Minnesota Wild: Weekly Roundtable, Bold Predictions for the Season
There are a lot of questions for the Minnesota Wild heading into the coming season. We have a look at what we think the answers may be.
Each of us here at Gone Puck Wild have different ideas of what to expect from the Minnesota Wild this season, both as a team and individual players on the team.
Last year, could anyone have predicted Eric Staal’s 42 goals, or Las Vegas as a Stanley Cup Finalist? Could we have thought Taylor Hall would win the Hart Trophy, or the Edmonton Oilers would miss the playoffs?
Last September, those things all would have been considered as bold predictions. Those statements can be heavily scrutinized for being based loosely on fact, but mostly on hunches or gut feelings without determinable evidence to back it up.
As part of our weekly roundtable discussion, we have each had a look at the Minnesota Wild’s coming season and decided on a bold prediction of something we expect to happen for the team this year.
Some may call these predictions bold, some may think we are being unrealistic; we like to think we are being optimistic. Whether it’s a player having a fantastic year, the team finishing higher than most experts are predicting, or simply overcoming past demons.
To count as a “bold prediction” our choices are each something that the hockey world would be extremely surprised if they do happen, but are things which are entirely within the realm of possibility.
So how do we think the season will play out?
Ryan Darnley: Jordan Greenway will Score 50 points
This seems like a bold suggestion to make, but I think in his rookie campaign that Jordan Greenway certainly has the potential to score big.
Why do I think this, you ask?
If the youngster continues to be placed at center on the Minnesota Wild third line, he should be seeing slightly less challenging opposition; at least a second or third defensive pairing from most teams.
That, in itself, should at least give some opportunity for him to generate scoring chances. If, on top of that, Bruce Boudreau is wise and limits his defensive zone starts, at least for the first part of the season, he could build up some early numbers and with that early confidence.
Add to that, his playing style; Greenway is a big body which if he is smart means he should be pushing himself to the net-front. That will give him the chance to pick up some goals from both tip-ins and rebounds. Not always the prettiest of points, but points all the same.
In his time in the NCAA with Boston University, Jordan was a near point-per-game player; this is never a guarantee or even clear indicator of NHL success, but he also managed to grab 2 points in his five-game playoff stint with the Minnesota Wild last year.
That is a clearer indicator. Scoring in the high-pressure environment that is the play-offs isn’t something to be shrugged at.
If he can continue his development curve, he’s not exactly tipped to have an 85 point year like Mathew Barzal or even a 69 point year like Auston Matthews the year before. No, he’s not a lock for the Calder Trophy.
However, what he is a reasonable chance at is 50 points. No more, no less.
Big bodies, if used effectively, still count for a lot even in a much speedier more dynamic NHL.
Getting in front of the other teams’ goalie can create chaos and Greenway will hopefully be able to be the big-bodied benefactor!
Cody Defoe: Minnesota Wild will Finish with More Points than Winnipeg Jets
Perhaps this isn’t so much a prediction for the Wild as much as it is against the Jets. Sure, they had a fantastic year and a run to the Western Conference Finals last year. But that doesn’t mean much in today’s NHL.
The last 3 teams to make it to the Western Conference Finals and lose, failed to fulfill expectations in the following years .This Winnipeg Jets team appears to be the next to fall in line.
In all honesty, this Jets team reminds me a lot of the Edmonton Oilers team from 2016-17. They were each backed by an outstanding year from their goalies, despite the Offense/Defense stats nor the rosters of their skaters not having any drastic changes.
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The Oilers regressed majorly last year, when their goalie was unable to carry the weight of a second season of heavy usage. 18 months ago Connor Hellebuyck was in a 3-man goalie rotation, and could not be relied upon as a starter in this league. There’s no reason to believe his Vezina-finalist season was anything more than a one-off.
That brings me to our Minnesota Wild. Most experts around the league are writing off a team that has been to 6 consecutive playoff appearances behind 3 different coaches who are bringing back almost the entirely same team from last year.
The Wild have finished with 100 points or more in 3 of the last 4 seasons. They also managed that 101 points last season in spite of 114 man games lost to injury among players in the top 6 forward rotation and the top 4 defense.
Everybody is back at 100% health for the 2018-19 season. 9 different players on the Minnesota Wild roster have recorded 50 points or more in at least one of the last 3 seasons. The 6 defensemen likely to start the year can all lay claim to being capable of Top 4 for the majority of other teams around the league.
To top all of that off, Devan Dubnyk has consistently been among the top regular season goaltenders at his position for the entirety of his time since joining the Minnesota Wild.
Bruce Boudreau, in his entire career as an NHL coach, has only ever missed the NHL playoffs one time. That was the year he was fired by Washington and hired by Anaheim in the middle of the season.
The only team I expect to take a step back this year, is the Winnipeg Jets. Sports experts and prognosticators are projecting Winnipeg to potentially be a Stanley Cup Finalist, I’m projecting they will be a Wild Card team at best or even out of the playoffs at worst. Meanwhile, the Minnesota Wild will continue to fight their way to consistent playoff appearances.
Sullivan Casey: Minnesota Wild in the Western Conference Finals
This year might be the year. Not to go all the way, not to win the whole thing, but to make it past our arch-enemy: the second round.
You could make a compelling case that not much has changed since last season’s disappointing early exit. And while that is mostly true (on paper), there are less tangible reasons why the Minnesota Wild will finally make that deep run.
First, the continued maturation of young talent. Look for guys like Nick Seeler, Jordan Greenway, and Luke Kunin to have very strong seasons and make hearty contributions to the team. I expect the most tangible improvements to come from Greenway, who looked great down the stretch last year.
Next, Matt Dumba. At twenty-four years old, this season is one where he is finally fully poised to jump to a higher level. He has all the potential to do it, and I think that his rise will continue to propel the back end offensively.
I think that continuing his pairing with Ryan Suter will pay dividends as the year goes on, as it allows Dumba to learn from him on the defensive side and also provides freedom to go forward and do what he does best.
Another big issue the wild have had lately is in the health department. Obviously, injuries will happen this season. They always do. But coming into the opener, both Zach Parise and Suter are fully healthy, something that has been missing for a while.
Having them both back is huge not only because of their abilities and contributions, but even more importantly the leadership they bring. Parise’s grit, tenacity, and hustle doesn’t go unnoticed, and it seems to have a fight-like effect on the boys on the bench.
Possibly the single biggest factor in playoff success is goaltending. And the Wild’s has been very streaky. When hot, Dubnyk is in the conversation for best in the league. But too often, he goes cold, and pucks start going in the net with alarming frequency.
With the addition of Andrew Hammond, a very respectable backup (more so than Alex Stalock or Darcy Kuemper), I think Dubnyk will feel a bit more pressure to keep his foot on the gas every night. If he does falter, Hammond has been able to get hot and win games, if you recall him taking 20 wins in 23 starts a few years back.
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I think the Wild are going to finally get back to Conference Finals. The young core of the team looks good, the veterans are healthy, and goaltending is on the rise. Come May, we will still be skating.