Coming off of a very successful 2013-14 campaign, the Minnesota Wild have a glut at goaltender and head coach Mike Yeo expects a training camp battle to determine who will man the crease on Opening Night.
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The Wild host the Colorado Avalanche in a Stanley Cup Playoffs Round 1 rematch at Xcel Energy Center on Oct. 9 and the play of Josh Harding, Niklas Backstrom and Darcy Kuemper heading into that night will determine who will try to thwart off the Avs attack between the pipes.
"I have to say we're kind of open right now, to be honest with you," Yeo told The Star Tribune earlier this week. ."We're going to have some scrimmages ... but we're going to have to pretty quickly determine who we want to give a greater workload to after that. That's going to be a good challenge."
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Harding, 30, was solid in net for the Wild early on last season, but he lasted just 29 games while going 8-7-3 with a .933 save percentage and 1.65 goals-against average before his season was cut short due to his need for treatment for multiple sclerosis.
Backstrom, 36, has been the starter for most of his tenure with the Wild, but he was limited to just 21 games last season, posting a 5-11-2 mark with a .899 save percentage and 3.02 GAA before having to undergo surgery for an abdominal injury.
Kuemper, 24, stepped in after Backstrom and Harding were sidelined and went 12-8-4 in 26 games with a .919 save percentage and 2.43 GAA until a concussion halted his season. Ilya Bryzgalov then took over in the crease for Minnesota and wasn't brought back after playing the majority of the team's playoff games.
With the goalie situation changing so frequently last season, Yeo is prepared to give his trio of backstops the opportunity to prove themselves until one emerges as the true No. 1 starter.
"One thing I learned about last year is we shouldn't anticipate anything. Let's just go day by day. Obviously I'm hopeful that everybody's healthy. That's No. 1," Yeo said. "We know that we have three quality goalies. If they're healthy, they can compete and win hockey games for us."
Yeo said the play of the three netminders will determine who gets the majority of the playing time when training camp starts next month. Minnesota opens its preseason slate with a visit to the Winnipeg Jets on Sept. 22.
"Really, the players are going to determine it. Obviously [goaltending coach] Bob Mason will be very involved in it, the rest of the coaching staff will be involved in it," Yeo said. "It doesn't mean if you win you're going to stay in. I'm not a believer in that. But at the same time, your play will dictate how much and how often you'll play."
Minnesota is coming off of a very successful campaign in 2013-14 that saw the team finish with a 43-27-12 mark in the competitive Central Division and clinch a wild-card berth. It was the second straight year that the Wild made the playoffs.
The Wild bested the Avalanche in seven games in the opening round of the postseason before falling to the Chicago Blackhawks in six games in Round 2.
With three healthy goalies entering training camp, Minnesota is hopeful that it can get even deeper into the spring this season.
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