Maybe its the falling of the leaves, maybe its the World Cup of Hockey but puck fans across North America and the State of Hockey are getting jacked up about the 2016-17 NHL season. The passions are burning white hot as teams get closer to opening training camp. What are the fans saying?
This year I decided to go big, so I asked 5 fans, the same 6 questions about the Minnesota Wild and one other NHL question I was curious to hear their 2 cents on. The fans I asked are from all over the intwerwebs (some of whom are active on Twitter or the Minnesota Wild message board) and I will introduce each of them now.
Aaron (@Angry Finn) – Aaron is the host of 3 in the Box, the longest independent Minnesota Wild podcast with its earliest episodes dating back to 2012. They are die-hard Wild fans and definitely well worth a listen and I feel fortunate to say I’ve been a part of the show a few times.
Tim (@Timnado) – Tim is a long-time Wild fan and beer aficionado. He is super sharp, witty and posts some of the best Summit Beer pictures you’ll ever see!
Kari (@Kari_Wahlen) – She is a passionate Minnesota sports fan, but especially of the Wild and the Vikings. You may have heard of her (by Minneapolis Star Tribune‘s Michael Russo) hilarious musical parodies about the two teams she performed and produced on her Youtube channel as part of Minnesota Sports Parodies.
Bruce (KissArmyMan) – Hailing from the northern suburbs of the Twin Cities, Bruce is a regular from the Wild.com message boards and has a grounded, non-homer perspective on just about any topic let alone hockey.
Brian – Brian is my dad, a terrific athlete who loves sports. He is a long-time hockey fan, especially of the Minnesota Golden Gophers but he’s not a homer. He is opinionated but he understands sports, athletes and hockey as well as anyone you could meet.
In case you missed it, you can read part 1 of this Wild Fans Speak article here. Let’s get to the questions!
Question #4: What Wild player (pick just one) needs to step up his game the most this season in order to avoid another scramble to just barely make the playoffs? What Wild player (pick just one) do you think is the most ripe for a major let down?
Aaron: Jason Pominville needs to step up his game. He’s the second highest paid forward on the team, and was 7th highest in scoring last season. Anything less than 20 goals from him this year should be considered a failure. Most likely to let us down: Probably Pominville. He’s now the oldest player on the team, has regressed, with both goal and point totals dropping each successive year with the Wild. Last year was the worst of his professional career, and while we need him to rebound, I’m pessimistic on this.
Tim: I think Granlund is the “make or break” player on the squad right now. This offseason has seen some moves that might help the Postage Stamp Kid take an important step next year. Eric Staal has been brought in to potentially take some of the Center reps that seemed to stifle at times. There is also evidence that Mikael might see consistent shifts with Mikko on a second line. This pairing has shown some flashes of brilliance in the past, and it seems to be a fixture on the World Circuit for Team Finland. Perhaps being deployed in a winger role that requires less defensive awareness will finally give Granny the chance to truly capitalize on the vision and creativity that he obviously possesses. More sustained offensive output from Granlund would dramatically change the fortunes for the Wild in 2016-17. I would choose Nino as the Wild player with the biggest chance to have a letdown next season. And, that’s only because you can’t be a disappointment without significant expectations. We have seen Nino make strides in realizing his #30GoalPowerForward potential the last two years. Yet, there was always a lingering sense that Yeo didn’t always give him the ice time that he seemed to warrant. Because of this, I think there might be a sense from fans that the coaching change will result in large and immediate scoring gains for the Swiss Miss next year. If this doesn’t come to pass, I can easily see a scenario where the peanut gallery expresses some frustration, whether its warranted or not. Again, I say this from my perch on the Nino Fan Bus, and I am not predicting this outcome, just stating the possibility.
Kari: Let’s face it, during a majority of the 2015-2016 season, Jason Pominville’s play was abysmal. Finishing the regular season with just 11 goals in 75 games was far shy of expectations and made his $5.6 million contract incredibly difficult to swallow for fans who assumed he was brought here to score goals. However, he seemed to find his way late in the season and during the playoffs scored 4 goals in 6 games played. I feel that it is critical for Pominville to start strong this season and play with the confidence and finesse we saw in the playoffs last year. It doesn’t take a hockey expert to recognize the significant emotional impact his scoring drought had on him and how it changed the way he played the game. He needs to step up this year and be productive…all season…if this team even has a chance to make a run.
Let me first say that I am a HUGE Koivu supporter and I think he has been a phenomenal and pivotal leader for this team, particularly over the last couple of years. However, it will be interesting to see what impact bringing in Eric Staal will have on our fearless leader. Koivu had 17 goals and 39 assists in the 2015-2016 regular season, and appeared to invest his time and energy working with his young teammates to mentor and encourage them. What impact will adding Staal to the mix have on Koivu’s production? Will bringing in another first line center negatively impact Koivu’s “position” within the team and locker room? How will he respond to this competition? It is these questions that make me wonder about a potential let down for our captain this season.
Bruce: Needs to step up – Pominville. 36 points was his lowest total since he came into the league in 05-06. He was brought in to score, and 36 points (points, not goals!) ain’t going to cut it. There are guys out there who earn a LOT less than $5M/season who will get 36 points in a season and wouldn’t cap-cuff the team like he is…
Honorable mentions: Coyle, Neiderreiter, Granlund and Zucker. These guys are supposed to be the future, and unless they step up their games in a big way, the future isn’t very bright. Either the Wild brass over-hyped these guys, or they really weren’t very good to begin with…
Major let down – Parise. Coming off a major injury and then instead of resting over the summer decides to play in that stupid pretend tournament the World Cup of Ice Hockey. If I was GM, I’d be livid. He’s putting even more wear and tear on an old frame. Very possible his age catches up with him after playing so many games this season, and he simply runs out of gas when the team needs him the most in a Playoff run or in the Playoffs themselves.
Honorable mention: Eric Staal. Yeah, he only scored 39 points last season, so how can he be a letdown? Simple. The Wild brass are expecting him to return to productivity. And I just don’t see that happening. Minnesota is where goal scorers go to die…
Brian: If Pominville continues to play as he did most of last year it will make it tougher to make the playoffs even with a new coach. However, I expect Pominville will get back to scoring goals as he has throughout his career.
Question #5: Will the NHL succeed in Las Vegas? Will the fans in Vegas (not counting tourists, visitors, etc) actually embrace the team if its just ‘ok’? Will this be a good thing for the league, why or why not?
Aaron: The NHL can survive in Las Vegas, but they will have absolutely no home ice advantage. They will get the apathy of locals, like most sun belt teams, and the tourist fans like LA gets. So while they’ll be able to pay the rent, I have a tough time envisioning any top-tier player that isn’t a Las Vegas native (cough Zucker cough) wanting to play in that town. As for whether it will be good for the league or not, that’s really been the crux of any of these Sun belt teams. Bettman may be annoying, but he isn’t stupid, and he knows that another Canadian team or northern states team doesn’t grow the fan base. People in those regions already know what hockey is and probably already have a team (or Jr team) that they follow. The bold move would be to expand beyond North America, but for a 4th/5th tier league in North America, I’m not sure that they can afford it.
Tim: I honestly have no idea what to expect out of the Great Las Vegas Experiment!. At minimum I think the team will have a nice honeymoon period for the first few years and draw well in attendance. Being the first “Big 4” professional team in Sin City will create a novelty that should bring increased casual audience interest in a perpetually niche sport. For a league that is desperate to grow its fanbase, I think the NHL made a wise move, especially in getting there first. Expansion in untraditional, “warm” markets has a mixed-results history at best. But, the unique destination and big bucks of Vegas should certainly bring the kind of stability and revenue that the Desert Dogs of Arizona can only dream about.
Kari: I do not feel that expanding the NHL at this time is something that is good for the league. According to Forbes, in 2015 the Florida Panthers, Arizona Coyotes, and Carolina Hurricanes collectively lost over $36.4 million dollars. Should we really be expanding a league with only 30 teams when 10% of those teams are currently LOSING millions? Although I love Las Vegas, we are planning on expanding to yet another market with few home-grown hockey fans and a state with a 2014 median household income of $51,450 which was $2207 less than the US median income and $6951 less than Minnesota in the same year. It is also worth noting that Las Vegas’s median income was even lower than Nevada’s at $51,214. Although I do believe the tourism market in Las Vegas will certainly provide its share of ticket buyers, I do not feel the community itself will garner very many local, dedicated fans.
In addition, the process used to create this expansion team will hurt current teams and dilutes a talent pool that is already quite small. As an example let’s consider this concept in regards to the offensive side of the game. In 2015 there were 16 players throughout the league that finished the season with 70 or more total points and 19 with 30 or more goals. If you average these numbers, statistically, even in our current 30 team system, there would be numerous teams without any players likely able to attain these numbers and expanding leaves the talent level for fans to watch across the league even more diluted.
Bruce: The NHL will “succeed” in Las Vegas because Gary Bettman WANTS it to succeed in Las Vegas. How many time has that buffoon gone to bat for teams that had no business being where they are? He will bend over backwards to keep ANY team below the Mason-Dixon Line. Just look at Phoenix/Arizona. How many times did the league bail that franchise out simply to stop any relocation. Same with Nashville. When they were going to be bought and moved to Hamilton, ONT, Bettman blocked that move until an owner could be found to keep the team in Nashville. But Minnesota moving to Dallas? Here, I’ll help you pack and I’ll even drive the moving van…
Maybe the locals will embrace it for the first few years, but probably not. I have a cousin who lives in Vegas, and he says the locals avoid the “entertainment” like the plague. He’s a hockey fan and supports the LA Kings. Drives to LA several times a year to watch games there. Said he might go to a couple of Vegas games, but won’t buy season tickets.
Good or bad? Good in the short term but probably bad long term. The league will make their cash on the expansion fee, jersey sales, etc. and ticket sales the first few season until the newness wears off. Bad long term because the talent pool will be diluted once again and the league will be flooded with even more mediocre talent. And the NHLPA will go to great lengths to make sure no team is contracted, so…
Brian: I think Las Vegas will do ok as a NHL city. Even if they have rough sledding for a while the novelty of the NHL will make it an exciting outing. This will be there first and only professional sports team so the competition for the sports $ will be nil. Plus the casinos themselves are heavy into sports and should provide a lot of local sponsor support. I’m not sure if it will make a big difference to the growth of NHL popularity.
Question #6: Has the Stanley Cup window closed on this group of 30-somethings and good to above average collection of younger players? Or does this team have a few more chances to make it if the club can get the two groups to finally sort of gel together?
Aaron: When the oldest guy on your team is 33, it’s tough to unequivocally say that the team is collectively “too old”. There are enough young, promising players on this team for me to think that the window is still open, but it’s closing quickly. I would guess that we have 2, maybe 3 seasons, tops to win anything with this group, barring a breakout by our newer draft picks.
Tim: This is the $64k question! Chuck Fletcher has assembled a team comprised of an interesting mix of 20 and 30 somethings. Unfortunately, as we all know, a few of the elder statesman on the Wild are toting some pretty rich and nearly untradeable deals that have somewhat compromised the team’s Cap situation. Add to that the troublesome signs that the young core that Fletch has cultivated might underachieve, and you have a team that could be going nowhere fast. Unable to swing a significant trade, GMCF’s only real play was to revamp the coaching staff. If Gabby and Co. can get the veterans to buy-in and coach up the youngsters to maximize their talent, I do believe this Wild squad has the appropriate mix of young and old players that could lead to a run. In a perfect world, the aging veterans have about 2-3 years of effective hockey left in the tank. I think given the team as constructed today, this is our current window of contention. I can’t presume that Boudreau will find the necessary lightning in a bottle, but damn it I can certainly be hopeful!
Kari: Although I certainly don’t think that the door is “closed,” there may only be enough room for a mouse to pass through at this point. Living and dying in a central division that only continues to get stronger is not the ideal climate for a group of “30-somethings and good to above average younger players” who, by the way, have almost their entire payroll locked into 2 players…one of which who is coming out of last season with a significant back injury. I haven’t lost total faith in my team, but I do believe it is only going to continue to get harder. I am hopeful that Boudreau will be able to have an impact and I do believe if he can get the two groups working better together there is a chance. So to sum it up…it’s go time!!!
Bruce: I’m thinking they never had a window. They just can’t score. They aren’t hard to play against. They don’t punish any team (either physically or by scoring ability) and they never seem to get hot right at the Playoffs. For all the talent this team has, I’d still take that 02-03 team over them in a Playoff series. Even that team from 2007-2008 was better. That team could have gone a LOT farther but lost both Foster and Schultz right before the Playoffs. Hard to come back from losing two of your top four defensemen. This current team is a collection of names that doesn’t know how to play as a team.
Brian: The best players on this team are close to the end of their prime. Unless the “young guns”, mentioned in 3 above, turn into what we were all told they would be there will be no trips to the finals. This needs to happen within the next 2 to 3 years.
I’d like to thank all of those that contributed to this article. The responses you gave were overwhelming and were all a great read. I certainly could not do this without your input and support, thank you all so very much!
So what are your thoughts about the season? Are they similar or different to any of the fans we talked with here? Share your thoughts with me on Twitter at @StateofHckyNews or in the comment section below!
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