Of the teams that made a coaching change during the 2019-20 season, the Minnesota Wild are clearly one of the clubs that had something great going with the replacement. And prior to the season restart, the team removed the interim tag from Dean Evason's job title.
The Wild ran into a razor-hot Vancouver Canucks club in the qualification round, so their bubble journey ended quickly. What will the 2020-21 season bring? Here's everything you need to know prior to opening night:
Big question: Is this a playoff team?
The Wild were roped into the postseason through the 24-team tournament expansion last summer; otherwise, their .558 points percentage wasn't enough to make the cut. But this Minnesota team, coached by last year's interim boss Dean Evason, should be better than that edition. The Wild added offense to a group that has a rising star in Kevin Fiala; and, in Cam Talbot, have improved their goaltending in back of a defense whose analytics were some of the best in the league last season.
The West Division has at least one playoff spot that's up for grabs, and the Wild could be the ones to own it.
Did realignment hurt or help?
Helped. The Central Division was a meat grinder and the Wild weren't finishing in the top three. Plus, without the wild card, there won't be another division vying for the Wild's playoff spot. They finish fourth, they're in.
Offseason comings and goings, plus the cap situation
Welcome to the NHL, Kirill Kaprizov. The 23-year-old lit up the KHL for the last four seasons and arrives with heavy rookie hype. GM Bill Guerin made a few trades in an effort to remake the roster offensively. He shipped out center Eric Staal to Buffalo for center Marcus Johansson. He acquired Nick Bjugstad in a salary dump from the Penguins. He shipped out both forward Ryan Donato and goalie Devan Dubnyk to the Sharks. Finally, he traded center Luke Kunin to the Predators for veteran center Nick Bonino. The Wild have roughly $2.7 million in open cap space, according to Cap Friendly.
Bold prediction
A Jared Spurgeon love-fest begins. It usually takes a few years for the mainstream attention to catch up with the analytic darlings. Spurgeon's ability to shut down opposing shooters and contribute offensively (0.52 points per game) isn't the kind of thing that gets Norris Trophy attention. But his underlying numbers are among the best in the NHL for defensemen, as he led the Wild with 2.5 wins above replacement last season. Starting his seven-year contract as the team's new captain, perhaps those outside of Minnesota will take notice.
Breakout candidate: Kirill Kaprizov
He had 113 points in his last 114 games in the KHL for CSKA Moscow, and enters the NHL as a top-line player for Minnesota. He's among the favorites for the Calder Trophy. Is this the next Artemi Panarin? The Wild and their fans have waited for years to find out, and the wait is over.
Biggest strength: Top-four defense
Spurgeon leads an above-average group. Ryan Suter, his primary defensive partner last season, is good for 40-45 points and remains a workhorse at 35 years old. Jonas Brodin is an elite defender; his partner, Matt Dumba, was rumored to be on the trade block but returns to a tandem that had a 53.6% expected goals percentage together last season. Carson Soucy, Greg Pateryn, Brad Hunt and Matt Bartkowski round out the group.
Biggest weakness: Center
Swapping in Bonino for Mikko Koivu, who left the Wild after 15 season, could be an upgrade for Minnesota. The problem is that he might be the No. 2 center on the roster. The first-liner? Bjugstad. Joel Eriksson Ek and Victor Rask are also on the depth chart. Marco Rossi, the ninth overall pick in the 2020 draft, can't develop fast enough. This team needs a No. 1; could it end up coming from another organization?
Wild in NHL Rank
No. 96: Kevin Fiala, LW
No. 99: Ryan Suter, D
Prospect perspective
Prospects in the top 100: No. 5 Kirill Kaprizov (RW), No. 17 Marco Rossi (C), No. 28 Matthew Boldy (LW), No. 57 Calen Addison (D), No. 86 Adam Beckman (LW), No. 96 Alexander Khovanov (C)
Fantasy facts to know
Let the Kirill Kaprizov era begin. After signing with Minnesota this summer, Kaprizov can now focus on bringing his admirable scoring abilities to the Wild's top line. The 23-year-old promisingly potted 33 goals and 29 assists in 57 games with CSKA Moscow this past season. Once the NHL season gets underway, it's worth monitoring which of the organization's new faces at center lines up with the Russian export.
There's additional fantasy value to be mined from the club's second scoring line, which projects to include Kevin Fiala -- who scored 54 points in 64 games in 2019-20 -- and the perpetually underrated Zach Parise. Both Fiala and Parise deserve attention in mid-to-late rounds of most drafts.
Forecast to join Fiala, Parise -- and maybe even Kaprizov -- on the Wild's No. 1 power play is veteran defenseman Ryan Suter. He showed no indication of slowing down in 2019-20, averaging 0.70 points per game, his best rate in years. Blueliner Matt Dumba sports sleeper appeal after last season's horrendously unproductive showing. The subject of ongoing trade rumours, Dumba will feel inspired to prove his worth as a top-four defender and contributing asset with the extra skater.
Former Flame Cam Talbot seizes the reigns in Minnesota's crease with Devan Dubnyk traded to the Sharks. We're going to see plenty of Talbot this shortened season with typical backup Alex Stalock out long term. If tuned in, the experienced 33-year-old should exceed fantasy expectations. He'll be