Complete Preview for the Minnesota Wild's 2014-15 Season

Two seasons in, it looks like the Minnesota Wild's decision to sign prized free agents Zach Parise and Ryan Suter to massive 12-year free agent contracts is paying dividends.

The team's regular-season and playoff performances are on the upswing, more free agents are choosing Minnesota as a desired destination and the Wild look poised for further improvement.

What We Learned in 2013-14

The big news out of Minnesota in 2013-14 was the team's first-round playoff victory over the favored Colorado Avalanche—the first time in 11 years and just the second time in franchise history that the Wild have advanced past the first round.

The route to the top eight was circuitous, especially in net. Despite a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis late in 2012, per Michael Russo of the Star Tribune, Josh Harding led all goalies with a 1.65 goals-against average and .933 save percentage as he built an 18-7-3 record during the early part of the season. 

After Harding's symptoms forced him to the sidelines at the end of 2013, nominal No. 1 Niklas Backstrom struggled with a strained abdominal muscle. That forced the Wild to turn first to minor-leaguer Darcy Kuemper, then to acquire enigmatic Ilya Bryzgalov at the trade deadline.

Bryzgalov anchored Minnesota's late-season surge, while Kuemper did yeoman's work in the playoffs until he was injured in Game 7 of the team's first-round series against Colorado.

Despite the turmoil, the Wild finished the season with the seventh-fewest goals allowed, a marked improvement from 14th best the previous year.

Away from the crease, Minnesota's scoring production picked up, though the team still hovered in 23rd place in the league. Jason Pominville led the charge with 60 points, while youngsters Nino Niederreiter, Justin Fontaine, Charlie Coyle and Mikael Granlund all chipped in offensively.

In his first season with the Wild after being acquired in a trade from the New York Islanders, Niederreiter carved his place in Minnesota hockey history with his game-winning goal at 5:02 of overtime in Game 7 against Colorado, advancing the Wild to the second round against the Chicago Blackhawks.

In the standings, the Wild improved from 15th place overall and eighth in the Western Conference in 2012-13 to 11th overall and seventh in the West in 2013-14. The team finished the regular season just two points behind the eventual Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings.

Outlook for 2014-15 

After season's end, the Wild parted ways with trade-deadline acquisition Matt Moulson and free agents Dany Heatley, Cody McCormick, Clayton Stoner and Nate Prosser.

As expected, former University of Minnesota star Thomas Vanek chose the Wild as his free-agent destination, signing a three-year deal. Former Minnesota Golden Gophers star and 2009 first-round draft pick Jordan Schroeder was also signed to a two-way deal after he didn't receive a qualifying offer from the Vancouver Canucks.

Coach Mike Yeo hopes Vanek can provide a spark for a Minnesota power play that was ranked 16th in the NHL in 2013-14. "Our power play was middle of the pack last season, and what we felt we needed was a right-shot forward who could add a little versatility," he told John Kreiser of NHL.com.

Vanek was effective on a line with Jason Pominville when both played for the Buffalo Sabres, but Yeo's not sure where he'll deploy his new star:

"

I know he's had chemistry playing with Jason Pominville [in Buffalo] in the past, but I also know that Zach Parise and Jason had really good chemistry together last year as well. We're going to have to go into training camp with a bit of an open mind.

"

Meanwhile, the soap opera continues in net. After Harding broke his foot on the eve of training camp, the Wild quickly signed Bryzgalov to a professional tryout contract before coming to terms with restricted free agent Kuemper on a new two-year, one-way deal.

If Backstrom and Kuemper stay healthy, here's how the Wild's lineup could look on opening night:

	Forward
	Defense
	Goal
Zach Parise	Mikko Koivu	Charlie Coyle
Thomas Vanek	Mikael Granlund	Jason Pominville
Matt Cooke	Erik Haula	Nino Niederreiter
Jason Zucker	Kyle Brodziak	Justin Fontaine
Cody Almond		Stephane Veilleux
Ryan Suter		Jonas Brodin
Marco Scandella		Jared Spurgeon
Keith Ballard		Christian Folin
Justin Falk
	Niklas Backstrom
	Darcy Kuemper

According to CapGeek.com, the Wild have 24 NHL players signed to NHL contracts. That's one over the roster limit, but six skaters and Kuemper are eligible to be sent to the AHL without being placed on waivers.

More than half of the team's $62 million cap hit is allocated to just five players—Zach Parise, Ryan Suter, Mikko Koivu, Thomas Vanek and Jason Pominville—but Minnesota has just under $7 million in space available if general manager Chuck Fletcher chooses to tweak his lineup before the new season begins.

Among the Wild's prospects, defenseman Matthew Dumba is looking for a chance to prove that he belongs as a full-time NHLer. While contemporaries like Jacob Trouba of the Winnipeg Jets established themselves in 2013-14, the seventh overall pick from 2012 spent just 13 games in Minnesota, picking up two points and recording a minus-five. He's getting another long look at training camp this year.

On balance, the Wild have made steady strides over the last two seasons—not just toward improvement, but also toward a more entertaining style of hockey that's not just defense-first. If their goaltending situation remains reasonably stable, the Wild could make some noise in the competitive Central Division in 2014-15.