One To Watch: Minnesota Wild

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An intriguing mix of seasoned vets, actual superstars and a smattering of talented youth on the way. The Minnesota Wild should be a team to consider a threat in the very near future although I'm not sure if that's reasonable to say about this season.

Mikael Granlund, Charlie Coyle and Jonas Brodin are just the tip of the prospect iceberg that Wild fans enjoyed watching last year. There are a number of guys still in college or junior who could impact the NHL roster in the near future including Mario Lucia, Zack Phillips, Tyler Graovac, Adam Gilmour, Carson Soucy and Darcy Kuemper. Of course there is a defenceman on the way as well, more on him in a second. 

2013 Choice: Charlie Coyle - Anyone who knows me knows that I am a fan of Coyle's. My question leading into last season was whether he would be able to produce offensively as a pro. That answer came in the form of 25 AHL points in 47 games and 14 more in 37 NHL contests. 

My selection for One To Watch with the Wild for 2013-14 comes after the jump.

One To Watch: Minnesota Wild

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The rebuilt Minnesota organization is going to be on the move up the standings over the next few years. A team that has added massive pieces via free agency is also getting young help from within as several key prospects are ready to contribute if called  upon.

It would be understandable if most Minnesota fans have Mikael Granlund on the top of their watch list as the dynamic Finn has been considered one of the top prospects in the world for the past couple years. Granlund finished 6th in SM-Liiga scoring last year with 51 points in 45 games, his 1.13 points per game was actually tops in the league. There is every reason for Wild fans to be excited about his arrival this year. 

Mario Lucia is coming off a championship season in the BCHL and a national title as well with Penticton. He's off to Notre Dame this fall but just wrapped up team USA's U20 camp in Lake Placid and showed well. 

Other key guys in the system include Mathew Dumba, Zack Phillips, Chay Genoway, Matt Hackett and Darcy Kuemper. But the guy I've singled out will be wearing at least his 4th different jersey in the last 9 months. 

Rookie Watch: Minnesota Wild

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Each Day until September 15th TPS will take a look at one team from the East and one team from the West and spotlight a few rookies to watch for this season. Today in the West it’s the Minnesota Wild.

9th - Minnesota Wild Draft Preview

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Hey it's not breaking any new ground in terms of creativity but using the silhouette of the State with the catchy slogan makes for a decent shoulder patch. If Detroit can claim to be "Hockey Town" than I see no reason that Minnesota can't lay claim to being "The State of Hockey". In fact with the rich tradition of the sport at all levels I can't think of another area of the U.S. more deserving of the moniker.

Dave Barr Wild About Minnesota

The Pipeline Show, on the TEAM 1260 in Edmonton, has learned that Dave Barr (pictured right standing beside Tony Granato) will be joining the Minnesota Wild as an Assistant Coach. The Wild hired Todd Richards as their new bench boss just 12 days ago. Barr was a victim of the Colorado Avalanche house cleaning this off season, when the Avs finally got around to relieving Tony Granto after letting him drift in the wind for weeks. Before his gig with the Avalanche, Barr was the head man for the Guelph Storm of the OHL over a 4 season span, winning coach of the year honours in 2006. He was also Canada's Head Coach for the 2007 Ivan Hlinka U-18 tournament. This you might remember was when Kyle Beach ensured he would never play for Canada as a junior aged player, by covering the maple leaf with an OHL logo, as the Blackhawk prospect thought OHL players were getting preferential treatment.

As for Barr, it seemed like he was destined to return to junior hockey. Word is Barr was offered the Head Coach and G.M. position with the Lethbridge Hurricanes of the WHL recently, but turned it down to stay in the NHL as an assistant coach.

That still leaves two openings for the Hurricanes. While Rich Sutter's name keeps coming up as G.M. TPS has even heard that Michael Dyck could return as Head Coach and even Perry Pearn's (pictured) name has surfaced. I saw Pearn in the airport on Saturday, he was returning from the NHL draft in Montreal where he participated in a coaching clinic. I asked him if he had any irons in the fire and he said he was talking to a few people. I think he would make a great fit in Lethbridge until another NHL job comes up.

Send them Back for Memorial Cup runs

Here's an open letter to a few NHL teams, namely the New York Islanders and Minnesota Wild. The Islanders are battling it out for John Tavares to play with Kyle Okposso and Josh Bailey and the trio could be deadly for years to come. But this year Garth Snow should send Bailey back to Windsor. I'm not aware of a rule that says a player can't be returned to junior after the trade deadline (if I'm wrong let me know) Bailey would get the chance to go deep into the playoffs and possibly the Memorial Cup with the CHL's #1 team. I think the Minnesota Wild should do the same with Colton Gillies, but in Doug Risebrough's defence, the Wild is in a playoff chase right now. The Saskatoon Blades could seriously use his muscle and presence, especially after the Calgary Hitmen tooned them in the other night on Rogers Sportsnet. The Hitmen now lead the Blades by 20 points in the WHL's Eastern conference and right now look like the favorites to represent the WHL at the Memorial Cup in Rimouski. There might be others who should be sent back to junior if their clubs are looking like they could make a run.

Should the Oilers follow the Penguins lead?

That's the question that was posed to me by 2 different people today. One an Oilers fan, the other a fellow media person. Right now with the Oilers in the middle of a playoff drive and having won 2 straight my answer was no. However if the club misses the playoffs for a 3rd straight year, then I think a change is in order (as do most fans I have spoken to) and I think if the Oilers do fire MacTavish or he steps down, then the team should follow in the footsteps of the flightless birds and promote their AHL coach. Just like Washington and Atlanta have done previously.

When I brought my theory up to another member of the TEAM 1260 recently, they pointed out to me that Bruce Boudreau and John Anderson were with their organizations for years and that Rob Daum hasn't been with this organization long enough to be promoted. Anderson yes, had been the Chicago Wolves coach for years dating back to the IHL days before taking over the Atlanta post. However Boudreau was only the head man in Hershey for 2 and a half years before being promoted to the Caps bench boss midway through last season. I would also argue that Daum's time with the Golden Bears should count a little as well, after all he was just across town from the Oilers, was known to the team and attended many games and practices to observe.

Obviously what Daum does in Springfield the rest of the way will have to factor in, and so far he hasn't been able to lift the Falcons out of their funk. They were doubled in shots Sunday night losing 3-1 in Toronto and dropped their 11th straight. But let's not expect Daum to be like that dude who turned water into wine, or...


...Bruce Dickenson who puts his pants on one leg at a time and then makes solid gold records. Daum has consistently showed in the past he can coach an up tempo, exciting, offensive and successful style. In his 10 years at the U of A he had a better than .790 winning percentage. His first year in Houston of the AHL he won 50 games, and while he struggled coaching the Aeros in year 2, it's because the Minnesota Wild didn't replace Patrick O'Sullivan who was traded to LA or goaltender Josh Harding who was called up to the big club. Oilers fans remember the great run Edmonton went on last year, almost making the playoffs, but what you might not know is that Daum had a profound effect on the run. Daum played a big part in the team's breakout and helped out the power play. For that he was rewarded with a scouting position. Sure the team made a promise to Jeff Truitt in Springfield, but I think that was a mistake. When the job came available, Daum should have been the choice, and if the Oilers need a new coach in the off season, I think he should get his shot as head coach here, before another team lures him away to their bench.