Can the Minnesota Wild be Better Than Last Year's Team?

After tonight's showdown in Columbus, I'm guessing Fletcher and Co. will have a good idea who is going to be wearing a Wild sweater in 12 days when the season starts. There are certain players who have a lock on their roster spot.

Centers:
Mikko Koivu
Kyle Brodziak
James Sheppard
Eric Belanger

Wingers:
Martin Havlat
Petr Sykora
Pierre-Marc Bouchard
Owen Nolan
Cal Clutterbuck
Antti Miettinen
Andrew Brunette
Derek Boogaard

Defensemen:
Marek Zidlicky
Kim Johnsson
Greg Zanon
Brent Burns
Shane Hnidy
Nick Schultz

Goalies:
Niklas Backstrom
Josh Harding

That's 20 players out of the maximum 23 that NHL rules state you can have on your active roster during the regular season. Out of the three spots available, you're looking at two more forwards and a seventh defenseman making the team.

As Russo is reporting, defenseman John Scott seemed like a for-sure lock after he was given a one-way contract by Doug Risebrough during his last days as GM, but prospects Jaime Sifers (defenseman) and Tyler Cuma (defenseman) are also impressing head coach Todd Richards.

Because Cuma is still pretty raw and still can't be sent to Houston, one would assume that Sifers has the advantage over Cuma. But then, Cuma also has the benefit of being able to play this year for nine games before his "free agency clock" would technically begin. As of right now, any three of these guys has a realistic shot at making the team.

On the offensive side of the puck, you have Colton Gillies (LW/C), Benoit Pouliot (LW/C), Craig Weller (LW), Petr Kalus (LW/RW), Andy Hilbert (C), and former Golden Gopher Danny Irmen (RW/C).

Kalus would be my first one out of these six players to send down to Houston as he has a rough track record with the Wild organization after he left the Aeros last season to play in Russia. With a questionable amount of commitment, it's hard to see him making the team.

Speaking on commitment; it's something Wild fans have long questioned Benoit Pouliot on. Last night Pouliot was given the opportunity to center Havlat and Sykora and he didn't disappoint. Aside from being physical and playing a solid two-way game, he's had a respectable pre-season for the Wild. I think you can give him one of the two forward spots available.

That now leaves you with Gillies, Hilbert, Irmen and Weller. Hilbert and Irmen have been pretty respectable during the preseason, but has it been enough for them to take the last roster spot, especially against two players that played for the Wild last season?

Colton Gillies certainly isn't a roster lock has he could greatly benefit from getting some conditioning and top-line time down in Houston especially being that he is still pretty raw. Craig Weller is also a big question mark as well. Simply put, it's still too close to call and any of these four players could still make the roster.

As for the players who have made the roster, Koivu, Broadziak, Sheppard and Belanger can be considered your our centermen since Bouchard has failed miserably in the face-off dot thus far in training camp and the preseason. Brodziak is also capable of playing on the wing as well, so you might see Pouliot take a center spot as well. From there, you could build two pretty solid scoring lines.

Even if you stick with the Wild's best line from last year of Brunette-Koivu-Miettinen, you still have wingers like Havlat, Sykora, Bouchard, Nolan and Clutterbuck to work with. If Pouliot continues to have success centering Sykora and Halvat, do you place him there permanently on the top line and then have another line of Bouchard-Sheppard-Nolan?

The possibilities for this year's roster really are endless and at the moment it is rather exciting to think about. After an offseason of the Wild losing Marian Gaborik, suddenly the signings of Havlat and Sykora make Gaby seem like a distant memory.

Even though I predicted that this team would finish rather low in the standings this upcoming season, the late signing of Sykora may cause me to question that prediction a little more. The addition of another scoring winger could be exactly what this team needs to return to the postseason once again.

Only time will tell and thankfully, the season is almost here. Should be a fun ride.