Roto Exclusive : Guest Contributions and Featured Articles

y Ross Palmer
The Minnesota Wild lead the league in points for a brief period in the first half of last season, due to a
good combination of grit and skill throughout their line-up. They had 11 wins last November, a franchise
record, only to be knocked off the top of the league due to injuries. Their talent pool only strengthened
this summer as the Wild made the biggest splashes this offseason, signing Zach Parise and Ryan Suter.
GM Chuck Fletcher has done a great job in procuring young talent, which was a large part of why Parise
and Suter chose Minnesota as their new club. They also added more grit by signing Zenon Konopka,
whose toughness will surely make him a fan favourite among their followers. The Wild are close to the
salary cap, with just 1.35 million in cap space and 23 players signed to their roster, but there are too
positives in the organization to be worried about their cap situation just yet.
Leadership:
the signings of Parise and Suter have huge implications to the club, and perhaps the most important
aspect is the leadership they bring to the ice and locker room. Parise is the former Devils’ captain and
alternative captain, while Suter is a former Alternative captain of the Predators. With a lot of young and
impressionable talent in the franchise, to have these two players locked up long term will have a great
flow downstream throughout the organization. They join Mikko Kiovu (C), Dany Heatley (A), and Matt
Cullen (A), to boast one of the strongest, if not the strongest leadership cores in the entire league. Coach
Mike Yeo should be a very happy man.
Youth:
Mikael Granlund – Center, shoots left, HIFK Finnish SM-liiga, 20 years old, drafted 9th overall by the
Wild in 2010. Touted as the best player outside of the NHL by some, he should step into the 2nd line
center role when he hits the NHL ice. With a strong top six around him, look for Granlund to challenge
for the rookie lead in scoring, as well as the Calder trophy. Here’s hoping to Setoguchi and Bouchard to
have strong seasons, should the Wild decide to roll with the top line of Parise, Kiovu, and Heatley.
Charlie Coyle – Center/Right Wing, shoots right, Saint John Sea Dogs QMJHL Boston University, 20 years
old, deafted 28th overall in 2010 by San Jose, acquired in Brett Burns-Devin Setoguchi trade. Expect him
to be the first call up when a forward gets injured. QMJHL teammate of Zach Phillips. They both have the
benefit of being part of a stacked junior team to joining what is appearing to be a very competitive NHL
club. Coyle spent a lot of time playing alongside Huberdeau and some even Phillips in junior, as their
lines were tweaked a lot. Some say his talent level is just behind Huberdeau’s.
Jared Spurgeon – Defense, Minnesota Wild, shoots right, 22 years old, drafted 156th overall by the
Islanders in 2008 and went unsigned only to be invited to the Wild’s training camp in 2010, was then
signed to a 3 year entry level contract. Will be the second half of Ryan Suter’s defensive pairing this
upcoming season. 3 goals and 20 assists in 70 games last season. Expect these numbers to improve as he
is paired with Suter.
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