Minnesota Wild Roster Spots Up for Battle

Goligoski, Addison, and Merrill will be battling for those final spots and Goligoski was the odd man out the majority of the time last season with Addison not far behind. Merrill would be considered the most reliable of the three but after his disappointing playoffs, the coaching staff may not have a lot of faith in him at the moment. Addison will likely start out the season on the roster as he did such a great job on the power play last season but his five-on-five game has to be better or he’ll be out once again.

As far as Goligoski is concerned, he’s a dark horse, usually a strong defenseman but he’s older and played about half the season last year. So it’ll probably come down to Goligoski and Merrill battling it out for the final spot, but they could both be bumped if someone else outshines them at training camp. If the Wild invite a player like Dakota Mermis or Joe Hicketts to training camp, those spots could be in for a battle.

Wild’s Goalie Dual

In reality, everyone knows Filip Gustavsson will be the number one goalie, especially after signing his new three-year, $3.75 million average annual value deal, but Marc-André Fleury isn’t going to just disappear. Fleury may be ready to be a backup but it doesn’t sound like general manager Bill Guerin is convinced according to a Tweet sent out by The Athletic’s Joe Smith.

They may not have planned for it to be a battle but having goaltenders competing for a spot usually ensures they’ll be playing the best they possibly can. The motivation to stay at the top will elevate their game and that’s what the team needs. Every team typically has a goaltender battle for the number one spot and while this may not be a hard-fought fight, they’ll both have to earn their spots nonetheless.

Wild’s Forwards Pretty Set

As mentioned off the top, the Wild have a pretty strong forward core and their 12 spots are basically set. The one question mark may lie around Rossi, at least that’s where everyone’s eyes will be. He’s expected to come into this season’s training camp ready to battle for his spot and prove he’s earned it. However, if he’s not ready, Guerin has shown he isn’t afraid to pull the plug and send him to Iowa.

If Rossi doesn’t show up ready, players like Sammy Walker, Adam Beckman, or even Nic Petan could start the season in that spot if they’re invited to training camp. The other spots are again pretty much a lock unless the player’s game has completely disappeared which doesn’t happen often. It’ll be interesting to see how strong Rossi is at training camp this year.

Wild’s Future Almost Clinched

While most of the lineup appears set, there’s always a surprise that could happen, and a player could step up and swipe a spot away. It happens every season on more than one team and the Wild are no different. It’s going to be a fun season with the roster changes that have already happened and it’s likely there will be a few more along the way.