Fansided

5 NHL teams set to take a serious step back this season

By Kyle McKenna

LAS VEGAS, NV - JUNE 07: Nate Schmidt #88 celebrates his goal with teammates Shea Theodore #27, Jonathan Marchessault #81, William Karlsson #71 and Reilly Smith #19 of the Vegas Golden Knights against the Washington Capitals in Game Five of the Stanley Cup Final during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at T-Mobile Arena on June 7, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by David Becker/NHLI via Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV - JUNE 07: Nate Schmidt #88 celebrates his goal with teammates Shea Theodore #27, Jonathan Marchessault #81, William Karlsson #71 and Reilly Smith #19 of the Vegas Golden Knights against the Washington Capitals in Game Five of the Stanley Cup Final during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at T-Mobile Arena on June 7, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by David Becker/NHLI via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 5
Next

2. Minnesota Wild

It’s still hard to believe that not only have the Minnesota Wild never reached a Stanley Cup Final before, but the State of Hockey has never claimed the Stanley Cup as its own.

The Wild have been Stanley Cup Playoff contenders for the past six seasons and have spent serious money on a number of skaters, in additions to plenty of trade transactions; however, Minnesota hasn’t been able to put it all together to reach its ultimate goal of winning a title.

The Wild could’ve been labeled as a surprise last season. The team finished in third place in a tough Central Division (45-26-11 –101PTS), and forward Eric Staal panned out to be the team’s leading goal-scorer (42 goals, 34 assists) with 76 points.

Still, teams such as the St. Louis Blues, Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche are on the rise, and the Chicago Blackhawks should also be an improved squad. That leaves an unimproved Wild team in the middle of the pack, only to see the effects of their rivals climbing up the food chain.

Injuries have always been a problem for star-forward Zach Parise, and Minnesota could use another pure goal-scorer at the winger position.

This should also be a telling year for goaltender Devan Dubnyk, whose numbers were down last season from 2016-17. Though, one positive entering 2019 for the Wild is the fact that they only have one (every day) defenseman over the age of 30 (Ryan Suter). Minnesota doesn’t have much salary-cap space to work with ($1,770,576, per CapFriendly), but the State of Hockey may have to consider a blockbuster trade to avoid taking a serious step back in 2019.

Home/NHL