Part 1 of the Minnesota Wild Fans Speak series explained what fans can expect this year with the team looking to build on last year’s strong finish and ensure a challenging off-season. In Part 2 we will look at the team’s top prospects and what they can contribute to the team in year two. Let’s hope for the best, but don’t count out Minnesota as an option to capture a Wild Card spot come to the end of the season.
The Wild has proven it can be a handful to beat, especially when injuries strike and injuries occur to key players. Last year in particular had a number of injuries to key players and the Wild never found a way to overcome the adversity. With a roster full of All-Stars caliber players and an incredible group of young talent the Wild has high hopes to make a deep run through the playoffs, even making it to the Eastern Conference finals. This is a team that looks like it will be ready to take the hockey world by storm this season.
Right now the Wild has plenty of stars and some very reliable depth. The team has a number one center in Minchin, which is fresh off a fantastic breakout campaign in the playoffs, and a number two center, which is developing into a very good second-line center, that also has a number of goals in him. Also, there are some solid third-line options such as Chris Stewart and Marco Scandur that will play some minutes as well. But you have to wonder if they are enough. Can Minnesota Wild fans start to see the light at the end of the tunnel and do what they need to do to take the team to the promised land?
That’s a question that Minnesota Wild fans have been asking all year long and the answer is that it appears that it might just be time to let go of the season by way of trade away. Yes, the Wild has been a trendy pick to make a deep run through the playoffs and into the finals and to do that they need to continue to play at an elite level, just like they have been doing lately. But that does not mean that the Wild can’t catch people underneath them and send them to the Flyers or Flames and other bad teams. So, is it time to bring in more talent or to send some players away?
Well, one would have to say that it’s not really time. Even if the Wild has a superstar player on their team, like Ryan Whitney, who has been hot and cold in recent weeks, there are only so many times a player can go hot and then come back down right away. It seems that there is a new trend with this player though, and he’s been bringing it every time. With six goals in his last eight games, Ryan Whitney is really starting to turn things around for the Wild. He has been a difference-maker and he deserves credit for that.
Now, is it possible that the Wild can win the Stanley Cup this season? This would obviously be great for the Wild fans, but would it be good for the hockey business in Minnesota? I’m not sure that Minnesota fans speak highly enough of their team, because they’ve obviously been waiting for this moment for a long time.
The Wild are just playing out the string at this point, and that may very well be exactly what’s going to happen. They’ve shown promise in the past, but they’ve never been able to turn those good ideas into winning performances. Maybe this season is the year that they finally get it done. If that happens, it will be one of the biggest surprises of the season. All of the sudden, the Wild looks like a team that could possibly be a legitimate contender in the league.
Is this a team that can be compared to the Chicago or Dallas Stars of the NHL? It’s certainly not a comparison that should be made lightly, as those two franchises have been consistent contenders for over a decade now. However, the Wild seem to have an identity, and that’s something that is missing from some of the lesser-known leagues around the league. Minnesota Wild fans speak very highly of their team, and that certainly will be a huge factor in this season. The rest of the league will begin to take notice of what is going on in Minnesota if this group of Wild players can carry their success into the playoffs.
