Minnesota Wild: NHL Four-cast

1. Why is this team worth watching?

Marian Gaborik can put the puck in the net, at least when his groin is feeling alright. Brent Burns is growing into a all-around defensive dynamo.  And you just can't beat the Boogeyman.

2. Are they better or worse than last year?

Worse. Andrew Brunette is solid, but Brian Rolston is gone and they didn't even bother replacing Pavol Demitra—a player who Gabby clearly enjoyed playing with.

Marek Zidlicky should add to an already mobile defensive corps—but who knows?  He could get injured early and often like Kim Johnsson or Kurtis Foster.

Antti Miettinen, Mark Parrish and Owen Nolan will be fine additions to their system but none of them bring anything new to the table. Edmonton should give them a run for the division title this season.

3. Who should YOU draft in fantasy?

Even without Demitra, Gabby is good for a point per game. He has all-world talent—and one shudders to think what numbers he would put up away from Lemaire's system.

Burns will get you points and PIMs from the blue line, while Zidlicky and Foster should just get points—figure 40 or so for each.

Mikko Koivu was headed for a huge season before the Ohlund incident last year, so who knows just how high he can go? I will definitely be targeting him in some of my drafts.

Pierre-Marc Bouchard also has a ton of offensive skills, but he signed a big deal—so beware of complacency.

Niklas Backstrom is one of the top goaltenders in the game and has the assistance of the Wild's not-so-wild system, so he should be among the first goaltenders taken (Brodeur, Giguere, Lundqvist, Nabokov, Osgood, then him).

4. Will the Wild ever be as beloved as the North Stars?

Inside Minnesota, sure. The team sells out every game with what I hear is a fantastic crowd of hockey fans.

But outside of Minnesota? Not so much. They play some pretty boring hockey and have no characters. There are no boy-model Modanos, no gold-medal Brotens, no missing Links and no tit f--ker Bellows.

Sorry guys, we still love the North Stars.