Hello Hockey Wilderness readers!  I've been relatively absent from the comment section lately and I haven't made a fanpost in forever, so I thought I'd get some lively discussion going on something very hockey-related:  fantasy hockey!  

Fantasy sports is probably the most important thing in life.  This is indisputable fact.  Nothing compares to it, not even the birth of your firstborn child or your measly college degree.  That's why you should drop everything you're doing,  or even thinking about doing, and delve into the mysterious and magical world of fantasy hockey with me, ADN, your tour guide on this fantastical journey.

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As a Wild fan, I would really like to know what we have in Lundin.  I've lurked around Raw Charge for a few months now (was really pulling for you guys in the playoffs), and I figured this blog would be the best resource to answer some questions I have about Lundin.  So here goes:

1.  From what I've gathered from this blog and from other sources, Lundin seems to be a mobile defensive dman who can really eat some minutes.  Is that a correct assessment? 
2.  Does Lundin have any offensive talent?  Some of his numbers are underwhelming, but could he be used in a powerplay/offensive situation?
3.  What are some weaknesses that Lundin possesses?  Any glaring problems in his game?

Those are just a few questions, but if you feel like adding anything about Lundin outside of the questions, please do!  I'll appreciate anything and everything you guys want to say about this dude.  Thanks in advance!

Edit: Thanks for everyone's input on this! It's nice to know that the Wild got a hometown guy with this much promise.  I hope the Lightning do really well this year. I'll be rooting for you guys!

I know we've had this discussion a lot over the past month on the Heatley/Setoguchi threads, but I wanted to focus all the opinions into one thread to get a solid idea of where the Wild should/will finish. Only Rule: NO HOMERS. Please provide some well thought out opinions, not "MINNESOTA STATE OF HOCKEY TAKING THE CUP PARISE IS THE MISSING PIECE" type sentiments. :)

Editor's note: ADN asks a great question. Where do you think the Wild finish next season. We have added a poll to the original post, but please leave your thoughts about why you voted the way you did in the comment section. With the addition of the Minnesota born players through the draft and signings, this is clearly the best team the Wild have ever had... right? ADN's thoughts after the jump. 

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via mit.zenfs.com

As you can see in this picture, Scott is chirping at Luongo after Luongo got yanked from the game for sucking.  If this doesn't warm your heart and make your eyes tear up a bit, I don't know what will.

Also, John Scott on Kevin Bieksa (evidence that the enforcer role still exists and Scott intends on fulfilling his duties).

And he STILL kicks the crap out of people.

John Scott - Thunderstruck (2010-11 Season) (via bmtv723)

In short, even if we don't want Scott back and getting ice time for the Wild, there's still plenty of reasons to miss him.

(I found some of these links through Second City Hockey, so props to them for doing most of the work here).

First off, to oblige Bryan, I thought I'd make a fanpost.  This topic has been on my mind for a long time: what team is benefiting most from the extra 5 minutes?  What teams are suffering because they're not making it to the extra frame?

I retooled the standings to reflect the following point outcomes: 3 points for a regulation win; 2 points for an overtime win; and 1 point for an overtime loss.  (I updated the standings to reflect what they'd be like tonight using NHL.com for standings regarding current standings, OTW, OTL, and SO record).  Here's what I found:

Western Conference Standings

1) Vancouver: 33 Wins - 4 OTW - 9 OTL (2-5 in SO)= 116 points (1 in current standings)

2) Detroit: 25 Wins - 9 OTW - 6 OTL (2-2 in SO) = 99 points (2 currently)

3) Phoenix: 26 Wins - 4 OTW - 9 OTL (3-3 in SO) = 95 points (3)

4) San Jose: 25 W - 6OTW - 6 OTL (3-2 in SO) = 93 points (7)

5) Anaheim: 24 W - 8 OTW - 4 OTL (4-2 in SO) = 92 points (4)

6) Nashville: 24 W - 6 OTW - 7 OTL (6-3 in SO) = 92 Points (6)

7) Dallas: 22 W - 9 OTW - 6 OTL (5-4 in SO)= 90 Points (5)

8) LA: 24 W - 7 OTW - 3 OTL (6-1 in SO) = 89 Points (10)

9) Minnesota : 24 W - 6 OTW - 5 OTL (2-4 in SO)= 89 Points (9)

10) Calgary: 20 W - 9 OTW - 8 OTL (7-5 in SO) = 86 Points (8)

11) Chicago: 23 W - 5 OTW - 6 OTL (3-4 in SO)= 85 (11)

12) Columbus: 20 W - 8 OTW - 5 OTL (4-2 in SO)= 81 (12)

13) STL: 20 W - 5 OTW - 9 OTL (3-5 in SO) = 79 (13)

14) Colorado: 17 W - 8 OTW - 6 OTL (3-0 in SO) = 73 (14)

15) Edmonton: 14 W - 3 OTW - 8 OTL (1-7 in SO) = 56 (15)

Overall I noticed that there wasn't a huge difference between the current standings and the "New style" standings.  However, it's still relatively early in the season and no one knows how a 3 point system would shake up the playoffs race at the end of the year.  However, if the season ended now (yes, I know that's an overused scenario), a 3 point system would have a bit of say in the seeding and would even have a say in getting a team into the playoffs while kicking one out.

The teams that are affected positively by this 3 point system: San Jose (4th in new system, 7th in regular) and Los Angeles (8th in new system, 10th in old).  Both teams are drastically affected by the change.  San Jose moves up 3 spots and would get 4 home games in the playoffs as a result.  Los Angeles would earn a spot in the playoffs.

The teams negatively affected by the 3 point system: Dallas (7th in new system, 5th in regular) and Calgary (10th in new system, 8th in regular).  These teams are the ones that are benefiting from the 2 point system.  Calgary is actually out of the playoffs by a full (non-OT) win.  Dallas is only affected by seeding, but with only 22 non-OT wins (both MN and LA have 24 wins as 9th and 8th seeds, respectively), the Stars are surely benefiting from the current system.

So, the inevitable question arises: why is an OTW worth less than a regular win? Well, a win is a win, but if we're going to award a team for getting into the overtime and losing, that point has to come from somewhere.  It only seems right to take that point from the the team that allowed the losing team to get into the overtime with them.  Also, taking a point away from an OTW takes away some of the importance of the shootout (which to hockey purists is a good thing).

In the end, would 3 point standings get more deserving teams into the playoffs? I think so.  As you can see, there hasn't been a resounding overhaul of the 3 point standings from the 2 point standings.  Only two teams swapped playoff positions, so it wouldn't shake the fundamental nature of the playoff race.

My opinion, however, is that a team that wins more in regulation would be a more competitive team in the playoffs.  Teams can't rely on their shootout specialists to bail them out in the playoffs, so the teams that are better in regulation and don't rely on the OT points deserve to be in the playoffs.  The 3 point system better reflects how a team does in 5v5 hockey and therefore reflects the team's aptitude for playoff style hockey.

What does Hockey Wilderness think?  Why would a 3 point system be good/bad?

First time FanPoster, long time commenter!  I needed some advice about the Wild for Fantasy Hockey. 

I'm currently in a keeper league and I wanted to know who the dedicated followers of Hockey Wilderness think will be the Top 5 prospects for the Wild organization.  I'm looking for the prospects who are not only the most talented, but are the closest to cracking the Wild's lineup in the near future.

Let me know what you think!