Wild eager to get a look at its potential shutdown pair

ST. PAUL -- When Nick Seeler joined the Wild during the second half of last season, he added a much-needed physical element to Minnesota's blue line. Over the summer, the club made it a priority to add more grit, signing free agent Greg Pateryn away from the Dallas Stars.
Now, with Ryan Suter looking more and more like he will be ready to go for the start of the regular season, the Wild will get a good look at its potential new shutdown defensive pair during training camp.

"You can tell right from the start that he's a gritty player," Seeler said following the first official on-ice practice on Friday. "He plays a simple game. He was fun to play with today. If we're together tomorrow I'm looking forward to it. He's a solid player."
One of Seeler's first observations from playing with Jared Spurgeon and with Nate Prosser last season was how simple their games were. It made for an easy adjustment to the NHL for Seeler, who had four assists and was a plus-10 in 22 games during the regular season.
And although it's early in camp, Pateryn sees some of those same traits in Seeler.
"He's just such a stable, solid, simple player so he's so easy to play with. He makes good reads out there," Pateryn said. "We keep it simple out there and we're stable and we play hard against the other team. A lot can change [but] if [we're a defensive pairing] I feel really good playing with him."
Before that happens however, Seeler must win a training camp battle for his spot. That competition is likely to come from Gustav Olofsson, another left-handed defender on a one-way contract.
But Seeler earned a shot at winning the job next to Pateryn by the way he played down the stretch and in the postseason against the Winnipeg Jets.
That performance earned him a three-year contract extension over the summer.
"I have more confidence and I feel better than I did last year. I'm just trying to build off the end of the year last year," Seeler said. "I wasn't sure what to expect coming up. It was a good transition. Just trying to get the pace and guys were in the right spot so that made it a little easier."
Now, Seeler might get a chance to play with a veteran again in Pateryn, who tallied a career high in games played (73) and points (13) in Dallas last season.
The 28-year-old established himself as one of the better defensive defensemen in the League a year ago. Ken Hitchcock, who coached the Stars last season, even called Wild coach Bruce Boudreau and told him Pateryn was counted on as his shutdown guy.
"He played almost 20 minutes per game," Boudreau said. "[Hitchcock] was happy with Greg and it was a good signing."
Hitchcock wasn't the only person to reach out to Boudreau regarding Pateryn. Two others from different teams lamented the fact Pateryn signed in Minnesota and not with their own clubs.
"They were really ticked off at us because they tried to sign him too," Boudreau said. "Any time I hear that, I think that's a good sign that everybody is seeing the same thing."
Pateryn's addition and to go along with Seeler gives Boudreau confidence that he can deploy his third pairing even in tight games, or in the third period. It's a great luxury to have.
He also has a pairing that can take it to some of the Western Conference's more physical teams.
"We haven't had that around here," Boudreau said. "We had it at the end of the year with Seeler last year. Now all of the sudden, we've got two real strong, physical defensemen to go along with four mobile, offensively good defensemen. I think it's a really good fit."

Conditioning test challenges players

Perhaps the most daunting part of training camp comes on the first day of official practice: Boudreau's vaunted conditioning test.
Players are tasked with skating to the far red line and back twice before a sprint to center, three separate times. Players must accomplish the first round in 37 seconds or less before getting a two-minute break, and completing the next round in 40 seconds. Following another break, players must complete the third round in 41 seconds or fewer or risk failing the test and going twice more.
"I got a call from [Wild strength coach] Sean (Skahan) the day that I signed and he kind of went over everything," Pateryn said. "In the summer we know it's going to come and we work on it every once in awhile. It's not the main focus."
Seeler said players have been trying it during captain's practices in order to get accustomed.
"You kind of have that anxiety leading up to it so it's nice to get it done with and not have to worry about for another year," Seeler said.

Suter, Kunin excused from test

Ryan Suter and Luke Kunin were excused from Friday's conditioning test for a couple of different reasons.
Suter, rehabbing an ankle injury, completed the test privately on Tuesday but was on the ice for practice without restrictions.
"I was like, 'Alright, I might want to do this on my own before I get out there and make a fool out of myself,'" Suter said. "It was tough, but I made it. That's all that matters."
Kunin, coming off a knee injury, is not allowed to participate with contact and was asked by team medical staff not to take part in the test ... at least not yet.
"I was practicing it throughout the summer and did it a few times at the practice rink," Kunin said. "I felt good, but I guess they didn't want me to do it. But I feel good. My testing was good. I feel like I'm ready to go when I get cleared."

Suter aims for Opening Night

With Minnesota's first preseason game on the docket for Monday in Winnipeg, look for Suter to play in few, if any, exhibition contests.
In fact, Suter revealed Friday that he is unlikely to play in any preseason games at all.
"I think I'm going to be participating in the scrimmages here," Suter said. "Boudreau] just doesn't see a point of playing."
Boudreau admitted on Thursday that he believes Suter is one of the few players in the League who could hop right into regular season action without the benefit of a preseason warmup.
"I think last year I might have played one," Suter said. "Preseason [games] are preseason games for a reason."
Regardless of whether he plays during the exhibition, Suter's goal all along has been to be in the lineup when it plays the Colorado Avalanche on opening night, in Denver, on Oct. 4.
That he was participating in contact and generally practicing like normal on Friday seems to indicate he's on target to check off that box.
"I feel great. It was fun to get into it, have a good practice. Felt really good," Suter said. "I still have two and a half weeks. I'll be fine."
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