Yeah, the Minnesota Wild are an enigma for sure, mainly because nobody knows what's going on with Kirill Kaprizov. As I write this, he's still on the team, so let's assume he'll be in a Wild uniform until it's shown otherwise.
With that being the case, the Wild have a chance to be that top-four team in the Central Division again, much to the St. Louis Blues dismay. But the Blues are a better team, too, so expect some battles here to have instant-classic potential...at least as far as this season goes.
Why is that? Well, they got talent in all three positions. And not just talent, but either some of the best in hockey or rising stars who'll get there.
Forwards
Left Wing | Center | Right Wing |
|---|---|---|
Kirill Kaprizov | Joel Eriksson Ek | Mats Zuccarello |
Matt Boldy | Marco Rossi | Vladimir Tarasenko |
Liam Ohgren | Danila Yurov | Ryan Hartman |
Marcus Foligno | Nico Sturm | Yakov Trenin |
Marcus Johansson | Nicolas Aube-Kubel |
Like all these projections, we're going on what Daily Faceoff's projected, and with Kaprizov at left wing, the Wild's first line looks dangerous. Ditto for their second line, especially if Vladimir Tarasenko bounces back following a disastrous single-season stint with the Detroit Red Wings.
On the projected third line, Liam Ohgren's looking to take another step forward, while Danila Yurov looks to take the league by storm after putting up solid numbers in the KHL. Ryan Hartman will never reach legendary status, but he'll put up a serviceable, versatile game.
Marcus Foligno brings that fourth-line energy, and so does Nico Sturm. The latter could be a sneaky-good depth scorer, so watch out for that. Yakov Trenin will battle Foligno in who can land more hits this season, and that'll be a fun battle to follow.
For the Blues, this means they're dealing with a top-six that can keep pace with anyone they want, especially if Kaprizov sticks around. That third line's brimming with potential, and it could give the Wild a solid top nine. As for that fourth line, the Blues better hope they can match Minnesota in physicality, because that trio's gonna crave contact.
Defensemen/Goaltenders
Left Defense | Right Defense |
|---|---|
Jacob Middleton | Brock Faber |
Zeev Buium | Jared Spurgeon |
Carson Lambos | Zach Bogosian |
Matt Kiersted | |
G: Filip Gustavsson | G: Jesper Wallstedt |
Brock Faber's the do-it-all blueliner who received Norris votes last season while Jacob Middleton's either making contact with flying pucks or opposing players. They make good complements, and so do Zeev Buium and Jared Spurgeon, albeit in a different way.
Spurgeon's that moderately productive veteran you want in a rookie's corner. Look for Buium to catch on fast and there's a good chance he'll be yet another solid puzzle piece to this team by January at the latest.
Zach Bogosian's putting up steady minutes at this point in his career, and Carson Lambos was the surprise projection here. As with Buium on the second line, Lambos would have an incredible mentor in Bogosian should he make the big club.
For the Blues, this defensive rotation could see growing pains with Buium and Lambos. But there's plenty of experience here that you can expect that rotation to pick up on things fast. If they do, they'll be rather deceptive.
And finally, we got the netminders in Filip Gustavsson and Jesper Wallstedt. Gustavsson's established himself as one of the best in the league. Even if the rotation in front of him breaks down, he's the netminder you want as a last resort. For the Blues, this means that, no matter how high-octane your game gets, you earn every goal against a guy like Gustavsson.