To go along with our '30 in 30' off-season feature, we'll be asking a blogger from each team some of the burning questions surrounding their club this summer.
RLD: 1. How would you grade Todd Richards' and Chuck Fletcher's first year as coach and GM, respectively?
Bryan Reynolds: We just did a run down of each player, position and the team as a whole, so this is a fresh question. I gave the on-ice product an F, and the front office an A. Chuck Fletcher showed he was willing to make changes to the roster, that no one is sacred, and that if a player gets hurt, he will be replaced. Trading Benoit Pouliot for Guillaume Latendresse was a master stroke, cementing Fletcher's place in good standing with Wild fans. Several attempts to replace injured players ended up with the replacement player simply getting hurt as well. Pierre-Marc Bouchard got hurt, Fletcher brought in Chuck Kobasew. Kobasew got hurt, Fletcher brought in Andrew Ebbett. Ebbett ended up hurt, and finally Fletcher stood pat and brought up some replacements from the AHL. All it would have taken is for a little bit of good luck to kick in and any one of these guys to stay healthy, and Fletcher would have looked like a genius.
To be sure, the fact that Fletcher has not traded away draft picks at will, and the fact that he actually added a second round pick by trading Eric Belanger at the deadline, makes him better than the old regime. Fletcher also brought up players from Houston to give them a chance and see what they have. With the pending free agency period looming, I would be surprised if many of the AHL UFA’s are re-signed. No one made a splash, and Fletcher is going to stock Houston with new talent.
As for Richards, he never got the players to quite do what he was asking. Whether if that is his fault, or the fault of a lack of talent is yet to be seen. The run through December certainly made it look like they understood the system and they were going to be a tough team to beat. Add more injuries, and what looked like players giving up, and Richards lost the team for the playoff run. The team just could not grasp the two-forechecker system, and the shots on goal numbers were terrible. The defensemen were caught pinching at the wrong moment too many times, and that led to record numbers of odd man breaks the other way. The power play was anemic at best, even strength hockey was laughable. All in all, Richards had a rough year. It will certainly be interesting to see how he responds, and who Fletcher adds to fit in the system.
RLD: 2. Is this team a forward or two away from returning to the playoffs, or more than that?
BR: Returning to the playoffs, yes. Being a true contender, no. The Wild have a 36-year-old on one side of the top line, and a 42-point scorer on the other. That does not even begin to compare to the top two lines on teams like the Sharks and Blackhawks. Adding a true top line wing would make them a playoff team. Adding a #2 center, and two top line wings would make them contenders. Looking at the free agent class, adding those pieces will need to be done from in-house, or by trade.
One interesting note is that the Cam Barker trade with Chicago was supposed to be a bigger deal, and the talk is that it included Patrick Sharp. If that deal is still on the table, the Wild could use him desperately on the second line, and he would immediately make them a better team. There was no word on what the Wild would have sent back, but Chicago is in big time cap trouble, so it would likely need to be prospects.
RLD: 3. Do you feel Guillaume Latendresse can repeat his breakout season?
BR: I do. Derek Zona of SBN's From the Rink (www.fromtherink.com) does not. Latendresse certainly looked like a man possessed once coming over to Minnesota. He was moved up to the second line with Marty Havlat, and that combination worked well. Latendresse is the first prototypical power forward the Wild have ever had. He is not afraid to shoot the puck, and finds a way to be in the right place at the right time. His shooting percentage of 18.8% is pretty high, so it likely comes back to earth a bit next season. But if the Wild can add a true #2 center, there is no reason to believe Latendresse cannot repeat his performance, or even better it. I would guess he scores 30+ goals next season. If they add a true #2 center like Sharp, that number could approach 40.
Another option would be to test out Latendresse on a line with Mikko Koivu; but Latendresse is not the fastest guy on skates, and could put too much of a defensive weight on Koivu.
RLD: 4. Will former 1st round picks James Sheppard or Brent Burns ever live up to the hype?
BR: James Sheppard is a laughing stock in Minnesota. A #9 pick in 2006, he has never, even for a game or two, lived up to that draft position. With upwards of a dozen better players drafted after him, Sheppard has always been handed his spot on the roster. (Ex-GM) Doug Risebrough blew any chance of sending him to Houston by playing him one too many games in the 2008-09 season, and passed on several trades because the other side wanted Sheppard in return. The new administration has made it clear to Sheppard that his days are numbered, and if he cannot find a higher gear, and soon, he likely is traded or hits the waiver wire. Does he ever live up to the hype? No way.
Brent Burns is a different story, and yet is the same story line. Burns has had some concussion issues that stole this season from him. The previous season, Risebrough and Lemaire conspired to move Burns to wing to cover injures, rather than make a trade or call someone up. This destroyed his confidence in his defensive ability, confused him on where he was supposed to be on the ice, and stole yet another season from him. This season, he had a new system to adapt to, and struggled to do so. He pinched too often, and the concussion issues have put a fear of the physical game into him. He used to be able to line up the big hit, play responsible defense, and add just a touch of offense. With his role being switched on him altogether too often and the injuries, he has some psychological issues to overcome now. If he can stay healthy, and can overcome the mind games, he can still be a top-flight defenseman. If he can't, then he goes on the heap of overpaid offensive-minded defensemen who are a liability to their team.
RLD: 5. Which prospects have the best chance at cracking the lineup next season?
BR: Clayton Stoner signed his first one way deal toward the end of the season, so he is the obvious choice. They signed him to a deal despite having John Scott sitting in the press box most of the season. Center Cody Almond is likely the first call up, as he continues to shine in the AHL. Almond has not been given much of a chance to show what he can do in the NHL, being given two minutes and four minutes of TOI in his call ups this season. If Josh Harding is traded, which is very likely, Anton Khudobin will be Niklas Backstrom's back-up, with prospect Matthew Hackett taking over in Houston.
Several top prospects are making the jump from juniors to Houston next season, including Tyler Cuma and Marco Scandella. Either of them could earn a chance if they play well and there is a need for them. Coloton Gilles is always an option, but Fletcher and his staff are skeptical about what role he could possibly play. Rather than the scoring power forward he was drafted to be, his career path now looks to be more of an energy guy playing as a solid checking line wing.
The prospects for the Wild are not a source of pride. Rated dead last by The Hockey News in the Future Watch issue, the Wild did not have a single prospect in the top 50. So, while some of the guys listed above will likely get their chance, their learning curve is steep, because Fletcher is going to want to get his own draft picks through the system as quickly as possible.
We thank Bryan for taking time out to answer these burning questions in Minnesota! You can catch his work over at SB Nation's Hockey Wilderness, and I recommend following him on Twitter as well.
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