The sold-out crowds and ever-rising decibel levels at the Xcel Energy Center were enough to show that hockey was definitely back in Minnesota last season. The expansion Wild finished out of the NHL cellar and held a winning record on home ice. But lost amid the excitement was a major scoring problem -- Minnesota finished last in the league in goals scored. GM Doug Risebrough tried to spark the Wild attack by signing free agents Andrew Brunette and Sergei Zholtok in the offseason. Will Minnesota start lighting the lamp in 2001-02?
Here are your thoughts on what Minnesota needs for next season:
Newcomers should bolster scoring
I think they will be a tremendous team this season. They had a great draft and the draftees who are in camp will put pressure on the other guys to step up even more. Last year, the major problem was scoring. This year should be much better with the addition of Andrew Brunette. On the power play, Brunette should be a tremendous setup man for Marian Gaborik. The scoring should go up and the goals allowed will continue to stay low. The Wild's goaltending is in great shape and the defense is as well. I'm looking forward to a great season with more wins than last year and maybe even a push for a playoff spot. The hockey season just can't come fast enough.
Dan
Sartell, Minn
There's no 'I' on Lemaire's team, but W's might be on the way
Once again, Jacques Lemaire proves that you can win with no talent, provided that you play the most boring, unenergetic brand of hockey possible. So as long as the players give up all ambitions of creativity and individual accomplishment, I see no reason why the Wild shouldn't win like the Devils used to under Lemaire.
Jonathan
Croton, N.Y.
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The Wild are not supposed to make the playoffs next year, but who says they can't? ” |
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— Rick, Buffalo, N.Y. |
Top pick key for Wild
As much as I'd like to see the Wild win a lot of games,
they'd be better off finishing badly to acquire a top draft pick.
In the long run, they did themselves a disservice last
season by doing as well as they did since they were
unable to draft in the top five. Losing guys like Curtis Leschyshyn,
Sean O'Donnell and especially Scott Pellerin for the full season
will hurt, but they'll have Jason Marshall, Willie Mitchell, Sergei Zholtok,
and Andrew Brunette to make up for it. With the defensive
system they play under a great coach, it
will be much of the same in Minnesota this year. Few goals overall.
Josh
Champlin, Minn.
Personnel fits into Lemaire's strategy
The Minnesota Wild may not make the playoffs next year, but they will give teams problems. They will work hard and improve on their record from last year. They will be better with the additions of Andrew Brunette and Sergei Zholtok. Their defense will be tough with Brad Brown and Jason Marshall replacing Curtis Leschyshyn and Sean O'Donnell. The Wild are not supposed to make the playoffs next year, but who says they can't? Under Jacques Lemaire's trap, anything can happen. The Wild have a depth in goal with Manny Fernandez, Jamie McLennan and Dwayne Roloson. They will also have Marian Gaborik back for his sophomore season. Gaboik will likely score 20-25 goals next year.
Rick
Buffalo, N.Y.
Defense is right direction for young team
The biggest advantage this team has is behind the bench. Last year they were lacking a physical defenseman not named Andy Sutton, and adding Brad Brown and Jason Marshall should help out a lot. Offensive players need three to six to years to develop, so barring any pleasant surprises, it'll be a while before the Wild can boast a 30-goal scorer. Even with the poor record, it was a whole lot more fun watching this team play than the 1986-87 North Stars. Losing 2-1 or 1-0 hurts, but that's not as bad as 5-2 and 6-3. And Wes Walz has to be the best at breakaways in the NHL.
B.J.
Minneapolis
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Unfortunately for the Wild, the offseason held nothing of importance that would lead me to believe they would improve from last year. ” |
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— Andrew, Airdrie, Alberta |
Team's attitude applauded
I'm not one to cheer for a team just because they happen to be local, but the Wild won me over almost immediately. Despite a lack of scoring talent, the team adopted a defensive style and stuck with it. They avoided dumb penalties, played hard every game and subsequently were more competitive than most of us expected. If I weren't optimistic about the coming season, I'd even say that they "overachieved." The hockey "fans" in Pittsburgh can whine about "The Trap" all they want. In Minnesota, we appreciate strategy, teamwork and discipline.
Voronore
Shoreview, Minn.
Wild will go nowhere without improved 'D'
Improvement this season would be very hard for the Minnesota Wild. Last year the whole team overachieved, mainly due to superior coaching. Unfortunately for the Wild, the offseason held nothing of importance that would lead me to believe they would improve from last year. They do have a good goaltender in Manny Fernandez, which is the main reason why they will still be competitive and most likely be just as good as last year. But in order for the Wild to make significant improvement, their defensive core will have to be upgraded. As history has shown us, defense wins hockey games -- a lot of hockey games.
Andrew
Airdrie, Alberta
Making up for Pellerin loss is key
Trading away Scott Pellerin was a mistake. Not re-signing him when the season was over was a bigger one. But I think that the Wild will be more competitive than they were last season. Marian Gaborik will continue to get better and he's only 19 years old. The defense and goaltending will continue to shine, and adding Andrew Brunette on offense will help with the goal scoring. I'm optimistic for next season.
Andy
Minneapolis
