The pre-season is finally over for the Minnesota Wild and that means we’re only days away from the start of the season proper for the team and everyone else in the NHL.
Training camp is over, final cuts are being made, not least by the Minnesota Wild, to bring the teams in line with the 23-player limit enforced upon them and everyone is raring to get started.
The ice is being re-surfaced one last time, the locker-rooms are being tidied, gear being packed up. We’re at the peak of that eager anticipation everyone gets when pre-season ends and game-day is literally just days away.
However, there are still questions to be asked and answers being sought. What will the final opening night roster look like for the Minnesota Wild?
Throughout the pre-season, veterans have sought to earn another year in the big-time, youngsters have tried their hardest to make an impression and not be sent back to the junior or minor leagues for another season of development.
The guys that know they’re locks have tried their utmost to shake off the rink rust of summer.
With every cut made, we got closer and closer to seeing the final make-up of the roster. Surprisingly, given the Minnesota Wild has a new General Manager, it has only been tinkered with slightly.
For the most part, this is the same group of players that took the Minnesota Wild to the play-offs last season. They went out first round, but regular season they were as good as any team on their day.
We’re taking our best guesses at what that final 23-man opening night roster looks like. It’s all rather unsurprising, bar maybe a couple of positions on the ice.
The only part we can’t pick is how it pans out for the injured guys on opening night. Will they be fit in time or do they have a bit more rehabilitation in store?