NHL Training Camp Preview: Wild, Canadiens Look To Overcome Shortcomings

The National Hockey League will begin its 106^th season in early October, with a number of clubs looking to unseat the Colorado Avalanche after their Stanley Cup victory earlier this summer, while others are preparing to make a run at getting the best odds to select presumptive first overall pick, Connor Bedard.

With the NHL salary cap going up only $1 million, many clubs had to make difficult roster decisions. Nearly half the league is currently over the $82.5 million limit and will be using long-term injured reserve to get under the cap ceiling, while budget clubs used their cap space to add draft capital.

Here is the preview of a club that made an improbable run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2021 and ended up with the league’s worst record last season and a Western Conference club that had an excellent regular season but bowed out in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs:

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Minnesota Wild (53-22-7 – 2nd place in the Central Division, lost to St. Louis in the first round)

Who’s Out – Kevin Fiala, Dmitry Kulikov, Cam Talbot, Nick Bjugstad, Nicolas Deslauriers

Who’s In – Filip Gustavsson, Sam Steel

The Wild had a surprisingly successful regular season with 113 points led by 41-goal scorer Kirill Kaprizov, Fiala, and Ryan Hartman, but in spite of making a number of deadline adds such as Deslauriers and goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, Minnesota could not get past St. Louis in the opening round of the playoffs. GM Bill Guerin entering the summer was hampered by over $12 million in dead cap money created by the buyouts of Ryan Suter and Zach Parise, which was the reason in part for trading Fiala to Los Angeles and Talbot to Ottawa one year before unrestricted free agency.

Guerin was successful in bringing back Fleury and extending blueliner Jacob Middleton, but their off-season additions were limited to adding a depth forward in Steel and a backup goalie in Gustavsson.

2022-23 Potential impact prospects

D – Brock Faber

C – Marco Rossi

G – Jesper Wallstedt

Faber was part of the return from the Kings in the Fiala deal and after appearances at the World Junior and Olympics for the US, the 20-year-old could turn pro after his junior season at the University of Minnesota. Rossi missed most of 2021 with COVID after effects, but scored 53 points in AHL Iowa and could see full-time duty in the NHL last season. Wallstedt is on track to be the Wild’s goalie of the future after playing two years in a row for Sweden at the WJC, and will likely serve another year of apprenticeship in the SHL.

Montreal Canadiens (22-49-11 – 8th place in the Atlantic Division)

Who’s Out –  Carey Price, Alexander Romanov, Ryan Poehling, Mathieu Perreault, Jeff Petry

Who’s In –  Evgenii Dadonov, Kirby Dach, Michael Matheson

The Canadiens were the Cinderella story of 2021, as everything went right on their road out of the North Division and in the semi-final victory over Vegas before losing to Tampa in the Cup Final, but all went wrong after that, as GM Marc Bergevin and head coach Dom Ducharme were fired, defenseman Shea Weber could not continue to play due to injury and Price played just five games last season due to chronic knee problems.

New team president Jeff Gorton, GM Kent Hughes, and head coach Martin St. Louis have been tasked with a massive rebuild project, which started last summer by moving out blueliners Petry (Pittsburgh), Romanov (Islanders), and the rights to Weber (Vegas) for Matheson, Dach from Chicago and the expiring contract of Dadonov from the Golden Knights.

2022-23 Potential impact prospects

W – Juraj Slafkovsky

G – Cayden Primeau

D – Kaiden Guhle

The top selection in the 2022 Draft, Slavkovsky is a power forward who played in Finland and internationally for Slovakia at the World Junior, World Championships, and the Olympics. Primeau has split time between Laval and the Habs the last three seasons (due mostly to Price’s injury woes) but is only 23. Guhle was selected 16^th overall in 2020 and averaged nearly a point-per-game in the WHL regular season and playoffs last year.