There are just a few weeks until the Minnesota Wild season gets underway and that means it’s time to take a closer look at this upcoming season. It’s going to be an interesting season for the Wild as majority of their core is returning and they have several talented young players that can fill the few open spots.
Last season, the Wild struggled with several issues, and several of those issues are weaknesses that other teams can exploit if they aren’t fixed. In this article, we’ll take a look at a few of these potential weaknesses that the team has to take care of, or they’ll end up in the same position as last season. We’ll start with their injuries and move on from there.
Wild’s Injury-Prone Players
While this is definitely a weakness for nearly every team in the NHL, the Wild were one of the worst victims last season. The problem with this weakness is it’s not easily controllable or easy to fix. Several of their players, like Marcus Foligno and Jared Spurgeon, will have to be a little more careful when they return to the ice after having surgeries, especially Spurgeon, who had to have both hip and back surgery. If he was still in his early 20s, it likely wouldn’t be a huge problem, but since he’s in his mid-30s, it takes longer to heal than it used to.
The Wild need every player on their roster, but several of their key players, like Spurgeon, Jonas Brodin, and Kirill Kaprizov, were hurt at the same time, and that really stung. They made it through, but it was difficult, especially on defense. They have to find a way to get around the injuries in their lineup, and while sometimes that’s unavoidable, they need to have players they can call up who are ready to go.
Again, there’s no way to avoid all injuries, but if they have a solid backup list of players to step in when the unfortunate happens, they’ll be okay. The Wild do have some strong players in the American Hockey League, but they need them to step up when called up, and that was a struggle last season they hope to remedy this season.
Wild’s Goaltending Could Be Problematic
This is likely the Wild’s biggest question mark, but it could also be a weakness if they can’t fix it from last season. They have three possible goaltenders they can use this season, and while they all have potential, there are also problems.
The first is Marc-André Fleury, who will be in the Hall of Fame someday. However, he’s pushing 40 and can’t do the things he used to. He’s still a fantastic goaltender and nearly saved the Wild’s season when Filip Gustavsson struggled last season. Again, injury is a big risk for a goaltender his age, and while he may still be able to play 40 games in a season, it’s something he probably shouldn’t be testing.
Then there’s Gustavsson, who had a big slump last season, and the Wild can’t afford for that to happen again. Out of their three goaltenders, he is the biggest weakness because he should be their starter, with Fleury as the backup, and their third, Jesper Wallstedt, is getting the occasional start here and there. However, if Gustavsson can’t get his mental game back, they’ll have to rely on Fleury, who’s got a strong mental game from his vast experience. Still, his age is a factor, and they’ll either have Gustavsson as a backup and hope he’s mentally ready or Wallstedt, who’s a rookie and needs time to fully adjust plus, that’s a lot of pressure on a kid’s shoulders.
It’s going to be really interesting to see how their goaltending situation unfolds, as it could help make or break their season. Hopefully, Gustavsson has used this offseason to fine-tune his game and can be the goaltender they expected last season; if not, he’s a weakness the Wild can’t afford.
Wild’s Faceoff Issues
The final weakness the Wild needs to address is their lack of faceoff wins, which they have known for years. The Wild know it’s a weakness, and so does most of the NHL as it’s been exploited quite often. They need their centers to be better in the faceoff circle and it can’t just be Joel Eriksson Ek. He’s been steadily improving his game but their other centers need to follow suit.
This may be the biggest weakness behind goaltending, as many of their faceoff losses have led to goals scored against them, which led to overall losses. It won’t be as simple as winning faceoffs either; they have to win them on the power play and the penalty kill besides five-on-five. If they can manage that and do it consistently, they’ll stand a chance at winning more games.
Wild’s Weakness Can be Fixed
The good news is that these weaknesses can be fixed if the Wild addresses them right away. However, injury weaknesses may not be as easy to fix because it’s hard to prevent injuries. It’ll be interesting to see how the Wild addresses these issues, especially the goaltending that could be key to their season.
Hopefully, the Wild can have all of this fixed right at the beginning of the season so they don’t dig themselves into a hole they can’t climb out of like last season. If they can do that, they’ll have a chance to earn a spot in the postseason.
