Gone Puck Wild
Fansided

Minnesota Wild: Three Reasons They Finish Higher Than Colorado

By Luke Ryan

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - NOVEMBER 24: Colorado Avalanche Center Nathan MacKinnon (29) and Minnesota Wild Center Mikko Koivu (9) face-off during a NHL game between the Minnesota Wild and Colorado Avalanche on November 24, 2017 at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, MN.The Wild defeated the Avalanche 3-2 in a shootout.(Photo by Nick Wosika/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - NOVEMBER 24: Colorado Avalanche Center Nathan MacKinnon (29) and Minnesota Wild Center Mikko Koivu (9) face-off during a NHL game between the Minnesota Wild and Colorado Avalanche on November 24, 2017 at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, MN.The Wild defeated the Avalanche 3-2 in a shootout.(Photo by Nick Wosika/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 4
Next
ST. PAUL, MN - MARCH 13: Minnesota Wild Center Eric Staal (12) drives to the net with the puck during a NHL game between the Minnesota Wild and Colorado Avalanche on March 13, 2018 at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, MN. The Avalanche defeated the Wild 5-1.(Photo by Nick Wosika/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
ST. PAUL, MN – MARCH 13: Minnesota Wild Center Eric Staal (12) drives to the net with the puck during a NHL game between the Minnesota Wild and Colorado Avalanche on March 13, 2018 at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, MN. The Avalanche defeated the Wild 5-1.(Photo by Nick Wosika/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

Age Brings Wisdom For Minnesota Wild

For all the hype around the Colorado Avalanche team, the Minnesota Wild plain and simple have far more experience than them.

The Avalanche gave 11 rookies their chances in the NHL last year; let’s say for example, only half of them suffer from the dreaded ‘sophomore slump’. In their case, that’s 5-6 players that won’t be at peak performance this year.

When you look at a twenty-man game-night roster, that’s one-third of your guys on the ice, almost, that are under-performing.

Let’s say the team is holding on to a one-goal lead late in the game; who’s more prone to make a mistake; the experienced heads that lead the Minnesota Wild like Ryan Suter, Zach Parise and Mikko Koivu.

Related Story. What Does The Opening Night Line-Up Look Like?. light

Or a youngster that is still learning the ropes in the NHL like Alexander Kerfoot?

These are the smallest of margins, but this could be where the experience and veteran leadership of so many in the Minnesota Wild locker-room counts for much more than the few veteran heads in the Avalanche room, such as Ian Cole.

Plainly, experienced players are better able to handle both the challenge of being down a goal, but also the maintaining of a lead. It’s not some skill you learn at training camp; it’s a skill learned (often the hard way) in actual game-time action.

It’s fair to say the most experienced guys on the ice each night are people like Carl Soderberg, Ian Cole and Matt Calvert – will their leadership be enough?

Home/Editorials