Wild forward Tyson Jost (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

When it comes to trade success for the Wild, the 2022 trade deadline has entered the chat.

The Wild were one of the top and hottest teams in the NHL headed into the All-Star Break this year. Despite a stretch where the Wild lost six-of-seven games in late February, Wild general manager Bill Guerin showed the faith he has in this team and its ability to win by being very active at the deadline, gaining four players to help the team’s playoff push and potential playoff run.

“This is my first time at a trade deadline where we’re going for it, in a sense,” said Wild alternate captain Marcus Foligno. “You usually stay pat, if it’s a good team. Or you’re trading away some guys.”

Indeed, this year’s Wild squad has felt different in many ways this year. That definitely includes the position they were in at the deadline. No need to trade away fan favorites, like a Jason Zucker of the past. This time, the Wild picked up young forward Tyson Jost from Colorado in exchange for Nico Sturm, then got veteran, physical forward Nicolas Deslauriers from Anaheim for a third-round draft pick. On the blue line, they picked up Jake Middleton from San Jose, dealing away goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen.

“I think the biggest thing with all these guys is they’re character people,” Foligno said. “And they really care about a team mentality.”

Down a goaltender, the splashiest move was the Wild landing reigning Vezina Trophy winner and 3-time Stanley Cup Champion Marc-Andre Fleury. The 37-year-old goalie came most recently from Chicago, has a victory against every NHL team and entered Minnesota with a career 511-297-85 record, 2.57 GAA, .913 save percentage and 71 shutouts in 928 career games. He won his first Wild start in overtime against Columbus on March 26.

“It’s pretty crazy to think of the career he’s put on,” said Wild captain Jared Spurgeon. “And he’s still playing at such a high level.”

New Minnesota goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

So is Cam Talbot, as it turns out. The top netminder went 0-4 allowing 17 goals over that stretch during the Wild’s skid in late February. It created some angst among Wild fans about the goaltending situation. But after Fleury was acquired, Talbot shut out Vegas, then made 42 saves in an overtime win against Colorado on Sunday for his seventh-consecutive victory.

Having a combination of Talbot and Fleury in the nets is a tandem every team would want, Spurgeon said.

“Just getting to know Flower the last couple days, the energy that he brings to the rink and just how much fun he has with it in practice, it’s contagious,” Spurgeon said. “And that’s awesome to have in the room.”

Foligno agreed that Fleury is the most energetic of the new deadline acquisitions. Fleury also knows what it takes to win the in the playoffs, as evidenced by his Stanley Cup runs with multiple teams. Contrast that to a guy like Deslauriers, a player who understands his role on the team wants to win and wants to play in his very first playoff game. Nine years in the NHL, it’s something Deslauriers hasn’t accomplished yet with Buffalo, Montreal or Anaheim.

Foligno and Deslauriers played for a few seasons together, at times on the same line, with the Buffalo Sabres. Deslauriers is the type of player who worked to earn his roster spot and eventually developed into a tough guy, according to Foligno. They’ve kept in touch over the years and supported each other in their careers, Foligno said. Their game styles are similar, with some offense mixed into their physical play. Deslauriers joked “what skill set?” when he arrived in Minnesota, then promptly scored a goal against Vegas in his first game in a Wild sweater, adding a jubilant celly on the ice to find his place as already a fan favorite.

Foligno knows bringing in Deslauriers will be a huge plus for a Wild team playing with more energy and physicality lately.

Stepping into the Wild locker room, it helps to have a familiar face like Foligno that Deslauriers can rely on. But besides that, the trade transition from what Deslauriers called a young team in Anaheim to a mature team in Minnesota has been very welcoming. That goes all the way from the players to the coaching staff, training staff and equipment managers, he said. Deslauriers felt like a member of the Wild team from day one, which isn’t something to take for granted.

Wild defenseman Jake Middleton (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

“Just open arms,” Deslauriers said. “It was something special. Made my life so much easier.

“I can tell you it doesn’t happen everywhere. I played on a few teams. Yes, there’s some situations that it’s sort of easy, but this one was by far the easiest. … It was the easiest transition I’ve ever had in my career, for sure.”

Wild leaders like Foligno take pride in hearing that, though the winger added it all started at the top with ownership and especially Guerin, who’s really identified “what this room’s going to be like,” Foligno said. It’s a team mentality, which starts with Foligno, Spurgeon and alternate captain, Matt Dumba.

“We’ve created a culture here,” Foligno said. “It’s a welcoming culture. It’s one that we have a certain way of doing things. It’s doing the right things all the time, being professional, working hard. And if you don’t do that you’ll stick out like a sore thumb. We want everyone just to get along and be inclusive and have fun.”

There’s nothing better than seeing the entire team of players jelling together and having fun. Seeing players like Deslauriers come in at the deadline to see firsthand what a great locker room environment the Wild has only goes to show Foligno that they’re doing something right, Foligno said

The post Guerin Goes For It appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

“We want to have fun, but we’re still working,” said Wild head coach Dean Evason. “We haven’t had a lot of practice time. It was work today, but it was also clearly fun to be outside and to have the fans. As we’ve talked about, our fans have been absolutely incredible all year.”

Those incredible Wild fans who showed up for the outdoor practice two seasons ago have seen this Wild roster go through some major changes.

It’s amazing how much has happened since the Wild last hosted an outdoor, open-to-the-public practice on Jan. 2, 2020. The most obvious item, of course, is the global pandemic that changed everything before that season was over.

But looking at the Wild team specifically, so much is different. In January 2020, Bruce Boudreau was still the Wild’s head coach. Though he was fired on Valentine’s Day that year. There was also a ton of buzz at the ROC (Recreation Outdoor Center) at the time with the official announcement of the NHL Winter Classic coming to Target Field. That game was originally scheduled for Jan. 1, 2021 before the pandemic canceled those plans.

Following the announcement and practice in early 2020, the media talked with Boudreau and a few players to get their thoughts on the exciting news of playing outdoors. Zach Parise said the Winter Classic coming to Minnesota was “a little overdue.” Ryan Suter reflected on the Wild’s Stadium Series game in 2016 against the Chicago Blackhawks. Eric Staal, 35 years old at the time, looked forward to the Winter Classic having never played in an outdoor NHL game.

That trio no longer wears Wild sweaters. Neither do Devan Dubnyk, Mikko Koivu or Jason Zucker, who played in the Stadium Series game. Only captain Jared Spurgeon and alternate captain Matt Dumba remain from that 2016 squad that played in the Stadium Series. Dumba scored the game’s first goal in a 6-1 Wild win at then-TCF Bank Stadium at the University of Minnesota.

The loss for guys like Staal, Suter and Minnesota-native Parise looking to play that Winter Classic is the gain of Minnesota products Nick 

Bjugstad and Alex Goligoski. Bjugstad grew up playing hockey for Blaine High School while defenseman Goligoski represents the North out of Grand Rapids.

“It’s kind of crazy that we get to play an outdoor game in Minnesota with my hometown team,” Bjugstad said. “I’m sure that’ll sink in probably a few days before. That excitement’s there.”

For now, Bjugstad and his teammates got a taste of outdoor hockey at the ROC. It was a typical Wild practice, until the end when players tossed souvenir pucks into the stands for eager fans. The players talked about how perfect the weather would be if they could copy/paste this for Jan. 1. Conditions were so perfect that bundling up in layers wasn’t necessary, according to alternate captain, Marcus Foligno.

“We know it will probably be a little bit colder than today,” Foligno said. “We were all thinking about it (the Winter Classic) out there for sure.

“Obviously being in a bigger stadium. It’s the same thing, you step on that outdoor pond and you feel all the good jitters when you were young again. It brought back a lot of good memories today.”

Some players even stopped to greet fans or sign autographs on their way off the ice. A few players, like Goligoski and Jon Merrill, went back onto the ice afterward with their kids skating around and shooting at the net. Kirill Kaprizov didn’t come off the ice because he was busy passing a puck back and forth with a youngster donning a Goligoski jersey.  

With so many road games and a tiring travel schedule lately, the outdoor practice was a welcome break.

“When you step on the ice in front of the fans in this kind of scenario, you get that childhood feeling again,” Foligno said. “A lot of fun, a lot of smiles on guys’ faces today. We’re all looking forward to that Jan. 1 game.”

The rescheduled Winter Classic against the St. Louis Blues at Target Field will also mark the first time the event will be played in primetime. It’s the 14th anniversary of the first NHL Winter Classic in Buffalo.

While Evason, Bjugstad and Foligno all agreed that weather conditions were just about perfect for outdoor hockey during Saturday’s practice, Minnesotan Bjugstad acknowledged it might be a different deal in January.

“You feel it out,” Bjugstad said. “Like I said, we’ve all had the cold feet, the cold fingers. I’m sure the adrenaline will just kick in, and it’ll be a game to remember.”

The post Outdoor Appetizer appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Such is sports life amid a pandemic.

“I’ve said it before, it’s pretty brutal, playing with no fans, especially on what should be a fun, exciting, entertaining, opening night,” said forward Zach Parise. “You miss having the crowd and that noise, so we’re looking forward to getting some people in the stands here.”

In perhaps the most Minnesota touch of all, the sections of seats behind each of the team benches were filled with various high school hockey jerseys that are normally displayed around the suite level concourse.

The venue hasn’t mattered much so far for the Wild, who won their home opener 4-1 over the San Jose Sharks following a successful four-game California road trip.

It was essentially a one-goal game in the third before Kevin Fiala scored his first of the season into an empty net with 1 minute, 16 seconds to play. Jordan Greenway, who already had four assists to his credit this season, added an empty-netter from center ice with 26 ticks on the clock.

“I don’t think we started great, but we were able to battle through, got some timely goals and when it got down to crunch time, we were able to get the job done,” said defenseman Ian Cole.

The Wild called on Kaapo Kahkonen in to finish the second and third periods after Cam Talbot left with an injury. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

In the Wild’s net, it was Kaapo Kahkonen who earned the victory, having come in to start the second period after starter Cam Talbot appeared to be in discomfort after a play late in the first period. Talbot finished the period and skated out for the second before turning the net over to Kahkonen.

Coach Dean Evason didn’t have an update after the game but said indications are that Talbot’s injury isn’t serious. Kahkonen said he had an idea he might be going in, after seeing what happened to Talbot.

“It’s more mental, I think,” Kahkonen said, of his preparation. “It’s not easy, but you just have to be ready for anything when you’re a backup goalie in a game.”

Joel Eriksson Ek, the team’s leading scorer, added his third of the season to get the Wild going five minutes into the game. On the dynamic line with Greenway and Marcus Foligno, Greenway put a shot on net and Ek was in front to take care of the rest and jam home the rebound. But the Sharks tied it 1:11 later on a Matt Nieto goal.

Minnesota lads Parise and Nick Bjugstad, in his first year donning a Wild sweater, finally got their names on the scoresheet with Parise’s second-period go-ahead goal Friday. Things had lulled even the pumped-in crowd noise into a bit of up-and-down the ice routine in the second period when Parise fired a blast on the Sharks’ net. Goaltender Devan Dubnyk stuck his left leg out for the pad save.

But on the same shift, Bjugstad fired the puck on net from the slot. Dubnyk didn’t grab it cleanly, and Parise pounced in his office in front of the blue paint for his first goal – and first point – of the season. Both Parise and Bjugstad had zero points coming into the game.

Parise said he didn’t feel guilty about scoring a goal against his former teammate.

The Minnesota Wild and San Jose Sharks played in an empty arena Jan. 22, 2021. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

“He robbed me on that first one, so I guess we’re even because I don’t know how he kicked his pad out on that for what I thought was an open-net freebee,” Parise said.

That goal left the Wild heading into the second intermission with something they weren’t used to this season: A lead. They used comeback, overtime victories to win their first two games before getting shut out in their first game against Anaheim. The final game of the road trip was knotted at 2 apiece headed into the third, after the Wild had a two-goal lead.

The first half of the third period was pretty even, with the Wild not able to get much going on its third power play of the game. But really, not getting anything going on the power play has been the baseline for the Wild this season. They’re 1-for-23 in that category, although their first couple of games looked a lot better on the ice with the advantage than the stat sheet indicated.

The Sharks pressured a bit late in the game, but Kahkonen held his ground to get his second consecutive win in net.

Kirill the thrill

There was one other move that should make highlight reels, despite the result. By now the hockey world got quite the introduction to Kirill Kaprizov, who had one of the most storybook NHL debuts ever with his three-point game and overtime winner in the season-opening victory in Los Angeles.

Friday, he dazzled with a move with a little more than 9 minutes to play in the third. Taking the puck into the offensive zone fighting his way through a defender, Kaprizov made an in-between-the-legs move with the puck and fired off a shot. Dubnyk made the save, but it was still a play worth a double-take and a gasp at that talent from Kaprizov.

Dubnyk was impressed, too, and glad he made the stop.

“I can’t believe he made that move,” Dubnyk said. “It’s a nightmare when somebody makes a move that’s that slick and puts it in the back of the net, and then you’ve got 365 days to watch it over and over again on the highlights.”  

Devan Dubnyk returned to play against his old team in Minnesota. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

Homecoming for Dubnyk

The Wild saw some familiar faces on the opposing bench. Dubnyk started against his old team for the first time. He propelled the Wild to some successful regular-season runs when he was acquired in a trade a few years ago. He finished his Wild career 177-113-28 with a 2.41 GAA and .918 save percentage in 328 games across six seasons from 2014-20.

Dubnyk took the loss to fall to 0-2-0 with his new team this season.

“I was a little fired up and overthinking stuff,” Dubnyk said. “I just wanted to give the guys a good chance.

“It would have been real nice to win, but it was nice to get it out of the way and feel like we played OK.”

Ryan Donato was also back to play his former team, though his stint in Minnesota was much shorter with his 18 goals and 39 points in 84 games across two seasons from 2018-20. Donato tied for a team-high five shots in the game but also ended up with a minus-3 next to his name.

Both Dubnyk and Donato received the video-tribute treatment on the videoboard at the arena for former players during breaks in the action.

The post Happy Wild homecoming appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

“He said, ‘You’ve got some really big shoes to fill,’” Owen said. Number 99, of course, was worn by Wayne Gretzky.

Owen and Dubnyk met again after the Wild’s game against the St. Louis Blues on Feb. 23. Dubnyk and some of the other Wild players stopped to sign autographs for the Blaine Bantam Bantam B2 team. Owen was there, too, representing Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare.

When he saw Dubnyk, Owen presented the same 99 jersey wanting an autograph.

“He was like, ‘Can you sign this?’ And I said, ‘Buddy, I signed it right here,’” Dubnyk said, chuckling. “And he said, ‘Will you sign the other number now?’

“So, he’s got both the nines on the jersey signed in the middle by me.”

Wild fans might not know the 11-year-old Owen or his story, but they’ve probably seen him. He appears in the Hiway Federal Credit Union Hockey Kids4Kids commercial with Dubnyk that’s shown in the arena during Wild games and during the FSNorth broadcasts. Hockey Kids4Kids was started three years ago to inspire youth hockey teams to participate in community service. Youth hockey teams hold fundraisers to benefit Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare in St. Paul to help kids who may not be able to play hockey because of medical conditions or injuries.

This year, 23 youth programs raised $24,608 bringing the total funds raised over three years to more than $75,000.

Owen is one of the Gillette Children’s kids and has become a bit of a representative for the Hockey Kids4Kids program. His parents found out at the 19-week ultrasound with Owen that he had aqueductal stenosis, where the ventricles in his brain that carry spinal fluid were blocked between the third and fourth ventricles, compressing the brain tissue, according to his dad, Chris. With almost no brain tissue, Owen’s parents were advised to abort the pregnancy and declined.

Owen had surgery right after he was born addressing Goldenhar syndrome, which is a rare malformation of the cranial structure. Owen has had 15 surgeries in his young life and is deaf in his left ear. A CT scan at eight months old showed 100 percent of his brain tissue was back.

“He just kept hitting milestone after milestone cognitively,” Chris said. “And he’s a super-smart kid.”

The Hiway Federal Credit Union Hockey Kids4Kids commercial shown at Xcel Energy Center on Feb. 23, 2020. (Heather Rule)

Chat with Owen for even a few minutes and it becomes clear how much his passion for hockey spills over. Let’s start with the basics: How long has he been a hockey fan?

“Probably since day one,” Owen said.

Yes, since the day he was born, Owen confirmed. With two older siblings who play and a dad who coaches, Owen’s always been at the rink, his dad said.

Even with the connection with Dubnyk, Owen maintains former Wild forward Mikael Granlund is his favorite player. He still keeps up with him, even after Granlund was traded to Nashville last season.

“I just like the style of his playing,” Owen said. “And he seems like a nice guy, and I’ve always wanted to meet him.”

Owen was in the suite with the Blaine team (one of the top fundraising teams and selected at random to receive a party at Xcel Energy Center) for the 4-1 Wild loss to St. Louis. The Wild scored their only goal as Owen was in the middle of an interview with a certain reporter in the suite. Upon hearing the goal horn and cheers from fans, Owen immediately perked up and started trying to get a glimpse of what happened.

With the interview about wrapped up, he was told he was free to go back to his seat. He jumped up and couldn’t get there fast enough, it seemed. That enthusiasm is part of what they refer to as the “Owen Factor” in the Nei household, Chris said.

Owen Nei and his dad, Chris, at the hockey rink. (Chris Nei)

“The Owen factor is that he’s given us a perspective on life of what’s important,” Chris said. “He’s always positive and he’s got a big heart, and he’s super tough to go through all those surgeries.”

Owen plays the game, too, as a member of the St. Paul Capitals C squirts team. He has the approval of his pediatric neurosurgeon to play, although the doctor was concerned because Owen’s spinal column was a bit smaller and he’s at a higher risk for being paralyzed from a traumatic injury, according to Chris.

But at the squirts level, the play is so slow and players are small enough and close to the ground that it isn’t much of an issue right now. He can play into bantams, until checking starts, his dad said. Owen is a decent skater, with a backyard rink for practice, and has good hand-eye coordination in spite of his condition, according to Chris.

This year, Owen’s dad told him if he wants to keep playing hockey, they’ll just figure out a way to make that happen.

“Let’s take it one day at a time,” Chris said. “You’ve defied the odds already. Who’s to say you can’t play?”

Dubnyk can see how much Owen loves the game and doesn’t think it’s a question of Owen wanting to play.

“Certainly, there’s quite obviously nothing that will be slowing him down,” Dubnyk said. “So, he’s going to do everything plus more and more than people think he’s capable of doing.”

Owen has some goals in mind, too, like playing Division-I hockey, winning a national championship and winning the state high school tournament.

“I’ve always wanted to play in the NHL,” Owen said. “And score a goal in the NHL and just make great friends.”

Dubnyk said he’s fortunate to be able to raise money for Hockey Kids4Kids, but it’s Owen’s inspiration that drives it all.

“Kids’ innocence and strength is just the most incredible thing in the world when they’re faced with adversity,” Dubnyk said. “They don’t feel sorry for themselves. They just go.

“It’s a special thing to see and obviously you wish that he didn’t have to do it, but he can certainly teach a lot of us a really good lesson.”

The post The Owen Factor appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

The big question of the day – why now?

“Listen, you’re never going to make everybody happy, and people are always going to question,” Guerin said. “I just feel like the timing is right to do it now. That’s just the way I felt.”

They’ll finish out the rest of the season with assistant coach Dean Evason moving into an interim head coach role, one that already started at the team’s Friday practice at TRIA Rink. The move comes the morning after the Wild blew a two-goal lead in the third period before losing 4-3 in a shootout to the New York Rangers. Overall, the Wild are 27-23-7 with 61 points, only three out of a playoff spot.

Dean Evason and Bruce Boudreau on the Wild bench during a January game against Vancouver. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

“The one thing I really do like about Dean is his passion, his fire for the game,” Guerin said. “I am hoping that that translates to the players. I think these guys really like Dean a lot.”

The Wild will conduct a full search for the next head coach at the end of the season, Guerin told the media on Friday at TRIA Rink, a couple of hours after news broke that Boudreau was relieved of his coaching duties. Evason’s name will be part of the overall search, Guerin said.

The timing of it all seemed to surprise a lot of people, including Evason and some Wild players. Evason called Friday a “very emotional morning for everybody.”

“You never know the timing of these things unless you’re on the inside, you don’t know what transpired to get to this point,” Evason said. “I can’t speculate on what happened, but certainly we were all very surprised.”

Defensemen Ryan Suter and Jared Spurgeon used the word “shock” to describe their reaction. Goaltender Alex Stalock called it a “wakeup call” and said he will “wear it myself now,” referencing blowing the two-goal lead in Thursday’s game.

“We were surprised,” said captain Mikko Koivu. “Didn’t expect that this morning when you come to the rink. That’s the biggest reaction for all of us.

“But I think it’s also a message that it’s not enough right now. We can get into the playoffs, and that’s why the change is made, but I think that’s also a pretty clear message to the players that now it’s up to us to get whatever changes Dean and his staff will have and do our job to play into that.”

Guerin briefly addressed the team prior to Friday’s practice. He let them know what’s expected of them and offered clarity on the situation. Like he mentioned earlier in the week when he traded fan-favorite Jason Zucker to Pittsburgh, Guerin said he expects his players to show up for the next game – a 4 p.m. contest hosting San Jose on Saturday – and that he expects a push toward the playoffs.

Professional sports are a business, and that’s a sentiment Guerin has brought up this week amid the personnel changes within the team. He addressed it again when asked about the player reactions to Boudreau’s firing.

“If the players are hurt by this, then maybe they’re not the players that we should have here,” Guerin said. “This is the business we’re in. It’s always a sad time when you do this, but this is the business.”

Boudreau finishes his Wild tenure with a 158-110-35 record, leading them to the playoffs his first two seasons in Minnesota. This was his fourth season as the Wild’s head coach, and he was 16 games away from coaching his 1,000th game in the NHL. Guerin did not comment when asked about the conversation he had with Boudreau when he fired him.

“We have a lot of respect for Bruce,” Suter said. “He was a great guy and a great coach. It’s sad to see him go.”

Despite the coaching change, Guerin made it clear that the Wild players need to be better as well. There have been inconsistencies in the results this season, according to Guerin. The Wild have certainly been a mid-pack squad, rebounding from a 1-6 start to the season. The Wild were actually playing better recently, going 7-3-1 in their last 11 games, but there are things that still need to be better, according to Guerin.

“There has to be accountability, and people are going to be held accountable,” Guerin said. “Players are absolutely included in that first and foremost.”

Still, this move does not change the team’s push to make the playoffs, at least from Guerin’s perspective. He said he expects this team to compete for a playoff spot.

It will be up to the players to focus on that goal, with Evason helping along the way.

“I think they’re pretty honed in right now,” Evason said. “I think when something like this happens, it catches everyone’s attention. Hopefully, they all individually feel a bit responsible to what happened. We all should. We all should be motivated to go forward and try to do the right things to get to where we want to be.”

New Wild head coach Dean Evason. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

While the news might be shocking and unfortunate to see an established NHL coach like Boudreau be let go (the eighth one in the NHL this season), the move also creates an opportunity for Evason. His goal has always been to be a coach at the highest level, the NHL, he said Friday.

“Regardless of the situation and how you get here, this is something that I’ve strived for,” Evason said. “And I’ve got the opportunity, and I’m going to try to do it the way that I’ve learned how to be a head coach through so many different head coaches that I’ve had.”

Evason was hired as a Wild assistant coach in June 2018 under then-general manager Paul Fenton. Previously, he was the head coach for the Milwaukee Admirals in the AHL for six seasons. He scored 139 goals and 372 points in 803 NHL games across 13 seasons with Washington, Hartford Whalers, San Jose, Dallas and Calgary from 1983-96.

He said he’s going to try to lead as a head coach of the Wild while also relying on his coaching staff of Bob Woods, Darby Hendrickson (who will now move behind the bench full-time during games) and Bob Mason. He’ll look to draw on his past experiences as a player and coach to try and do the right things, Evason said.

“He’s developed great relationships with just about everybody in this room,” said goaltender Devan Dubnyk. “So that will be an easy transition that way and make it easier for us going forward.”

Evason also said he wants the group to be accountable and aggressive.

“If we make aggressive mistakes, you can live with them,” Evason said. “If you make passive mistakes, they’re hard to live with.

“Sometimes you’ve got to give a guy a kick in the pants, and sometimes you’ve got to pat him on the back. That’s our job as the leadership group of the team, the coaches, to figure out which ones need the boot and which ones need the pat.”

The post Bye Bye Bruce appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

5-year-old trade revived a career and sparked a franchise

By the time Devan Dubnyk signed a deal with Arizona prior to the 2014-15 season, he had accepted his fate in the NHL. He was going to be a backup goaltender. He recalls being grateful to even still be in the league, going 9-5-2 with a 2.72 GAA in 19 games for the Coyotes that season.

Then came Jan. 14, 2015.

The Minnesota Wild acquired Dubnyk in exchange for a third-round pick. It was a move that’s widely known as one of the best trades in franchise history. For Dubnyk, the move to Minnesota was one that he said changed his career and changed his life.

“I’ve talked about it before, it was kind of the perfect scenario coming in here,” Dubnyk said. “When I got traded here, it was just like bonus time. Every 60 minutes I got to play was a bonus.”

Once the deal was done, Dubnyk flew overnight to meet up with the Wild in Buffalo. Then he earned what teammate Zach Parise called “probably the easiest shutout of his life” with 18 saves in a 7-0 Wild victory over the Sabres, making him the first goalie in franchise history to record a shutout and win in his debut with the team. Dubnyk agreed with Parise’s sentiment, saying it wasn’t the most difficult game he’s played.

“We all took a deep breath,” Parise said. “I think things kind of turned around for us there.”

(MHM Photo / Jeff Wegge)

It was just the beginning of a great run for the Wild with Dubnyk as the main netminder; the team went 8-1-1 in his first 10 games, including a six-game winning streak. Dubnyk went 15-2-1 with three shutouts in 19 road starts, and 27-9-2 in 39 games with a 1.78 GAA and .936 save percentage with the Wild that year. The Wild tallied 100 points in a season for the first time since 2006-07 and made it to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. He won the 2015 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy and finished third in Vezina Trophy voting.

Dubnyk is 151-85-23 with 21 shutouts in 267 games since coming over to the Wild and is signed through the 2020-21 season. Having the stability in Dubnyk the past few years is always good, according to Parise.

“We were actually laughing about it the other day in the training room, the one year we had Hards (Josh Harding), (Niklas) Backstrom, John Curry, Bryz (Ilya Bryzgalov)… and Darcy (Kuemper),” Parise said. “I mean, there were five.”

The Wild relied on Backstrom and Kuemper in net before the Dubnyk trade.

As much as the trade for Dubnyk may have helped out his individual career, it’s well documented how much spark it provided for the Wild. They were, as Parise put it, “treading water” at the time.

That’s putting it mildly. The Wild went from 16-11-1 on Dec. 16, 2014 to 18-19-5 following a loss to Pittsburgh on Jan. 13, 2015, winning just twice in a 14-game span and racking up five-game and then six-game losing streaks.

The now-32-year-old, 6 foot 6 goaltender has played extremely well for the Wild and is preparing for his third trip to the NHL All-Star Game in the past four years. He entered play Jan. 14 with a 17-15-3 record, .914 save percentage and 2.62 GAA, including a 32-save shutout in Montreal a week before.

“I feel every night he’s been the backbone of our team, you know?” said rookie forward Jordan Greenway, following a 3-2 home victory over Winnipeg on Jan. 10. “We depend on him a lot, and he was great again tonight.”

Wild coach Bruce Boudreau is known for juggling his lines mid-game when things aren’t going well for one reason or another. But at least the goaltender isn’t a position he has to worry about, with Dubnyk in net most of the time or a solid backup in Stalock. Goaltender is the most valuable position in the hockey world, according to Boudreau.

 “When he’s focused and prepared and ready to go from the get-go, and he makes those first couple saves, he gets right into it,” Boudreau said.

Even with such a stellar run that followed when Dubnyk arrived under then-head coach Mike Yeo, Dubnyk said he was able to play in the moment. The crazy run they went on – with five and six-game winning streaks as part of the formula to make the playoffs – never felt crazy, Dubnyk said.

“Again, that’s kind of another part of that perfect storm… I was just excited to be starting again,” Dubnyk said.

Talking to Dubnyk, it seems like perhaps he found his confidence or love for the game again. Once he played two, three games in a row, he was back to wanting to be a starter again, he said. He came in with a “bonus-time” mindset and helped the team rattle off a couple games, which helped the Wild remember how good they were, according to Dubnyk.

“I was able to not think about the improbabilities of us going on a run and making the playoffs,” Dubnyk said. “I was just so excited to get an opportunity to be a starter again and to play well.”

The post Looking Back: Dubnyk’s Deal appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Four-goal second-period blitz shifts momentum Minnesota’s way

St. Paul – Suddenly, we have a series.

In the eyes of many disenchanted Minnesota hockey fans, the Wild looked like they would be unable to do anything in the Stanley Cup Playoffs but absorb four straight playoff losses to the muscular Winnipeg Jets.

Until Sunday night.

With heaps of snow bringing back memories of February — they went 9-4-3 that month — the Wild executed a quick 180 to snuff out the high-flying Jets 6-2 in front of 19,175 at the Xcel Energy Center.

“We got a life, now,” winger Zach Parise said.

After the Jets dominated the first two games in Winnipeg, they grabbed a 1-0 lead on a softy that squirted past goalie Devan Dubnyk 4:50 into the first period Sunday.

“It didn’t defelate us by any means,” Parise said.

Apparently not.

Wild forwards Eric Staal and Jason Zucker celebrate Staal’s first goal of the series on the second period of Minnesota’s 6-2 win over the Winnipeg Jets in Game 3 of there first round Stanley Cup Playoff series on Sunday night at Xcel Energy Center. (MHM Photo / Jeff Wegge)

Mikael Granlund banged in the rebound of a Mikko Koivu shot on a Minnesota power play midway through the first period, and the Wild netted five of the ensuing six goals to pull within 2-1 in the best-of-7 series.

“We needed that — a little pushback on these guys that we knew we were more than capable of,” Dubnyk said. “And we needed to win the game, plain and simple.”

Three games down and things have changed.

“We were good in the first two, and they didn’t like their game,” Jets coach Paul Maurice said. “They were good tonight and we didn’t like our game.”

The win was a team effort for a Wild lineup that at times appeared unable to keep up with the Jets during the two games in Winnipeg.

“I thought we got really good games from our big players,” Wild coach Bruce Boudreau said.

Go down the line: Eric Staal scored his first goal of these playoffs and added an assist, Parise scored his third, Koivu was a force and tallied two assists, Granlund had a goal and an assist, Nick Seeler picked up two assists and a few key blocked shots, Matt Dumba netted the game-winner and an assist, Marcus Foligno got his first goal of the playoffs plus three big hits, and Jordan Greenway bagged his first goal as a pro.

“That shows a lot of good things about our team.” Greenway said. “We got scoring from our top two lines and we got secondary scoring, too. Everyone’s pushing in the right direction.”

Factor in an air-tight defense that blocked 20 Winnipeg shots compared to eight blocks by the Jets and you have the recipe for a win.

Hits — such a factor in Winnipeg — were 26-19 in favor of the Jets but did not seem to faze the home team.

“It’s a physical series,” Granlund said. “It’s fun to be out there — there’s a lot of contact and a lot of emotion.”

Midway through the final period the result became so obvious that some in the big crowd took note of the four-goal lead and the wintry weather and chose to exit the premises a little early for what they expected to be a snow-slowed ride home.

Like the Wild, they could look forward to a rematch two nights later at the X.

One more Minnesota win and the series will come back to the X for Game 6 next Sunday.

The post Wild Push Back appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Ex-Bulldog Soucy draws rave reviews in NHL debut

St. Paul – Life without Ryan Suter officially began for the Wild Monday night in their final home game of the regular season.

Suter, Minnesota’s premier defenseman, is scheduled to undergo surgery to repair a broken fibula in his right leg and is finished for the remainder of the team’s play in 2017-18, the Wild announced Monday.

“I just feel really bad for him,” Wild coach Bruce Boudreau said. “He’s a guy that’s been pretty durable his whole life, so it’s probably pretty depressing for him. We just want him to get better.”

Suter’s absence didn’t seem to bother the Wild much Monday as they defeated the sagging Edmonton Oilers 3-0 in front of 19,189 at the Xcel Energy Center.

A Minnesota-centric blue line crew — including Elk River’s Nate Prosser, Eden Prairie’s Nick Seeler and former Minnesota-Duluth standout Carson Soucy making his NHL debut — helped the Wild zero in on a spot in the playoffs Monday.

The unfortunate news going forward is that Minnesota won’t have the benefit of playing the lackluster Oilers in postseason play, but that might be countered by Boudreau’s announcement earlier in the day that defenseman Jared Spurgeon will be back by then, if not before.

Nate Prosser and the Wild’s defensive corps made it a long night for Edmonton forwards on Monday. (MHM photo / Jonny Watkins)

Suter spearheads Minnesota’s blue line for every occasion — especially with Spurgeon sidelined since March 13 with a torn hamstring — but Jonas Brodin, Matt Dumba and Ryan Murphy joined Prosser, Seeler and Soucy for a solid performance against Edmonton.

The play of the six D-men made it a good night for goaltender Devan Dubnyk, who stopped 22 shots to post his 29th career shutout and fifth this season.

“I don’t think I saw one mistake out there,” Dubnyk said.

Boudreau, too, was smiling when it was over.

“Our defense was good tonight,” he said.

Soucy, who was playing for UMD in the Frozen Four a year ago, stepped in with a flawless performance.

“He did look poised,” Boudreau said. “I was — as we all were — very happy with his game.”

Soucy, who had three shots on goal and two hits in 15 minutes, 26 seconds of playing time, said it was a relief to step on the ice for the first time in an NHL game and he looked to the leadership of Minnesota’s current top pair: Brodin and Dumba.

“Brods and Dumba played great tonight and they’re going to take a load, which they did,” Soucy said. “I hope a couple of us others can get the minutes we can and just make it easier for them.”

Brodin, who was on the ice for more than 24 minutes, said Minnesota’s blue line contingent has work to do without Suter, but he voiced confidence that those manning the position will do fine.

“We’ll see when Spurg is back,” he said, “but yeah, right now we have the D we have and I think we played good today.”

The Wild outshot the Oilers 40-22 and controlled play throughout.

Their offense was fueled by another Minnesotan as Bloomington’s Zach Parise scored a goal in each of the first two periods to give him 12 goals and 16 points in his past 17 games.

“All around it was a pretty good game for us,” Parise said. “Our defensemen did a good job. Ryan’s a tough guy to replace, but I thought they did a good job all over the ice.”

The post With Suter Out, D Steps It Up appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Wild make a point and savor Vikings’ win

No one is thrilled when a lead with four minutes remaining turns into an overtime loss, but Wild players pretty much seized a positive attitude as the team began a five-day break for its NHL bye week.

Minnesota dropped a 3-2 decision to Vancouver Sunday night in a strange evening permeated by the Vikings’ surprise playoff win over the New Orleans Saints a few hours earlier.

The result left the Wild with six of a possible eight points in their final four games, however, as players scattered for a few days away from the rink.

“Got to look at it as a positive,” coach Bruce Boudreau said.

Player introductions were held in front of a mostly empty arena at the Xcel Energy Center as the vast majority of fans huddled in front of TVs on the arena concourse to watch the final minutes of the Vikings-Saints game.

Midway through the Canadian National Anthem, a roar went through the building that signified something good must have happened for the Vikings.

“It certainly sounded loud enough to be a good thing,” Wild goalie Devan Dubnyk said, “so I was kind of itching to get over to the bench and figure out what happened.”

What happened, of course, was a last-second touchdown that boosted the Vikings into the NFC championship game, the replay of which was shown on the Xcel scoreboard after the anthems for players and fans alike.

After many setbacks, it was the Vikings’ turn to stage an improbable comeback.

“It’s exciting for our state,” defenseman Nate Prosser said. “We’re all pumped up for them.”

A native Minnesotan like Prosser, winger Zach Parise donned a Vikings cap after the game and reveled in the victory by his favorite pro football team.

“That was awesome,” he said.

Less awesome was the Wild’s final result against the Canucks, but Minnesota took 53 points and a little momentum into the break off a record of 24-17-5.

“I think we’re starting to play better hockey overall,” Boudreau said, admitting that his guys looked a bit emotionally drained after two back-to-back series over the previous six days. “In regulation we gave up six goals in four games. What our identity’s got to be; we’re not a high scoring team this year, so quite frankly, we’ve got to defend.”

The Wild defeated Chicago 2-1 and Winnipeg 4-1 in their previous two games after an overtime loss to Calgary and ended their most recent stretch of games with a 6-2-2 record.

The point Sunday pulled them within two of St. Louis for third place in the NHL Central Division.

“We made some good movement in the standings this week,” Prosser said. “We’re definitely pushing in the right direction, that’s for sure. You can sense it on the ice; you can sense it in the locker room — we’re building it here.”

The post Tough Act to Follow appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Minnesota Wild goaltender Devan Dubnyk didn’t skip a beat in his return to the ice on Friday night against the Nashville Predators. After missing the last seven games with a lower-body injury, Dubnyk made 41 saves on 43 shots in the Wild’s 4-2 win against his former team.

In case you forgot, Dubnyk was in the Predators organization for two months during the 2013-14 season. After being traded from Edmonton, he made just two starts for Nashville. Eventually, the Predators demoted him to the AHL and even ended up trading him to Montreal, just two months after acquiring him.

Friday’s win was Dubnyk’s fifth-straight victory against Nashville, improving his career record to 12-6-2 against his former employer.

“Little bit of nerves, but not really,” said Dubnyk when asked if he was nervous for his first game back in two weeks. “I was kind of happy where I was mentally; then I stand around for the first eight minutes of the game and watch the guys go to work.”

Minnesota had a strong showing on both sides of the ice in the first twenty minutes, as Nashville didn’t register a shot on net until the 7:57 mark of the first period. Meanwhile, Mikael Granlund put Minnesota on the board first. Shortly after, P.K. Subban sneaked a wrist shot underneath Dubnyk’s arm, but the Wild skated into the first intermission up 2-1, thanks to a second goal from Granlund.

“Coming back, you don’t want to be jumping at pucks and hoping for pucks to get to you,” said Dubnyk. “You just have to wait and allow that first shot to come whenever it does. That was probably the best start we’ve had in a long time.”

Devan Dubnyk with one of his 41 saves in the Wild’s 4-2 win over Nashville on Friday night at Xcel Energy Center. (Photo by Russ Hons)

However, the Predators had a much better showing in the second period. During the first 10 minutes, Nashville outshot Minnesota 12-2 – and put on 18 shots by the end of the period – but Dubnyk was a brick wall. He robbed Ryan Johansen with a slick-glove save, absorbed a big blast from Subban and stopped Kevin Kiala on a breakaway too.

On the other end of the ice, Wild defenseman Matt Dumba lit the lamp for his seventh goal of the season and the Wild skated into second intermission leading 3-1.

Once again, the third period got off to a disastrous start for Minnesota. The Wild already began the frame down a man, and then unfortunately, Dubnyk slashed Viktor Arvidsson, which gave Nashville a 5-3 advantage for 46 seconds. Despite successfully killing off the two-man advantage, Kyle Turris ended up netting a power-play goal, making it a one-goal game.

As the regulation winded down, Nashville pulled Pekka Rinne for an extra-attacker but they still weren’t able to knot things up. With under a minute to go, Mikko Koivu was able to clear the puck out of the Minnesota zone and set up Granlund for the hat-trick – the second of his career – securing the win.

Although they started slow out of the gate, Nashville peppered Dubnyk with 34 shots over the final two periods.

“After the first goal, you could have thought: first game back, oh my god how rusty is he?” said head coach Bruce Boudreau after the win. “But he made some really good saves. I think it was really good that they had a lot of long shots, that he could get the feel of it back again. He stood tall, he did a great job.”

“I think it was a good game for work wise,” said Dubnyk. “That’s why you keep yourself in shape and train hard while you’re out, so you’re ready for those opportunities.”

With the win the Wild improve to 20-15-3 on the season and occupy a Wild Card spot in the Western Conference playoff picture. Both teams will square up again on Saturday, Dec.30, from Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.

The post Dubnyk looks sharp in his return appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.