# 2011–12 Minnesota Wild season

The 2011–12 Minnesota Wild season was the 12th season for the National Hockey League (NHL) franchise that was established on June 25, 1997.
The Wild failed to qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs for the fourth consecutive season.

## Off-season

On June 17, 2011, the Wild officially introduced Mike Yeo as their new head coach. Yeo had been the head coach of the Wild's American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Houston Aeros.

## Regular season

Excluding 11 shootout-winning goals, the Wild scored 166 goals overall, the fewest in the NHL.

## Playoffs

The Wild failed to qualify for the playoffs for the fourth consecutive year.

## Standings

Northwest Division :
| Pos | Team v t e | GP | W | L | OTL | ROW | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | p – Vancouver Canucks | 82 | 51 | 22 | 9 | 43 | 249 | 198 | +51 | 111 |
| 2 | Calgary Flames | 82 | 37 | 29 | 16 | 34 | 202 | 226 | −24 | 90 |
| 3 | Colorado Avalanche | 82 | 41 | 35 | 6 | 32 | 208 | 220 | −12 | 88 |
| 4 | Minnesota Wild | 82 | 35 | 36 | 11 | 24 | 177 | 226 | −49 | 81 |
| 5 | Edmonton Oilers | 82 | 32 | 40 | 10 | 27 | 212 | 239 | −27 | 74 |
Western Conference :
| Pos | Div | Team v t e | GP | W | L | OTL | ROW | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | NW | p – Vancouver Canucks | 82 | 51 | 22 | 9 | 43 | 249 | 198 | +51 | 111 |
| 2 | CE | y – St. Louis Blues | 82 | 49 | 22 | 11 | 45 | 210 | 165 | +45 | 109 |
| 3 | PA | y – Phoenix Coyotes | 82 | 42 | 27 | 13 | 36 | 216 | 204 | +12 | 97 |
| 4 | CE | x – Nashville Predators | 82 | 48 | 26 | 8 | 43 | 237 | 210 | +27 | 104 |
| 5 | CE | x – Detroit Red Wings | 82 | 48 | 28 | 6 | 39 | 248 | 203 | +45 | 102 |
| 6 | CE | x – Chicago Blackhawks | 82 | 45 | 26 | 11 | 38 | 248 | 238 | +10 | 101 |
| 7 | PA | x – San Jose Sharks | 82 | 43 | 29 | 10 | 34 | 228 | 210 | +18 | 96 |
| 8 | PA | x – Los Angeles Kings | 82 | 40 | 27 | 15 | 34 | 194 | 179 | +15 | 95 |
| 9 | NW | Calgary Flames | 82 | 37 | 29 | 16 | 34 | 202 | 226 | −24 | 90 |
| 10 | PA | Dallas Stars | 82 | 42 | 35 | 5 | 35 | 211 | 222 | −11 | 89 |
| 11 | NW | Colorado Avalanche | 82 | 41 | 35 | 6 | 32 | 208 | 220 | −12 | 88 |
| 12 | NW | Minnesota Wild | 82 | 35 | 36 | 11 | 24 | 177 | 226 | −49 | 81 |
| 13 | PA | Anaheim Ducks | 82 | 34 | 36 | 12 | 31 | 204 | 231 | −27 | 80 |
| 14 | NW | Edmonton Oilers | 82 | 32 | 40 | 10 | 27 | 212 | 239 | −27 | 74 |
| 15 | CE | Columbus Blue Jackets | 82 | 29 | 46 | 7 | 25 | 202 | 262 | −60 | 65 |

## Schedule and results
### Regular season

2011–12 Game Log :
Legend:
  Win (2 points)
  Loss (0 points)
  Overtime/shootout loss (1 point) :

## Player statistics
### Skaters

Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/− = Plus/minus; PIM = Penalty minutes
Regular season :
| Player | GP | G | A | Pts | +/− | PIM |
| Dany Heatley | 82 | 24 | 29 | 53 | 2 | 28 |
| Mikko Koivu | 55 | 12 | 32 | 44 | 10 | 28 |
| Kyle Brodziak | 82 | 22 | 22 | 44 | −15 | 66 |
| Devin Setoguchi | 69 | 19 | 17 | 36 | −17 | 28 |
| Matt Cullen | 73 | 14 | 21 | 35 | −10 | 24 |
| Cal Clutterbuck | 74 | 15 | 12 | 27 | −4 | 103 |
| Nick Johnson | 77 | 8 | 18 | 26 | −6 | 45 |
| Jared Spurgeon | 70 | 3 | 20 | 23 | −4 | 6 |
| Pierre-Marc Bouchard | 37 | 9 | 13 | 22 | −1 | 18 |
| Darroll Powe | 82 | 6 | 7 | 13 | −20 | 57 |
| Marek Zidlicky$^‡$ | 40 | 0 | 13 | 13 | −7 | 22 |
| Marco Scandella | 63 | 3 | 9 | 12 | −22 | 19 |
| Nate Prosser | 51 | 1 | 11 | 12 | −17 | 57 |
| Guillaume Latendresse | 16 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 6 | 20 |
| Justin Falk | 47 | 1 | 8 | 9 | −13 | 54 |
| Erik Christensen$^†$ | 29 | 6 | 1 | 7 | −13 | 6 |
| Casey Wellman$^‡$ | 14 | 2 | 5 | 7 | −4 | 0 |
| Greg Zanon$^‡$ | 39 | 2 | 4 | 6 | −1 | 14 |
| Warren Peters | 58 | 1 | 4 | 5 | −15 | 54 |
| Tom Gilbert$^†$ | 20 | 0 | 5 | 5 | −5 | 8 |
| Clayton Stoner | 51 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 62 |
| Carson McMillan | 11 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 11 |
| Brett Bulmer | 9 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 6 |
| Steven Kampfer$^†$ | 13 | 2 | 1 | 3 | −7 | 2 |
| Nick Schultz$^‡$ | 62 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −10 | 30 |
| Mike Lundin | 17 | 0 | 2 | 2 | −1 | 4 |
| Jeff Taffe | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Chad Rau | 9 | 2 | 0 | 2 | -1 | 0 |
| David McIntyre | 7 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −1 | 2 |
| Stephane Veilleux$^†$ | 21 | 0 | 2 | 2 | −2 | 15 |
| Jed Ortmeyer | 35 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −8 | 14 |
| Matt Kassian | 24 | 2 | 0 | 2 | −2 | 55 |
| Jason Zucker | 6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | −2 | 2 |
| Colton Gillies$^‡$ | 37 | 0 | 2 | 2 | −5 | 10 |
| Cody Almond | 10 | 1 | 0 | 1 | −5 | 15 |
| Jarod Palmer | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | −2 | 4 |
| Chay Genoway | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jon DiSalvatore | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Kris Fredheim | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -2 | 2 |
| Nick Palmieri$^†$ | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −3 | 2 |
| Tyler Cuma | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Kris Foucault | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kurtis Foster$^†$ | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Brad Staubitz$^‡$ | 43 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −7 | 73 |

### Goaltenders

Note: GP = Games played; TOI = Time on ice (minutes); W = Wins; L = Losses; OT = Overtime losses; GA = Goals against; GAA= Goals against average; SA= Shots against; SV= Saves; Sv% = Save percentage; SO= Shutouts
Regular season :
| Player | GP | TOI | W | L | OT | GA | GAA | SA | Sv% | SO | G | A | PIM |
| Niklas Backstrom | 46 | 2590 | 19 | 18 | 7 | 105 | 2.43 | 1299 | .919 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Josh Harding | 34 | 1855 | 13 | 12 | 4 | 81 | 2.62 | 981 | .917 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Matt Hackett | 12 | 556 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 22 | 2.37 | 282 | .922 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
$^†$Denotes player spent time with another team before joining Wild. Stats reflect time with Wild only. $^‡$Traded mid-season. Stats reflect time with Wild only.

## Awards and records
### Awards

Regular Season :
| Player | Award | Awarded |
| Josh Harding | NHL First Star of the Week | November 7, 2011 |
| Matt Hackett | NHL Second Star of the Week | December 12, 2011 |

### Milestones

Regular Season :
| Player | Milestone | Reached |
| Brett Bulmer | 1st Career NHL Game | October 8, 2011 |
| Marco Scandella | 1st Career NHL Goal | October 8, 2011 |
| Brett Bulmer | 1st Career NHL Assist 1st Career NHL Point | October 10, 2011 |
| Guillaume Latendresse | 300th Career NHL Game | October 10, 2011 |
| Greg Zanon | 400th Career NHL Game | October 20, 2011 |
| Dany Heatley | 700th Career NHL Point | November 12, 2011 |
| Pierre-Marc Bouchard | 500th Career NHL Game | November 13, 2011 |
| Warren Peters | 1st Career NHL Assist | November 15, 2011 |
| Kris Fredheim | 1st Career NHL Game | November 17, 2011 |
| Nick Schultz | 700th Career NHL Game | November 17, 2011 |
| Mikko Koivu | 100th Career NHL Goal | November 28, 2011 |
| David McIntyre | 1st Career NHL Game | November 28, 2011 |
| Matt Hackett | 1st Career NHL Game 1st Career NHL Win | December 6, 2011 |
| Niklas Backstrom | 300th Career NHL Game | December 10, 2011 |
| Dany Heatley | 700th Career NHL Game | December 13, 2011 |
| Jarod Palmer | 1st Career NHL Game | December 17, 2011 |
| Jarod Palmer | 1st Career NHL Goal 1st Career NHL Point | December 29, 2011 |
| Matt Cullen | 1,000th Career NHL Game | January 10, 2012 |
| Josh Harding | 100th Career NHL Game | January 10, 2012 |
| David McIntyre | 1st Career NHL Assist 1st Career NHL Point | January 10, 2012 |
| David McIntyre | 1st Career NHL Goal | January 14, 2012 |
| Devin Setoguchi | 300th Career NHL Game | January 17, 2012 |
| Clayton Stoner | 100th Career NHL Game | January 19, 2012 |
| Chad Rau | 1st Career NHL Game 1st Career NHL Goal 1st Career NHL Point | January 21, 2012 |
| Justin Falk | 1st Career NHL Goal | January 24, 2012 |
| Jared Spurgeon | 100th Career NHL Game | January 24, 2012 |
| Niklas Backstrom | 25th Career NHL Shutout | February 2, 2012 |
| Nate Prosser | 1st Career NHL Goal | February 7, 2012 |
| Kris Foucault | 1st Career NHL Game | February 14, 2012 |
| Kyle Brodziak | 400th Career NHL Game | February 28, 2012 |
| Matt Kassian | 1st Career NHL Goal | March 1, 2012 |
| Devin Setoguchi | 100th Career NHL Goal | March 1, 2012 |
| Stephane Veilleux | 100th Career NHL Point | March 11, 2012 |
| Jason Zucker | 1st Career NHL Game | March 29, 2012 |
| Cal Clutterbuck | 300th Career NHL Game | March 31, 2012 |
| Tom Gilbert | 400th Career NHL Game | March 31, 2012 |
| Jason Zucker | 1st Career NHL Assist 1st Career NHL Point | March 31, 2012 |
| Cal Clutterbuck | 100th Career NHL Point | April 5, 2012 |
| Tyler Cuma | 1st Career NHL Game | April 5, 2012 |
| Chay Genoway | 1st Career NHL Game 1st Career NHL Assist 1st Career NHL Point | April 7, 2012 |

## Transactions

The Wild have been involved in the following transactions during the 2011–12 season.
Trades
Date
Details
June 16, 2011
To New Jersey Devils Maxim Noreau
To Minnesota Wild David McIntyre
June 24, 2011
To San Jose Sharks Brent Burns 2nd-round pick in 2012
To Minnesota Wild Devin Setoguchi Charlie Coyle 1st-round pick in 2011
June 25, 2011
To Vancouver Canucks 3rd-round pick in 2011 4th-round pick in 2011
To Minnesota Wild 2nd-round pick in 2011
June 27, 2011
To Philadelphia Flyers 3rd-round pick in 2013
To Minnesota Wild Darroll Powe
July 3, 2011
To San Jose Sharks Martin Havlat
To Minnesota Wild Dany Heatley
August 7, 2011
To San Jose Sharks James Sheppard
To Minnesota Wild 3rd-round pick in 2013
October 12, 2011
To Dallas Stars Eric Nystrom
To Minnesota Wild Future considerations
February 3, 2012
To New York Rangers Casey Wellman
To Minnesota Wild Erik Christensen Conditional 7th-round pick in 2013
February 24, 2012
To New Jersey Devils Marek Zidlicky
To Minnesota Wild Kurtis Foster Nick Palmieri Stephane Veilleux 2nd-round pick in 2012 Conditional 3rd-round pick in 2013
February 27, 2012
To Edmonton Oilers Nick Schultz
To Minnesota Wild Tom Gilbert
February 27, 2012
To Boston Bruins Greg Zanon
To Minnesota Wild Steven Kampfer :
Player signings
PlayerDateContract terms
Johan LarssonMay 24, 20113 years, $2.38 million entry-level contract
Darcy KuemperMay 26, 20113 years, $2.330 million entry-level contract
Kris FoucaultMay 27, 20113 years, $1.66 million entry-level contract
Nate ProsserJune 20, 20111 year, $715,000
Josh HardingJuly 1, 20111 year, $750,000
Drew BagnallJuly 1, 20112 years, $1.225 million
Jed OrtmeyerJuly 1, 20111 year, $585,000
Kyle MedvecJuly 1, 20112 years, $1.14 million entry-level contract
Darroll PoweJuly 5, 20113 years, $3.2 million
Colton GilliesJuly 6, 20112 years, $1.25 million
Jonas BrodinJuly 12, 20113 years, $2.775 million entry-level contract
Justin FalkJuly 15, 20111 year, $605,000
Jarod PalmerJuly 15, 20111 year, $735,000
Jeff PennerJuly 15, 20111 year, $525,000
Casey WellmanJuly 15, 20111 year, $850,500
Zack PhillipsDecember 19, 20113 years, $2.775 million entry-level contract
Nate ProsserFebruary 6, 20122 years, $1.65 million contract extension
Kyle BrodziakFebruary 19, 20123 years, $8.5 million contract extension
Charlie CoyleMarch 1, 20123 years, $2.7 million entry-level contract
Jason ZuckerMarch 27, 20123 years, $2.315 million entry-level contract
Clayton StonerMay 10, 20122 years, $2.1 million contract extension
Mikael GranlundMay 22, 20123 years, $2.7 million entry-level contract
Johan GustafssonMay 31, 20123 years, $1.995 million entry-level contract :

## Draft picks

Minnesota's picks at the 2011 NHL Entry Draft in St. Paul, Minnesota.
| Round | # | Player | Position | Nationality | College/Junior/Club team (League) |
| 1 | 10 | Jonas Brodin | D | Sweden | Farjestad BK (Elitserien) |
| 1 | 28 (from San Jose) | Zack Phillips | C | Canada | Saint John Sea Dogs (QMJHL) |
| 2 | 60 (from Vancouver) | Mario Lucia | LW | United States | Wayzata High School (USHS-MN) |
| 5 | 131 | Nick Seeler | D | United States | Eden Prairie High School (USHS-MN) |
| 6 | 161 | Stephen Michalek | G | United States | Loomis Chaffee School (USHS-CT) |
| 7 | 191 | Tyler Graovac | C | Canada | Ottawa 67's (OHL) |