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How the Toronto Maple Leafs Stack Up Against the Competition (Part 2)

By Brad Vos

WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 16: A detailed view of the NHL logo on the back of the goal netting before the game between the Washington Capitals and the Toronto Maple Leafs at Capital One Arena on October 16, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 16: A detailed view of the NHL logo on the back of the goal netting before the game between the Washington Capitals and the Toronto Maple Leafs at Capital One Arena on October 16, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /
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Toronto Maple Leafs
ST. PAUL, MN – DECEMBER 11: Minnesota Wild defenseman Matt Dumba ( . (Photo by David Berding/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

(10) Minnesota Wild

The Wild put up 77 points in 69 regular-season contests.

They were 14th in goals for with 218 and  22nd in goals allowed with 218.  Their power play ranked 11th, and the penalty kill was 25th. They are a slightly below league average team in puck possession.

The team’s forwards are pretty unexciting. Kevin Fiala led the way with 54 points this year.  Eric Staal, Zach Parise and Mats Zuccarello offer some veteran stability upfront.

Daily Faceoff does rank their fourth line of Ryan Donato, Mikko Koivu and Ryan Hartman 3rd in the NHL.

Minnesota has a strong and deep defensive unit.  Ryan Suter and Jared Spurgeon man the top pairing.  There is depth beyond them with Jonas Brodin, Matthew Dumba, Carson Soucy and Brad Hunt.  Suter and Spurgeon chipped in a lot offensively.  All three pairings are above league average when compared to similar defensive lines.

So how did a team with such reliable defensemen allow so many goals? Goaltending was a complete mess for the Wild this season.  The usually reliable Devan Dubnyk struggled mightily, posting a 3.35 GAA to go with an .890 SV%.  Alex Stalock took the majority of the starts and was an improvement, but this is still a significant concern for Minnesota.

This is not a team I can see going very far, and I anticipate they get bounced by Vancouver in the play-in round.  The Wild did respond to a coaching change, going 8-4 down the stretch for new Head Coach Dean Evason.

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