Minnesota Wild Defend the Blue Line in a charity game

Matt Cullen wears a camouflage jersey before the Defending the Blue Line game in February 2011

Can't wait for the 2012-2013 season to start? Luckily, two of the Minnesota Wild players will be playing in another Defending the Blue Line charity game. On June 20th, Josh Harding and Nate Prosser will be playing at the Ridder Arena in Minneapolis. Not only will fellow NHL players be playing, but Gigi Marvin, the star female hockey player, is scheduled to play as well.

Last year several Wild players participated in a Defending the Blue Line charity game in February, so it's a nice surprise that there will be another charity game. (And another game with Wild players)

Defending the Blue Line is a Minnesota-based charity for soldier's children to have the opportunity to play hockey and is endorsed by several teams in the NHL.

Harding or Backstrom to Face Sharks?

There hasn't been a peep about which goalie Mike Yeo will use tonight against the San Jose Sharks. Backup Josh Harding has the more staggering numbers in five games, but starter niklas Backstrom is coming of a 41-save, 3-0 shutout of Calgary on Thrusday and offers his own impressive statistics.

Coach Todd McLellan, of the Sharks, had his team practicing longer than usual on Wednesday, spending most of the time on a penalty kill.

Josh Harding and Niklas Backstrom Outstanding

Mike Yeo is faced with a problem. A good one, which has been rare these past few Minnesota Wild seasons.

Both of the Minnesota Wild goalies are playing so well that either is worthy of a start in the net. So while Yeo's choice to start Josh Harding again over Niklas Backstrom in tonight's game against Vacouver was not made without hesitation, Yeo can be confident that Harding won't drop the puck.

So far this season the Wild are allowing 2.09 goals per game, which is the fourth best in the NHL. Backstrom has had a few substandard games out of the eight he has played in, but he's still the starter with an All-Star game under his belt, alongside a 144-94 record. Even with all that, Harding has managed to work his way under the radar and into the net.

With two goalies playing outstanding defense, I look for the Wild to pick up their win rate as we head deeper into the season.

A Look at the Minnesota Wild's Current Depth Chart

FORWARDS

Line 1: Pierre-Marc Bouchard ($4.25 million salary, $4.08M salary cap hit); Mikko Koivu ($7.29M, $6.75M); Dany Heatley ($8M, $7.5M)

Line 2: Guillaume Latendresse ($2.6M, $2.5M); Matt Cullen ($3.5M, $3.5M); Devin Setoguchi ($2.75M; $3M)

Line 3: Darroll Powe (RFA); Kyle Brodziak ($1.3M, $1.15M); Cal Clutterbuck ($1.5M, $1.4M)

Line 4: Eric Nystrom ($1.4M, $1.4M); TBD; Brad Staubitz ($600K, $575K)

TBD; TBD

Note: Two or three spots are open depending on if the Wild keeps 13 or 14 forwards, or seven or eight defensemen.

Vying for spots: Colton Gillies, Casey Wellman, Cody Almond, James Sheppard, David McIntyre, Carson McMillan, Matt Kassian, Jed Ortmeyer, Jeff Taffe.

Restricted free agents: Powe, Wellman, Sheppard, Gillies, Jarod Palmer

Unrestricted free agents: John Madden, Antti Miettinen, Patrick O’Sullivan

Minor league unrestricted free agents: Robbie Earl.

DEFENSEMEN

Pair 1: Nick Schultz ($3.6 million salary, $3.5M salary cap hit); Marek Zidlicky ($4M, $4M)

Pair 2: Greg Zanon ($2.1M, $1.933M); Jared Spurgeon ($535K, $527K)

Pair 3: Clayton Stoner ($575K, $550K); TBD

TBD; TBD

Note: Two or three spots are open depending on if the Wild keeps 13 or 14 forwards.

Vying for spots: Marco Scandella, Nate Prosser, Justin Falk, Drew Bagnall.

Restricted free agents: Falk, Jeff Penner.

GOALIES

Starter: Niklas Backstrom ($6 million salary, $6M salary cap hit)

Backup: Josh Harding ($750K, $750K)

SALARY BREAKDOWN

• Actual 2011-12 payroll (as of today): $52,219,445

• Salary cap hit: $50,418,111

Wild Sign Goalie Josh Harding

The Wild have found their back up to Niklas Backstrom! The Minnesota Wild signed Josh Harding to a 1 year, 750,000 dollar contract yesterday. The Wild said Harding was given a clean bill of health after tearing both his MCL and ACL.

By signing Harding, the Wild have all but ended their relationship with Jose Theodore.

I'm glad the Wild signed Harding. I think he can do a really good job and he's wayyyy better than Jose Theodore. Theodore was a bum. Congratulations to Josh Harding, go buy a new car or get a hair cut, and to the Wild for getting the back up goalie they always wanted.

Josh Harding Out For Season With Torn ACL/MCL

Back up Minnesota Wild goaltender Josh Harding is out for the season after tearing his ACL and MCL in his right knee. St. Louis Blues forward Brad Boyes landed awkwardly on Harding and collided with his right knee in the crease. Anton Khudobin will likely take over the new back up role, a draftee from the 7th round in 2004. After the collision, Harding was in severe pain and told reporters he had heard a "pop". Best of luck to a quick recovery for Josh.

Updates on the Wild

1.) The MN Wild have recalled Justin Falk up from the Aeros, who will play at defense.

2.) Matt Hackett has been signed, as a goaltender, to an entry-level three-year contract. Hackett played for Plymouth of the Ontario Hockey League this season, racking up a 22-18-3 record and a .925 save percentage.

3.) Backstrom still not ready to play in the regular season games, but has returned to practicing with the Wild this past Tuesday. Backstrom was happy to get to skate around, but after suffering a pulled groin he isn't quite ready. With Niklas Backstrom out, Wade Dubielewicz has been serving as backup goal for Josh Harding.

Hot Minnesalsa Player of the Week

So every week, the Minnesota Wild chooses a stand-out player that deserves a little recognition. Josh Harding, the goalie for the Wild, was recognized this week for his incredible saves and his die-hard attitude. Harding had started two out of the three games last week and, despite a hip injury, stopped 26 out of 28 shots against the Red Wings. With little rest and a lot of pain, Harding battled it out the very next night against Colorado and scored himself the first shutout for him this season. Lets hear it for Harding!

MN Wild Goalies ranked in Top-5 of Northwest Division

NHL Sports Writer Joesph Gunther released his analysis of the best goalies in the Northwest Division this week. Taking two of the five spots were MN Wild starting goalie Niklas Backstrom and backup goalie Josh Harding.

MN Wild Josh Harding took the No. 3 spot, due to his high save percentage and goals against average. Gunther wrote that Josh Harding has definitely shown he could be an NHL starter and that although he has seen limited game time, his stats are just as good if not better than the starting goalies in the division. Josh Harding is on the watch-list for several analysts and coaches to be a potential trade.

The No. 1 spot on this list went to none other than MN Wild Niklas Backstrom. Gunther reported that the Vezina Trophy finalist was one of the best in the entire league finishing last season in the Top 5 for wins, goals against average, save percentage and shut-outs. With 8 shut-outs MN Wild fans are hopeful that the 2009-2010 Wild Season will be just as successful for Backstrom.

With the Wild Season Opener just a short ways away, Wild fans won't have to wait much longer to see how the off-season and training camp helped the Wild roster get ready to come back to the Xcel!

Wild can’t handle the Flames in Calgary

The Minnesota Wild had a great chance at Calgary on Tuesday night to put some separation between themselves and other teams in the Northwest Division. They got off to a promising start with Brian Rolston’s first period goal, but the Wild were stalemated the rest of the contest while giving up two goals to the Flames. Wild killer Jarome Iginla was shut out, but it still didn’t matter for the Wild, who has a history of struggling at Calgary. A bright spot for the Wild was Josh Harding, who started in net and made 35 saves. The two goals netted on him were from bad defense by Keith Carney and a turnover, respectively.

The next time the Wild play at home is after the All Star break when they take on the Mighty Ducks. You can get Wild tickets from local brokers like Ticket King for around $80 each. Let's go Wild!

Burns, Gaborik, Backstrom lead as Wild hit season midpoint

So who is doing the best so far for the Minnesota Wild this season? The Wild has played through 48 games on their schedule this season which is near the halfway point in the season. Brent Burns has turned out to be the Wild's best defenseman, as he has compiled 25 points and a +3 ice ratio. He leads all defensemen in goals. Unsurprisingly, right winger Marian Gaborik has led the team in points with 40 in only 37 games played. A quarter of his 21 goals came in one game against the New York Rangers, when he scored five.

Goalie Josh Harding is enjoying more net time this year. He was projected to get around thirty starts and has played in 16 games with a 7-8 win loss record. His goals against average of 3.02 is higher than starting goalie Niklas Backstrom's 2.44, so look for Harding to try and improve that stat so Jacques Lemaire can have more confidence in him.

Being Backup is just Harding’s Ticket

Josh Harding, the Minnesota Wild goaltender of the future, will no longer be limited by that particular title. Harding is ready to step up to be net-minder luminary Niklas Backstrom’s backup, and the Wild signed him to a multi-year deal. With Manny Fernandez shipped off to Boston, Harding will no longer have to compete for backup time. Backstrom will undoubtedly need a rest periodically throughout the season, giving Harding those spot chances to shine that he so specially excelled in last year. In seven games last season, Harding put up a 3-2-1 record with a phenomenal, if not fluky, 1.16 goals against average and a .960 save percentage. He also recorded two shutouts. I’m anxious to see if Harding can keep up these amazing performances in his primary backup role.

Manny on the Market

What is the Minnesota Wild doing right now with two number one goaltenders while they have a great opportunity to free some cap space by moving Manny Fernandez to a team that is desperate for goaltending? According to the Star Tribune, both the Florida Panthers and the Phoenix Coyotes could be possible candidates for making a trade for Fernandez. One thing is clear: The Wild is probably going to make Niklas Backstrom their number one goalie to start the 2007-08 season based on his stellar playoff performance, so where does Fernandez fit in if he has to sit on the bench? Let’s not forget that Josh Harding proved himself in his limited opportunities to net mind last season with that big shutout against the Edmonton Oilers on March 1.

IT JUST FEELS RIGHT

We are at the point of the NHL season when teams need to be on a roll in order to have success in the NHL Playoffs. On thing is for sure, the Minnesota Wild are clicking on all cylinders. The pessimist in me was depressed when Backstrom went down with an injury last night in Calgary. To my surprise, through two periods tonight, his replacement Josh Harding has been very solid. You know that your team is on a roll when their third string goalie is playing well.

Anyone who doesn't realize that Gaborik, Walz and Demitra make up one of the five best lines in the NHL isn't paying attention. It feels like they are going to score a goal every shift right now. Generally speaking, a hot goalie and and hot offensive line can carry an NHL team well into the playoffs. Both of those things are true for the Minnesota Wild. Beware NHL, the Minnesota Wild are for real!!!