the bad with the good

A season of troubles led to a series of disappointing statistics for the Wild. For example:

83 points: The Wild entered its final game with a record of 37-35-9 and its lowest full-season point total since 2011-12, the last time the team missed the playoffs. After a 21-17-3 first half, the Wild went 16-18-6 in the second half.

39 points: The Wild went 16-18-7 at Xcel Energy Center. The 39 home-ice points were the lowest in franchise history.

211 goals scored: The Wild was tied for 27th in the league in goals scored entering Saturday (its 234 goals allowed tied for 13th). The team also suffered 10 shutout losses in the season's final 55 games.

Despite the season's worth of bad news, the Wild found some good news to build on:

Developing Dumba: Defenseman Matt Dumba was playing like an All-Star when he was injured on Dec. 15. "He was our best player, hands down," goalie Devan Dubnyk said.

Early introductions: Joel Eriksson Ek and rookies Luke Kunin and Jordan Greenway played larger-than-expected roles with promising results. "They're coming to camp next year already almost as veterans," coach Bruce Boudreau said.

Roster flexibility: Trades brought in younger talent and opened up needed salary-cap space.