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30 P R E S E N T E D B Y RUSSO'S PREDICTED LE ADING SCORER: If Zuccarello plays on the right side of Zucker and Staal all year long, he is the type of playmaker that could replace the loss of Granlund. If Zucker and Staal have bounce-back years after a tough 2018-19 season, Zuccarello should see his stats line balloon. Zuccarello averaged almost a point per game during his suc- cessful New York Rangers career and is the type of skater and scorer that should excite Wild fans despite the team signing him long-term on the north side of 30 years old. RE ADY TO BRE AK OUT: Last season, we started to see flashes of the type of player young Kunin could become. He's intense, physical, works his butt off and if put in the right situation can score. At least to start the season, Kunin will be put in that right situation between the likes of Parise and Fiala. Kunin, who once captained the United States to gold at the World Juniors, is versatile enough to play wing or center. But he will start the season at center after playing well following last year's Koivu injury and producing six goals in 11 games for Iowa in the playoffs. MUST BOUNCE BACK: Zucker and Staal, plain and simple. Two years ago, Zucker scored 33 goals and Staal 42. Last sea- son, Zucker scored 21 and Staal 22. The Wild were shut out 11 times and scored the fewest goals in the NHL from Dec. 15 on, so they just can't afford the ty pe of down years we saw from Zucker and Staal. Zucker dealt with trade rumors all season long and should enter this year with a clear mind now that Fenton, the man that was obsessively tr ying to trade him, is gone. Staal was more of a concern just because he turns 35 in October and showed signs of fatigue. But Staal is such a pro and is the ty pe of player that can leave you feeling foolish if you doubt him. POSSIBLE CALL-UPS: The way the Wild roster shapes up, it'll be very hard for rookie Nico Sturm to make the team. But he got an NHL two-game taste last season after sign- ing out of Clarkson University and was the MVP of the team's June development camp. This big center is pure character. Playing in Iowa would only do the kid good. He should get big minutes and responsibility, stuff that will only help him when he gets promoted to the NHL. WHAT MUST HAPPEN FOR THE WILD TO MAKE THE PL AYOFFS: Simple. Health, internal improvement and bounce-back years. In the cutthroat Central Division, the Wild aren't deep enough to absorb major injuries like they did last season to Dumba and Koivu. What's more, it'll be impossible for this team to succeed if we don't see guys like Staal and Zucker rebound but also see big-time improve- ment from guys like Fiala, Donato, Kunin, Greenway and Eriksson Ek. It's their time to step up their games and become important fixtures on the ice and in that locker room. If the Wild can come togeth- er as a team, they could surprise many, like Boudreau believes they can. Michael Russo writes for The Athletic. He enters his 15th season covering the Wild and 25th covering the National Hockey League. He co-hosts the Russo-Souhan Show on talknorth.com, can be heard week- ly on KFAN (100.3-FM) and seen through- out the hockey season on Fox Sports North. Follow Russo on Twitter at @RussoHockey. To subscribe to The Athletic at a 40 percent discount ($2.99 per month), go to theathlet- ic.com/iknowrusso. If you're a student, you can get 50 percent off ($29.99 for the year) at theathletic.com/student. Russo's Rants M H J ON L I N E . C O M | O C T O B E R 2 0 1 9 "We've got some very good NHL hockey players and I was telling somebody last night, 'People are writing us off way too early.'" – Bruce Boudreau Photos / Bruce Kluckhohn