Overall though, there is plenty to like with the Wild. Contract or not, Gabby has an absurd amount of talent. Pierre-Marc Bouchard, Mikko Koivu, and Brent Burns—another emerging talent flying under the radar—are quickly advancing in their development, and should ease the pain of losing Rolston.
The additions of Marek Zidlicky and familiar face Andrew Brunette will give a boost to the scoring department, while in the crease, Niklas Backstrom is silently solid and should continue to be pushed by prospect Josh Harding.
Combine all this with Jacques Lemaire's defense-first style of hockey and some of the best fans in the sport, and Minnesota will not be an easy place for opposing teams to come to play.
Possible Bracket Buster: Phoenix
Colorado, in my mind, took lateral steps. Although Joe Sakic coming back is huge, I don't see a combination of Peter Budaj and Andrew Raycroft getting it done.
Vancouver will once again live and die by Roberto Luongo, while Nashville lost one of their best young players in Radulov—though Barry Trotz seems to overachieve every single year.
As for Columbus, assuming their goals against stay about the same, do their offseason acquisitions add up to at least 35 or 40 extra goals? My money is on no.
Phoenix seems the most likely to make a push. A strong goaltender for a whole year and talented youth gives them a big step in the right direction—but lack of offensive depth, along with the loss of key defensemen Keith Ballard, make the playoffs an uphill battle.
Well, those are my predictions. Thanks for reading, and enjoy the season!
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