Summer Skate series index
Although the weather doesn't necessarily make us think of winter pursuits, it's a good time to take the temperature of every NHL team. Hockey Prospectus will guide us through the league-wide tour, spotlighting one player trending up and one player trending down for each club, as well as a key statistic as we look ahead to the 2014-15 season. References will be made to goals versus threshold (GVT), a Hockey Prospectus proprietary statistic; for more on GVT, click here. All other advanced stats are courtesy of Stats.HockeyAnalysis.com.
Despite a middling possession game and terminal uncertainty between the pipes, the Minnesota Wild managed to finish in fourth place in the Central Division in 2013-14, matching up against the division-winning Colorado Avalanche -- and beating them in seven games. The Wild also proved a good matchup against the defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks in the second round, although they bowed out after six hard-fought games.
The Wild enter the new season with the return of three of their regular netminders -- only late-season addition Ilya Bryzgalov is not returning -- leaving the pecking order to be determined between three imperfect options: Josh Harding (illness), Niklas Backstrom (age and injury) and Darcy Kuemper (inexperience). The only major change to the lineup is the loss of midseason acquisition Matt Moulson to free agency, while Thomas Vanek -- a player for whom Moulson was dealt this past October -- was signed on to a three-year deal to take his place.
Trending Up: Mikael Granlund, C
Last season: 4.9 GVT
VUKOTA Projection: 5.4 GVT