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M H J O N L I N E . C O M | O C T O B E R 2 0 1 7 26 Will the Wild take the next step in the extremely competitive West? 2017-18 SE A SON PRE V IE W Good Grief by Michael Russo Russo's Rants P R E S E N T E D B Y hen training camp began for the Minnesota Wild in mid-Sep- tember, players were issued t-shirts to wear under their jerseys that read, "GOOD IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH." It was an instant message of what this season's mantra will be from coach Bruce Boudreau. Last season, the Wild were good. They were not good enough. After finishing with the sec- ond-most points in the Western Conference and scoring the most goals in franchise history, the Wild disappointed in the playoffs by managing a single victory against the St. Louis Blues. That buzzkill was the lasting memory heading into an offseason that included losing Erik Haula and prospect Alex Tuch to expan- sion and trading Marco Scandella and Jason Pominville to Buffalo. "I listen to the NHL Network too much." Boudreau said. "It bugs me that they pick every other team in the Central Division to make the playoffs except for us. To me, it's like, 'We want to show you.' I hope that's the attitude of the players because that frustrates me." In Boudreau's eyes, the Wild still return with the majority of their core even though they did cut loose key depth players like Jordan Schroeder and Nate Prosser. Up front is where Boudreau is particularly excited. Not only does he believe last year's Mikael Granlund and fellow $5 million man Nino Niederreiter should pick up where they left off, he expects big things from Matt Dumba, Jason Zucker and rookie Joel Eriksson Ek, a bounce-back year from Jonas Brodin and new- comers Marcus Foligno, Tyler Ennis and Matt Cullen to solidify the bottom-six forward positions. In Boudreau's eyes, the Wild know what they have in goalie Devan Dubnyk and have no ques- tion marks with top-four defense- men Ryan Suter, Jared Spurgeon, Brodin and Dumba. He's hoping Gustav Olofsson and Mike Reilly are able to take the next step on the third pair with newcomer vet- eran Kyle Quincey. "The last time we called up Mike Reilly last year, he was 10 times better than he was at the begin- ning of the year," Boudreau said. "Olofsson, same thing, the second time he was called up, I thought this guy was going to be a really good player. He has been able to train all summer and has put on a lot of muscle and weight. We really need these guys to perform." Boudreau agrees with the fan's sentiment that it's time for the Wild to take the next step in the postseason. But that's not his con- cern right now. "What happens in the spring is the great unknown because all we worry about now is making the playoffs," Boudreau said. "My job isn't to say, 'Let's peak in April, get the eight spot and we'll be fine.' I just think if you put your goals that low, sometimes you don't achieve them. You've got to try to be the best. W Head coach Bruce Boudreau believes the Wild's forwards are one of their biggest strengths heading into the season. How will the additions of Tyler Ennis, Marcus Foligno and Matt Cullen factor into the offense?