First month of ’14-’15 season should prove whether adding Vanek was enough for the Wild
By Derek Felska
Ever watch the NBC show American Ninja Warrior? Its a show where it takes both male and female athletes from a wide variety backgrounds and pits them a series of excruciatingly difficult challenges like the ‘double salmon ladder’ and ‘the cliffhanger’ just to qualify for an even more difficult obstacle course called Mount Midoriyama. In the 6 seasons that the show has been on the aire, not a single American competitor has successfully passed through the first 3 preliminary stages. With a few days before the start of the NHL season I was looking ahead at the Wild’s 1st month and it reminded me of the difficult challenges that lay immediately before them.
Only 2 of the Wild’s 13 first month opponents failed to make the playoffs last season. The Wild face the elite of both the Western and Eastern Conferences right away. A good 1st month is often a strong indicator of whether a team will make the playoffs or not and with such a brutal schedule ahead of them if Minnesota can find itself in good shape then I think you can safely say its past its ‘1st stage’ of sorts. Check it out for yourself.
Oct. 9 – vs. Colorado
Oct. 11th – @ Colorado
Oct. 17th – @ Anaheim
Oct. 19th – @ Los Angeles
Oct. 23rd – vs. Arizona
Oct. 25th – vs. Tampa Bay
Oct. 27th – @ NY Rangers
Oct. 28th – @ Boston
Oct. 30th – vs. San Jose
Nov. 1st – vs. Dallas
Nov. 4th – vs. Pittsburgh
Nov. 6th – @ Ottawa
Nov. 8th – @ Montreal
First month of 14-15 season should tell us whether adding Vanek really mattered or not this offseason. Jul 5, 2014; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Recently signed Minnesota Wild forward Thomas Vanek leaves the field after he threw out a ceremonial first pitch before the game between the New York Yankees and the Minnesota Twins at Target Field. The Twins win 2-1 in 11 innings. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports
As you can see its a gauntlet of games which will really test the Wild’s physical, mental and emotional stamina. For the Wild coaching staff and upper management, the first month should answer or at least indicate answers for some of the big questions going into this season. Was adding Thomas Vanek enough to keep Minnesota competitive against the top teams in the Western Conference? Is Darcy Kuemper ready to carry the goaltending load now? Is the Wild’s blueline tough enough to survive against some of the best teams in the NHL?
Back in January when the Wild was without Mikko Koivu, Zach Parise, Josh Harding and others due to injuries it took its collection of youngsters and fared quite well against some of the better teams in the NHL. A ‘circle the wagons’ mentality developed, and the team willed itself to victories with a different hero each night. Can having so many weapons make players complacent or feel so comfortable that someone else will step up that they step aside? It is interesting to note that last year the Wild scored more goals when the team was without either Parise or Koivu when it had both players in the lineup.
Vanek was brought in to be that 3rd potential 30-goal scorer to go along with Parise and Jason Pominville, and if he cannot demonstrate he can be a finisher against these top teams you have to question whether it was really worth signing him at all. It was a stalled out Wild offense that led to its 2nd round elimination against a Chicago team it had on the ropes. Vanek’s signing was made to help ensure that would not happen again. If the team can demonstrate it can hold its own offensively, especially on the road in this 1st month then maybe it has it finally found that elusive cure to its woes away from friendly confines of the Xcel Energy Center. A good friend of mine who is a Minnesota fan second only to his coveted Canadiens has always called Wild, “the place where goal scorers (totals) go to die.” It will be up to Vanek to prove him (and other doubters) wrong.
How will this Wild team handle its uber tough 1st month schedule? Dec 19, 2013; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (bottom left) and defenseman Brian Dumoulin (8) fight for the puck against Minnesota Wild right wing Jason Pominville (29) and left wing Zach Parise (11) during the third period at the CONSOL Energy Center. The Pittsburgh Penguins won 5-2. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
The team will also find out if Darcy Kuemper can repeat on the potential he demonstrated towards the end of last season and into the playoffs. Going against a plethora of playoff teams from both the East and West should be a great test of his abilities. Sidney Crosby, Anze Kopitar, Steven Stamkos, Corey Perry, Evgeni Malkin, Marian Gaborik, Nathan MacKinnon, P.K. Subban, Ryan Getzlaf, Tyler Seguin, Patrice Bergeron, Erik Karlsson, Jamie Benn and Bobby Ryan will challenge both Kuemper and the Wild’s relatively young defensive corps. Mathew Dumba and Christian Folin both had strong performances in pre-season play, but none of them have been tested against such prolonged series of star calibre talent before. This great collection of lethal offensive ability can make seasoned veterans look foolish so I don’t blame any Wild fan for feeling a little anxious. The Wild cannot play Ryan Suter all game as much as they might wish they could, so at some point these youngsters are going to have to demonstrate they can avoid becoming a major liability when facing these superstars. Otherwise Wild General Manager Chuck Fletcher might have to get creative via the trade market.
"“We don’t want somebody who’s just going to go out there and play two shifts. We want somebody who’s going to bring some momentum and try to be physical on the forecheck. He understands that part of the game, plus he’s there to stick up for his teammates when needed.” ~ Wild Head Coach Mike Yeo on Stu Bickel"
The Wild wanted to add another defenseman to its top 4 this summer but could not find a player that both fit the direction of the club or its preferred price point, and the loss of Clayton Stoner to free agency has some believing Minnesota’s blueline may lack toughness. That is a big reason the team decided to keep Stu Bickel, who can also play forward as well as on defense and provide that dose of sandpaper that may be lacking. Yet will that be enough to keep teams like San Jose, Anaheim, Los Angeles and Dallas from taking liberties with the Wild’s skill players? With elite goal scorers such as these to face over the next month, Kuemper’s ability to communicate and coordinate effectively with the Wild’s defenseman will be key to avoiding too many odd man chances or from spending too much time in their own end.
Wild fans will also find out if last season’s somewhat hurried and inconsistent play from Jonas Brodin was just a sophomore slump or a player who is still struggling to match the potential of his promising rookie campaign. Last season, teams learned that if you were physical with the slightly-built Swede you could force him to give the puck up a little early which led to easy turnovers. Brodin was not the same player after suffering a broken jaw, but this first month should reveal if he can re-establish that super calm, patient game that made some experts draw comparisons to Nicklas Lidstrom. I have little doubt Colorado, Los Angeles, San Jose, Dallas, Anaheim, and Boston will do what they can to test his composure early and we’ll find out if he’s overcome that psychological hurdle.
As the old saying goes, “Adversity reveals character” and Wild fans and the NHL will find out what sort of character this team has after this 1st month of the season. Last year the Wild demonstrated tremendous resilience and the organization’s younger players demonstrated a readiness to step up into bigger roles if needed that helped propel the Wild to the playoffs. The Wild will discover what sort of character this group has both as a whole and individually. Not everything will go as planned, but in that challenge we’ll really find out just how good this Wild team really is.