The weather is looking more and more like hockey season and yet here we are in mid-November and the Masters has just ended and hockey is still a ways away from returning.

The Covid-19 numbers are increasing everywhere and in particular here in the mid west. It is very real and we must all do our part so that we can get back to doing the things we all enjoy.

That said the Wild will be a very different looking team when we see them next with Dean Evason firmly entrenched as the head coach and the fresh faces of Cam Talbot, Nick Bjugstad, Nick Bonino, Marcus Johansson, and the long awaited arrival of Kirill Kaprizov and possibly #9 overall pick Marco Rossi.

It is a transition year for the Wild indeed but they are also trying to put a competitive product on the ice to be in the hunt for a playoff spot. There is too much veteran talent for the Wild to be a bottom feeder in hopes of a high draft choice especially with the core defense of Suter, Spurgeon, Brodin, and Dumba.

Dumba will be an interesting case as it is no secret his name has been bandied about in numerous trade discussions. Of course he is coming off a down year after his 2018-19 season was cut short due to a torn pectoral muscle. He was having a career year up until that point.

Quite often it takes players longer than just the normal recovery period to regain their previous form which was most certainly the case with Dumba, who finished the season looking a lot more like the player we had grown accustomed to seeing.

Talbot should give the Wild better in net and hopefully that provides support to Alex Stalock allowing him to return to his more familiar role as backup extraordinaire. Stalock's value is as a true backup, that guy that all of his teammates love to play for and the guy that gives you an honest effort every time he plays, even if it is only once every couple of weeks.

Bonino brings a lot of experience and playoff success to the room and will be a huge asset for the maturity process of some of the Wild's younger players.

Bjugstad will be looking to assert himself after an injury plagued last few seasons. He like Bonino, is in a contract year with an opportunity to show that the former Gopher and first round pick (#19 overall in 2019) has more to offer.

Hopefully we will be seeing and hearing "Let's Play Hockey" very soon!!!

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