2014-15 LEADING SCORERS
LW Zach Parise (33 G, 29 A, 62 P)
RW Jason Pominville (18 G, 36 A, 54 P)
LW Thomas Vanek (21 G, 31 A, 52 P)
LAST SEASON
The 2014-15 Minnesota Wild season was not one worth complaining about. After finishing 4th in the Central Division with a record of 46-28-8, they certainly didn't have much wrong going for them. This past season, however, was called the year of the goalie for a reason. The Wild were one of many teams that had a goaltender break out and earn a better reputation than they were used to. The Wild had this happen with Devan Dubnyk. Since the start of his career with the Edmonton Oilers, the Regina, SK native was deemed a bust, and after being passed around between the Nashville Predators, Montreal Canadiens, and Arizona Coyotes, Dubnyk found his way to the Wild, and did not look back.
Since being acquired by the Wild on January 14th, Dubnyk absolutely broke out of his handcuffs and posted a 27-9-2 record with a 1.88 GAA and a .936 save percentage. Following the additions of other players such as Chris Stewart and Sean Bergenheim, this chain of moves was good enough to carry the Wild into the playoffs. They would defeat the St Louis Blues in round one, but then go on to be swept by the eventual Stanley Cup winners, the Chicago Blackhawks. Shortly after the playoffs, GM Chuck Fletcher signed Dubnyk to a six year contract, ultimately ending Dubnyk's problems around the league.
OFFSEASON
IN
Stephen Michalek
Zac Dalpe
Ruslan Fedotenko
Mike Rielly
Marc Hagel
Tyson Strachan
OUT
Johan Gustafsson
Stephane Veilleux
Chris Stewart
Joel Rechlicz
Jordan Leopold
Josh Harding
John Curry
Colton Jobke
Keith Ballard
Sean Bergenheim
Keith Ballard
Stu Bickel
Kyle Brodziak
Curt Gogol
Cody Almond
As far as transactions for the Wild, they didn't do anything too significant. They began their offseason at the 2015 NHL Draft where they used their 20th overall pick to select forward Joel Eriksson-Ek out of the Swedish Elite League. Heading into free agency, they lost their rental players in Jordan Leopold, Sean Bergenheim, and Chris Stewart, but then brought in an old veteran name in Ruslan Fedotenko and a youngster in Zac Dalpe. In general, the Wild didn't really downgrade, nor upgrade. Their roster remained nevertheless the same.
NEXT SEASON PT 1. OFFENSE
As for offense, the Wild will be lead by Zach Parise, Thomas Vanek, and Jason Pominville as their main sources for goals, with youngsters Nino Neiderreiter, Charlie Coyle, and Mikael Granlund stepping in for secondary support. Look for Jason Zucker to have a breakout season after being previously slowed down by injuries.
NEXT SEASON PT 2. DEFENSE
The Wild's defense will be quarterbacked by Ryan Suter with help coming in from Jared Spurgeon and Marco Scandella. Also expect Matt Dumba to step into a bigger role in the coming season. Watch for prospects Mike Rielly and Christian Folin to try to secure roster spots.
NEXT SEASON PT 3. GOALTENDING
After an unbelievable 2014-15 season, Devan Dubnyk is the most deserving of the starting job, with Darcy Kuemper being the most likely canidate to back him up. Niklas Backstrom is a third goaltender option if one of the two were to be unavailible.
POSSIBLE 2015-16 OPENING NIGHT LINEUP
Zach Parise - Mikko Koivu - Jason Pominville
Jason Zucker - Mikael Granlund - Thomas Vanek
Erik Haula - Charlie Coyle - Nino Neiderreiter
Justin Fontaine - Ryan Carter - Ruslan Fedotenko
Ryan Suter - Jared Spurgeon
Marco Scandella - Jonas Brodin
Matt Dumba - Christian Folin
Devan Dubnyk
Darcy Kuemper
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