To no one's surprise Alex Stalock has earned the backup goaltender job to start the season as Niklas Svedberg was sent to Iowa yesterday. Both goaltenders played well in camp, and Stalock earned his shot back on an on NHL roster.
It of course is not a position etched in stone as Stalock must play well when he is called upon. Svedberg will be getting a lot of game time in Iowa so their is still competition and the Wild have better depth at the most critical position than they did a year ago.
The only battles left in camp are the final defense pair and does one of the veteran invites, Winnik or Malone earn a roster spot. Winnik brings speed and experience to the fourth line and is an excellent penalty killer. Malone, who had been out of hockey for the last two seasons, has been a pleasant surprise, but looks more like he will be headed to Iowa on a one way deal, which opens up the option for him to be available to team USA for the Olympics.
The defense battle appears to be between Gustav Olafsson and Mike Reilly, with Olafsson having a bit of an upper hand in the fact that he would have to clear waivers to be sent down to Iowa, whereas, Reilly would not.
The Wild defense has been a strength for many years now, but with the subtraction of Marco Scandella their is a noticeable void. The overall organizational depth at the position, like the goaltending position is much deeper, with Carson Soucy and Ryan Murphy in addition to Reilly or Olafsson whichever does not remain with the big club.
The wounds are still fresh in the minds of everyone involved with the Wild, from the top down, so having battles and competition for positions is only going to help make this Wild team the best that they can be.
Another preseason tilt tonight as the Wild play in St. Louis tonight and they will have Bruce Boudreau back behind the bench after missing the past two games while attending to the funeral of his brother who passed away over the weekend.