2014-15 Minnesota Wild the best Defensive Team in the Organization's History?

[awstaf]

I was doing a little research on the Wild's defensive play so far this year, and I knew they were good, but I had no idea how good.

I broke down the Wild's defense a little but here: http://alongtheboards.com/2014/11/minnesota-wild-power-shot-suppression/

17 games might be a small sample size, but they are far and away the best team when it comes to limiting shots, which got me thinking. Is this the best defensive team in the Wild's history?

In their 13 seasons they've finished in the top five in GAA five times. In all of those seasons they've had some pretty good goaltending (all but one of those teams have a team sv% of .924 of higher) and were below average in shots against per game.

This year the Wild are 8th in GAA, but the fact that they aren't in the top ten is mostly due to their goalies. Kuemper and Backstrom have a combined sv% of .908. The one thing that has kept the GAA so low is how good the defense has been.

So is this best defensive team that Minnesota has ever had?

Click to read more...

 

[AKL]

Well, it's clearly the best team the Wild have ever had from top to bottom, so if I had to venture a guess, I would assume best defense probably comes with that.

 

[nickschultzfan]

When healthy, yes. Goaltending is a little down, but blueline is rocking with Spurgeon and Scandella becoming a monster 2nd pairing.

 

[Al Lagoon]

What about 2006-2007, the year they finished first in GAA and won the Jennings?

 

[gphr513]

I'd say talent-wise, yes, it's probably the best in team history.

 

[mezcal]

Best team on paper in franchise history.

Third pairing is not that great and Suter could really use a solid right handed d-man to pair. Goaltending is an issue.

 

[rynryn]

the philosophy in the D zone is completely different from lemaire years. He was fine with letting other teams whale away on shots as long as they were from a distance. TR came through and every shot seemed to be coming from 3 feet away from the paint. Now we're being more puck hogs and not allowing the other team to spend any time with the puck in our zone. It works now because our younger D are mature and have played the system for a couple years and...Well Suter is Suter. The team didn't have the talent to play this way under Lemaire, but i really doubt they would have anyway. So talent and coaching.

 

[MNRube]

Best team on paper in franchise history.

Third pairing is not that great and Suter could really use a solid right handed d-man to pair. Goaltending is an issue.

I'd say Spurgeon has filled that void for Suter.

 

[Avder]

I'd kind of like to see our top 4 be Suter-Spurgeon/Scandella-Brodin and see what happens. Suter and Brodin play shutdown D while Spurgeon and Scandella play solid D with solid offensive capabilities as well.

And get Prosser the heck out of here.

 

[WildGopher]

I'd kind of like to see our top 4 be Suter-Spurgeon/Scandella-Brodin and see what happens. Suter and Brodin play shutdown D while Spurgeon and Scandella play solid D with solid offensive capabilities as well.

And get Prosser the heck out of here.

Prosser's picked up his game nicely in recent games and is arguably our 5th defenseman, at least for now. Good to see some of these players develop - when enough players make steps like that in the same season, a team can make a real run.

 

[mezcal]

Prosser's picked up his game nicely in recent games and is arguably our 5th defenseman, at least for now. Good to see some of these players develop - when enough players make steps like that in the same season, a team can make a real run.

Then we have a problem.

The guy is simply not an NHL d-man, and I've never seen a player screen his goalie more than him.

 

[Al Lagoon]

Then we have a problem.

The guy is simply not an NHL d-man, and I've never seen a player screen his goalie more than him.

Prosser isn't that bad. He's at least as good as N. Schultz, and he got millions.

The problem is that Kuemper has been shaky as hell. Backs is looking better and better by the day.

I'm hoping that Harding is back sooner rather than later. Of all out goalies the last few seasons, he has been least likely to give up soft goals, and even less those weak goals in succession, as Kemps has done a LOT lately.

I think DK will work it out eventually, but he is on the hook for multiple losses this season, in spite of his better games.