# 2009–10 Minnesota Wild season

The 2009–10 Minnesota Wild season was the team's tenth season in the National Hockey League (NHL). On May 22, Chuck Fletcher was named as the new general manager of the Wild, replacing Doug Risebrough. On June 16, the Wild named Todd Richards as the new head coach, replacing Jacques Lemaire, who had resigned from the position in April. On August 30, the Wild unveiled their new third jersey, which they debuted on October 21 against the Colorado Avalanche. The team ended its de facto policy of rotating the captaincy monthly by naming Mikko Koivu the team's permanent captain.

## Regular season

The Wild allowed the most shorthanded goals in the League, with 13.

### Divisional standings

Northwest Division :
| | | GP | W | L | OTL | GF | GA | Pts |
| 1 | y – Vancouver Canucks | 82 | 49 | 28 | 5 | 272 | 222 | 103 |
| 2 | Colorado Avalanche | 82 | 43 | 30 | 9 | 244 | 233 | 95 |
| 3 | Calgary Flames | 82 | 40 | 32 | 10 | 204 | 210 | 90 |
| 4 | Minnesota Wild | 82 | 38 | 36 | 8 | 219 | 246 | 84 |
| 5 | Edmonton Oilers | 82 | 27 | 47 | 8 | 214 | 284 | 62 |

### Conference standings

Western Conference :
| R | | Div | GP | W | L | OTL | GF | GA | Pts |
| 1 | z – San Jose Sharks | PA | 82 | 51 | 20 | 11 | 264 | 215 | 113 |
| 2 | y – Chicago Blackhawks | CE | 82 | 52 | 22 | 8 | 271 | 209 | 112 |
| 3 | y – Vancouver Canucks | NW | 82 | 49 | 28 | 5 | 272 | 222 | 103 |
| 4 | Phoenix Coyotes | PA | 82 | 50 | 25 | 7 | 225 | 202 | 107 |
| 5 | Detroit Red Wings | CE | 82 | 44 | 24 | 14 | 229 | 216 | 102 |
| 6 | Los Angeles Kings | PA | 82 | 46 | 27 | 9 | 241 | 219 | 101 |
| 7 | Nashville Predators | CE | 82 | 47 | 29 | 6 | 225 | 225 | 100 |
| 8 | Colorado Avalanche | NW | 82 | 43 | 30 | 9 | 244 | 233 | 95 |
| 8.5 ||||||||||
| 9 | St. Louis Blues | CE | 82 | 40 | 32 | 10 | 225 | 223 | 90 |
| 10 | Calgary Flames | NW | 82 | 40 | 32 | 10 | 204 | 210 | 90 |
| 11 | Anaheim Ducks | PA | 82 | 39 | 32 | 11 | 238 | 251 | 89 |
| 12 | Dallas Stars | PA | 82 | 37 | 31 | 14 | 237 | 254 | 88 |
| 13 | Minnesota Wild | NW | 82 | 38 | 36 | 8 | 219 | 246 | 84 |
| 14 | Columbus Blue Jackets | CE | 82 | 32 | 35 | 15 | 216 | 259 | 79 |
| 15 | Edmonton Oilers | NW | 82 | 27 | 47 | 8 | 214 | 284 | 62 |
bold – Qualified for playoffs; y – Won division; z – Won conference (and division)

### Game log

2009–10 Game Log :
Legend:
  Win (2 points)
  Loss (0 points)
  Overtime/shootout loss (1 point) :

## Playoffs

The Wild did not qualify for the 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs, making it the second year in a row that they've missed the playoffs.

## 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 |
| Mikko Koivu | 80 | 22 | 49 | 71 | -2 | 50 |
| Andrew Brunette | 82 | 25 | 36 | 61 | -5 | 12 |
| Martin Havlat | 73 | 18 | 36 | 54 | -19 | 34 |
| Marek Zidlicky | 78 | 6 | 37 | 43 | -16 | 67 |
| Antti Miettinen | 79 | 20 | 22 | 42 | -2 | 44 |
| Guillaume Latendresse$^†$ | 55 | 25 | 12 | 37 | 1 | 12 |
| Eric Belanger$^‡$ | 60 | 13 | 22 | 35 | -1 | 28 |
| Owen Nolan | 73 | 16 | 17 | 33 | -12 | 40 |
| Kyle Brodziak | 82 | 9 | 23 | 32 | -3 | 22 |
| Cal Clutterbuck | 74 | 13 | 8 | 21 | -8 | 52 |
| Nick Schultz | 80 | 1 | 19 | 20 | -8 | 43 |
| Brent Burns | 47 | 3 | 17 | 20 | -15 | 32 |
| Greg Zanon | 81 | 2 | 13 | 15 | -10 | 36 |
| Shane Hnidy | 70 | 2 | 12 | 14 | -6 | 66 |
| Kim Johnsson$^‡$ | 52 | 6 | 8 | 14 | 3 | 26 |
| Chuck Kobasew$^†$ | 42 | 9 | 5 | 14 | -9 | 16 |
| Andrew Ebbett$^†$ | 49 | 8 | 6 | 14 | -8 | 6 |
| Cam Barker$^†$ | 19 | 1 | 6 | 7 | -2 | 10 |
| Robbie Earl | 32 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 6 |
| James Sheppard | 64 | 2 | 4 | 6 | -14 | 38 |
| Derek Boogaard | 57 | 0 | 4 | 4 | -12 | 105 |
| Casey Wellman | 12 | 1 | 3 | 4 | -2 | 0 |
| Benoit Pouliot$^‡$ | 14 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 12 |
| Petr Sykora$^‡$ | 14 | 2 | 1 | 3 | -7 | 8 |
| Clayton Stoner | 8 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 12 |
| John Scott | 51 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -3 | 90 |
| Cody Almond | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -3 | 9 |
| Nate Prosser | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 8 |
| Pierre-Marc Bouchard | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Nathan Smith | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -4 | 12 |
| Andy Hilbert | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -2 | 2 |
| Danny Irmen | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 |
| Petr Kalus | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jaime Sifers | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 |
| Justin Falk | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -2 | 0 |
| Maxim Noreau | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |

### 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 | 60 | 3489 | 26 | 23 | 8 | 158 | 2.72 | 1632 | .903 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Josh Harding | 25 | 1300 | 9 | 12 | 0 | 66 | 3.05 | 692 | .905 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Wade Dubielewicz | 3 | 101 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2.97 | 34 | .853 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Anton Khudobin | 2 | 69 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.87 | 48 | .979 | 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 |
| Guillaume Latendresse | NHL Third Star of the Week | January 18, 2010 |

### Milestones

Regular Season :
| Player | Milestone | Reached |

## Transactions

The Wild have been involved in the following transactions during the 2009–10 season.

### Trades

| Date | Details | Details |
| June 26, 2009 | To New York Islanders 1st-round pick (12th overall) in 2009 | To Minnesota Wild 1st-round pick (16th overall) in 2009 3rd-round pick (77th overall) in 2009 7th-round pick (182nd overall) in 2009 |
| June 27, 2009 | To Edmonton Oilers 4th-round pick (99th overall) in 2009 5th-round pick (133rd overall) in 2009 | To Minnesota Wild Kyle Brodziak 6th-round pick (161st overall) in 2009 |
| October 18, 2009 | To Boston Bruins Alexander Fallstrom Craig Weller 2nd-round pick in 2011 | To Minnesota Wild Chuck Kobasew |
| November 23, 2009 | To Montreal Canadiens Benoit Pouliot | To Minnesota Wild Guillaume Latendresse |
| February 12, 2010 | To Chicago Blackhawks Kim Johnsson Nick Leddy | To Minnesota Wild Cam Barker |
| March 3, 2010 | To Washington Capitals Eric Belanger | To Minnesota Wild 2nd-round pick in 2010 |
Player signings
PlayerContract terms
Tyler Cumaundisclosed
Clayton Stonerundisclosed
Danny Irmenundisclosed
Benoit Pouliotundisclosed
Robbie Earlundisclosed
Kyle Brodziak3 years
Josh Harding1 year, $1.1 million
Cal Clutterbuck3 years, $4.2 million contract extension
Clayton Stoner2 years, $1.1 million contract extension
Marek Zidlicky3 years, $12 million contract extension
Matt Hackett3-year entry-level contract :

## Draft picks

Minnesota's picks at the 2009 NHL Entry Draft in Montreal, Quebec.
| Round | # | Player | Position | Nationality | College/Junior/Club team (League) |
| 1 | 16 (from Columbus via NY Islanders) | Nick Leddy | (D) | United States | Eden Prairie High School (USHS-MN) |
| 3 | 77 (from NY Islanders via Columbus) | Matt Hackett | (G) | Canada | Plymouth Whalers (OHL) |
| 4 | 103 | Kris Foucault | (LW) | Canada | Calgary Hitmen (WHL) |
| 4 | 116 (from Boston) | Alexander Fallstrom | (F) | Sweden | Shattuck-Saint Mary's (USHS-MN) |
| 6 | 161 (from Edmonton) | Darcy Kuemper | (G) | Canada | Red Deer Rebels (WHL) |
| 6 | 163 | Jere Sallinen | (RW/LW) | Finland | Espoo Blues (SM-liiga) |
| 7 | 182 (from NY Islanders) | Erik Haula | (LW) | Finland | Shattuck-Saint Mary's (USHS-MN) |
| 7 | 193 | Anthony Hamburg | (C) | United States | Dallas Stars (Midget AAA) |