The Minnesota Wild finished under .500 at the end of this past season. They ranked 27th in the Powerplay and dead last in both Goals Per Game and team name. Things looked glum, but Minnesota just went Minnepop, and not because they say pop instead of soda. The hockey future is bright up in the Twin Cities as of the fourth of July, as Zach Parise agreed to play for the Wild, with Ryan Suter soon following suit.
Parise, who will be 28 when the season starts, has impeccable credentials. The Eastern Conference champion New Jersey Devils saw Parise score 69 points for them, which is a down year. Prior to his injury shortened 2010-2011 season, Parise had 82 and 94 points the two years prior. Coming to Minnesota, I think it’s more likely he revisits ’11-’12 over ’08-’09, but that’s fine. Let’s say 28 goals, 39 assists with a -6 and 30 PIM. If he joins Dany Heatley and Mikko Koivu, there’s a chance for more. No promises. Heatley and Koivu may also enjoy a bounce in stats. Again, like a mall Santa, you can ask me for anything but that doesn’t mean you’re getting it.
Suter is also a baby, if by baby I mean a 27 year old, and he just came off his best season yet. In 79 games, he scored 46 points (7 goals) with a +15. Snazzy, although his PIM were cut all the way down to 30. Eh, who uses that stat anyway, right? Sadly, on such a terrible scoring team, his assists will take a hit and, in turn, affect his fantasy value. I’m not a lover of Defenseman anyway, but let someone else reach for Suter on fantasy day.
In conclusion, hockey is alive (and it lives in Minneapolis (but I don’t live in the midwest so maybe I don’t draft Suter or Parise)).
