-ready this season were it not for his existing contact with HIFK—a player that they hope will turn into another Mikko Koivu-type find from Finland.

Time will tell whether or not Granlund is that player but, for now, Wild fans can take solace in the fact that the team got a player that is very, very highly thought of.

On the other hand, things didn’t all come up roses for the Wild.

The team got their guy, to be sure, but Fletcher seemed much less than excited to take Granlund at the number nine spot.

It was quite obvious that Fletcher was listening to offers to move down and take their man later and try to get a couple more picks out of the deal, but it didn’t work out.

After that didn’t work out, Fletcher considered moving back into the first round in a round that saw teams moving up, down and all around with different picks.

So, what does this point to?

Well, first of all, that the Wild have absolutely zero assets that they’re willing to part with that are worth a first round pick.  Second, that even the ones that they have that have value don’t have the value that they once did.

So, where does that leave the Wild?

Well, this isn’t going to be a situation where they get better by leaps and bounds.

It’s going to be baby steps.

They’re going to improve through shrewd drafting and shrewd signings and, every once in a while, a shrewd trade. Until the stock of their players begins to go up again, however, it’s just going to be a matter playing the waiting game.

NHL Entry Draft Live Blogging Fun!

The NHL Draft is upon us and it’s looking like it’s going to be one exciting day of hockey fun.

The trades, draft picks and everything in between will be talked about.

Join myself, Hockey Primetime correspondent Michael Caples, Houston Aeros blogger and goalie extraordinaire Ms. Conduct.  Who knows, we might even have a few surprise guests up our sleeves!

Enjoy!

The Minnesota Wild Season in Review Part 4 of 5: The Management

Well, we’re just about there. The NHL Draft.

On Friday, the front offices from all 30 NHL teams will be together in one place for two straight days, drafting and wheeling and dealing.

They’ll be looking for the best fits for their organizations and, suffice it to say, this is as good a time as any for us to talk about the coaching and front office of the Wild this season.

Granted, this season wasn’t the easiest for either the management or the fans. The management (namely Todd Richards and Chuck Fletcher) had to deal with players that weren’t necessarily the right fit for their system while the fans had to suffer through a team that wasn’t necessarily playing at the top of their game because of this.

That being said, I have some strong opinions about this, so let’s get started.

Head Coach
If you’ve read anything I’ve written over this past season, you know that I was very underwhelmed with the first NHL season of Todd Richards.

Richards came to the Wild with a winning pedigree and a reputation of being a “winner.” He hadn’t missed the playoffs in his career and he was sold to fans as a coach that would make the team competitive right away.

What ended up happening, though, is that Richards just couldn’t get through to the team.

While it was expected that Richards would push the team hard during training camp and that pushing would allow the team to pick up his new, up-tempo system quicker, it was very apparent that the team was not comfortable with this system, even heading into the Olympic break.

Now, whether this is an indictment of Richards’ ability to get through to the team or just a matter of the conditioning of Jacques Lemaire not wearing off as quickly as they had hoped is a matter that is up for debate. My personal opinion, however, is that it was the former.

Richards often looked lost on the bench, especially early on in the season. He didn’t look like a man who had control of his players early on—he looked like a man who was searching for answers and finding none.

Maybe it’s because I was used to the demeanor of Lemaire, who typically wore his emotions on his sleeve, behind the bench but Richards’ cool and calm demeanor oftentimes came off as aloofness and confusion rather than someone who knew what to expect from his team.

To Richards’ credit, the team suffered through a rash of injuries this season that was fairly spectacular (to the tune of 300+ man games lost to injury) and he had to work with what he had, but I never got the feeling that he was quite in control of the team the way that a coach should be.

That being said, as the season progressed, Richards seemed to control the bench much better and get much more comfortable both being vocal with his players on the bench as well as with the referees.

As the team progressed and got more comfortable with Richards and his system, Richards got more comfortable behind the bench and it showed.

The biggest moment that, in my opinion, defined the beginning of his season was the Petr Sykora debacle.

Sykora came to Minnesota on the hopes that he would provide both goal scoring and a player to mix with newly acquired Martin Havlat but, for whatever reason, Sykora never really got that chance.

Now, to be fair to Richards, I don’t know the behind the scenes goings on of the team. Sykora could have been dragging down the locker room with his attitude or he could have not been putting forth the effort—I just don’t know. But, from my view point, Sykora was never given an ample chance to succeed with the Wild and it ended up costing the team a player that could have been a valuable goal scorer.

In all, Richards season was a fair representation of the Wild’s—a maddeningly inconsistent one. He improved as the season went on, which gives me hope for his future with the team, but he certainly needed to be better this season for the Wild to both understand and execute his system to the fullest.

Grade: C+

General Manager
The opposite of Richards, if you’ve read anything I’ve written this season you’ll know my opinion of Fletcher.

In short, he did a marvelous job with not a whole lot of assets to work with.

It started at the 2009 Entry Draft, where he wheeled and dealed, picking up more picks and also center Kyle Brodziak, who would turn into one of the team’s most reliable checkers and players this season.

Fletcher has been derided by many Wild fans for some of his moves (trading down to pick Nick Leddy, giving up too much for Chuck Kobasew) and, to their credit, the moves are moves that could easily be classified as questionable. Overall, however, Fletcher did a fantastic job.

While I won’t look at all of his moves this season, let’s look at a few.

Alexander Fallstrom, Craig Weller and a 2nd Round Choice in the 2011 NHL Draft for Chuck Kobasew

This is one of the more questionable trades that Fletcher made this season and the biggest thing that stands out in this one was the inclusion of either the 2nd round pick or Fallstrom.

Many thought that the inclusion of one or the other would have been enough, but the Wild were not dealing from a position of strength and were desperate to find another NHL-level player.

It remains to be seen what Fallstrom will develop into, or who the draft pick will turn into, but for what the team needed at that point in time it was a calculated risk, though not one I necessarily agree with.

Benoit Pouliot for Guillaume Latendresse

This trade could easily be one of the best trades of the season for both squads.

Both Pouliot and Latendresse were supremely talented players that desperately needed a change of scenery. Both were being knocked for having the same downfalls and both went to their new teams for a fresh start.

While I won’t speak of what Pouliot brought to Montreal, I will say that Latendresse flourished under his fresh start to the tune of 25 goals in 55 games.

While Latendresse’s season with Minnesota was far from perfect, he turned into an instant fan favorite and became the hard-hitting power forward that Minnesota had always lacked.

In other words, this trade was a tremendous coup for Fletcher and the Wild.

Kim Johnsson and Nick Leddy for Cam Barker

This trade is one that many people were concerned about, especially given that Leddy was just selected in this past draft in the first round.

Many thought that the trade of Leddy stunk of hypocrisy because of the high value that Fletcher placed both on draft picks as well as developing from within their own system, but the reality of the situation is that you have to give in order to get.

While the Blackhawks were able to shed Barker’s salary by taking on the expiring contract of Johnsson, they weren’t willing to just give Barker up for just that.

The reality of this, however, is the same as with the Kobasew trade. Fletcher gave up a valuable asset, Leddy, who is at least two or three years away from being a potential contributor on the team for one who is ready now.

On top of that, Barker’s youth is something that will be extremely useful for the Wild. At 23, he still has his best years ahead of him. He’s big, he’s physical and he has offensive tools and, while he isn’t the best skater, that can be taught.

The bottom line is that Fletcher gave up a player who is still three years away from being an NHL player for one who can help the team immediately.

The bottom line for Fletcher here is that his first season as a General Manager was a bit of a mixed bag.

He made some good trades and signings and he made some that might not have panned out as he would have liked.

In the end, however, his season was one that should give Wild fans a lot of hope. Unlike his predecessor, he is not content to sit around and maintain the status quo. He is going to do whatever he has to do to try to improve the team and that in and of itself is a welcome change for those used to the mindset of Doug Risebrough.

Grade: A-

Up Next: A look to the future

One RFA Down; Wild Sign Sheppard

In a move that was anticipated, but dreaded by many Wild fans, the Minnesota Wild have re-signed center James Sheppard to a one year contract worth $803,250 according to Mike Russo of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.

I’ll be honest. I see the rationale behind this, but I’m still not happy about it.

General Manager Chuck Fletcher told Russo that Sheppard’s spot on the roster will not be assured and that he will be given every opportunity to prove himself in training camp. Now, I know that I’ve been drinking Fletcher’s Kool Aid ever since he was hired, but I’m also willing to look past the Fletcher-tinted glasses and call a spade a spade.

Do I want Sheppard to succeed?

Absolutely. His emergence would only be a good thing for the Wild.

When Pierre-Marc Bouchard went down with an injury last season, he was expected to step up into the second line center role.

But, he didn’t.

Then, when Kyle Brodziak and Andrew Ebbett began to find chemistry with the team’s second line, Sheppard was expected to step up into a solid checking line center role.

But, he didn’t.

And finally, when Eric Belanger was traded to the Washington Capitals, he was expected to take advantage of the extra ice time he would be getting and start to emerge.

You guessed it. He didn’t.

Now, with the team short on centers, this could potentially be a low-risk, high-reward type deal.

Sheppard is going to be given the opportunity to succeed. He’s going to be given looks at camp and, for the first time in his career, his spot on the roster isn’t necessarily guaranteed.

That is what Fletcher is hoping lights a fire under the young player.

But, what Fletcher told Russo is a first for someone speaking of Sheppard in a Wild sweater:

“If somebody can come in and beat him in camp, then maybe that forces our hand if we’re offered a terrific opportunity to get a different asset and he’s the price we have to pay, we’ll look at it. We’re not saying we’re giving him anything other than for us not to qualify him would be a poor decision from a hockey management standpoint. I mean, why wouldn’t you protect that asset, why wouldn’t you give him every chance to become a hockey player? It’s up to him. If somebody can knock him out in camp, great, the more competition the better. And maybe he comes in and is the player that people hoped he would be. Why wouldn’t we give him that opportunity to compete? Maybe he’s inspired by that and takes a step. I think James is a good person, I think he honestly wants to be a hockey player and right now it’s about doing the rights things and committing himself to being that hockey player.”

What I like about this is that Fletcher is laying out the future for Sheppard.

You want a spot on the roster? You earn it.

You don’t earn a spot? Don’t expect to be around for long.

The bottom line is that he’s a 22-year old and he could very well be a “late bloomer,” so to speak.

He’s shown flashes here and there, but he’s never capitalized on them and, who knows—maybe this is what he needed to realize his potential.

The Minnesota Wild Season in Review Part Three of Five: Defensemen and Goaltenders

Wow. It feels like forever since I’ve written ANYTHING because, well, it has been.

But, one fried motherboard and one new computer later, and yours truly is back in business!

So, when I last left you, I was grading the Wild’s roster, so why don’t I just pick up where I left off?

We’re on to the defense.

Defense was certainly the team’s weak point this past season. Between injuries and poor play, the Wild’s defense and goaltending were vastly sub-par for the entire season.

With Jacques Lemaire leaving the squad, it was expected that the team defense might take a step back and, with it, the goaltending as well—but no one could have expected the disaster that it became.

So, without further ado…Here…We…Go…

Defensemen:

Marek Zidlicky – With the system change under Todd Richards, Zidlicky was expected to be right in his element and he definitely was.

Typically an offensive defenseman and powerplay specialist, Zidlicky cemented himself as one of the Wild’s more reliable defensemen during the season, which speaks loads towards the defensive struggles of the team, as Zidlicky’s strong season earned him a three-year contract extension with the team, but still left much to be desired.

Offensively, he was one of the few defensemen that was able to move the puck with ease—his 37 assists was good for second on the team. The only problem was that his decision making left much to be desired.

His breakout passes found opposing stick on numerous occasions and, while his defensive play improved, he was still not as impressive in the defensive zone as one would have liked.

Overall, Zidlicky’s offensive prowess is something that the Wild need on their blueline, and paired with a defensive defenseman he can be a productive player, but this last season more was needed from him, and he didn’t quite deliver.

Grade: B

Brent Burns – Burnsie, the Wild’s “franchise” defenseman, struggled mightily this season.

Early in the season, he was having difficulty both recovering from his injuries from the previous season and adjusting to balancing the Wild’s new aggressive system with strong defensive play.

His decision making was often shaky early in the season and, once he returned from injury it was apparent that the psychological affects of his concussion were still lingering.

Burns often lost his man in the defensive zone early on in the season—something that led to more than a couple goals against—and seemed weary about going into the corners after the puck.

Then, he started using the new Messier concussion helmet and suddenly, his confidence started coming back.

Over the last quarter of the season, Wild fans were treated to a Brent Burns that was more like what they had become accustomed to. He hit, he joined the rush, he created plays and he was very solid in his own end.

If that continues, Burns might just go back to joining Mikko Koivu in the ranks of players that Chuck Fletcher won’t consider trading.

Grade: C

Nick Schultz – Schultzie was Lemaire’s golden boy, plain and simple. A solid, shut down defenseman that could be paired with anyone and matched up against any line to shut them down completely.

Under Todd Richards, however, Schultz didn’t necessarily find him in the coach’s dog house, but he didn’t often have the trust of his new head coach—something that I find rather curious.

It was hoped that Schultz would begin stepping up into the play and producing offensively and, while he did that to the tune of a career season, he never quite grabbed Richards’ attention.

Despite a career best in time on ice, Schultz was rarely on the ice in extremely important situations.

The fact remains, however, that Schultz is one of the team’s top defensive defensemen. This season, as with all the rest, his positioning was impeccable and his vision on the ice was just as good.

His minus-eight rating was second among the Wild’s regular defensemen (which says a lot about how poorly the team defense was playing) and he even added a little more physicality to his play.

Grade: B

Greg Zanon – If there was ever the defenseman that the Wild needed, it was Greg Zanon.

Let’s be perfectly clear. With Zanon, you won’t get a 30-goal season. You probably won’t even get a 10-goal season. But what you will get, is a player who will compete every night and do everything he needs to in order to win.

A shot-blocking machine, Zanon led the team with 196 blocked shots this season and was second on the team in hits, with 183 (which pales in comparison to team leader Cal Clutterbuck’s 316).

Not only that, but Zanon was a leader on and of the ice. He played the last chunk of the season with a broken foot, even after the Wild were out of contention, and he battled through minor injuries in each and every game, rarely even missing a shift.

Zanon is the prototypical defensive defenseman. He gets in the way of the shots, he hits and he plays through every single bit of pain. He is, in Pierre Maguire’s words, a monster.

Grade: A

Kim Johnsson – Johnsson was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks just before the Olympic trade freeze and, in all honesty, the jury is still out on the trade.

Johnsson, despite all of his shortcomings, was possibly the Wild’s best defenseman this season. His vision on the ice made him invaluable both on the penalty kill and the powerplay and, after he was traded, it was glaringly obvious that his ability to move the puck out of the defensive zone, whether by skating or by passing, was a trait that the Wild needed desperately.

When he was brought in before the 06-07 season, he was expected to bring offense to the blueline, but he just never recaptured the magic that he had in Philly before his concussions.

Under Richards, however, Johnsson began to show more of an offensive spark, potting six goals in 52 games with the Wild.

When General Manager Chuck Fletcher had an opportunity to move an expiring contract for a younger player that fit the mold that he wanted, however, he jumped at the opportunity and Johnsson was sent to the Blackhawks for the stretch run.

Johnsson: B+

Shane Hnidy – Hnidy was one of the players that I was very excited about coming into this season. He’s a hard-nosed defenseman and a great teammate.

But Hnidy never seemed to be able to grab hold in the Wild’s lineup. Playing for his fourth team in five years, his skating ability was not anywhere near where it needed to be, leaving him out of position oftentimes and it seemed that he would often be more concerned with playing the body than playing the puck.

That said, Hnidy wasn’t all bad this season. With the injuries on the Wild’s blueline, he came in and played important minute’s on the team’s powerplay—exhibiting a heavy, heavy shot and giving the team’s top-four defenseman much necessary rests. He was one of the few players that was more than willing to stand up for his teammates regardless of the outcome and his toughness was a key component to the team.

Hnidy, however, did not seem entirely comfortable with the Wild this season and did not seem to be the best fit for the team.

Grade: D

Cam Barker – Barker, who came over from Chicago in the Johnsson trade, is a mixed bag.

On one hand, he is an extremely talented defenseman who has the potential and ability to play a strong two-way game. He has the offensive skills to quarterback the powerplay and the defensive skills to lay the body and to log minutes on the penalty kill.

But, Barker wasn’t always all good.

His skating and reaction time was very often subpar and he seemed to get turned around in the defensive zone more often than he should.

With only 19 games in a Wild sweater, the jury is still out on Barker, but he has a lot of work ahead of him if he wants to be a productive blueliner for the Wild.

Grade: C-

John Scott – Scott, or Derek Boogaard Lite, was a much needed physical presence for the Wild.

Like Boogaard, Scott was on the ice for one reason and one reason only—intimidation.

Despite not having been in that role before, Scott took to it like a fish to water and quickly became a second powerful heavyweight enforcer for the Wild.

While his play improved throughout the year, Scott’s skill level was not what the Wild needed on the blueline especially, with injuries to key players and with key players struggling.

Scott jumped back and forth between forward and defense, which likely didn’t help matters, but the Wild need more from their blueline than the hulking defenseman could bring.

Grade: D

Clayton Stoner – Stoner was one of a couple young defensemen that the Wild inserted into the lineup because of the injuries that was a very pleasant surprise.

Stoner, who was limited to eight games because of injury, provided a rugged, smooth skating and puck moving defenseman.

He showed a willingness to throw down, dropping the gloves a couple times and throwing big hits. His skating ability was fantastic and his vision on the ice was great as well.

He even exhibited the offensive awareness, earning limited time in important offensive situations and getting himself a couple of assists.

What was most impressive about Stoner, however, was his poise. Despite this being Stoner’s first NHL game, he is a multi-year pro in the AHL and it showed as he fit right into the Wild’s line up and fit right into the role that the team needed.

Grade: B

Nate Prosser – There isn’t much bad that I have to say about Prosser.

The young defenseman from Elk River, Minnesota was signed as a rookie free agent with the expectation that he would practice with the team, get a taste of NHL life, then be re-signed to a two-way deal this off season and play in the AHL next season.

Injuries, however, forced the Wild to insert Prosser into the line up and his three game audition may have very well made him the front runner for the Wild’s number six defenseman spot next season.

In his three games, Prosser averaged 19:37 worth of ice time—a staggering number when you consider that he had never played a pro game.

He proved that he could move the puck, that he could hit, play solid in his own zone—essentially that he could do anything and everything that the team needed.

Grade: A

Goaltending:

Niklas Backstrom – I don’t think there is a single player, pundit or coach that will deny that Backstrom had a disappointing season this season.

When it was learned that the Wild were going to play a more offensive season this year, we all knew that Backstrom wouldn’t be protected as well as he was under Lemaire—and he certainly wasn’t.

But Backstrom’s season this season was his worst since he was 23 years old, playing for AIK Solna in Sweden.

To be fair to Backstrom, he didn’t play a whole lot different than he has in years past. His positioning was still incredible, his athleticism actually seemed much improved, but he just didn’t make the big save like he had in the past.

Whether it was nagging injuries or whether it was mental, Backstrom would not and will not make excuses, but the fact of the matter remained that the Wild needed Backs to be their best player if they wanted any hope of success this season, and he wasn’t.

That being said, I don’t think that there are many that believe that he is not capable of being the goalie that he was for Lemaire’s Wild under Richards. Backstrom is a notoriously hard worker and hard preparer.

In the 07-08 season, Backstrom was horrible in the shootout. In the 08-09 season? He was one of the best in the league.

So, suffice it to say, Bacstrom will be well prepared coming into next season.

Grade: C

Josh Harding – A slow start to the season really torpedoed Josh Harding’s chances to move into a position where he could be either a starter for the Wild or considered a starting goaltender in the NHL.

That being said, Harding showed huge jumps in his development throughout the season.

His movement has always been great, but his control (both of his body and his rebound control) has been suspect. This season, however, Harding made huge steps in both especially in the latter stages of the season when Backstrom was out with injury.

His consistency still leaves a lot to be desired, but how much of that could be attributed to the lack of team defense in front of him?

Harding is a Restricted Free Agent this off season and it is likely that he will a) be resigned by the Wild and b) be shopped aggressively to teams in need of a goaltender.

Grade: C

Anton Khudobin – I realize that I glossed over Wade Dubielewicz, but I did so for a couple reasons. One, I didn’t want to have to type his name over and over and two, Khudobin is the true third goalie of this franchise.

Khudobin was thrust into action due to injuries this season and, just like the rest of the Wild’s youngsters, performed marvelously.

In 69 minutes, the young netminder stopped 47 or 48 shots and looked extremely comfortable in net. Despite his slight size, his play in net was marvelous and there was not much criticism that could be sent his way.

His movement was good, he had good angles, he had good puck control—in otherwords, he provided the Wild a good, less expensive option as a back up for Josh Harding.

The sample size is small, but he has definitely had a good start to his NHL career.

Grade: B+

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