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"Every time we step on the ice, I expect us to win. And I expect us to com- pete for a championship," Guerin said. "We're trying to do a little bit of both. A little bit for now and a little bit for the future. It's not the easiest thing in the world to do. "There have been some really good hockey players that have been here for awhile, guys that I have a ton of respect for and I like. But if we want to move forward, then, in my opinion, we needed to change some of those guys. I think we brought in some guys that will help us do that." There's still a lot to look forward to this season, from the long-anticipated debut of Kirill Kaprizov to seeing if Rossi can earn a roster spot to seeing if Kevin Fiala can develop into the superstar he looked like he was becoming last season. Here's a closer look at the roster: Wild's Revamped Roster ADDITIONS: LW Kirill Kaprizov, C Marcus Johansson, C Nick Bonino, RW Nick Bjugstad, G Cam Talbot, C Marco Rossi. SUBTRACTIONS: C Mikko Koivu, C Eric Staal, G Devan Dubnyk, RW Luke Kunin, LW Ryan Donato, C Alex Galchenyuk. Players to Watch K APRIZOV: Five years after being draft- ed and about three since he started to emerge as a star in Russia, Kaprizov finally signed his entry-level contract with the Wild. The bubbly star twice led the KHL in goal scoring, led one World Junior tournament in goal scoring and scored the "Golden Goal" in overtime in the 2018 Winter Olympics to win a gold medal. How will he adjust to the NHL after not playing hockey competitively since March? Guerin isn't worried, but he has also tried to lessen expectations and alleviate pressure from a player who many fans hope will be an instant star and team savior. FIAL A : The Wild leading scorer in the playoffs picked up right where he left off at the NHL pause in early March. Remember, Fiala started to look like a true game-breaker down the stretch with 14 goals and 26 points in his final 18 games, including the final goal of the regular season in overtime at A naheim. The speedster can score in many differ- ent ways, from dangling with his silky smooth hands and quick feet to just let- ting a slap shot rip from long distance. JOHANSSON: A smart, fast, skilled player, it 'll be interesting to watch him in Minnesota. He'll be motivated during a contract year, but the Wild, as of now, seem to be intent on playing him as their No. 1 center. Throughout Johansson's career with Washington, New Jersey and Buffalo, those organiza- tions pretty much concluded that he was a much better winger than center. Yet, last season in Buffalo, he was force-fed as the Sabres' No. 2 center and f loun- dered. The Wild may have no choice but to also put him at center unless Rossi, the Wild's 2020 first-round pick and Ottawa 67s star, shows he's ready to step into such a big role. TALBOT: After a tough year in 2019- 20 personally and professionally for Dubnyk, Alex Stalock saved the day with a career-high 20 wins last season. But Guerin really bought into the analyt- ics saying that the Wild, who are solid defensively, would have been a much bet- ter team had Dubnyk stopped the shots he was supposed to. Guerin's banking on the fact that if the Wild can be the same team defensively, Talbot will step in on a three-year deal and be the backbone that will lead to a lot more victories. Talbot had a tough run two years ago in Edmonton and Philadelphia, but looked a lot more like himself during a bounce-back campaign last season with Calgary. In 2016-17 for the Edmonton Oilers, Talbot, undrafted and a former product of the University of Alabama- Huntsville, led the NHL with 73 starts, 42 wins and had a 2.39 goals-against average and .919 save percentage. He finished fourth in Vezina Trophy voting. Looking for a big step Defenseman Matt Dumba, right wing Mats Zuccarello, left wing Jordan Greenway, center Joel Eriksson Ek and center/right wing Nick Bjugstad. Dumba and Zuccarello had real tough years in 2019-20, Dumba coming off a torn pectoral muscle the season before (he was on pace for 30 goals before getting hurt) and Zuccarello expected to do so much more than he did during a sub- par 37-point campaign. The longtime New York Ranger is the highest-scoring Norwegian in NHL history but couldn't find a comfortable role in his transition to the West. Conversely, Guerin has made it quite clear that he expects big improve- ment from Greenway and he's hoping for Eriksson Ek, one of the top defensive cen- ters in the conference, to start chipping in more offensively. As for Bjugstad, the former Minnesota Mr. Hockey and Blaine star, he's coming off an injury-plagued year and aims for a fabulous homecoming to earn a future contract. Russo's predicted leading goal scorer Parise turned 36 in July and is coming off another year in which he led the Wild in goals. He's the all-time leading goal scorer (386) among Minnesota-born players and is 10 power-play goals from passing Phil Housley's record of 129. Parise scored 12 last season to finish tied for sixth in the NHL. Yes, he's up there in age and yes, Fiala looks like he's about to J A N / F E B 2 0 2 1 | M H J ON L I N E . C O M 29 Veteran netminder Cam Talbot will look for a bounceback season with the Wild. Photos / Minnesota Wild/Bruce Kluckhohn