With the 2021 NHL season fast approaching, it’s time to take a deep look at the newly aligned West division to see how the Colorado Avalanche are set to fare against their seven regular season opponents this year.

In my last piece, I looked at a somewhat competitive Los Angeles Kings roster that also has one of the best prospect pools in hockey, and will likely play in a lot of spoiler games this year.

Next up, the Minnesota Wild.

Photo by Jeff Vinnick/Getty Images

Minnesota Wild (35-27-7) 6th in Central

Team Stats (2019-2020)

• GF: 220 (15th in NHL), GA: 220 (22nd in NHL), PP%: 21.3% (11th in NHL), PK%: 77.2% (25th in NHL)

Team Stats vs Avalanche (2019-2020)

• 2-2-0 (.500P%, 13 GF, 13 GA, 3.25 GF/G, 3.25 GA/G)

Players to Watch

• Kevin Fiala - 64gp 23g 31a 54p

Stats vs West Division (2019-2020): 20gp 8g 10a 18p

Stats vs Avalanche (2019-2020): 4gp 1g 3a 4p

• Ryan Suter - 69gp 8g 40a 48p

Stats vs West Division (2019-2020): 21gp 4g 10a 14p

Stats vs Avalanche (2019-2020): 4gp 2g 3a 5p

• Jared Spurgeon - 62gp 12g 20a 32p

Stats vs West Division (2019-2020): 19gp 4g 6a 10p

Stats vs Avalanche (2019-2020): 4gp 1g 1a 2p

NHL Goalie Depth

• Alex Stalock - 38gp, 20-11-4, 2.67gaa, .910sv%, 4so

Stats vs West Division (2019-2020): 9gp, 5-3-0, 2.54gaa, .916sv%, 1so

Stats vs Avalanche (2019-2020): 1gp, 1-0-0, 2.01gaa, .926sv%, 0so

• Cam Talbot - 26gp, 12-10-1, 2.63gaa, .919sv%, 2so

Stats vs West Division (2019-2020): 10gp, 6-2-1, 2.47gaa, .921sv%, 1so

Stats vs Avalanche (2019-2020): DID NOT PLAY

Notable Offseason Acquisitions

• Cam Talbot
• Nick Bonino
• Marcus Johansson

The Minnesota Wild will look to build off of a season that, had they been in any other division, would’ve likely been well into a playoff spot. After being eliminated by the Vancouver Canucks in the qualifying round, Wild GM Bill Guerin shocked the culture of the team by trading off some significant pieces in Eric Staal, Luke Kunin, and Devan Dubnyk.

While they retained some significant pieces in the offseason like Cam Talbot, Marcus Johansson, and Nick Bonino, what remains to be seen is whether or not the Minnesota Wild actually got better. For a team that has struggled to get over the hump of mediocrity that they’ve been stuck in for so long, the front office has always been hesitant to be active on the trading and free agency market.

With their great defensive core and the promising group of forwards in front of them, they will likely be in the playoff picture among the best teams in the division.

Prediction: 4th in Division, Make Playoffs

Photo by Jeff Vinnick/Getty Images

Colorado Avalanche - 42-20-8 (2019-20) 2nd in Central

Team Stats (2019-20)

• GF: 237 (4th in NHL), GA: 191 (5th in NHL), PP%: 19.1% (19th in NHL) PK%: 81.4% (13th in NHL)

Team Stats vs Wild (2019-20)

• 2-2-0 (.500P%, 4 GF, 7 GA, 3.25 GF/G, 3.25 GA/G)

Players to Watch

• Nathan MacKinnon - 69gp 35g 58a 93p

Stats vs West Division (2019-20): 20gp 8g 16a 24p

Stats vs Wild (2019-20): 4gp 2g 3a 5p

• Mikko Rantanen - 42gp 19g 22a 41p

Stats vs West Division (2019-20): 11gp 4g 6a 10p

Stats vs Wild (2019-20): 3gp 1g 2a 3p

• Cale Makar - 57gp 12g 38a 50p

Stats vs West Division (2019-20): 15gp 6g 8a 14p

Stats vs Wild (2019-20): 4gp 2g 3a 5p

NHL Goaltender Depth

• Pavel Francouz - 34gp, 21-7-4, 2.21gaa, .923sv%, 1so

Stats vs West Division (2019-20): 12gp, 6-5-1, 2.58gaa, .907sv% 1so

Stats vs Wild (2019-20): 2gp, 1-1-0, 3.54gaa, .897sv%, 0so

• Phillip Grubauer - 36gp 18-12-4 2.63gaa .916sv% 2so

Stats vs West Division (2019-20): 9gp 5-3-0 2.22gaa .916sv% 1so

Stats vs Wild (2019-20): 2gp, 1-1-0, 2.56gaa, .919sv%, 0so

With the season series being split 2-2 this past season, fans should mark all eight matchups that these teams have this season on their calendars. Despite the notable skill gap that Colorado has when looking at some of the other teams within the West Division, the hockey is going to be as competitive as ever, and rivalries will be brewing.

From a statistical standpoint, aside from the wins and losses column, the Wild have been one of the best matchups for the Avalanche when it comes to just how competitive the games have been. 3.25 in the goals for per-game as well as the goals against per-game in the season series this past year, and managed to somehow lose two games even with Mackinnon, Rantanen and Makar scoring at at least a point per-game against them.

Although Minnesota may not be the flashiest team in the league for a lot of fans, they have some deceptively skilled players who, if were playing in a larger market, could be stars in the NHL. This matchup will not disappoint.

Next Up: The San Jose Sharks