Analyzing the Good, Bad and Ugly of the Minnesota Wild in 2014

Just in case you aren’t exactly clear what we’re talking about with the good, bad and ugly of the Minnesota Wild’s 2013-14 season, it is a reference to the 1966 film The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. To put 1966 in context, the Minnesota North Stars played their first season a year after the film’s release.

That movie features Clint Eastwood as Blondie, a cocky bounty hunter. He is The Good.

The Bad is Angel Eyes, a sociopathic mercenary played by Lee Van Cleef.

Tuco, better known as “The Rat,” is The Ugly. He is a Mexican bandit with a lengthy rap sheet.

All three men team up to find gold, basically.

Remember, the film was released in 1966, so Clint Eastwood is gruff and handsome, not old and curmudgeonly. It’s quite a contrast, right?

Flash forward six decades and the Wild have a Blondie, Angel Eyes and Rat of their own. Zach Parise, the suave hometown hero, represents The Good. Matt Cooke, the recidivist miscreant trying to change his image, represents The Bad. Zenon Konopka, the pugilist, could very well represent The Ugly (sorry…).

The analogy goes behind three individual players, however, as the entire team is going to have its own strengths, weaknesses and, quite frankly, other areas of its game that could get ugly at times.

Minnesota’s veteran presence is going to be a positive all season long. The team has three players on its top line and two solid veteran defensemen that must stabilize a young core prone to mistakes and sophomore slumps. The goaltending could get ugly, however, if Niklas Backstrom gets injured again and Josh Harding’s multiple sclerosis symptoms flare up.

The Good

Parise was a captain in New Jersey, Jason Pominville was the Buffalo Sabres’ captain before being traded and Mikko Koivu currently wears the "C" for the Minnesota Wild.

These three players will not only be expected to be highly productive, but the combined $18.75 million they will be making this season indicates they should be. Furthermore, all three players will be expected to lead an otherwise young team this season.

Part of that leadership will come by example: going hard to the net, playing in the dirty areas and getting back on defense. The second half will come in the locker room, whether it’s offering advice to a slumping player, providing advice about the technical aspects of the game or speaking up when something has to be said.

Parise is an alternate captain and Pominville will not be wearing a letter, but it is safe to assume they will have a leadership role on the team.

The second alternate captain is Ryan Suter, who will play large minutes with Jonas Brodin, a 20-year-old that played like a veteran last season.

Along with Keith Ballard, a Minnesota native who knows how to throw an incredible hip check, Suter will anchor a very green defensive corps. The three other main contributors—Brodin, Marco Scandella and Jared Spurgeon—are all in their 20s, and while they have played exceptionally well to this point, they are more prone to lapses than the seasoned veterans.

For the most part, I expect them all to be successful, but there may be a point in the season where all of them—even Brodin—may hit a rough patch that any developing player goes through.

The Bad

Youth, by nature, is not a bad thing. In fact, in the NHL, where the most successful teams are typically raised as a group and relatively youthful clubs have gone on to win championships (2009 Pittsburgh Penguins, 2010 Chicago Blackhawks, 2012 Los Angeles Kings), it’s a good thing to stockpile young talent.

The problem is that all players tend to go through learning curves. At times they look unstoppable, exceeding everyone’s expectations. There are other times, however, where developing players look out of place or make glaring mistakes.

Expectations have been raised in the Twin Cities, and hockey fans in Minnesota expect the Wild not only to be a playoff team but also to make a run this season after signing Parise and Suter last year.

Charlie Coyle and Jason Zucker looked spectacular last season. Coyle played on the top line with Parise and Koivu until the team traded for Pominville, and Zucker would have been more productive had he not been the victim of an illegal hit by Corey Perry of the Anaheim Ducks. At the same time, they set a high bar for themselves that they will have to hurdle this season.

Mikael Granlund came into the 2012-13 season with lots of hype. He was also put in a position to succeed, placed on the second line with the limelight shining on Parise and Suter instead of himself.

He scored in his first game but floundered after that and spent significant time in the minors. His success is vital next season now that Matt Cullen is out of the picture.

Finally, Nino Niederreiter was supposed to be a franchise-changer when the New York Islanders drafted him No. 5 overall and put him on the ice as an 18-year-old. He spent the entire season in the AHL last year, however, and will have to replace Devin Setoguchi, a 26-year-old former 30-goal scorer.

On defense, Brodin and Scandella will be expected to play top-four minutes.

As a 19-year-old, Brodin jumped in and looked like a 29-year-old playing alongside Suter. That’s no easy task, but his physical abilities and intimate knowledge of the game allowed him to become a top-notch first-line defender in his first NHL season.

He is unlikely to have a setback, but any slip-up will be magnified now that he is a known commodity.

Casual fans probably aren’t as familiar with Scandella, who spent most of last season in the minors, but his play in Houston merited a spot on the playoff roster and eventually a two-year contract.

Scandella doesn’t quite have the same profile as Brodin, but the team expects a lot out of him nonetheless.

Spurgeon will probably be used more as a situational defenseman. He is small and a bit of a defensive liability, but his incredible slap shot is an asset on the power play, where he will probably be paired with Suter on the top unit.

It’s a bit scary seeing so many young faces on this team, and they will have to prove that they can carry their fair share throughout the course of the year.

The Ugly

Goaltending could be a mess this year.

Backstrom suffered what looked to be an injury injury caused by fatigue during warm-ups before Game 1 of the Stanley Cup playoffs against Chicago.

Out of nowhere, he began showing signs of pain and did not play at all during the opening-round series.

At 35, he cannot be expected to have a large workload this season. By trying to play him in 70-plus games, the team risks yet another injury with the veteran goaltender.

Harding appeared to be groomed to be the guy to take over for Backstrom one day, but he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, a disease that affects everyone differently.

He put forth a valiant effort last season and was deserving of the Bill Masterton Trophy, but it’s hard to see him as a surefire backup/partner for the aging Backstrom.

Perhaps the team will turn to Darcy Kuemper again. While he held his own against the mighty Blackhawks, the 2009 sixth-round pick was probably forced into action too early and might not be ready to be a full-time or even part-time starter in the NHL just yet.

Johan Gustavsson is another option. At this point, he is still a prospect, however, and because he has yet to play in an NHL game, it’s hard to tell if he’s really ready to step in and be a reliable netminder at hockey’s highest level.

It's safe to say the goaltending situation could get ugly next season.

Conclusion

Every team has its good, bad and ugly. It’s part of what makes hockey fun: There are always plenty of teams that are able to compete for a championship in any given year.

The biggest task, of course, is to emphasize the strengths and minimize the weaknesses.

The key for Minnesota next year is how it will handle the youth. The balance between giving enough ice time to learn and not so much that a player gets overexposed is crucial.

If they are able to do that and the goaltenders stay healthy, the Wild should be in for a good year in 2013-14.

Tom Schreier covers Minnesota sports for Bleacher Report and is a contributor to Yahoo! Sports.

Follow @tschreier3