The Minnesota Wild — for better or worse — are entering a new era.
With the high-profile buyouts of former franchise cornerstones and the obstacles posed by increased salaries for rising stars and attrition from the expansion draft, the Wild are left with a drastically different group on the blueline. Of the seven defensemen to play over 100 minutes for the team last year, only three are returning; Jared Spurgeon, Jonas Brodin, and Matt Dumba.
For Brodin and Dumba, the only intact pairing, the turnover presents interesting challenges.
“A lot of new faces,” Dumba reflected during press availability after the second day of training camp.