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.

Big surprise...Sykora signed

Here's the release...

For Immediate Release
Thursday, Sept. 17, 2009

MINNESOTA WILD SIGNS FORWARD PETR SYKORA TO A CONTRACT

SAINT PAUL/MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – Minnesota Wild General Manager Chuck Fletcher today announced the National Hockey League (NHL) club signed forward Petr Sykora (PEE-tuhr, sih-KOH-ra) to a one-year contract.

Sykora, 32 (11/19/76), completed his 14th NHL season in 2008-09, ranked fourth on the Pittsburgh Penguins in scoring posting 46 points (25-21=46) in 76 games. He led the club and ranked tied for third in the NHL with 10 game-winning goals. Sykora netted his 300th NHL goal April 7 in Tampa Bay. He added one assist in seven playoff games as the Penguins claimed the Stanley Cup. Sykora has reached five Stanley Cup finals, including two titles.

Sykora was the Penguins’ fourth-leading scorer in 2007-08, recording 63 points (28-35=63) in 81 regular season games and nine points (6-3=9) in 20 playoff games as the Penguins advanced to the Stanley Cup finals. The 6-foot, 190-pound native of Plzen, Czech Republic, has 674 points (300-374=674) in 921 regular season NHL games, and 69 points (32-37=69) in 115 playoff games. Sykora was New Jersey’s first-round pick (No. 15 overall) in the 1995 NHL Entry Draft. He represented the Czech Republic at the 2004 Olympics, and played for the Czech Republic in three World Championships (1998, 1999, 2005), two World Cups (1997 and 2005), and two World Junior Championships (1994, 1995).

Sykora will wear sweater #17 with Minnesota.

Great seats are still available for all Minnesota Wild home games including the Home Opener against the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday, Oct. 6 at 8:00 p.m.

-- WILD --

Follow the Minnesota Wild on Twitter and Facebook.

No big surprise here and as I blogged below, this is a good signing and should be a great fit. And also some nice strategy by Fletcher...who reportedly had offered $1 million earlier, according to Russo. The price was bound to go up from there but by playing a little coy was a good move and probably kept the price further down from the $2 million that Sykora reportedly was looking for. Russo reports that the contract is worth $1.6 million...

The big surprise in this release is that tickets for the home opener are still available...

Sykora on 'pro tryout'

In a twist involving a veteran player who was offered a contract by the Wild, has been invited to and has accepted to join the team on a 'pro tryout' basis. Petr Sykora, who has recorded 743 points in 1036 NHL games, will be joining the team later this week.

It had been reported for the past few weeks that the Wild were interested in signing the unrestricted free agent, and in fact recently offered him a contract, which was rejected by Sykora. Apparently now however, he has changed his mind about the Wild and will report in an effort to make the final roster.

This is a great move on three counts. First, Sykora would be a great addition to the Wild, who are in need of goal scorers. Last season he netted 46 points but is only two seasons removed from scoring 63, which was fourth best on a loaded Penguins team. Secondly, GM Chuck Fletcher played this one perfectly. He offered the deal, but it was rejected. Then after a change of heart by Sykora, Fletcher indicated to him that the Wild were still interested but in the process, did not give away the remaining cap space, instead extended the pro tryout invite. The ball was clearly in Sykora's court at that point, with Fletcher holding all of the cards. And finally, this is another type of player similar to what the Wild were rumored to be trying to sign earlier, one that will have value to a contending team come trade deadline time.

It would be a shocker at this point if Sykora does not sign...the question now is how much Fletcher is willing to give up.

Concessions change

On a non-important note...the Xcel Energy Center has changed the food and hospitality provider to manage the general concessions in addition to the Iron Range Grill. Some of you might have noticed the change, which actually made its debut for the No Doubt concert on July 5th. Chicago-based Levy Restaurants, the new multi-year partner with the X, will introduce a 'Taste of Hockey' experience, which will include menu enhancements, signature items, new digital menu signage.

Sticking with this theme...A Minneapolis-based digital signage provider, Wireless Ronin Technologies, has been contracted by the Minnesota Wild to provide digital menu boards throughout the arena. The company will install 89 of their RoninCast boards, which will be maintained by Levy and will allow for adjusted menu offerings and provide different options depending on the time of day or event. Wireless Ronin will provide the RoninCast software, custom software development, content development, networking, hosting and training.

Really now...just give me a Wild Dog and a beer!