2019 Minnesota Wild Odds to win Stanley Cup with Expert Predictions

The offseason for the Minnesota Wild was, in a word, weird. At the end of the 2017-18 season, they hired Paul Fenton to replace long-time GM Chuck Fletcher. Fenton had come up through the Nashville organization and was well respected. Just 15 months later, though, he was fired. Things don't work out sometimes, so the fact that he was fired by itself isn't impossible to comprehend. But the Wild fired him at the end of July. That's after he had run the team's draft and after he had guided his squad through free agency. June and July are where a GM does the largest part of his work, so to wait until after that time to make a change is just plain idiotic. But the Wild haven't been the best-run organization in the league the last few years by any means. They finished last in the Central Division last year and lost in the first round of the playoffs the three years before that, so they haven't exactly been an exciting, dynamic team. And last year their offense was anemic, ranking fifth to last in the entire league. This is a team that needs a big shakeup to get back on track, but it is hard to believe that it is all the fault of a GM who had barely moved into his office before he was moved out.

Minnesota Wild Offseason Moves

Long-time NHLer Bill Guerin was named as the new GM of the team. As a manager, he came up through the Pittsburgh organization, starting as a player development coach and most recently being assistant GM. It's a good organization to have been shaped by, but then so is Nashville, and that didn't work out for the Wild.

For a team coming off such a disappointing season, it's striking how little change there is on this roster. There were just two forwards added - both signed by Fenton. The big one is Mats Zuccarello, who played with the Rangers for a long time, made a brief but successful stop in Dallas last year, and then signed a five-year deal for $30 million in Minnesota. That feels like a slight overpay, but a team like the Wild can't underpay and land guys. The other guy is depth forward Ryan Hartman. Hartman has piled up the frequent flyer miles lately. He started last season with the Predators, was traded to the Flyers at the trade deadline, and then was traded to Dallas in the summer, but the Stars immediately released him in a salary dump, allowing him to sign a two-year deal here. Both additions were solid. However, given how much the offense struggled last year, it's hard to believe that they did enough. And things stayed steady on defense and in goal as well. Change was not the story this summer.

With their 12th overall pick in the NHL Draft, the Wild picked winger Matthew Boldy, one of an incredible seven players from the U.S. National Team Development Program to go in the Top 15 picks. He'll play at Boston College this year and needs time to grow into his frame.

Minnesota Wild NHL Outlook

If the team wants to take a step forward, they are going to need some guys to take a big step forward. Ryan Donato played by far the best hockey of his career after joining the Wild from the Bruins midseason last year, but the 23-year-old needs to prove he can sustain it. Center Luke Kunin was a star in college, but has struggled in the NHL so far, and he really needs to play well to lift the second line. Defenseman Jared Spurgeon needs to stay healthy and prove himself. Jason Zucker needs to show that the endless trade rumors over the last year and a half haven't bothered him. And the list goes on and on. If everything goes the right way, this team may still not be good enough, but they could be a factor in the wild card race.

Minnesota Wild Schedule

The Wild clearly didn't buy a Christmas gift for the schedule-makers, because the first two weeks are brutal. Six of their first seven games are on the road, with their fourth game at home against Pittsburgh the lone home tilt. And the opponents are tough, too - with the glaring exception of Ottawa. If this team isn't dialed in early, then they could be in real trouble by the middle of October.

Minnesota Wild NHL Futures Odds

The Wild are at +3300 to win the Stanley Cup , which puts them tied with three other teams and ahead of just eight others. They are tied with Arizona and Chicago as the ninth choice to win the Western Conference at +1600. And at +1600 as well to win the Central, they are long shots in their division. The season point total sits at 87.5, with the action evenly split. They are at +150 to make the playoffs and -170 to miss them.

2019-20 Minnesota Wild Predictions

I just don't see how this team makes the playoffs. There are a lot of good Western Conference teams, and this squad doesn't quite measure up. If everything went perfectly, they could be in the mix, but I really don't expect things to go perfectly. Their goaltending will steal some, but it's going to be a long season.

Get $60 worth of member's NHL picks absolutely free - no obligation, no sales people - you don't even have to enter credit card information. You can use this $60 credit any way you please on any of our top hockey handicappers. Get $60 worth of premium members' picks free ! Also, for a limited time get three hockey handicappers for the price of one! Click here for our 3-for-1 NHL picks offer . Also, get free NHL picks every day on Doc's Sports NHL predictions page.

Read more articles by Trevor Whenham