Chris Bala, LW (T-Ott); Jason Beckett, D (FA-Nas); Marc Chouinard, C (FA-Ana); Alexandre Daigle, C (FA-Pit); Josh DeWolf, D (FA-Ana); Chris McAlpine, D (FA-LA)
Ladislav Benysek, D (FA-Europe); David Cullen, D (FA-Buf); Hnat Domenichelli, LW (FA-Europe); Curtis Murphy, D (T-Nas); Rastislav Pavlikovsky, C (FA-StL); Lubomir Sekeras, D (FA-Europe); Jean-Guy Trudel, LW (FA-Europe)
Dwayne Roloson and Manny Fernandez will once again share the netminding load in Minnesota. The duo thrived last season even though neither owned the "starter" tag. They combined for the best save percentage in the NHL (.924). Roloson finished with a sparkling 2.00 goals-against average and .927 save percentage, while Fernandez wasn't far behind (2.24 GAA and .924 save percentage). Even though neither are usually mentioned among the league's goaltending elite, they often quietly post equal or superior numbers.
The Wild's team-oriented defensive approach served them well last season. Minnesota surprised the hockey world by finishing with 95 points en route to a playoff drive to the Western Conference final. This suffocating style will be even more crucial than ever for the offence-starved club in 2002-03.
Coach Jacque Lemaire's squad entered training camp without its top two scorers from last season — budding superstar Marian Gaborik and crafty forward Pascal Dupuis. With both players unsigned, and free agent Cliff Ronning not returning to the fold, Minnesota could struggle to find the back of the net. Andrew Brunette (18 goals, 46 points) could be the main offensive spark. Continued growth from 19-year-old centre Pierre-Marc Bouchard (20 points in 50 games as a rookie last season) could also ease some of these scoring concerns.
Meanwhile, defence will continue to be the Wild's bread and butter. The team doesn't have prototypical back-line bruisers or power-play quarterbacks. But for some reason the setup works.
The core from last year's playoff run remains intact. Brad Bombardir says his surgically repaired back is feeling great, meaning he should log a fair chunk of ice time. Willie Mitchell emerged as a playoff warrior and pesky nemesis to the opposition last season and should continue to flourish under Lemaire's system. Filip Kuba, 20-year-old Nick Schultz, Andrei Zyuzin and Jason Marshall round out a relatively anonymous crew that is committed to a strong team-oriented defensive approach.
The Wild's lack of scoring punch up front means they'll need their final line of defence to be as effective as possible. This job falls to Roloson and Fernandez. The netminding tandem is a duo in every sense of the word. With neither goalie possessing the No. 1 tag, both Roloson and Fernandez pushed each other to the fourth-lowest goals-against average in the league (2.14) last season. They'll need a repeat performance if the Wild hope to match or even surpass last year's achievements.
