WildHBcommunity: As Losses Mount for Wild, Goaltending Must Be Addressed
The Future for Darcy Kuemper Still Bright but the Present has Seen Dark Days
This summer the Minnesota Wild goaltending situation remained murky despite the organization having Josh Harding and Niklas Backstrom under contract and allegedly healthy. No team was forced to piece together a rotation between the pipes last season more than the Wild. Down the stretch last season it appeared the Wild would slip out of the top 8 and lose a chance at the playoffs because of a terrible December and injuries/illness to Harding and Backstrom.
Wild General Manager Chuck Fletcher was painted into a corner on how to proceed in addressing the lack of a starter or even consistent backup between the pipes for his team. The promotion of Darcy Kuemper and a trade for Ilya Bryzgalov ended up being the remedy for Fletcher last season. This summer Kuemper and his agent took the opportunity to leverage Fletcher into signing the 23 year old netminder to a one way deal which would guarantee a spot in the NHL rather being shuffled between Saint Paul and Des Moines.
With Harding breaking his foot kicking a wall before training camp opened, it put Fletcher behind the eight-ball leverage wise in negotiating terms with Kuemper a restricted free agent. Kuemper certainly in my mind has the makeup and talent to be a #1 netminder in the NHL but he has faltered far too often in his first full NHL season and it is costing the Wild critical points. Kuemper is a MESS right now and the Wild can not even provide him a break from the spotlight because he would have to clear waivers to be assigned to the AHL.
Backstrom is a shell of his previously dominant self which is to be expected since he is now 36 yrs old and has battled through injury shortened season in the last 2 years. Backstrom can provide serviceable minutes and his role as a backup netminder is appropriate but the problem is with Kuemper failing to launch as the #1 guy, this club would be better served with a hot hand rotation type of situation. Backstrom has played better this year than I anticipated but he is certainly no longer a difference maker between the pipes.
Harding made 2 appearances with the 'Baby Wild' before complications of multiple sclerosis forced him from a game and caused him to make a hospital visit due to dehydration. Harding looks like a long shot to ever play another game for the Wild or anyone else for that matter which is a shame given how he was performing during the first two months of the season last year. Harding is under contract for the rest of the season but I believe he ends up on the Long Term Injured Reserve because there just has not been a formula to keep his illness from costing him time out of the lineup.
Also I believe it true that if Fletcher decided to try an seek Kuemper through waivers, he would be claimed by another franchise because of the promise he has shown and his track record of success at every level of hockey he has played in the last 3 years. Kuemper is struggling mightily right now, he has been pulled in 4 of 5 homes starts and his confidence looks shattered. Kuemper when playing his best hockey is at the top of his crease aggressively challenging opponents like we saw down the stretch last year when he was stealing games for his team.
For Fletcher to make a major move to address the goaltending situation it would almost certainly have to involve someone being willing to take on Backstrom and his contract which runs through next season. Backstrom because of his age carries a fully guaranteed contract that even if bought out or he retires would count against his team's cap number. No an enviable position to be for Fletcher as his team is sinking in the standings with very little wiggle room to address his problem between the pipes.
I have always believed that the Wild and Toronto Maple Leafs matchup very well in trade chemistry given that James Reimer certainly could be better served by moving out from behind Jonathan Bernier while they could take on Backstrom as a backup and gain other assets. Obviously I am not the first and certainly wont be the last to mention the Leafs and Reimer but I think that scenario really illustrates how difficult it will be to find a trade to help now for Fletcher.
The Wild cap situation and roster has some flexibility right now I have provided a look at it here if Keith Ballard and Harding are both placed on LTIR
CAPGEEK.COM ARMCHAIR GM ROSTER Harding and Ballard to LTIR FORWARDS Zach Parise ($7.538m) / Mikael Granlund ($0.900m) / Thomas Vanek ($6.500m) Jason Zucker ($0.900m) / Mikko Koivu ($6.750m) / Jason Pominville ($5.600m) Matt Cooke ($2.500m) / Charlie Coyle ($0.900m) / Nino Niederreiter ($2.667m) Kyle Brodziak ($2.833m) / Erik Haula ($0.900m) / Ryan Carter ($0.725m) Justin Fontaine ($1.000m) / DEFENSEMEN Ryan Suter ($7.538m) / Jonas Brodin ($0.894m) Marco Scandella ($1.025m) / Jared Spurgeon ($2.667m) Nate Prosser ($0.700m) / Christian Folin ($0.925m) Justin Falk ($0.700m) GOALTENDERS Niklas Backstrom ($3.417m) Darcy Kuemper ($1.250m) BUYOUTS Tom Gilbert ($0.000m) LTIR Keith Ballard ($1.500m) Josh Harding ($1.900m) BONUS OVERAGE $700,000 ------ CAPGEEK.COM TOTALS (follow @capgeek on Twitter) (estimations for 2014-15 crunched using simulation date of 2014-12-22) SALARY CAP: $68,300,000; BONUSES: $3,137,500 CAP SPACE (22-man roster): $14,274,515
Just My Take, Tony Dean
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#mnwild coach Mike Yeo: Backstrom, Granlund, Brodin and Zucker not going to Winnipeg. Severity of Granlund/Brodin injuries still uncertain.
— Rachel Blount (@BlountStrib) December 28, 2014
Hearing Tyler Graovac and Brett Sutter will be recalled by #mnwild; If Graovac plays, it would be his #nhl debut.
— Michael Russo (@Russostrib) December 28, 2014