Game #1: Minnesota Wild at Columbus Blue Jackets, Saturday October 3, 2009 (GAME PREVIEW)

Welcome back hockey fans. It seems like it's been an eon since the Wild last took the ice. But then considering how the season progressed and ultimately ended it has been a long time. When the end of the regular season finally hit, I was burned out and ended up watching very little of the Stanley Cup playoffs. However, I didn't avoid playoff hockey entirely this past spring. I enjoyed watching the NCAA Frozen Four and the CHL Memorial Cup playoffs. In retrospect, all I needed a break from was professional hockey.This vacation, like all vacations must come to an end at some point. That "point" is tonight, with a visit to the Blue Jackets' Nationwide Arena. For myself personally, I wish we weren't opening with a game against Columbus. However, I can deal with that better than some other issues with this year's NHL schedule. Last season, the Wild went months before meeting Edmonton. This season, it's not until December 10th that the Wild will face Calgary. There is absolutely no excuse for a team to not meet a division opponent until later in the season. When you have to play your divisional opponents six times in a season, they need to be spread out more. Okay, end of rant.Looking at the supposedly new-and-improved Wild, it simply reminds us that it will most likely take a few seasons to rebuild. Yet, as we all know, there are quite a few new faces at all levels of the organization. The only way you wouldn't be aware of all the changes is if you've been living under a rock since March or you're completely new to hockey and/or the Wild. I'm going to assume if you're reading this you know of the changes and will spare you the full list. Looking back at the pre-season games makes one think that old habits die hard. As has always been a problem of the Wild, lack of scoring was once again a problem. While new head coach Todd Richards and General Manager Chuck Fletcher have promised a more up-tempo game in Minnesota, one can only do so much with somewhat limited resources. I'll admit there were some pre-season games where we essentially dressed the Houston Aeros against other teams' legitimate NHL rosters. However, our current roster can only do so much.Yes, the acquisitions of both Martin Havlat and Petr Sykora instantly bring more offense to the perpetually anemic Wild. However, they are only two people. With Havlat, we have wonder how long he'll stay healthy. Yes he was the top scorer in Chicago last season, but he does have a history of injuries. In a way we "traded" an injury-prone scorer in Marian Gaborik for an injury-prone Havlat. One can only hope that Havlat's days of serious injuries are behind him. And perhaps this is the change of scenery that he needs. For Sykora, he finished the season with a Stanley Cup ring, but without a job. In a wise move, the Wild picked up the 32-year old winger for a mere $1.6 million. For that "bargain basement" price, it really makes you wonder (and worry) about what future contract negotiations will be like, especially if he has a decent, if not great, season with the Wild. One can only hope that those two will also help players such as Mikko Koivu, James Sheppard, and Pierre-Marc Bouchard improve their respective play as well.In Columbus, the Blue Jackets are in full youth movement mode. While sometimes relying on young players can be a risky move, last season it paid off. Players such as Derick Brassard, Jacub Voracek, and Nikita Filatov made significant progress and impact with the Blue Jackets. Of course for Wild fans, it is at our expense that we have to remember the accomplishment that Filatov had. Last season, he scored his first hat trick against the Wild. Personally, I try to banish such thoughts from my mind. You add strong youngsters like that trio with the leadership of Rick Nash, Kristian Huselius, and Fedor Tyutin and further combine that with goaltending with the likes of Steve Mason (last season's Calder Trophy winner), you are pretty much looking at a team that's a lock for a Western Conference playoff spot. For Blue Jacket's fans, they will certainly enjoy the turn of fortune, as they've watched the Wild make the playoffs four times before they even made their first appearance.If you're a longtime reader here, you might wonder where the stats are. Well it seems foolish to include numbers from either last season or this year's pre-season. The past was the past and ultimately has no impact now and the pre-season simply doesn't count. In a few games, we'll have stats that we can start looking at. Hopefully the Wild can find a way to score so we can have some offensive numbers to look at early. One can only look at so many penalty minutes and losing records for so long.So here we go. It's a new season, a supposedly new look, and hopefully a new outlook in Minnesota. Buckle up, and please make sure your seat is in the upright position.