Hockey season has arrived. I love following both baseball and hockey, because when one ends, the other begins. This time, it timed out better than most years. The Twins finished their regular season last Sunday, then just four days later the Wild opened its season at home against the Los Angeles Kings. The NHL is starting earlier this season because of the Olympic break this winter.
After the Wild's dramatic regular-season finish to return to the playoffs at the end of the lockout-shortened season last spring, followed by the early postseason exit at the hands of the eventual Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks, I was excited for the opener the other night.
Comings and goings
The Wild came into this season with some of its veterans and fan favorites. Pierre Marc-Bouchard, Cal Clutterbuck, Matt Cullen and Devon Setoguchi aren't with the club anymore. The Wild didn't make an offer to Minnesotan Cullen, who was on his way to free agency, and instead it signed another Minnesota boy in Keith Ballard for two years.
The feisty hitter and fan-favorite Clutterbuck was traded to the New York Islanders in June for Nino Niederreiter. I was sad to see him go, since he was a big key to Minnesota's hitting, but I'm excited to see what Niederreiter can bring to the table. Bouchard was signed by the Islanders as a free agent.
One of the more interesting acquisitions for the Wild was getting veteran bad boy Matt Cooke, a player with a long list of dirty hits and suspensions on his resume who's trying to convince fans he's changed his ways. I haven't jumped on his bandwagon yet. Let's give it time.
The other big news Thursday, other than opening day, was the Wild signing Jason Pominville to a five-year deal. The Wild picked him up near the end of last season from the Buffalo Sabres.
Line matchups
The Wild still have star power on the top line, with Mikko Koivu, Zach Parise and Ryan Suter. Pominville will join Koivu and Parise on the offensive side of the line. The team will also need to rely on some youngsters, too. Everything I hear about Charlie Coyle is positive. I'm hoping he can really have a breakout year and become a leader in the locker room.
The opening-night second line was made up of Coyle, Niederreiter and Dany Heatley. That should be a good mix, although I'd like to see Heatley step up his game a little more this season.
The netminders are back
The goalie situation could be a key factor this year as well. The Wild signed veteran Niklas Backstrom for three more years. He's been great for the Wild, but he's also 35 years old. He didn't see a minute of playoff action, as he suffered an injury during game one warmups in Chicago. It'll be interesting to see how he returns this season.
Backing him up will be the hard-working Josh Harding, who struggled last year off the ice with his medications for multiple sclerosis. Backstrom played a lot last season, and I guess the concern would be what happens if another injury plagues the netminder, or either one starts struggling. We'll see.
NHL realignment
The divisions in the league look different this year as well. Instead of three divisions in two conferences, teams are split into two larger divisions in the Eastern and Western conferences. The changes grouped teams together with a proximity and time zone focus. I think it will be a good thing.
The Wild are in the Central Division in the west. Finally. It makes sense that they're here, since Minnesota is in the middle of the country. They can keep the division rivalry with the Colorado Avalanche, but they join others in the same time zone, rather than a bunch of teams out west like they had before.
With the Wild and Aves are the Chicago Blackhawks, St. Louis Blues, Winnipeg Jets, Nashville Predators and Dallas Stars. The Detroit Red Wings and Columbus Blue Jackets made the switch from the Western Conference over to the East.
High expectations
The pressure is on the Wild this year to not only get back to the playoffs, but to win a playoff series. Mike Yeo is in the final year of his contract, and he'll be expected to deliver a playoff-caliber team. Some of the roster moves the past couple years have brought in some good talent. Now they just need to figure out a way to close out games and use that talent to the best of their ability.
It's not just the Wild that have struggled in the postseason. All Minnesota teams have had trouble the past few years actually winning in the playoffs. Just getting there isn't always enough. The fans of the state of hockey are hungry for some playoff wins.
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