Minnesota Wild: 5 burning questions for 2018-19 season

3. How many games will Zach Parise and Ryan Suter play?

Ryan Suter had surgery on a broken leg and ankle back in April. His plan is to be ready by the start of training camp. I won’t doubt Suter, who is always in great shape and has shown durability throughout his career. But recovering five months after suffering a broken leg and ankle? Even Ned Flanders thinks that’s a bit too optimistic. 

Keep in mind, Suter was told the injury was career-ending. If he’s able to play half the season, I’d be shocked. Leg and foot injuries are the toughest to recover from in sports because athletes are always putting pressure their lower half. To me, they are worse in hockey due to the skating and physicality involved.

Then there’s Parise, who was limited to just half the year last season due to back surgery. To make matters worse, he suffered a fractured sternum in the playoffs. Parise says he’s 100 percent currently. Now, he did look good once he returned from back surgery last season, overcoming a slow start to finish the year strong. But he’s 34 years old and backs are a tricky thing. I’m less concerned about the sternum injury, which was likely a fluke thing that happened to coincide with more playoff failure that he wouldn’t be blamed for.

All jokes aside, I hope Parise and Suter are able to play a full season with no injuries holding them back. I might not be a Wild fan, but I’m a fan of hockey and I like watching the best players compete. When they are healthy, there is no denying the talent of Minnesota’s two stars.

As for an answer to the question. I’ll set the over/under at 82.1 combined games and take the under.