MINNESOTA WILD
Recent reports from Minnesota include much talk of long-term growth, building from within and not using last year as a yardstick. The architects of the Wild are obviously trying to temper any false hopes raised by the magical playoff ride of 2003.
For all the dramatic goals, brisk counterattacks and patented Jacques Lemaire-style discipline they displayed last spring, the Wild remain an incomplete team in need of more scoring. After a quiet summer, the lineup should look much last year’s, although the hope is that a prospect or two can move in and continue the franchise evolution.
The low-scoring Wild cannot do without Marion Gaborik or Pascal Dupuis, who combined for 50 goals last season. But for now both are at home, awaiting contract offers to their liking. Gaborik is a star, but hardly a finished product – he slumped badly in the second half last year. Young players who skip training camp often end up misplacing their game for several months, so lengthy contract disputes involving Gaborik and Dupuis could derail Minnesota’s entire season.
The long-term plan is undoubtedly on track, with Pierre-Marc Bouchard, Willie Mitchell, Nick Schultz and others making impressive strides. But the current team will keep climbing only if it retains an opportunistic scoring touch and continues to find untapped reserves in veteran cast-offs like Brad Bombardir and Richard Park.
Trouble: In New Jersey, Jacques Lemaire’s team won the 1995 Stanley Cup, missed the playoffs the following year and played him out of a job two years after that. His regimented approach to coaching hockey is apparently hard to sustain.
On the Spot: Can Gaborik manage three straight 30-goal seasons by the age of 22? It could be a stretch, but the Wild are counting on it, especially if they give him a hearty raise.
The Forecast: Having exhausted the role of underdog and earned everyone’s respect, the Wild will no longer catch opponents off-guard.
The Call: 11th in the Western Conference.
Who's In: Left winger Chris Bala (trade from Ottawa)
Center Marc Chouinard (free agent from Anaheim)
Who's Out: Defenseman Curtis Murphy (trade to Nashville)
Defenseman Lubomir Sekeras (unsigned free agent)
Center Cliff Ronning (unsigned free agent)
2002-03 Regular Season Numbers:
Payroll:
$20,491,250, 30th overall
(Hockey News, November 15/02. Bonuses not included.)
- Record: 42-29-10-1 for 95 points
- At home: 25-13-3-0
- On the road: 17-16-7-1
- Finish: Tied for 10th overall, tied for 6th in the Western Conference, 3rd in the Northwest Division.
- Goals for: 198 (2.41 per game), 24th overall.
- Goals against: 178 (2.17 per game), 4th overall.
- Goal differential: Plus-20, 10th overall.
- Power play: 14.2 percent, 23rd overall.
- Penalty kill: 86 percent, 4th overall.
Goaltending:
- Dwayne Roloson, 50-23-16-8, 2.00 GAA, .927 SV PCT, 4 SO.
- Manny Fernandez, 35-19-13-2, 2.24 GAA, .924 SV PCT, 2 SO.
Leaders:
- Scoring: Winger Marion Gaborik, 81-30-35-65.
- Power play points: Winger Andrew Brunette, 82-9-15-24.
- Game-winning goals: Marion Gaborik, 8.
- Ice time: Defenseman Filip Kuba, 23:55 per game.
- Plus/minus: Winger Pascal Dupuis, plus-17.
2002-03 Playoff Numbers:
- Round One: Defeated Colorado 4-3
- Round Two: Defeated Vancouver 4-3
- Round Three: Lost to Anaheim 4-0
Goaltending:
- Dwayne Roloson, 11-5-6, 2.59 GAA, .903 SV PCT, 0 SO.
- Manny Fernandez, 9-3-4, 1.96 GAA, .929 SV PCT, 0 SO.
Leaders:
- Scoring: Winger Marion Gaborik, 18-9-8-17.
- Power play points: Center Sergei Zholtok, 18-1-9-10.
- Game-winning goals: Center Wes Walz, 2.
- Ice time: Defenseman Filip Kuba, 26:45 per game.
- Plus/minus: Three tied at plus-5.
