Craig Custance, ESPN Senior Writer 10y

Four keys to the Wild being contenders

As far as training camp drama goes, the Minnesota Wild are giving the Columbus Blue Jackets a run for their money. It never escalated to Ryan Johansen levels, but Minnesota had its own contract stalemate, with goalie Darcy Kuemper arriving late while standing firm on a demand for a one-way contract. Josh Harding broke a foot, and according to the Star Tribune’s Mike Russo, it was the result of an altercation with a teammate and led to a suspension.

Ilya Bryzgalov was even brought in to settle things down. Let that sink in for a moment.

The goalie situation in Minnesota was already fascinating without the drama; the incidents last week just added a layer of intrigue. Starting Monday night against the Winnipeg Jets, the drama shifts to the ice.

In a typical season, Wild coach Mike Yeo would already have his entire goalie plan mapped out. He’d know who was starting every preseason game and how long each goalie would play. By the end of training camp, he’d work it out so his No. 1 goalie played enough games and got enough work to prepare for the start of the season.

That’s not happening this season.

Tonight, Niklas Backstrom and Bryzgalov will split playing time against the Jets, Yeo said. Kuemper will play against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday.

After that? Let’s just put it down as TBD.

“That’s our challenge; it’s tough,” Yeo said when we chatted on Sunday afternoon. “The plan is, the first couple games, everyone will see some action.”

By the final few games, Yeo will have a better idea of which netminder gets the No. 1 goalie treatment and will prepare for the start of the season.

“That could be anyone,” he said.

While many teams can use preseason games to get into game shape, tweak systems and get a good look at young players, this is an open competition for the goalie job in Minnesota, a team that has Stanley Cup aspirations.

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