The Minnesota Wild’s regular season is right around the corner, and with that comes predictions, expectations, and a list of questions. As training camp continues, the main topic on everyone’s mind is who will make the final roster with so few spots open. Of course, the discussions also include goaltending, line combinations, and special teams.
In this article, we’ll examine some of the questions the Wild will face at the beginning of the season. These will range from goaltending to consistency to everything in between. First up will be goaltending because that’s easily the biggest question and something discussed in nearly every article about the season.
1: Are the Wild Going to Use Three Goaltenders?
Simply put, yes, they are, but just for the beginning of the season. They want to give Marc-André Fleury, Filip Gustavsson, and Jesper Wallstedt a chance to show what they can do. While Fleury and Gustavsson will likely be the main two goaltenders throughout the season, that doesn’t mean Wallstedt hasn’t earned a chance.
However, the biggest problem with three goaltenders is the Wild’s current cap space, which is very small at $756,410, according to PuckPedia. Currently, that’s not enough to bring up anyone in case of injury, which will change once the regular season starts, but not without help by sending someone like Wallstedt back to the Iowa Wild in the American Hockey League.
Also, as head coach John Hynes pointed out on the first day of training camp, they want Wallstedt to be playing, whether in the NHL or AHL. He needs to play games, and whatever situation is best at that time will be where he lands. He’s a young goaltender who is still gaining experience, so being in the AHL will not be detrimental to him. Hynes also used the word “fluid” to describe their goaltending, which is the best way to describe it because it’s always changing.
2: Will Ryan Hartman Keep His Temper in Check?
Everyone who’s seen Ryan Hartman play knows his game has a bit of fire to it, and he runs pretty hot, but that’s what makes him hard to play against. The problem is when he lets it boil over and ends up in the penalty box or worse, as it did at the end of last season, when he had to watch from the sidelines due to a suspension.
However, Hartman has proved he can keep himself in check and still play a hard game, so when Hynes was asked what he expects of Hartman this season, his “play smart” answer wasn’t a surprise. So yes, Hartman should be able to keep his temper in check, but the bigger question is, will he? Hopefully, he’s learned from last season and will use his skills without ending up in the penalty box. The team needs his raw style and energy, but he needs to be able to keep it in check.
Hynes knows Hartman’s style of play and made it clear he doesn’t want him to stop being that player, but he wants him to focus on keeping that side of his game in check. If there’s an instance that can’t be avoided, that’s fine, but if it’s at all avoidable, it should be. Every player can improve their game somehow, which is what Hartman needs to focus on this season.
3: Can the Team Find Consistency?
This is an area the Wild have always struggled with nearly every season. They’ll get on a hot streak where they do everything right but can’t keep it going. Regardless of who or what is to blame, whether it be coaching, players, schedule, injuries, etc., the team must find a way to pull it together and stay consistent. The short answer once again is yes; they can be consistent; the hard part is finding out how to do that night in and night out when everything changes.
When they find something that works, they must keep doing it, and when it stops working, they must adapt. They have struggled with this in the past because sometimes the coaching staff was reluctant to change and just wanted to push through until it started to work again. Hynes is not that type of coach in most situations. It seems like if something isn’t working, he either figures out the problem or changes it to try something new.
The Wild have had some great coaches over the years with different approaches to the game, but Hynes seems to have something the others didn’t: adaptability. He will make changes and adapt to his surroundings to make things work. Some may argue he had plenty of time to do that last season when he took over in November, and they still struggled, but it’s also important to point out he was still in his first season with the team, and that takes time.
He tried to make changes and exhausted some of them, and that’s when it was time for the team to step up and make the necessary changes to win. It’s important to acknowledge that he tried because sometimes, no matter what is done, the team just can’t find a groove, and they have to rough it out until they find their way again. He’s now experienced in both situations and will likely have a much better handle on things when this regular season gets underway.
Wild’s Final Thoughts
There are still many questions on the Wild’s list that have yet to be answered, but as the season approaches, those answers will become clear. The first thing that comes to mind is the lineup combinations. We’ve seen glimpses of what it’s going to look like in training camp, but Hynes is also not afraid to mix things up.
Then there’s the question of if certain players will step up and lead if players can avoid injury, and so on and so forth. While we don’t have all the answers yet, what we’ve seen in these first few days of training camp, the team has promise.
