Operation Sports Forums - Minnesota Wild Franchise (NHL 22 PS4)

2021-22 Season Recap

The Minnesota Wild started off the 2021-22 regular season with the following lines:

Start of the Season
Within the first month the Wild were not looking good. Fleury was losing his starting job to Cam Talbot and both Kaprizov and Zuccarello went down with injuries that would keep them out for at least two weeks. This opened the door for former Spokane Chief Adam Beckman to step into the lineup. Beckman immediately started contributing at the NHL Level and recorded an impressive 12 points in his first 15 games. Obviously with that production, when Kirill and Zucc returned from injury Beckman was not sent back to Iowa.

The Wild started to pick up the pace heading into the All Star Break and eventually the Trade Deadline. One element that was holding them back was their god awful Penalty Kill that was 2nd worst in the league at 74%. General Manager Bill Guerin made it clear it was something they were going to improve either with a in house fix or on the open market. Plenty of players were included in trade talks with the Wild in the buildup to the Deadline. The Names linked to Minnesota ranged from Sam Gagner (DET) to Ryan O'Reilly (STL). What made it tough for Minnesota to make moved however is the cap situation. With the buyouts of Zach Parise and Ryan Suter in the offseason, the Wild will be on the hook for their dead cap until 2026-27. With such little cap space to work with, it eliminated the possibility of acquiring some of the big names on the market such as Couturier, Kuznetsov and Ryan O'Reilly.

Trade Deadline
At the Trade Deadline the Wild made a move to solidify their 3rd line center position. Throughout the season it was Tyson Jost who manned the faceoff dot on that third line but General Manager Billy Guerin felt he wasn't doing enough on the defensive end to stay at that spot. Minnesota would make a deal with the Oilers and trade for 35 year old Derek Ryan. The two-way center was having a great season in Alberta and with the depth the Oilers had down the middle they wanted to cash in on Ryan's raised value. Here was the full trade:

Minnesota decided to move on from both Frederick Gaudreau and Ryan O'Rourke along with their 4th round pick in the upcoming draft. It was a steep price to pay for someone who was never had more then 40 points in a season. O'Rourke was the Wild's 2nd Round Pick in the 2020 NHL Draft and was not easy to see move on. Many fans were outraged that they were already moving on from a second round draft pick for a player that could retire within the next 3 years.

End of the Season
The end of the season saw the Minnesota Wild finish as the 2nd best team in the Central Division with a 49-25-8 record. With 106 Points on the year, the Wild tied their Franchise Record for points in a season with their team back in 2017 where they lost in the 1st round. Let's hope that's not foreshadowing of how our season will end up. Here was the League Standings:

Many of the Wild players had career years but the most impressive were from Kirill Kaprizov and rookie Matt Boldy. The Russian star Kirill the Thrill scored a whopping 54 Goals this season, good enough for 3rd in the entire league. The high-flying sniper was a catalyst for the Wild this season and will be for years to come. Another player who will be a star for the Wild is American Matt Boldy. With 30 goals, Boldy broke Kaprizov's record from last season for most goals by a Minnesota Wild rookie. On that second line left wing Boldy was able to find great chemistry with veteran Mats Zuccarello, creating a deadly winger combo. Here was the Wild's Player Stats:

Heading into Playoffs the Wild still had question marks in net. Neither Fleury nor Talbot had particularly great seasons and it was the Wild's offense that really carried them throughout the season (289 Goals, 2nd in the NHL). To make a deep playoff run they would need to have solid goaltending consistently, a seemingly tall task at that point. Speaking of solid goaltending, the Wild would take on Connor Hellebucyk and the Winnipeg Jets in round one. Finishing just two points behind the Wild, the Jets were going to be a very tough matchup to beat. Here was the Playoff Bracket.

Round One
Head Coach Alex Belak decided to go with Cam Talbot as the starter in the series and after two games it was clearly the wrong choice. The Wild dropped both games at home to the Jets and allowed more then 4 goals in both of them. Lineup changed were made in Game 3 to spark this team. Marc-Andre Fleury was going to start and Ryan Hartman was moved to the third line to play with Derek Ryan and Foligno. Both moves paid off as the Wild won Game 3 in convincing fashion and rattled off four straight wins to advance to the 2nd round. The new look third line of Foligno - Ryan - Hartman was the team's best line in the series with both Ryan and Hartman recording 8 points while Foligno had 5. Safe to say the fans no longer thought the Ryan trade was as much of an overpay now. The most shocking series of round 1 was the Edmonton Oilers beating the record setting, 62 Win Colorado Avalanche in 6 games. It was one of the biggest upsets in recent history and one that will haunt the Avs for years to come. Of course the Wild fans were ecstatic that they wouldn't have to face the juggernaut that was the Avalanche but beating the likes of Draisaitl and Connor freaking McDavid wasn't going to be a breeze

Round Two
Fleury continued to play great in the Wild net and it gave the rest of the team confidence. The Wild won both Game 1 and 2 before losing Game 3 after a 6 goal output from the Oilers. Was this where Fleury was going to revert back to his regular season form? The 3x Stanley Cup champion knew he was going to bounce back. The Wild won Game 4 and 5 in convincing fashion and will head to the Western Conference Finals for the first time in almost 20 years, back when they lost to the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in 2003. You could see the six game series vs the Colorado Avalanche took a toll on the Oilers. They just didn't have the same jump they had in the 1st round and the Wild took advantage. One of the biggest contributors for the Wild has been Matt Boldy who is now tied with Aleksander Barkov for 1st in the Playoffs for goals with 8. Impressive work from the Rookie

Round Three
Are the Minnesota Wild really Cup Contenders? All of a sudden they find themselves 4 wins away from the Stanley Cup Finals. They haven't advanced out of the 1st round since 2015 where they were swept by the eventual Champion Chicago Blackhawks. Facing a loaded Vegas roster it looked like this was the end of the line for the Wild. Marc-Andre Fleury had other plans. This was a revenge series for the former Golden Knight and he shut down his former team in a 4 game sweep. The Foligno-Ryan-Hartman line is still on fire and have even been moved to the 2nd line spot. Hartman is tied for 3rd in Playoff Scoring with 14 Points. Only Barkov and Tom Wilson have more (16 and 15 points, respectively). The entire team is rolling now and have a lot of momentum heading into the Finals. Will it be enough though?

Stanley Cup Finals
The Minnesota Wild vs the Florida Panthers. One of these teams were going to win their first Stanley Cup in Franchise History. The other will be heartbroken. What side will the Wild fall on? After losing three straight games, it was all but a certainty that it was going to be Minnesota. The Panthers were just too stacked. Giroux, Barkov, Huberdeau, Weegar, Ekblad, Bobrovsky, the list goes on and on. Down 0-3 the Wild were facing a sweep on the biggest stage. Game 4 went to OT and Minnesota was able to stave off elimination. Game 5 also went to Overtime and guess who came out on top? Your Minnesota Wild. Suddenly this was a 3-2 Series. The Wild had newfound life. Game 6 was in Minnesota and the crowd was electric. The Wild played three great periods and were able to come out with the win in regulation. This was it. Game 7. The Ultimate Decider. Who was going to come out Victorious? To the sadness of all Wild fans it would be the Florida Panthers. They came out flying in the first and led 3-0 until the third where the Wild got one. Then two more goals went in past Fleury and it was all but over. The Florida Panthers secured their first Stanley Cup since joining the NHL in 1994, 28 Seasons ago. Aleksander Barkov was awarded the Conn Smythe and rightfully so. He had 7 points in the Finals and led this team all season. Claude Giroux won his first Stanley Cup in his first season in Florida after 15 in Philadelphia. He was the 1st pass after Barkov was awarded the Cup and he was a big player for them. He recorded a Hat-Trick in Game 7 to bury the Wild, becoming just the 8th Player to do so and the first to do it in the Stanley Cup Finals.

While it was a heartbreaking end to the season for the Minnesota Wild, they have a bright future ahead of them. This team wasn't expected to be a contender already. This was supposed to be happening 3 or 4 years from now. Veterans stepped up. Young-Guys Improved immensely. Goaltending was solidified. This team has a lot going for them right now. They'll head into the offseason knowing they were just a single game away from winning that Stanley Cup. If that doesn't light a fire under you, then I don't know what will.

2022 NHL Draft Lottery
Presented by Sportsnet

David Amber: Hello everyone and welcome back to Sportsnet. I'm David Amber and we are just minutes away from finding out where teams will be selecting come Draft Day. All 16 teams in the lottery have a chance of winning the coveted 1st Overall Selection but they will have to wait and see where the pong balls land. First let's see the Lottery Odds for this year's lottery team's.

DA: You've seen who's in the lottery, you've seen the odds, you've seen all you need to see. Let's send you over to NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly who will announce the Draft Order. After every announced selection our Draft Expert Sam Cosentino will give his thoughts and opinion. And now Billy Daly...

Bill Daly: Welcome to the 2022 NHL Draft Lottery. Let's get things underway. The 16th Overall Selection in the 2022 NHL Draft belongs too.... The Anaheim Ducks

Sam Cosentino: The Anaheim Ducks were 4 points back of returning to the playoffs for the first time since 2018. They made huge strides this season considering they selected Mason McTavish last year at 3rd Overall. They have a bright future with young studs such as Zegras, Drysdale and Terry already on the roster. They'll try and add another one to the young core in the Draft with their 16th overall selection

Bill Daly: The 15th Overall Selection in the 2022 NHL Draft belongs too.... The Montreal Canadiens

Sam Cosentino: This pick will transfer to the Nashville Predators as part of the trade they completed this season. Nashville had a disappointing season, completely missing out on the playoffs and finishing 3rd last in the NHL. This will be the first time the Preds will have two lottery picks in a single draft. They have only selected once before at #15. It was in 2004 when they chose Russian Alexander Radulov

BD: The 14th Overall Selection in the 2022 NHL Draft belongs too.... The Chicago Blackhawks

SC: Another pick that will go to a different team, the Columbus Blue Jackets will select here at #14 as part of the Seth Jones Trade. This will be the second straight year the Jackets will have multiple first round picks after they had three last year. The cupboards are going to be full of prospects after this upcoming draft for Columbus.

BD: The 13th Overall Selection in the 2022 NHL Draft belongs too.... The Arizona Coyotes

SC: While 81 points may not make it seem like the case, the Coyotes were a lot better then many people thought they were gonna be this past season. The Coyotes made big moves at the trade deadline, adding superstar Patrick Kane and Top 4 defenseman Mattias Ekholm. It wasn't enough to make the playoffs last season but with a full season with these guys, playoffs look like a very real possibility. Adding a 13th overall pick will help with this new-look retool Arizona is trying to pull off.

BD: The 12th Overall Selection in the 2022 NHL Draft belongs too.... The Carolina Hurricanes

SC: Much to the anger and disappointment of Canes fans, this pick will be Montreal's after the signing of RFA Jesperi Kotkaniemi last offseason. The Canadiens definitley did not expect this pick to be so high and so they'll be very please, especially because without this selection they wouldn't have one in the 1st round this year. This will be their 6th time in their franchise history picking at the 12th spot. The last time was in 2007 when they chose defenseman Ryan McDonagh.

BD: The 11th Overall Selection in the 2022 NHL Draft belongs too.... The San Jose Sharks

SC: The Sharks rebuild continues as they will select 11th overall after picking at 7th last season. San Jose has a weird roster mix with veterans such as Karlsson, Couture and Vlasic paired with guys in their prime like Hertl and Meier but still they aren't a playoff team. Their last time selecting at 11th was back in 1994 when they took Jeff Friesen.

BD: The 10th Overall Selection in the 2022 NHL Draft belongs too.... The Detroit Red Wings

SC: The "Yzerplan" in Detroit is in full effect and adding a top 10 player in this draft will only accelerate the Red Wing's mission to get back to the playoffs. Rookies Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider had incredible rookie seasons and GM Steve Yzerman will look to add a player just like them at 10th Overall. This will be the 6th straight season Detroit will have a Top 10 Selection (Edvinsson, Raymond, Seider, Zadina, Rasmussen)

BD: The 9th Overall Selection in the 2022 NHL Draft belongs too.... The New Jersey Devils

SC: The Devils are still a few pieces away from being a threat to make the playoffs. They added Russian winger Vladimir Tarasenko at the Trade Deadline and it isn't looking like the best fit so far. He had just 9 points along with an ugly -10 in 18 games. If Tarasenko does finally mesh with the team and finds chemistry with Hughes or Hischier the Devils will be in playoff contention next season.

BD: The 8th Overall Selection in the 2022 NHL Draft belongs too.... The Seattle Kraken

SC: They certainly didn't enjoy the type of success the Vegas Golden Knights did but after some suspect choices in their Expansion Draft, I don't think many people thought they would replicate that type of season. They'll gladly take the pick at #8 and look to add another player of Matty Beniers calibre, their 2nd overall pick last season

BD: The 7th Overall Selection in the 2022 NHL Draft belongs too.... The Columbus Blue Jackets -1

SC: With the Blue Jackets dropping to 7th, the Ottawa Senators have jumped up into the Top 3. As if the Senators needed any more prospects to add to an already embarrassment of riches. If all goes well in Ottawa, which might be a pretty big "if", this team will be stacked head-to-toe with talent.

BD: The 6th Overall Selection in the 2022 NHL Draft belongs too.... The Los Angeles Kings -1

SC: The Los Angeles Kings only have a few more seasons of trying to be competitive with the core that won them their Stanley Cups in 2014 and 2012. Anze Kopitar, Drew Doughty and Jonathan Quick are 35, 32 and 36 years old, respectively. You have about 1-2, maybe 3, more season of good hockey left in them. They have a good prospect pool but will want to compete next season to try and win one more Cup with this core.

BD: The 5th Overall Selection in the 2022 NHL Draft belongs too.... The Nashville Predators -2

SC: So not only do the Preds have a terrible season, they also drop out of the top 3 and will select 5th at the 2022 Draft. Nothing went right for Nashville this season and they won't even be awarded with a Top 3 Pick for it. They moved on from Mattias Ekholm at the Trade Deadline and got some good assets back for him. They'll get a top prospect here at #5 but don't be surprised if this team tries to contend again next year and treat this season as an anomaly.

BD: The 4th Overall Selection in the 2022 NHL Draft belongs too.... The Buffalo Sabres -2

SC: The Buffalo Sabres will have a Top 10 Pick in the Draft for the 10th year in a row. Yikes. Winning has avoided them for the past decade but with the pieces they're putting in place the Sabres look like they should be at least competitive within the next two seasons. They'll have a lot of great options to choose from at 4 and it'll add to the growing prospect pipeline

BD: The 3rd Overall Selection in the 2022 NHL Draft belongs too.... The St. Louis Blues -2

SC: It was a disastrous season for the Blues this season. They finished dead last in the NHL and by the Trade Deadline were in full fire sale mode. They finally shipped Vladimir Tarasenko out after years filled with trade rumors. The likes of O'Reilly and Schenn were being shopped around the league and while both were kept, expect to see both in play on Draft Day. This will be the Blues highest draft pick since they took Erik Johnson first overall in 2006.

SC: Now the moment we've all been waiting for, who will be awarded the 1st Overall Selection...

BD: The 1st Overall Selection in the 2022 NHL Draft belongs too....

Spoiler

David Amber: Well that does it for us here at Sportsnet as we end a night filled with tension and suspense. Teams will now head to the war rooms to debate and argue within their organizations on who they will pick at the Draft in Montreal in June. We thank you for watching this year's Draft Lottery show and wish your team all the best come Draft Day...