Minnesota Wild: Line Combinations, Season Projections

The Minnesota Wild will begin their season Thursday night at the Xcel Energy Center against the Colorado Avalanche. With the Minnesota Twins failing (miserably) to qualify for the playoffs and both the Minnesota Vikings and Minnesota Timberwolves expected to follow their lead, the Wild is (likely) the state’s only hope this year.

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Now that the NHL preseason is in the books, here is a look at what the Wild’s line combinations will likely look like on Thursday:

Offense:

1st: Zach Parise – Mikael Granlund – Jason Pominville

2nd: Matt Cooke – Mikko Koivu – Thomas Vanek

3rd: Nino Niederreiter – Erik Haula – Charlie Coyle

4th: Jason Zucker – Kyle Brodziak – Ryan Carter

There are not a whole lot of surprises here. Cooke over Niederreiter or Coyle on the second line is the only selection worthy of skepticism, in my opinion. Russo explains head coach Mike Yeo‘s thinking in his blog. Also, for those who missed it, Carter was signed by the Wild yesterday. He most recently played for the New Jersey Devils.

Defensive Pairings:

1st: Ryan Suter – Jonas Brodin

2nd: Marco Scandella – Jared Spurgeon

3rd: Mathew Dumba – Christian Folin

4th: Keith Ballard – Nate Prosser 

The Wild’s first defensive pairing was a near-certainty. As for the third line, however, the Wild will go with two youngsters in Dumba and Folin. While both players earned a spot, it is a bit strange that Yeo would opt to pair Dumba and Folin together. Time will tell if going with chemistry over the veteran-youngster combination is the right move.

Goalies:

Niklas Backstrom, Darcy Kuemper (Platoon)

Yeo has stated that all three Wild net minders will have an opportunity to earn the role of definitive starter. For now, however, it appears as if Backstrom and Kuemper will begin the season in platoon roles. It would not shock me if Yeo opts to go with the veteran Backstrom against the Avalanche Thursday night, but again, only time will tell.

Injured Reserve:

G Josh Harding, F Justin Fontaine

Upon return, Harding will vie with Backstrom and Kuemper for the starting goalie role. Until then, he will remain apart of the roster as a member of the injured reserve list. Fontaine, who had his spot filled by Carter, will (likely) regain his spot on the 4th line when he is returns from injury. However, if Carter happens to exceed expectations, this situation could become a (positive) issue.

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Projections:

With every new season comes optimism. Some teams and their respective fans will be more optimistic than others. In the case of the Wild, optimism and expectations will be high. My projections for the Wild’s season reflects these expectations.

Goals Leader: Vanek

While Parise is certainly capable of scoring a lot of goals, Vanek is the purest scorer in the Wild lineup. I project him to score somewhere between 30 and 40 goals on the Wild’s second line, with Parise and Pominville right on his heels.

Assist Leader: Granlund

Playing with Parise and Pominville should give Granlund plenty of opportunities to score, but even more opportunities for assists. A full season of (2013-2014) second-half Granlund should yield plenty of assists. A case could also be made for Koivu here, the team leader in assists last season.

Points Leader: Parise

As previously stated, I believe Parise will challenge Vanek for the team lead in goals scored. With that said, I believe Parise will tally more assists, giving him the edge in total points.

Bold Prediction: Vanek, Parise, Pominville, Niederreiter and Granlund will all score 20-plus goals.

Vanek, Parise and Pominville have already reached the 20-goal mark on a consistent basis throughout their careers. Niederreiter and Granlund both have shown an ability to find the back of the net and should only improve this season. Outside chance Coyle reaches the 20-goal plateau as well.

Team Record: 49-23-10 (108 points); second in the Central Division, fourth in the Western Conference.

As a whole, the Wild will be a better team in 2014-2015 than it was in 2013-2014. Younger players such as Granlund, Niederreiter, Coyle and Haula should only improve with age and the veterans should remain consistent. The addition of Vanek gives the Wild a pure scorer, something the team desperately needed last season. I expect the Wild to win a couple more games in overtime and a handful more games in regulation, leading to the above stated record.