2009-10 Wild Season Recap

The playoffs are barely a week old. The old season has been put behind everyone, and the "second season" has provided exactly what people love to see out of the NHL, as physical play has been offset by impressive offense, and the different series have all provided different sorts of thrills. Meanwhile, the Minnesota Wild have been sitting at home, evaluating what happened this past year, and looking ahead to what can be better next season. What better time to take a look back at what went right and what went wrong for Minnesota during the 2009-10 campaign.

What Went Right?
- Benoit Pouliot for Guillaume Latendresse trade. Pouliot had spent his career for the Wild being something of an underachieving player. Unquestionably, he has talent, but he wasn't showing it consistently for Minnesota. The same was true for Guillaume Latendresse in relation to his time in Montreal. A mid-season trade reinvigorated both players, and Latendresse ended up leading the Wild in goals. His appearance also gave a jump start to Martin Havlat, who had previously looked like a huge bust.

- Martin Havlat comes to Minnesota. At the beginning of the season, it didn't look good for Minnesota, with regards to their acquisition of Martin Havlat. The Wild made it seem as though Havlat was being brought in to replace Marian Gaborik, but the two players are very different in what they can provide. Gaborik is a goal scorer, who will gather assists, but is mainly going to be a sniper. Havlat, on the other hand, is a playmaker, and his ability to create opportunities is huge. However, without a finisher, Havlat looked lost. Enter Guillaume Latendresse, and suddenly, Havlat found his game. Once the Wild's second line was secured, the only player who looked more comfortable in the system was Mikko Koivu.

- Mikko Koivu named first permanent Wild captain. The Wild have needed a permanent captain for a long time, and what better player to pick for the team than a player who is often underrated, but is able to play both ends of the ice, and does it all with his heart on his sleeve? In his first season as the full-time captain, Koivu shouldered the pressure well, setting a new career high in points, and he was willing to place the team on his back and pull them through some of their more troublesome moments.

- Young call-ups given chances. The Wild's cupboard is one of the more empty in the National Hockey League, but they are working on fixing that. More importantly, some of the players that were called up this season should have a good chance to break into the roster for next season, providing some more speed and scoring to a line-up that desperately needed it. Robbie Earl, Nate Prosser, and Casey Wellman all have some seasoning and conditioning to go through before proving that they're ready, but they're definitely close and should be able to contribute. Don't forget about Colton Gillies, who spent his second season in Houston to improve his game and get him ready for the big show.

What Went Wrong?
- James Sheppard falls off the radar. Sheppard may be the biggest casualty of the previous management staff. He was brought up to the Wild right away, without getting some needed conditioning in the AHL. He spent too many games on the ice, which would force him to be placed on waivers before being dropped to the minors. During the pre-season, it looked like Sheppard might have a breakout year, but then he just dropped off the map, and turned in his lowest point total since entering the league. Sheppard is a player who desperately needs a change of scenery, much like Benoit Pouliot. Hopefully, the Wild will be able to find another diamond like Latendresse.

- The injury bug strikes... over and over again. The Wild just couldn't stay healthy. The number of man-games lost to injury this season set a new record by a long shot. Key players, from both starting goaltenders to Brent Burns, from Chuck Kobasew to Pierre-Marc Bouchard, weren't able to play the full season, and, in Bouchard's case, only touched the ice once. The Wild is looking at their off-season conditioning to try and fix some of the problems that popped up this season. The Wild definitely has to find out how to be healthy, but it's been a problem that's plagued them, admittedly not this deeply, from day one of their existence.

- Petr Sykora comes to Minnesota. When Sykora was brought to the Wild, it made people believe that the Wild were honestly not in a rebuilding season, but were instead looking to remain competitive. Pairing Sykora with Havlat seemed to give Minnesota a strong second line of scoring, and the veteran's presence would help bring the rookies along. Instead, Sykora never meshed with his teammates or his coaches, and he spent almost as many games scratched instead of playing, although a concussion certainly didn't help. Sykora was eventually released by the Wild, after never finding his game, and is still looking for a new team to pick him up.

What is the Verdict Still Out On?
- Kim Johnsson traded for Cam Barker. In many ways, this trade should have drastically improved the Wild's blue line. Barker plays a similar style of hockey to Johnsson, but has a bigger shot, better mobility, and is younger. Unfortunately, Barker has run hot and cold for the Wild. If he can prove to be the young stud that he was in season's past, the Wild made a great choice. If he can't find his game, then Minnesota may want to be thankful that they have as many defensemen chomping at the bit to make the move from Houston.

- Niklas Backstrom making Josh Harding expendable. In the 2008-09 season, it seemed like a no-brainer. Backstrom was amazing in net, and, while Harding was solid, he didn't look like a starting goaltender. The change of regimes in Minnesota shook that up a bit, as neither goaltender looked quite like themselves. However, both goaltenders showed a lot of heart and made amazing stops to keep their team in games. Expectations are that Harding will be with a different team by the time the 2010-11 season starts. If Backstrom can return to the brilliant form he showed, or if the Wild has the next great goaltender waiting in the wings, then they should leverage Harding for as much offense as they can get. If Backstrom falls off, and Anton Khudobin isn't able to be consistent at the NHL level, and Harding turns into a Vezina winner, the Wild might be kicking themselves for holding on to the wrong mask.

Ultimately, the Wild had a better season than anyone had any right to expect, and they should be able to build on that for next season. Having the 9th pick in the draft won't hurt, but it won't help as much as they might have hoped. However, Chuck Fletcher and his staff are working to replenish a stripped down system, adding draft picks and bringing in college free agents, and if they can keep the team moving in this new direction, then the dream of Lord Stanley's Cup getting raised in Minnesota might only be a couple of seasons away.

2009-10 Game Fifty-Eight: Wild 2, Flyers 1

During the recent game against the Edmonton Oilers, a little known Minnesota Wild player got his name etched into the record books. Anton Khudobin, in his first NHL experience, was able to secure his first win with under ten minutes played, becoming the fastest goalie to reach that mark. He got to follow up that appearance with his first NHL start, against a tough Philadelphia Flyers team, and he couldn't have done much more to impress his teammates.

While Khudobin was solid all game long, the rest of the Wild seemed like they were having difficulty getting things going. The first period, the Wild were lucky to have escaped with a tie game, and while things balanced out in the second, the third period showed a surprising lack of drive, as the Wild didn't really apply the pressure to extend their lead, and give their unorthodox netminder a bit of a cushion. At the end of the game, though, the Wild were the ones celebrating, adding another one-goal win to their record, and keeping their playoff hopes alive.

Game pluses:
- Anton Khudobin. Khudobin played solidly against Edmonton, but he only had to face 9 shots. He faced twice as many as that in the first period of the game against the Flyers, and was solid. True, he coughed up a lot of rebounds, but he tended to direct them to safe areas of the ice.
- Owen Nolan. The stats keepers for the game must have thought that Nolan scared the puck to Cal Clutterbuck for the Wild's first goal, since he somehow missed getting an assist. However, his goal and his second period take-down definitely helped lead the Wild to victory.
- Cal Clutterbuck. Clutterbuck showed good awareness, crashing the net at the right time, to tie his goal total from last season.

Game minuses:
- Slow start. When you've got an untested goaltender and you desperately need points in the standings, you can't generally turn in a period like the Wild did for the first twenty minutes of the game. They survived, and Khudobin bailed them out, but it could have gotten scary.
- Physicality. The Wild almost seemed to shy away from the Flyers, even when bowling ball Cal Clutterbuck, or wrecking ball Derek Boogaard were on the ice. Nolan's tackle of Scott Hartnell aside, the Wild almost looked content to take the hits, rather than deliver them.
- Defensive decisions. The Wild defense was sharp most of the game. However, misplayed pucks or baffling passes popped up intermittently throughout the game, with one of the most noticable being a pass from Marek Zidlicky back to Khudobin. The biggest problem? Zidlicky was in the offensive zone at the time.

Next up: The Wild can rest for a couple of days before they welcome the Phoenix Coyotes to town on Wednesday night.

2009-10 Game Fifty-Seven; Wild 4, Oilers 2

The first period of the Minnesota Wild/Edmonton Oilers game looked very similar to the game played earlier in the week by the Wild against the Dallas Stars. For the first twenty minutes, the Wild dominated the play, keeping their opponent back on their heels and peppering the net with shots. For the first twenty minutes, the Wild couldn't solve the opposing goaltender, setting up a potential collapse. Of course, at the end of the day, the Wild had a very different presence in their own net, and they weren't forced to play from behind.

In a game where it often seemed as though the officials were trying to hand Edmonton the win, Minnesota just kept fighting, and they needed to. After getting shut out in the first period, they were able to take a 1-0 lead, but the Oilers tied the game on an extended power play, thanks to some questionable penalties. That was where things stood until the second period, where Minnesota again took a one goal lead, only to have it erased yet again by a baffling on-ice call. Then came the moment that, if the Wild make the playoffs, could be looked back at as the catalyst for saving the entire season.

It's been no secret that Josh Harding has been playing with an injured hip as of late, and he took more abuse to that joint during the scrum and beating the created Edmonton's second goal. Shortly after that, completely out of position, Harding dove across the net mouth, just trying to stifle an Edmonton shot and hold the game at 2. It was a brilliant save, and should get plenty of replay, but it was immediately followed by the image of the Wild's goaltender laying flat on the ice, unable to get back up. He was eventually helped off of the ice, and Minnesota needed to rely on another unproven goaltender in Anton Khudobin. The Wild fired off two goals to take the lead, and Khudobin performed admirably in relief, securing his first NHL victory with under ten minutes of work. Expect him to get more work than that upcoming, as the odds are good that the Wild will be without their top two goaltenders for some time.

Game pluses:
- Goaltending. Josh Harding was huge, and obviously playing through pain, but still managed to keep his team in the game. As soon as he went down, there was a sense that the season was slipping away, but Anton Khudobin, who has suffered his own streak of bad luck, was able to keep Edmonton from scoring again. The fans responded in a big way, and gave Khudobin a large boost.
- Martin Havlat. The Wild's top player was absolutely brilliant against Edmonton, and, with the Wild dressing 7 defensemen, Havlat ended up being double-shifted. He took every opportunity handed to him, and played possibly his best game in a Wild jersey.
- Guillaume Latendresse. The guy that helped spark Havlat's play earlier in the season continues to play his game, and play it well. While his game-winning goal was nice, his feed to set up Havlat's second goal of the game showed his overall hockey awareness.

Game minuses:
- Injury. Nothing can take away Harding's brilliant save. However, the Wild really need to sweep their home stand if they want to have playoff aspirations, and that task just got a lot harder with Harding reaggravating his hip injury.
- Andrew Brunette. For someone who's normally so good just a couple of feet away from the net, Brunette had a very off game. He had at least three opportunities to convert from the goal mouth, and just pushed the puck wide each time.
- Kim Johnsson. Johnsson again looked soft in the defensive zone, and had some mind-boggling plays with the puck, creating chances for the Oilers.

Next up: The Wild come back on Saturday with a game against the Philadelphia Flyers. Minnesota has done well against the Eastern Conference this season, and really needs to continue that trend right now.

2009-10 Game Thirty-Five: Wild 1, Senators 4

How do you spell "adversity"? If you're an NHL fan, you just might spell it "Minnesota Wild". The Wild had more than their fair share of adversity heading into their game against the Ottawa Senators. If Minnesota had found a way to win the game, it might have ranked as one of the biggest surprises the NHL had ever seen. As it was, the Wild played hard, with a lot of energy, but it was easy to tell that the team was not on the same page as each other mentally.

Facing a goaltender in his NHL debut, the Wild had chances, but couldn't seem to get the puck into the net. Pucks left untouched in open areas, posts hit, and shots just misdirected right into the Ottawa goaltender left the Wild exposed to chances, and the Senators made the most of theirs. On a night where most of the Wild was playing with unfamiliar equipment, they put forth a strong effort, but couldn't find a way to capitalize on any of the mistakes made by Ottawa, and left the short road trip with a 1-1 record.

Game pluses:
- Wild staff. The fact that the Wild was able to take the ice at all against Ottawa, let alone play a relatively physical game, is thanks to the Wild staff, who put in extra time making sure that the team had the materials to play.
- Martin Havlat. True, the goal that extended Havlat's points streak was an accidental deflection off of his angle, but Havlat was playing well, in spite of having lost much of his gear. His shot after getting tripped almost went in, and shows that he is finding his game.
- Clayton Stoner. Playing in only his second NHL game, Stoner clocked a lot of ice time, scored his first NHL point by assisting on Havlat's goal, and was a strong defensive presence all game.

Game minuses:
- Adversity. Not only were the Wild playing their 21st game (out of 35) on the road, and not only did they have to deal with randomized gear for the most part, but they also got hit with a flu bug, shortening the bench even further. For all intents and purposes, the Wild only had 10 forwards for the game, and it showed by the end.
- Niklas Backstrom. It was easy to see that Backstrom was not himself, and he didn't really look like himself all game. Chalk it up to the difficulties of the past 24 hours, and not having gear he was familiar with. Still, why not give Anton Khudobin a shot in a game against a non-conference opponent, when it's more important to get on the ice and play than it is to put together a perfect contest?
- Power plays. The best way to overcome adversity is to embrace every advantage given. The Wild were given plenty, thanks to Ottawa marching to the penalty box. Unfortunately, the Wild power play was completely disjointed, and couldn't often connect on a pass, let alone get a shot towards the goal.

Next up: The Wild return home, and hopefully return to a better sense of self, as they face the Colorado Avalanche.