The Minnesota Wild had a great night against their division rivals the Winnipeg Jets last night in St. Paul, as they shellacked their neighbors from north of the border 5-1. The Wild looked great from end-to-end and showed the State of Hockey a lot to be optimistic about in the upcoming season. It was a great game and looks to impact the team in lots of ways.
With the conclusion of last night’s game at the X the Wild’s preseason is officially over. So that means no games till the season opener on Thursday in St. Louis, but make no mistake a lot is going to happen in the next four days. The Wild have a few more moves and decisions to make as they transition from the games that don’t count, to the prime time where they all count.
The roster needs to be trimmed down a few players to make the 23-man requirement first and foremost. That decision more than likely will come quickly as it seems the Wild staff know already ready who they want. Once that has happened and the team knows who exactly will be on the team, the coaching staff will sit down and formulate the opening night combinations. That also might be something that won’t take too long as the preseason tilts offered a lot of clues as to who is going to play well with who.
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Looking at what the roster moves could be after last night’s game against the Jets I think the picture becomes much clearer. In the 5-1 victory the Wild got goals from two roster hopefuls Mike Reilly and Christoph Bertschy. That’s huge as both players were on the bubble, and most likely played themselves into the roster. Bruce Boudreau can really point to these two players as being two that answered the call to step up and earn it, and I think that’ll speak volumes on the cutting floor.
Reilly to this point had played well, but due to the roster issues of keeping him up it looked like he needed to play a bit better to make the NHL roster. I really feel like he made it over that roster hump, because adding a goal and playing the up tempo game he did against the Jets puts the period on the idea that he’s ready to play in the NHL. The idea of putting Prosser or Folin on waivers is now palatable, because Reilly proved he brings enough to make the team better. My guess though is that the Wild will keep Prosser and Folin both up and have eight defenders as not to risk losing either player.
I felt Bertschy had a strong chance to make the roster before last night’s game, but today I think he’s a lock. The idea that Boudreau has identified him for doing just about everything and having a well-rounded game is huge. Adding a goal to his preseason resume on top of all the other stuff he’s done will pretty much seal it for Boudreau picking Bertschy for the roster.
Before the game Boudreau told Michael Russo of Bertschy “Just keep getting better and understanding the NHL game more. He’s got enough speed to play, but with two going, it’s just to see how they go together, give them some responsibilities and see how they do on some penalty killing stuff, and then we’ll be able to make some decisions after the game.” I think he showed him a lot in last night’s game.
Keeping Reilly and Bertschy on the roster in addition to the roster that is left over from last year which is two goaltenders, seven defenders, and ten forwards the Wild have 21 players of their 23-man limit. That means there’s room for two more forwards, and I see Eriksson-Ek as a lock so it’s really room for one more. My thought right now is that Zac Dalpe has the edge on Ryan Carter, but there’s certainly nothing definite since neither player played last night.
So that all in mind the quick rundown on lines is something like this…the top line of Coyle, Staal, and Parise was the best line by far in the preseason and is an ironclad lock to be the top line for opening night. The second line will still be a Granlund and Koivu line, the question mark is who plays with them. My thought is that it ‘ll be Jason Zucker. Zucks had the preseason he needed to prove he might be primed for a bounce back season and will be able to add a finisher to the physical puck moving of the two Finns. Boudreau did play Stewart up there a few times, but it yielded little results.
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The third line looks like it could be the Nino, Haula, and Pominville show again, but Haula has struggled this preseason to include the World Cup. The idea has been floated to have Eriksson-Ek play up on this line with, and I think it’s a great idea. Pominville enjoyed playing with the young Swede and thinks there might be a little chemistry. Not mention he’s just playing a little better than Haula right now, and if the Wild are going to keep him away from Sweden they are going to look to get him more than fourth line minutes.
So for the fourth line I see Stewart, Haula, and Bertschy/Dalpe. As much as I think Boudreau wanted to see if Stewart could plug in to a higher line, he just never quite fit in. As for Haula this could be a better fit, and Bertschy and Dalpe are ginders who can embrace the fourth line role with a continue to prove themselves if they want higher line minutes.
Defensively the lineup is much simpler. Suter and Spurgeon will be reunited on the top pair. The second paring will most likely be the same as Brodin and Scandella will be back. The third pair will be the one that is less clear as Folin, Prosser, and Reilly will all be looking to join Dumba. My thought is it is a rotation that will depend on the opponent with Reilly getting time in games where scoring is a concern, and Prosser and Folin being called on for more defensive needs.
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So as the minutes click off till opening faceoff in St. Louis, the Wild will be working and working to get their personnel list and combinations right. If the Winnipeg game is any indication, things are looking pretty locked in right now. There’s a lot that can and will happen that can change all I’ve just rundown, so keep your eyes and ears open. Most of all though, just get pumped because if beating the Jets 5-1 in the last preseason game doesn’t make you excited for the season…I just don’t know what to say.