2012 Projections: Minnesota

The Minnesota Wild have some higher profile players on their squad, but the team as a whole looks like it may struggle to impress all season long.  It may be a matter of not stacking up well enough against all the teams in the Western Conference in all aspects of the game.  There are some aspects that the Wild are better than some teams, but they fall short against those same teams in other spots.

The Wild have been somewhat busy in the off-season, as they were a part of a superstar swap, then another deal with the same Pacific Division team to help bolster their offense and they will welcome back the usual back-up goalie, who should finally be healthy to resume his NHL career.

There should be some bright spots in the Wild season, it isn't like they will lose every game, bright spots that could be collected and taken advantage of by some poolies.

Forwards		Defense		Goalies
Mikko Koivu	65	Marek Zidlicky	40	Niklas Backstrom	60
Dany Heatley	55	Jared Spurgeon	25	Josh Harding	30
Pierre-Marc Bouchard	50	Mike Lundin	15
Devin Setoguchi	40	Nick Schultz	10
Cal Clutterbuck	40	Clayton Stoner	10
Matt Cullen	35	Greg Zanon	5
Kyle Brodziak	35
Guillaume Latendresse	35
Eric Nystrom	20
Darroll Powe	15
Brad Staubitz	5
Casey Wellman	10	Tyler Cuma	25
Warren Peters	5	Marco Scandella	15
Colton Gillies	5	Justin Falk

Pool Worthy Forwards (Inside the top 160, 35 points)
The biggest name among the forwards isn't on top of the list, as Dany Heatley joins the Wild for the 2012 season and I just don't think he's going to get the service that he's used to in Minnesota that he had in Ottawa or San Jose.  Heatley's best years were with some very talented centres and unless there is some quick chemistry with Pierre-Marc Bouchard or Matt Cullen, it could be a long season for Heatley in Minnesota.

Mikko Koivu, on the other hand, will likely go back to the top of the heap in team scoring, as he is a guy that has the ability to put up some reasonable numbers with what the Wild give him as linemates.  Koivu's frame is better suited to handle the rigours of the Northwest Division and I would be expecting him to be ready for a tough grind.

One player that has been improving on a regular basis for the Wild has been Cal Clutterbuck and I think he'll take another step up the ladder and become a pool worthy forward.  If Clutterbuck can eclipse the 40-point mark this season, he should prove to be a good depth player in Minnesota and your pool team.

Pool Worthy Defensemen (Inside the top 80, 20 points)
An injury-plagued season really put a damper on the year for Marek Zidlicky, who is normally among the top defenders, in terms of scoring, from year to year.  If the Wild are going to generate more than their fair share of offense this season, they will need Zidlicky to step up and be his usual self, which is not too much to ask.

The Wild may have found a little hit in Jared Spurgeon, who played a good portion of the 2011 season in Minnesota, picking up 12 points in the process.  Spurgeon is a smaller defenseman, but if he can handle the wear and tear with the big club, there's no reason why he couldn't score enough to be pool worthy.

Pool Worthy Goalies (Inside the top 40, 25 points)
The Wild have done well with goalies in recent memory and Niklas Backstrom has been the benefactor of some good defensive play over the past few years, making him into a quality pool pick from year to year.  Backstrom should be good enough once again to do the job, getting the bulk of the work throughout the season.

It will be good to see Josh Harding back in the net for the Wild in the 2012 season, after missing the entire 2011 season to a major knee injury.  Harding is said to be healthy and ready to go for the coming year, as he continues to make a push for a number one job somewhere.

Pool Worthy Rookies
Rookies on defense seem to be a recurring theme in the projections this year, as there seem to be a number of jobs on the bubble or open to grab this year.  Tyler Cuma and Marco Scandella will likely take a good crack at the seventh spot on the blueline (or better) in training camp and I think the Wild will give them every opportunity to succeed, given that they are both good at moving the puck.

Unsigned Players
None.

Key Injuries
There hasn't been any update on the condition of defenseman Nick Schultz in the off-season, in regards to a concussion that he had suffered at the end of the 2011 campaign.  He hasn't been in the news of late, which I would think would mean he'd be good to start the season, but there are no guarantees.