min_season_preview

The 2023-24 NHL season starts Oct. 10. With training camps underway, NHL.com is taking a look at the three keys, inside scoop on roster questions, and projected lineup for each of the 32 teams. Today, the Minnesota Wild.

Coach: Dean Evason (fifth season)

Last season: 46-25-11; third in Central Division, lost to Dallas Stars in Western Conference First Round

3 KEYS

1. Goaltending split

Last season, Marc-Andre Fleury started 45 regular-season games for the Wild, and Filip Gustavsson started 37. Fleury, who will turn 39 in November, went 24-16-4 with a 2.85 goals-against average, .908 save percentage and two shutouts. Gustavsson, 25, went 22-9-7 with a 2.10 GAA, .931 save percentage and three shutouts and was rewarded with a three-year, $11.25 million contract ($3.75 million average annual value) on July 31. Although Gustavsson has never played 40 games in an NHL season before, he should this season with Fleury, a future Hall of Famer, entering the final year of his contract.

2. Replacing Dumba, others

The Wild lost defensemen Matt Dumba (Arizona Coyotes) and John Klingberg (Toronto Maple Leafs), centers Gustav Nyquist (Nashville Predators), Sam Steel (Dallas Stars) and Oskar Sundqvist (St. Louis Blues), and forward Ryan Reaves (Toronto Maple Leafs) in free agency. The only player acquired this offseason who is expected to be in the opening night lineup is forward Pat Maroon, who likely will take over the bottom-six role previously held by Reaves. As a result, some forwards from last season will need to step up, and defenseman Brock Faber should get a shot after playing eight NHL games (six in the Stanley Cup Playoffs) last season.

3. Ending playoff woes

Qualifying for the postseason hasn't been a problem for Minnesota, which has done so in four straight seasons and 10 of the past 11. However, the Wild haven't advanced to the second round since 2015, so just making the playoffs this season won't be enough.

Minnesota Wild 2023-24 Season Preview

ROSTER RUNDOWN

Making the cut

Of the 12 forwards who will likely be in the opening night lineup, 11 played with Minnesota last season (other than Maroon, who was acquired in a trade with the Tampa Bay Lightning on July 2), and nine of those 11 played at least 50 games (Marcus Johansson played in 20 after being acquired in a trade with the Washington Capitals on Feb. 28; Marco Rossi played in 19). However, Jujhar Khaira, who signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Wild on Sept. 17, could be a depth forward after he had 14 points (six goals, eight assists) in 51 games with the Chicago Blackhawks last season. On defense, Alex Goligoski appears the odd man out barring injury. The 38-year-old played in 46 games with Minnesota last season after playing in 72 in 2021-22.

Most intriguing addition

The Wild only added one player of note in free agency, and that was Maroon. Acquired for a seventh-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, Maroon (6-foot-3, 234 pounds) is a three-time Stanley Cup champion and led the NHL with 150 penalty minutes last season. He could play on a line with Marcus Foligno, Minnesota's other big, physical forward (6-3, 226), or he could play on the fourth line and provide protection for a young player like Rossi.

Biggest potential surprise

Frederick Gaudreau had 38 points, including an NHL career-high 19 goals, in 82 games last season, but he could be in line for an even bigger season in 2023-24. The 30-year-old’s NHL career high in points is 44, which he set in 2021-22, but Gaudreau plays in all situations (he had three power-play goals and four short-handed goals last season) and could be used in a top-six role this season, giving him the opportunity to surpass 50 points.

Ready to contribute

It's hard to believe that Rossi is still looking for his first NHL goal. Selected by Minnesota with the No. 9 pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, the 22-year-old has dealt with health issues, which delayed his NHL debut until January 2022. Last season, Rossi had one assist in 19 games, but the offensive potential is there. He had 120 points (39 goals, 81 assists) in 56 games with Ottawa of the Ontario Hockey League in 2019-20, and 104 points (34 goals, 70 assists) in 116 games with Iowa of the American Hockey League over the past two seasons.

Fantasy sleeper

Rossi, C (undrafted on average in fantasy) – He averaged nearly a point per game in the AHL last season (51 points; 16 goals, 35 assists in 53 games) and will be a rookie to monitor, especially if he works his way into the top six and sees time on the power play, where he could gain exposure from forwards Kirill Kaprizov, Mats Zuccarello and/or Matt Boldy. -- Anna Dua

Discussing the performance of the Wild

PROJECTED LINEUP

Kirill Kaprizov -- Ryan Hartman -- Mats Zuccarello

Marcus Johansson -- Joel Eriksson Ek -- Matt Boldy

Connor Dewar -- Frederick Gaudreau -- Marcus Foligno

Pat Maroon -- Marco Rossi -- Brandon Duhaime

Jake Middleton -- Jared Spurgeon

Jonas Brodin -- Brock Faber

Jon Merrill -- Calen Addison

Filip Gustavsson

Marc-Andre Fleury

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