Dallas Stars’ Enemies: Monitoring Minnesota Wild
It’s no secret that there’s been some tension between the Stars and the Wild for years. It should be even more so in the upcoming season, so here’s what you need to know about the team the Stars will be facing.
Last season was a wild ride for the Dallas Stars, and the Central Division was no easier than its ever been. On the contrary, things seem to be heating up and teams raising the bar all over the league.
The standard is no different in the Central Division. The Stars have revved up their defensive efforts with new acquisitions and are working to make that area of their play as infamous as their league-topping offense.
But the Stars aren’t the only ones working behind the scenes on the offseason. We’ve looked at the Blackhawks, the Predators, and the Avalanche. So let’s take a moment to see what the Minnesota Wild have been up to and what sort of a team they’ll be next season.
Last season
Record: The Wild went 38-33-11 on their season in 15-16, and with a 2.60 GF average, they were in the lower half of the NHL in offense this season. They finished fifth in the Central Division, snagging the final playoff spot in the West.
The Wild and the Dallas Stars had a five game regular season series, and gave up four of those five to the Stars. While the Wild outdid the Stars in both power plays and penalty kills (maybe a trend for the Stars against most teams this last season), the Stars did outshoot Minnesota 179-150.
Since the Stars seemed to focus more this season on waiting for quality shots than on simply achieving a high shot volume, the fact that the Stars were the high shooters should add to concerns that the Wild were having about their offense anyway.
Postseason: The Stars and the Wild were no strangers in the postseason either, facing each other in the first round. The Stars’ victory is history and without a doubt one of our favorite (if not the favorite) moments of this year’s playoffs, but there is a lot to gain from the six game series, and especially the two won by the Wild.
During the playoffs, their GF average increased steeply to 3.50, and if you check, you’ll find that the winning scorer in both of the Wild’s victory was Mikko Koivu. Important? I think yes. This has been the forward carrying much of the Wild’s offense on his back. As the pressure increases, the Wild will want to think about evening out that pressure by adding more quality forwards, centers to be precise.
What did they gain this offseason that’s noteworthy?
The Minnesota Wild gained on several fronts this offseason. They seem to be combating a disappointing season from multiple angles. Not only did they overhaul their coaching staff with new head coach Bruce Boudreau and both new assistants, but they signed free Agent Eric Staal to a three year contract.
As a center, Staal could help add depth to the Wild’s offense. The Wild also extended defenseman Matt Dumba’s and picked up left wing Chris Stewart. They also added goalie Alex Stalock and defenseman Victor Bartley.
What did they lose this offseason that’s noteworthy?
The Wild was smart with its acquisition this offseason, as it nabbed all of its new players in free agency. So they didn’t engage much with trades this offseason, but seem to be approaching their issues more prominently from the coaching angle. They did, however, buy out Thomas Vanek’s contract, releasing him to free agency where he was picked up by the Detroit Red Wings.
How might the Stars fare against them?
Historically, the Dallas Stars have done well against the Wild, evidenced by how we all felt when we learned they were pitted against each other in the first round- for those of you who’ve forgotten, that feeling was definitely relief.
It seems the Wild have begun to get fed up with occupying the bottom of the Central table, having made playoffs but never made it out of the first round. The changes that the Wild have incorporated this summer may prove to be very effective ones.
Overhauling the coaching staff could very well put the Wild on a different level; think about what a shifting of goalie coaches did for the Stars this past season.
Next: Dallas Stars Enemies: Spying On Nashville Predators
Also, since the Wild has struggled against the Stars in terms of offense in the past, the addition of another quality center in Staal (if he clicks with the team and returns to high point-volume play) could give them the extra edge they need to increase their competitveness in this division.
As the Stars have focused recently on reassembling their defense to accomodate their new, more aggressive style of play, they will hopefully improve in areas to prevent any improvements to the Wild’s offense from being overly dangerous.