Roster decisions loom as Wild season opener approaches

Monday will be the day many Wild players have been waiting for and others dread.

Judging by coach Mike Yeo's comments following Saturday's 5-4 overtime victory in the Wild's preseason finale against the St. Louis Blues, young defensemen Matt Dumba and Christian Folin and left wing Jason Zucker might arrive at Xcel Energy Center and be greeted with good news.

Others, like goalie Ilya Bryzgalov and perhaps a depth forward like Stephane Veilleux, might not.

Winger Justin Fontaine is apparently ahead of schedule in recovering from a lower-body injury that might cost him the first two games of the regular season, but by Fontaine starting on injured reserve, the Wild technically only has to make two roster moves.

One will likely involve Bryzgalov.

The Wild's goalies, veteran Niklas Backstrom and youngster Darcy Kuemper, survived the preseason healthy and performed well. Wild General Manager Chuck Fletcher has indicated it's not practical to start the season with three goalies taking spots on the 23-man roster, so unless Kuemper is going to start the season in the minors, Bryzgalov's tryout will have to come to an end.

The only options likely would be to offer Bryzgalov a two-way contract or strictly an American Hockey League contract and see if he's willing to accept or outright release him from his tryout.

If Dumba and Folin will both be on Thursday's opening night roster against the Colorado Avalanche, the Wild will have to trim one more player. The likely candidates are one of forwards Cody Almond and Veilleux, forward/defenseman Stu Bickel or defenseman Nate Prosser.

All four of those players require waivers to be assigned to AHL Iowa, and that would have to occur Monday.

Of those players, Almond is on a one-way contract, meaning he would have to be paid his $550,000 NHL salary in the minors. He also has the hammer: The Wild doesn't want to lose the depth he provides at center, but if he clears waivers, he has a clause in his contract that allows him to return to his Swiss team in Geneva rather than reporting to the minor leagues.

On Thursday, the day the Wild claimed Prosser off waivers from St. Louis, Fletcher said he didn't imagine the Wild would reacquire Prosser only to put him on waivers a few days later. And Yeo has raved all training camp about the value Bickel brings because of his versatility and toughness.

So Veilleux could be the odd player out unless something else is in the works, like a trade or even placing veteran defenseman Keith Ballard on waivers. If Folin and Dumba both make the team, Ballard might start the season as an extra defenseman.

The Wild scored seven power-play goals in the preseason, but Yeo cautioned that things are very different in the regular season, when teams are playing their real penalty killers and players are sacrificing their bodies more.

But, Yeo said, "Definitely a lot of things to feel good about."

With the acquisition of Thomas Vanek, the potential of Dumba making the team and continued development of youngsters such as Mikael Granlund, Yeo has more weapons at his disposal. That means players such as Mikko Koivu and Jared Spurgeon, normally mainstays on the No. 1 unit, could start the season on the No. 2.