30 for 30 in 30 - Minnesota Wild

**AS OF TIME OF WRITING**

TJ Molland: After a few big trades, a new coach, and a new outlook, the Minnesota Wild were the "wild" card (see what I did there) in the Northwest division. Were they finally poised to make it back to the playoffs after several years of disappointment? They looked it. Going 20-11-5 to start the year, and as of the Christmas break they were leading the NW division. That memory quickly faded as the team went 15-25-6 the rest of the season with a goal differential of -63. Devin Setoguchi was not what was advertised, Dany Heatley failed to break 25 goals for the second time in his career (first time he only played 31 games). It was a disaster. The new high flying offensive style worked until the offense dried up, and so did the wins. The good news for the Wild is they have a strong core they can build on and lots of good young offensive players in their system. So let’s kick this off by asking the question.....Are Coyle and Granlund going to be the difference for this offense?

Bik Nizzar: I still haven’t gotten over how they stole Charlie Coyle from San Jose. And with that acquisition, I like what they’re building up front. It’s quietly become a potentially dangerous team if they can add a marquee free agent. And by all accounts that free agent is Zach Parise. Credit to them for trying this and pulling the hometown kid strings. If Parise does make it to July 1^st as a free agent – Minnesota is gonna walk up with a Brinks truck to get him to sign. With nearly 20 million in cap space to do this, boy oh boy could this offense be productive. Mikko Koivu doesn’t get the credit he deserves for the amount of work he does and the talent he has. His contract is a bit over-priced, but really, they needed to keep him there, so over-paying for that #1 center (and yes he is a legit #1 center) is ok. Even if they miss out on him their forwards are shaping together nicely. Their defense is a bit of a mess.... and that’s putting it nicely. Rather funny considering for years this team was all about defense and boring hockey. #karma

TJ Molland: Totally didn't even think of Minny as an option for Parise but it makes a ton of sense now. The top six will still be missing some added depth but that can be easily acquired through free agency. Maybe a Jiri Hudler or Johan Hecht? I like what is happening on the defense for the Wild. Some real promising talents. The big issue though is they are still missing a top pair. Not a top pair defenseMAN, but an entire #1 set of d-men. Gilbert is good but needs some work and the young guys (Marco Scandella, Jared Spurgeon, Clayton Stoner) are still a few years away from being the leaders on this team. (What is with all those 'S' names?) As we have stated over and over there is not a lot to get from free agency so it may not be an easy fix for the Wild this year. Playoffs are still a bit of a dream for them but they have a nice core going for them. If they can adopt the Phoenix Coyotes mentality of everyone chip in where needed and play good fundamental hockey they could at least compete each night. Lots of cap space leaves them plenty of options for this summer to start building a playoff contender.

Bik Nizzar: If they can just find some common ground between that blistering start, and that TERRIBLE finish, they could be a sneaky team next year. Maybe not for the playoffs considering how daunting the Western Conference is, but certainly that 9-11 range. They need a 2^nd line center though. You hope Granlund can be that guy right outta the gate but perhaps a wing role on the 2^nd line with a proven vet in the middle for the time being. As for the D – I’m not a Tom Gilbert fan at all. They seriously made a mistake trading Nick Leddy for Cam Barker and now they have nothing to show for that deal. Of the 3 S’s (yeah seriously, what is it w/ the S’s) Spurgeon and Scandella intrigue me with Scandella probably having the most upside – he just needs to develop a more well-rounded game and temper his offensive instincts. -22 in 63 games last year... yikes. Depending on who they value in the draft, the top 6 picks could shake out in a very favourable way for them. It’s still a 1-2 year project for them to get back to the playoffs so any of Matt Dumba, Jacob Trouba or Griffin Reinhart (either of the latter 2 would be TREMENDOUS for them) – things could be looking up for the Wild very soon.

TJ Molland: When I realized they had given up Leddy for Barker I shook my head. That was a brutal mistake. But I like what they are building. And that is a young mobile defense. It seems to be the way of the new NHL. Scandella's +/- is not great but he is only 22 (same with Spurgeon), and has lots of time to mature. They used him in all situations last year which goes to show how confident they are in him. Spurgeon has more offensive upside but still remains defensively responsible. Stoner was the lone Wild defenseman on the plus side of the +/- stat but at age 27 he will be asked to do a lot more for this team. Not saying I want that to be my defense but as far as foundation goes it's a good start. Add in one of the names you mentioned and this could be a formidable group in the near future.

We have yet to touch on the goaltending situation, and really why would we? Backstrom has been solid for this team year in and year out. In fact last year was his best statistical year since 08/09. He is getting up there in years but they have time to groom a prospect in the mean time. That prospect being Matt Hackett who put up good numbers in the 12 games he appeared in for the Wild last year (2.37 GAA .922 SV%).