Minnesota Wild - Challenges to Face

The Minnesota Wild qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season for the first time since 2008, but their return lasted five games, quickly ousted by the Chicago Blackhawks in the Western Conference Quarterfinals. With much of the roster returning this season, the Wild will aim to build off what they accomplished in 2012-13. Coach Mike Yeo, who celebrated his 40th birthday July 31, returns for a third season after guiding the team to a second-place finish (26-19-3) in the Northwest Division. Chuck Fletcher has been the general manager since May 2009 and replenished the prospect pool while the Wild endured their four-year playoff drought. This season will be a pivotal one for the Wild front office. After spending nearly $200 million on forward Zach Parise and defenseman Ryan Suter in July 2012, positive results are expected. "The new additions, the lack of training camp made it challenging in a lot of ways for us, but that first step of making the playoffs was big for us and getting that experience. Having that feeling of coming up short and taking that into next season, for sure, is going to be a good experience for us."

Because of realignment, the Wild have moved from the Northwest to the Central Division and will begin new rivalries against the Blackhawks, Winnipeg Jets, St. Louis Blues, Dallas Stars and Nashville Predators. The Colorado Avalanche, who were with Minnesota in the Northwest, also moved to the Central. Travel will be better for the Wild, who had to make frequent trips to western Canadian cities (Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton) while playing in the Northwest. The shorter commutes could help moving forward. Nobody could have expected the 10th pick in the 2011 NHL Draft to have the impact Jonas Brodin had in Minnesota last season, when the defenseman was so solid he joined Ryan Suter on the top pairing, led NHL rookies by averaging more than 23 minutes per game, and was named to the All-Rookie Team. By the time the playoffs rolled around, Brodin was playing nearly 29 minutes a night. Not too bad for someone who was the youngest defenseman in the League at age 19. A healthy Niklas Backstrom will go a long way in determining whether the Wild will make it back to the postseason. The 35-year-old, who went 24-15-3 with a 2.48 goals-against average and .909 save percentage last season, signed a three-year contract worth $10.25 million at the end of June that will keep him in Minnesota through 2015-16. Backstrom started 27 of the final 28 regular-season games, which may have played a role in the lower-body injury he suffered during warm-ups prior to Game 1 of the playoffs against Chicago. Backstrom, who underwent surgery to repair a sports hernia in May, will likely have to play more than 50 games if the Wild are going to make the playoffs.

Competing for the No. 2 center job with the Wild, Mikael Granlund started the 2012-13 NHL season with Minnesota but was demoted to Houston of the American Hockey League after producing one goal and five assists in 17 games. He returned to Minnesota on April 4 and had one goal and one assist in eight games. Clearly, more production will be needed if Granlund is going to start next season behind Mikko Koivu on the depth chart. There's no doubting the talent on Minnesota's blue line. Suter is one of the best defensemen on the planet, and Brodin was the best rookie blueliner in the League last season. But who will be the guy clearing the net? More will be expected in that department from 28-year-old Clayton Stoner, who certainly has the frame (6-foot-3, 218 pounds) to assume the role. Keith Ballard, who arrives after spending the past two seasons with the Vancouver Canucks, also will be expected to bring a physical game each night. Matthew Dumba, the club's first-round pick (No. 7) in 2012, can provide that should he make the club out of training camp. The 20-year-old Swiss wing, Nino Niederreiter, is coming off a somewhat tumultuous season after reports surfaced in January that he was seeking a trade from the New York Islanders when the team didn't invite him to training camp. The fifth pick at the 2010 NHL Draft, Niederreiter played in the NHL as an 18-year-old and had one goal in 55 games, though he spent much of that time on the fourth line alongside defensive-minded forwards Marty Reasoner and Jay Pandolfo. Niederreiter played well in Bridgeport of the AHL last season, finishing with 28 goals and 22 assists in 74 games. His production decreased in the second half; he had three goals between March 17 and the end of the season, a span of 15 games. Niederreiter, who was acquired at this year's draft in exchange for right wing Cal Clutterbuck and a third-round pick, could benefit from a change of scenery. He will be given every opportunity to make the Wild out of training camp.