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+

Up Next: The Coaches and Front Office