Minnesota Wild Final Season Grades: Goalies (Staff Writers Grades)

Good day, Wilderness! What a beautiful day it is back home here in Wisconsin. The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and you can smell freshly cut grass. Anywho, with that out the way, it's time to see how us staff writers here at the Wilderness graded our goalies over this shortened season.

Dan Czarnecki (WIMinnesotaWildFan)

Aaron Holm (The Nooge)

How can you not love this guy? A southpaw goalie in the NHL, diagnosed with MS before the season was only able to suit up for 5 regular season games. His numbers in the regular season were less than stellar with a .863 save percentage and 3.24 goals against average. After missing most of the season being thrust into a playoff round when Backstrom went down during game 1 warm ups, he was nothing short of remarkable considering the situation. Despite an injury of his own in the playoffs he managed to stop 123 of 135 shots on net in the 5 game series.

Eric Burton

Tony Wiseau

Niklas Backstrom: B-

Save Percentage by Month:

January- .910

February- .921

March- .915

April- .889

For all the hand-wringing associated with him- and there's a TON of it- it's clear that Backstrom carried the Wild during large stretches of the season, only to wear down at the end of the season. This overuse, perhaps, was a factor in the injury that led him to miss the playoffs completely. He played well enough overall to maintain his place in the good-but-not-elite tier of goaltenders.

Josh Harding: C

Great story, nice playoff production. Not his fault, obviously, but his absence in net really hurt the Wild. Here's to hoping he'll be able to contribute regularly next year.

Darcy Kuemper: incomplete

Andrew Ferraro

Niklas Backstrom: B

You could argue that the Wild dropped all the way to the No. 8 seed because of the play of Nik Backstrom. You could also argue that one of the only reasons they did make the playoffs was because of Backstrom. He was great at time, he was bad at times and he was poor at times ... just like the team in front of him.

Josh Harding: C

In just five games played during the regular season, he won just once and his stats were average at best. Considering all he's been through and how he handled hismself during the postseason should not be overlooked. He's a hell of a person and will add value to any team he's a part of going forward.

Darcy Kuemper: B

His NHL numbers were good, and his AHL numbers were spectacular. Kuemper has all the potential in the world, and he is just so much fun to be around. I believe this kid will use that skill and great attitude to propel himself into a starter's role some day. He held the fort when he had too, and the Wild made the right call at the trade deadline with Buffalo.

Giles Ferrell