Club: Minnesota Wild
Fantasy Impact Rating: Warm
Superstars: Niklas Backstrom
Big Producers Martin Havlat, Mikko Koivu, Marek Zidlicky
Mid-Level Flyers Pierre-Marc Bouchard, Andrew Brunette, Owen Nolan, Eric Belanger
Rookies/Prospects: N/A
Sleepers: Antti Miettinen, James Sheppard, Brent Burns
Avoid The Hype: N/A
The Minnesota Wild have fantasy caliber players at just about every level this season. From a superstar goaltender at the top, to several diamonds in the rough, the Wild should be able to satisfy the needs of all fantasy managers this season, no matter how shallow, or how deep the fantasy league is.
Despite not having a superstar option up front or on the back end this season, the Wild have three big scoring options that can help shore up an offense in any format. Now, some readers may have a problem with this breakdown right off that bat as I didn’t list Martin Havlat as a superstar. Do I think he’s a superstar? Absolutely. The guy is a dynamite talent that goes overlooked when we talk about truly gifted players in the NHL. I do, however, also believe that making a superstar investment in one of the most injury prone players in the league is a poor fantasy decision. The best advice we can offer when it comes to Havlat: don’t reach. It’s going to be difficult not to since right wingers are a dime a dozen it seems like, so it would only make sense to make sure that your top option is as durable as possible. Now, obviously you can’t skip over Havlat if he’s at a bargain level in the draft. If you end up with Havlat as your top option at right wing, it may be wise to draft another right winger with your next pick, while they’re still there. A healthy Havlat has the opportunity to hit 80-90 points this season, but make sure you have your fantasy rear end covered if you’re dabbling in 2009-2010.
To Havlat’s left will be up and coming talent Mikko Koivu at center. Koivu’s fantasy stock has been on the rise for the past 2 seasons and there is a good chance it could go up again this season. Because of an injury in 2007-2008, Koivu fell in drafts last season, sometimes to the point where he was going un-drafted in standard 12-managers leagues. You can easily add 10-15 points to Koivu’s 2008-2009 totals if Havlat can stay healthy as the two could become quite the fantasy tandem this upcoming season. Koivu is a dynamite option for managers planning on building up their wings, defenders and/or goalies before addressing center needs. Depending on how the services rank him and the overall depth of your league, it may be totally possible to address needs at 3 other positions before drafting Koivu.
If it’s a defender you need, Marek Zidlicky is a pretty promising name that may be there after several drafting rounds. Zidlicky picked up the slack for an underachieving Brent Burns to finish the regular season with 42 points and 76 penalty minutes. Not too shabby for a defender who fell in drafts last season, too. Marek will share the point this season with Brent Burns on the power play and could hit similar totals, possibly even a little better if the power play unit improves upon their 9th place effort last season. I’ll be tough, but if Havlat clicks, it’s possible. You could easily draft Zidlicky as a 2nd option and see top production from him again, so take note.
Moving down the line, Minnesota offers several players who can add some decent depth for managers playing in deep fantasy hockey leagues. Managers who made a healthy investment in Pierre-Marc Bouchard last season were a bit disappointed with the result. He followed up his career high 63 point performance in 2007-2008, with only 46 points last season. Bouchard had a real opportunity to improve upon that 63 point performance last season with Gaborik out of the lineup, but he fell short. It certainly will knock him down in our rankings a bit this season, but not very far. He has far more upside, especially if he manages duel-eligibility again in 2009-2010. He should be playing with Koivu and Havlat on the top line to start the season and will see significant power play time this season. If you can nab him in the early middle rounds, consider it an absolute steal and hope that he can get back on track this season. Being bumped down a line is Minnesota veteran Andrew Brunette. Brunette began last season as Minnesota’s top option at left wing, and while he didn’t hit the numbers some expected (partially in part to Gaborik’s absence), he still had a very successful season in the eyes of those who nabbed him in the middle rounds of their draft last year. It’s still up in the air as to who will be centering Brunette this season, but as long as the health of the first line remains relatively in tact this season, he should be a bona fide 2nd liner. Between 40 and 50 points isn’t out of the question and he should be used as a 3rd option at left wing in slightly deeper fantasy leagues. He seems to be recovering well from ACL surgery, but just make sure there have been no setbacks before you pull the trigger on him this fall.
There are several Wild players could shift back and forth between the 2nd and 3rd lines this season, so it would be beneficial to get their names out there and assess their fantasy value as well. Owen Nolan will be back in Minnesota for at least one more season and still has a youthful exuberance about him, even at 37 years of age. He’s still a bit of a sniper, but will have to compete with Antti Miettinen this fall for a spot on the 2nd line. Miettinen may have the spot locked up for now, but if he goes cold, Nolan’s numbers last season proved he’s more than up to the task to fill the role. Consider Nolan a 3rd/4th option at right wing in deeper leagues this fall. Eric Belanger is another player that could bounce back and forth between the two lines. The good thing about Belanger is that we know his ability. His consistency shows tells us that he should be good for 35 points (give or take) this season and a 3rd/4th option at center in deeper leagues. We’ll discuss his competition this fall in just a second.
The three sleepers worth noting on the Wild roster this year could really turn some heads this fall. Starting with the biggest name on the list, the Wild have been patient with Brent Burns as he has yet to show us his true colors. We saw flashes of his potential in 2007-2008 as he put up 43 points and 80 penalty minutes in 82 games. Last season was a bit of a downer, however, as fantasy managers who took 2007-2008 as a breakout season had to deal with an injury that shelved him 20+ games. That injury, though, could help Burns fly under the radar this season in drafts. He’s a top option for managers who tend to wait on defenseman in their drafts and could certainly be acquired after the 5th round in regular to somewhat deep fantasy drafts this fall. Keep your eyes peeled. Antti Miettinen is another name to keep an eye on at a relatively thin right wing position. The former Star has shown steady improvement since the beginning of his NHL career and should find himself on the 2nd line again this season. Managers looking for a solid depth option at right wing could easily nab Miettinen in the middle rounds and expect 40-50 points out of him if he finds his stride once again. Remember though, if he begins to struggle, Richards may not hesitate to move Owen Nolan up until Antti gets his game back together. Now, as I alluded to above, there could be a battle for 2nd line center duties this season. We know Belanger is capable of filling that role, but the Wild have been itching to get James Sheppard more involved in the offense, and the time may be now. Sheppard should not be of consideration in standard 12-manager fantasy hockey leagues, but for managers in deeper leagues, he could easily be drafted with one of the last several picks and could hit the 40-45 point plateau this season. Sheppard had a helluva career with Cape Breton as he was over a point per game in 3 combined season, so we know he’s able to contribute offensively. If the Wild give him a shot on the 2nd line this season, Sheppard could be an awfully nice late round addition to any team in a deep fantasy league.
Lastly, the Wild are a little thin when it comes to prospects with a fantasy upside right now. They have several players still developing, so if you’re a manager in a keeper/dynasty league, you may want to look elsewhere for prospects.
Grade: A-
Starter: Niklas Backstrom
Backup: Josh Harding
While it certainly is up for debate, we believe Niklas Backstrom to be one of the most dynamic goaltenders in the NHL today. He sometimes goes overlooked in fantasy leagues as he doesn’t have the hardware or playoff experience that other top goaltenders have. Don’t be fooled, however, as his statistics over the past 3 seasons have been dynamite and he should be considered a number one option in any format. He’s locked into Minnesota for a number of years and is a top tier option for those managers looking to build up a keeper team from the back end. Now, if anything happens to Backstrom this season, the Wild have a pretty solid option in Josh Harding to back him up. Despite a 3-9 record in 2008-2009, Harding posted a 2.21 goals against average and a .929 save percentage. Not too shabby for a player with only 3 wins on the season. These numbers somewhat reflect Minnesota’s inability to bury their chances last season, but hopefully that will change in 2009-2010. Harding may be worth a late, late round selection as he could see 10-15 spot starts this year for the Wild.
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