Outlook is perplexing...no faith in 'system'?

Usually going into a season, I have a pretty good handle on how the season will play out. Of course, the NHL season can be quirky with injury's, but minus the games lost due to the IR factor, I can normally see things clearly. Unfortunately, I don't have a clue going into this season. The puck finally drops tonight for our Minnesota Wild and I have no idea how this team will finish and am at a loss, as I don't know what to think or believe about this current team. I do believe that even with the roster shakeup and the departure of the teams one true star, Minnesota Wild GM Chuck Fletcher found a way to improve his team this off-season. But I am not so sure that I have faith in the 'system' that new head coach Todd Richards is preaching...because I still don't think that the team has enough fire-power.

The hole filled by Fletcher when he added Martin Havlat was an outstanding plug to find. He will be the player that make fans forget about our previous noodle-groin scorer Marian Gaborik...but only if he stays healthy himself. We have been through the 'scorer is scratched' ringer, and it would be nice to see a full season from our go-to guy. But if you look at a 4-season comparison in games played, Havlat has missed more games (138 missed) over that time period compared to Gaborik (121). The good news is that the most recent season was spectacular for our new go-to guy, as he recorded 77 points in 81 games last season, and all signs point to him continuing that success. But even though I believe that adding Havlat was huge, the real find for Fletcher may turn out to be the addition of Petr Sykora. It's not every day that you can get what should be a 50 points producer into camp on a 'try-out' basis.

One of the strong zones that has been pretty constant throughout the Wild's short existence has been the D-zone and with it, very solid goaltending. In fact, the goaltenders that the Wild usually roll out have usually been a top goaltending duo in the league. And our current #1 guy, Niklas Backstrom, is coming off a stellar season. Not only did Backstrom set franchise records for wins (37) and shutouts (8), he was the only goaltender in the league to place in the top 5 in shutouts, GAA (2.33), save % (.924), and wins. Now with that said, the great Wild debate in the past has been whether or not the goaltenders in particular, were the benefactor of a 'defensive system' that was instilled by our former coach Jacques Lemaire or did the Wild always get it right when acquiring goalies. We should get our answer this season. Even if Backstrom seems to be having an off-year, waiting on the bench is Josh Harding, who is seen as a starter by many in this league. So this team does have able and competent players between the pipes but it is yet to be seen what effect the 'system' will have on their games.

On the blue-line, the one thing I do find refreshing is that defense will be leaned on more heavily for offensive production and will be expected to be in the play in the offensive zone. This is something that has always been a thorn in the side of the old regime, but the outcome of holding our D back had always been a solid D-zone. With this new system, I would expect more production from a guy like Brent Bruns, who should have a great season, but will also not be surprised by the teams increase in goals against. I would also expect Nick Schultz to continue his defensive style, and really don't know what to think about our new guys, Greg Zanon and Shane Hnidy, as they both have not been offensive-defensman in the past and would expect them to be hopefully solid shut-down guys.

I would agree with most observers that, for the most part, this team has improved this off-season. However, there is one glaring area that has haunted this team for several seasons and was not addressed by our new management...the lack of scoring centers. The fact that the team was still experimenting with Pierre-Marc Bouchard at this position tells a lot. The team did add Kyle Brodziak (from St. Paul....Alberta), who is a solid two-way player, but other than Mikko Koivu, the team does not have a good scoring center.

I am more confused now than when I started this post. If you were one of the few that waded through this, you can probably tell that this is a mess start to finish, which scares me. Because I cannot get a handle on this team, the only conclusion I can come up with as to why that is may be because of our new 'system'. I love offense and scoring as much as the next fan, but one of the comforts I had with Lemaire was the fact that the team almost always played great defensive hockey. And for a group of players who were not the most gifted scorers, which is what the Wild have had in seasons past, that was a real blessing. From day one, the Wild have never been a slouch in the D-zone and that carried them to many wins.

And from what I see from this current team...not a a lot of gifted scorers.

Harding signs, along with others...

The Minnesota Wild re-inked their backup, and possible trade-bait netminder, to a one year contract, thus avoiding the arbitration hearing that was to take place today in Toronto. A good move, although I am not sure what motivated the two parties to sign on the dotted line, as I would assume all pertinent individuals were already in Canada anticipating the hearing. Nonetheless, for the time being, Josh Harding remains the property of the Wild.

There have been a big handful of small moves made by Fletcher during his short tenure with the Wild. But so far most of the moves have been of the very low level variety. Other than the signing of Martin Havlat, which was a forced move brought on by Gaborik landing with the Rangers, there has been really nothing of substance for the immediate future (just imagine what the masses would have been saying had Fletcher not found a replacement for Gaborik). The Houston Aeros will be the beneficiary of most of the moves made, which leaves the big league club still void of a top-tier center. It's almost a re-run from seasons past...scouring all of the usual credible places looking for rumors and tidbits, only to find that the Wild are seldom mentioned.

A great day to be a spectator

I love spectator sports, even ones that I am not all that attached to. Today's sport was brought to me by the old AM radio, which delivered the news that black Wednesday had arrived in Viking land...the day that set the fate of the upcoming season, depending on who you listened to. Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed that backlash that was left in the wake of one player that was seen as the teams savior, as he decided that for the time being, he would rather remain in Mississippi than join the purple in Mankato. What joy I took in listening to the clowns at KFAN as they simmered, pouted, and acted worse than a 2 year old who wanted to play rather than take a nap. My favorite came from Charch, who went on a 5 minute rant that was baseless and downright weird. But not to be outdone was the head clown Allen, who did his usual and standard back-peddling, trying to convince himself that the sun will rise again tomorrow.

Remember Vikings fans, you will be able to look back yet again, and be calmed by the thought that your favorite team was only one player away...

Let the speculation begin

As if playing out the final year of a contract is not enough to fuel speculation that a certain possible UFA All-Star goaltender may be put up on the auction block, throw into the mix a performance like the one put on by our backup goaltender, and you might as well cozy up to your computer with your favorite beverage because the rumors will be starting to fly.

I was asked by a co-worker about Minnesota Wild backup goaltender Josh Harding and admittedly, I did not know what to say. It's not as if we have been given a chance to evaluate his play that much, as he has only appeared in 14 games this season. And that is how it goes for a seldom used player. But might we have a hidden gem waiting too emerge? It certainly may look like we do, if his performance in last nights 2-1 victory over the Chicago Black Hawks is any indication of what we have missed and/or are missing. It's too bad that we have not had the chance to see Harding more this season, although it's hard to argue the goaltender rotation with the numbers starter Niklas Backstrom has put up.

With a career high 44 saves, Harding was simply unbelievable in the nets for the Wild. He not only made the 'tough' saves that he had to, he came up with some impossible stops as well. Included in that bunch were several back-door plays that were set-up perfectly by the Hawks, only to see our gem coming away with the puck. It might have been only the second win (in 9 starts) of the season for Harding, but it looked to me like we had a guy in the goal who was on pace to win 48 games, which is the record for wins in a season (Martin Brodeur 2006-07).

It was really something too see...and if it were not for a great game by Harding, I am afraid we would all be talking today about how our Wild were incapable of winning back-to-back games. But instead, Harding stood on his head and stole 2 much needed road points. The game was lopsided from the get-go, as Chicago pummeled the Wild net with 45 shots and nearly doubled-up the Wild in shot totals for the game. Minnesota did find a way to mount a come-back after falling behind 1-0 in the 2nd period, but as soon as the Wild gained a 2-1 lead early in the 3rd, the Black Hawks had their way again as they looked to even-up the score. Fortunately for the Wild, they had Harding to shut the door.

So, get ready for the rumors on when and where Backstrom may be headed now that NHL and Wild fans have seen something in Harding. But keep in mind before you start one yourself, that our gem has only played in 53 career games in a span of only 4 seasons. Yes it would be nice to know a bit more about our backup's capabilities, but I am afraid we will have to settle for what we just saw, which was pretty darn awesome.

And before I forget, you can all applaud now.

Trade Our All-Star?

I have come across an increasingly number of pieces written on a subject that, at first glance, seems absolutely ridiculous to me...and that is for a call to trade goaltender Niklas Backstrom. I guess trading an All-Star player is not a new concept as even The Great One was traded a few times in his career. But for some reason from the get-go, I cannot grasp this idea and imagine unloading one of the teams few big assets, let alone one that was our single representative and just participated in his first All-Star game. And when assessing the play of our team so far this season, a team that is going to be fighting to the end to make the playoffs, the one true consistent bright-spot has been the solid play in our defensive zone. And Backstrom can take a ton of credit for that as he has been simply brilliant.

But the cases I have seen have put up some pretty good arguments for making a deal. First however, I would like to discount one that has been bothering me for some time now. The Lemaire 'system', as it's called, has given credence to the idea that you can plug anyone into the net and get the same stifling results, or so it has been uttered. I cannot disagree more with this notion. It really gives zero credit to Backstrom or the solid goaltenders that have graced our young franchise. A quick look will show you that, yes indeed, our Wild have had pretty good goaltending from the beginning. In fact, our Wild have had league-leading goaltending at times. However, upon further review, the fact is our past goaltenders have seen success beyond the 'system'. And lets face it, all teams play the same or a different variety of the 'system' (a blog for a later time).

It started with Manny Fernendez, who has yet to convince me that he is a legitimate season-long #1 guy, then was bulked-up by the addition of Dwayne Roloson a few years later. The Fernandez-Roloson duo peaked when they carried the team to the 2003 Western Conference Finals. Enter Niklas Backstrom. The Backstrom-Fernandez team compiled a league leading 2.24 GAA combined, while virtually splitting the season in half. Fernandez, after having some lost time due to a knee injury, is having a very solid season in Boston, going 14-3-1. Roloson has had a decent career after leaving the Wild, playing on a mostly ordinary Edmonton Oilers team. His play in the 2006 playoffs, where he went 12-5, carried the Oilers to the finals before they eventually lost to the Carolina Hurricanes. So, looking at what has come and gone in nets for the Wild, it seems to me that the two main players have recorded some very decent numbers since their departures. And other than the three above mentioned netminders, the team has not inserted another goalie of any significance. But according to these 'trade Backstrom' pieces, waiting in the wings is that guy of 'significance' and what folks think is the 'plug-in guy', Josh Harding.

The argument takes shape and make sense to me when you address the issue of why we sit, yet again, with a premier player being allowed to play out the final year of a contract. In other words, General Manager Doug Risebrough has waited too long to get Backstrom signed. Our GM fumbled with Gaborik and now it looks as if he has painted himself into a corner with Backstrom. Some think that the price, now that his All-Star status has been solidified, will be too much for the Wild to take on (something I question). So the obvious thing for Risebrough to do to gain some credibility back would be to unload him while the price is high. The problem I have with that notion is that Doug's track record with the Wild has not been too good when it comes to making an NHL trading deadline move.

The question that has to be addressed before a deal is made however, is whether or not the team feels Josh Harding is a capable goaltender. After all, the team is still in the race for a playoff spot and without good goaltending, teams seldom go deep into the post-season. I don't care who the Wild pick up on the scoring end in a Backstrom trade (assuming they go after points), it is not going to out-weigh bad goaltending. So far this season Harding has only seen action in 10 games, starting 7, and has 1-5-1 record. His two key goaltender numbers are good, as he has a 2.17 GAA and a .929 SV%. But only starting 7 games is hardly a comfort, especially for a player who would be expected to backstop the defense. On the career side, Hardings experience is not much deeper. He has started a total of 39 NHL games over the past 4 seasons, and holds a record of 17-23-0-4. For his career, he has a 2.53 GAA and a .929 SV%. Unfortunately he should be considered an unknown, with his lack of experience, and one that cannot be looked to steal games as Backstrom has done so far this season...at least as far as we know.

There are a few wild-card factors that should be mentioned when discussing a possible Backstrom trade. First off, Backstrom seems to enjoy his team and has stated publicly that he would like to stay. Whether or not that desire would equate to him taking that 'home-town' discount, who knows. Even though he is only in his 3rd NHL season, he is not young by league standards, as he has plenty of professional experience in Europe and may be at a point in his career where he wants to stay put. The second factor could throw this whole idea into a spin and is not likely, but the Wild could swap goaltenders in a deal. The decision to make a move such as this would be strictly a financial one and would probably be geared for the future. The final factor would be to abandoned any notion of a playoff run this season and mold a deal that would be solely for the future. And truth be told, any one of these factors could play out as this management team is hard to figure out. But short of keeping Backstrom or dealing him for some proven players, our faithful fans will be outraged and vocal.

In the end, I really don't know what the best move might be. On one hand you have a proven asset that if traded, would command a lot in return. On the other hand, I am not sure that Risebrough has it in him to pull the trigger on a big deal. What's left is absolutely the unthinkable, and that would be to let him walk at seasons end.