Is the struggles of the 2009 pre-season for the Wild a sign of things to come?

"Lonely, Mr. Lonley" might be something that either Wild goaltender Niklas Backstrom or Josh Harding may be singing to one's self with the new philosophy emphasizing an up-tempo aggressive forecheck. It wouldn't matter if you had "Mr. Lonely's" Bobby Vinton between the pipes, if your team doesn't play good defense in front of you, it could spell disaster. Many fans of other teams across the league loved to make fun of the defense-first philosophy of former Wild Head Coach Jacques Lemaire but it kept games close and for a team with limited offensive talent that was a smart choice. Enter new Wild Head Coach Todd Richards, who has stated repeatedly that the team's new approach does not mean the team is just throwing away defense altogether. Yet at the same time, with an emphasis on up-tempo play it implies the team will be taking more chances to create scoring opportunities. Enter in this year's pre-season, where the 'up-tempo' Wild have often found itself outshot and outgunned more often than not. A perfect example of how this up-tempo style is not exactly producing a decidedly more offensively aggressive team is the fact Minnesota was outshot 19 to 32 in their game against Chicago on Friday night, and 18 to 21 against the St. Louis Blues on Thursday of that same week. So what gives? Even with a trapping team, the Wild often registered more than 20 shots per game most nights. How can the Wild expect to be competitive when its putting so few shots on goal? Yes, its pre-season and teams certainly play differently during an exhibition game versus to how they play during the regular season versus how they play during the playoffs. I understand that completely. Yet, how can this lack of shots on goal not be a sign of concern for the team? Of course it has to be deeply concerning to the Wild. However its not all bleak skies for the State of Hockey. One player who looks to be a guy who may just play worth his salary is Martin Havlat. Havlat has registered 3 goals this pre-season and has been a catalyst on a few others demonstrating that he could very well be the x-factor whether this team wins or loses much the same way another European-born but oft-injured winger who I shall not name used to be for this franchise. The big question mark becomes who is going to score beyond him. Mikko Koivu, Andrew Brunette, Pierre-Marc Bouchard and Benoit Pouliot are currently out with injuries and all of them are expected to be an important part of the Wild's offense. If for whatever reason they're not ready to go when the regular season begins October 3rd, the team could find itself in deep trouble as it starts with a road-heavy schedule. Without those other offensive cogs in the Wild's chain, it would mean the team would have to hope role players like Kyle Brodziak, Antti Miettinen, James Sheppard, and Eric Belanger pick up the slack. No offense to any of them, but that would not bode well for the team. Cal Clutterbuck is another bright spot for the Wild as he seems to be tailor made for the new system, and has embraced the freedom to hit and grind as he loved to do before Todd Richards became bench boss. Clutterbuck has also had a terrific pre-season, and his speed and perhaps surprising (depending on who you listen to) offensive instincts may make him a contributor on the 2nd line. Without question, his ability to move and create space with his physical play could prove to be very useful for a 2nd scoring line which is still very much a work in progress at this point. The team's roster is starting to shape up even more as it has paired down to just 27 players as of this Saturday as it sent down these players to the team's American Hockey League affiliate in Houston; Danny Irmen, Robbie Earl, Matt Kassian and former Kelowna Rockets star Cody Almond who has been battling injuries all through training camp. More roster movement today, as the team placed Craig Weller and Nathan Smith on waivers. There were two more players that recieved orders to take their game to Houston, in left wing Colton Gillies and center Andy Hilbert. Hilbert, a tryout has to decide whether he wants to accept a two-way contract or not. If Hilbert doesn't want to go to Houston then he'll be a free agent again. The former University of Michigan star has spent his time bouncing from the minors to the NHL and it would not be surprising to see him say to heck with the Wild at this point. Gillies, still under an entry-level deal will benefit greatly from the increased ice time that he'll have playing for the Aeros. At best, Gillies would've been a 3rd or 4th liner this season for the Wild. With the Aeros, Gillies will have far more ice time in all situations rather than simply be inserted from time to time as he was last season. I have no doubt that he is disappointed, but seasoning in the AHL is very common (if not the norm) throughout the league and many Wild players benefitted greatly from time spent in the minors (Brent Burns, Mikko Koivu, and Pierre-Marc Bouchard are all examples of this). You could hear the pain in Gillies voice as he talked to reporters after the news broke of him being sent down, but he tried to take the high road saying that he is looking forward to developing down in Houston and taking an expanded role on the team. Wild Head Coach Todd Richards told reporters that he hates telling players they're being sent down more than anything, and as a long-time AHL player himself he knows how that disappiontment feels. Marco Scandella was also dispatched to rejoin his Quebec Major Junior Hockey League team, the Val 'd Or Foreurs who are (as a team) hoping to improve after a rough season last year. Scandella showed some promise during pre-season and the fact he was sent down after fellow blueliner and 1st round pick Tyler Cuma is a good sign of just how well they liked his progress. The blueline still has plenty of intense competition as behemoth John Scott battles for the 7th defenseman spot with AHL journeyman Jamie Sifers. Sifers has had an outstanding training camp and pre-season; and demonstrating the praise he recieved while he was apart of the Toronto Maple Leafs organization. A solid skater, with steady play in the defensive zone, Sifers has shown great poise as well as great hustle which has endeared him to the coaching staff much the same way Joel Ward did a few years ago. Scott was signed to a one-way deal which would seemingly make it less likely he'd be sent down to Houston, and with Wild enforcer Derek Boogaard injured he may also have the edge because he is a proven pugilist at the minor-league level. The Wild have their last pre-season game Tuesday against the Philadelphia Flyers; a team that has really pulled out all the stops to field a Stanley Cup worthy lineup. Minnesota has historically struggled against the Flyers, so they better be ready for what will likely be a very physical battle as the bubble players all do whatever they can to earn spots for their respective clubs. Minnesota teen signs with Dallas StarsIt has been reported by the Elk River Star News that Elk River, Minnesota resident, Tristan King signed a 3-year Entry Level deal with the Dallas Stars. King, the 6'0", 183lbs center played the last 3 seasons in Western Hockey League with the Portland Winterhawks and currently with the Medicine Hat Tigers. Last season, battling through a groin injury, King had 14 goals and 36 points in addition to 33 penalty minutes in 47 games. King got his break when he played at the Traverse City Tournament that featured 8 NHL teams including the Stars and the Minnesota Wild. The product of Elk River, Minnesota said he impressed Stars brass in attendance with his skating and playmaking ability, and no doubt the 4 assists he had in the tournament didn't hurt his cause either. King was not drafted in this year's Entry draft and it is sort of ironic that the Elk River-native King was signed by the Dallas Stars as the Minnesota Wild's last draft selection was a player from Dallas AAA, in scoring centerman Anthony Hamburg.That isn't the only good news to come to Elk River either; as word that former Elks star Joe Long signed a pro deal to play for the Bloomington Prairie Thunder (Illinois) of the International Hockey League after a successful 4-year college career with Hamline College. Long was always a strong finisher with the puck and no doubt hopes to live out his professional hockey dream by using those same skills that had him score over 103 points in 102 games over his 4-year NCAA career.