4 Big Questions for the Minnesota Wild in 2020-21

2. Will the goaltending be good enough in 2020-21?

Let’s face it, goaltending has been a problem in Minnesota for a while now and it culminated in a horror season for Devan Dubnyk in 2019-20, with the veteran stinking out the place with a 3.35 Goals Against Average and a .890 Percentage.

Dubnyk is now with the San Jose Sharks, however, and it is up to offseason addition Cam Talbot and veteran Alex Stalock to steady the goaltending ship in Minnesota. Can they though?

Talbot, who signed a three-year, $11 million deal in Free Agency, is younger than Dubnyk and is also a slight upgrade, while he’s coming off a nice bounce-back season where he put up a .919 Save Percentage and a 2.63 Goals Against Average with two shutouts in 22 starts for the Calgary Flames and finished 35th in goals saved above expected.

However, Talbot is not a high-end NHL starter and he’s been more miss than he has been a hit over the last few years, while Stalock hardly gives you any confidence as a backup given his body of work, although he was okay in 2019-20 with a .910 SV% and a 2.67 GAA.

While the Wild only really need to worry about the St. Louis Blues, the Colorado Avalanche and the Vegas Golden Knights in the West – the Ducks, the Coyotes, the Kings and the Sharks are all rebuilding and are still a way off – poor goaltending can sink any team and there are legit question marks over whether a less than inspiring tandem of Cam Talbot and Alex Stalock can get the job done for the Minnesota Wild in 2020-21.

Only time will tell.