Defense once was the stalwart of the Minnesota Wild and the constant that could be counted on year in and year out as the cornerstone of their success. Prior to last season, Ryan Suter and his trusty defensive partner Jared Spurgeon, Marco Scandella, and the blossoming Jonas Brodin and Matt Dumba created a d corps that rivaled the league's best.
Of course Scandella was dealt last Summer, which depleted the Wild defensive depth significantly. The hope when Scandella was dealt was that there would be a healthy competition between Mike Reilly and Gustav Olofsson to step up and take on a steady role at the NHL level.
That never materialized as neither Reilly nor Olofsson could prove that they were ready to take on a full time role on the Wild blueline, which ultimately led to Reilly's trade deadline departure to Montreal.
Rookie, Nick Seeler, finally was given a shot at the left defense position on the third pair and he made the most of his opportunity. Seeler brought a steady solid defensive game combined with a toughness that the Wild defense sorely lacked. Seeler's toughness and solid play in his own zone drew immediate confidence from Bruce Boudreau, as he earned his way into a full time role for the final third of the season.
Injuries also took a bite out of the Wild defense as Spurgeon spent two lengthy stays on IR and Brodin missed 9 games. Combined with the failed Reilly/Olofsson project, the Wild were forced to bring back, their version of old reliable, Nate Prosser. Prosser, signed a free agent deal with St. Louis last Summer, but was only able to manage his way into one game with the Blues, before being waived again in late November.
Prosser had long been the reliable 7th or 8th defenseman on the Wild depth chart, filling in admirably every time he was called upon, regardless of the fact that it often occurred once or twice every few weeks. But last season Prosser became an every day player solidifying the Wild third d pair after his return.
Ryan Murphy, the former 2011, #12 overall pick, was signed last Summer to provide some depth, filled in admirably for Spurgeon during his two stints on IR. Murphy has both the speed and game to play at the NHL level and he showed that while he was up with the big club.
Of course when the topic of the Wild defense comes up, it begins and ends with Ryan Suter. Suter is the rock, the guy that plays in every situation, the one that logs all the critical minutes, and the player that every Wild coach has come to rely on.
Well late last season, Suter finally broke down and it couldn't have come at a worse time right before the playoffs. To top that off, the injury itself was not your average run of the mill broken bone. No this was a rare impact injury that required delicate surgery combined with a lengthy recovery period, and a huge question mark if Suter could even return to 100% health.
The Suter injury presented a baptism by fire for Carson Soucy who made his debut in the final regular season games, but then was thrust into the fire of the playoffs facing the Winnipeg Jets with all of the firepower and speed. Soucy understandably was overmatched, but in the end that experience will serve him well as he prepares to battle for a roster spot in a few weeks.
Louis Belpedio made his NHL debut in the season finale contributing 2 assists in the win over San Jose. Belpedio is expected to play in Iowa, barring some unforeseen circumstances of course, but he is part of the next wave of Wild youth on the blueline, along with Seeler and Soucy.
The key addition to the Wild offseason, is defenseman, Greg Pateryn. The former Stars and Canadiens defenseman, is going to add toughness and size to a Wild blueline that has long been considered undersized, which has been a factor in the playoff losses the last six years.
Pateryn instantly makes the Wild defense significantly better than last year, and combine that with a healthy competition from Murphy, Seeler, Soucy, Olofsson, and Prosser.
Competition breeds excellence, and the Wild defense is getting an infusion of competition. Paul Fenton was instrumental in the drafting and building of the Nashville Predators and we all know that they have a long history of drafting and developing outstanding defenseman.
Yes, none of the players in this current competition are Fenton picks of course, but all the same is he is a master of building from the goal out.
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