Pre-Season Preview: #5 Winnipeg Wasps

Coach: Joel Hafnor
Trophy Case: POH4 Championship---POH5 Wrath of Reid

POH5 Regular Season Finish: 10th
Postseason Finish: DNQ

Pre-Season Rank
Forwards: 5th
Defensemen: 7th
Goaltenders: 1st
Coaching Pedigree: 3rd
Overall: 5th
Projected Win Total: 77

Keepers:
C Nicklas Backstrom (3rd Year in Winnipeg)
RW Chris Stewart (2nd Year)
LW Dany Heatley (3rd Year)
D James Wisniewski (2nd Year)
G Ilya Bryzgalov (3rd Year)

Outlook
Winnipeg Wasps GM Joel Hafnor has been on quite the roller coaster ride over the last 18 months. From winning a Prince's Pot in the spring of 2010, to finishing 41 games under .500 a year later and earning the wretched Wrath of Reid trophy...a stain that will never leave his coaching résumé. Hafnor has made it public that the quest for a second Prince's Pot Championship is his number one fantasy priority, which is saying a lot for a man who eats, sleeps and poops fantasy sports. Up front, the POH6 Wasps are much more respectable than the POH5 version, with first round selection Patrick Kane, Loui Eriksson, Mike Ribeiro and Joe Pavelski adding depth behind the keeper trio of Backstrom-Stewart-Heatley. The blue-line took a significant hit when Hafnor panicked by trading blue-chipper Drew Doughty to Istan in the midst of his contract dispute, but Brent Burns could provide decent return value as he joins the offensive-oriented Sharks. Keeper James Wisniewski is suspended for 1/10th of the regular season after a dirty hit on Cal Clutterbuck in the pre-season. Erik Karlsson is an interesting young prospect whom the Wasps are hoping will build on his 13 G, 45-point 2010-11. If the Wasps are to return to the postseason in POH6, it will be on the back of its three netminders. Bryzgalov moves from Phoenix to Philadelphia in the offseason, which should provide him a lot more offensive support. Jonathan Quick still appears to be the man in Los Angeles, but with Jonathan Bernier lying in wait he may not start 61 games like he did a year ago. Semyon Varlamov is the man in Colorado, and will try and prove himself with the upstart Avs who feature perhaps the largest set of defensemen in the league. (Large doesn't always mean effective, but the Avalanche blue line is filled with giants). We here at Channel 7 expect an improved Wasps club in 2011-12, but a return to championship contention may have to wait another year or two.




Players to Watch:

C-Nicklas Backstrom

The braintrust in Winnipeg views young Nicklas Backstrom as the undisputed No. 1 player in the organization. Last season, his scoring output fell from 101 to just 65 as the Capitals adapted to Bruce Boudreau's defensive minded philosophy. Though the Wasps consider themselves a goaltending-first squad this season, the offense will need more than 65 points from Backstrom in order to punch a playoff ticket.

G-Jonathan Quick

First of all, wake up Jonathan, you look like a dumpster in this picture. Secondly, Quick is the key man in net for the Wasps this season. If he can post similar numbers to the 35 W, 2.24 GAA, 91.8 SV% campaign he enjoyed last year than Winnipeg will have a deadly 1-2 punch in net. But this could very easily become a timeshare in LA as uber-talented Jonathan Bernier continues assert himself.

C-Ryan Nugent-Hopkins

This weasely little character your looking at could be a centerpiece for the Winnipeg Wasps organization, or he could be dropped 7 games into the season. Hafnor gave the 2011 No. 1 overall pick  a chance after the Oilers announced Nugent-Hopkins would be on the roster for opening night. There is a possibility the team will ultimately move him to the AHL, as he still has some filling out to do. It will be interesting to see how Hafnor handles the presence of Nugent-Hopkins, and whether he will cut ties with him if the young gun struggles, or if he'll hold onto him for the future.