Matt Hackett

[NHLFreak]

Not a Wilds fan(I'll admit that right away) but I'll give credit where its due. Absolutely love this kid.

Saw him in Junior alot and on TV with the Wild a few times this year.
Looked really good.

With Harding (more then likely leaving as a UFA this offseason). And Backstrom a year away from the same situation. I'm seeing a good young goalie on a good young team(stacked with good prospects) growing together.

How do you feel the future looks for this potential stud goalie?
How many games does he start next year?
Do you see him as #1 in 2013-14?
How does he stand vs the other young goalies in the Wild's organization. Some say Kuemper was better in houston.

Love to hear all your thoughts. Thanks.

[rynryn]

i think Fletcher (our GM) already said he feels Hackett will stay in the AHL next year because Backstrom is our #1 and they want Hacks getting a lot of playing time. I'd say they're considering him the goalie of the future and I'm pretty comfortable with that right now. The problem is Kuemper really looks great too. It would be unfortunate if we have another Harding situation where a good goalie was just plain stuck and buried because we had a more proven goalie on a big contract on top of him. Will be curious to see how we deal with Backstrom as he enters the last year of his contract...I think that will determine our other goalies fates.

[forthewild]

Originally Posted by NHLFreak

Not a Wilds fan(I'll admit that right away) but I'll give credit where its due. Absolutely love this kid.

Saw him in Junior alot and on TV with the Wild a few times this year.
Looked really good.

With Harding (more then likely leaving as a UFA this offseason). And Backstrom a year away from the same situation. I'm seeing a good young goalie on a good young team(stacked with good prospects) growing together.

How do you feel the future looks for this potential stud goalie?
How many games does he start next year?
Do you see him as #1 in 2013-14?
How does he stand vs the other young goalies in the Wild's organization. Some say Kuemper was better in houston.

Love to hear all your thoughts. Thanks.

he played well for us, his games at years end were bad because he was just plain hung out to dry by a team that had no effort at all. i feel that if he continues to develop at this rate he could be a solid starter for us.

as far as ranking i would say

Hackett
Gustavsson
Kuempur

[Minnesota]

Definitely potential goalie of the future for the Wild. He's going to get as many minutes as possible down in Houston next year.

[Billy Mays Here]

I just wonder who backs up Backstrom next year if we choose to keep Hackett in Houston? I wouldn't mind seeing Hards back for one final year.

[Spawnisen]

Originally Posted by WILDhockeyfan

I just wonder who backs up Backstrom next year if we choose to keep Hackett in Houston? I wouldn't mind seeing Hards back for one final year.

Same here.

[NHLFreak]

Originally Posted by Minnesota

Definitely potential goalie of the future for the Wild. He's going to get as many minutes as possible down in Houston next year.

Unless ofcourse he overwhelms them at T-Camp

[NHLFreak]

Originally Posted by WILDhockeyfan

I just wonder who backs up Backstrom next year if we choose to keep Hackett in Houston? I wouldn't mind seeing Hards back for one final year.

Yeah i think alot of non Wild fans underestmate harding. The guy was really good earlier on in the season. Ran into some nagging injuries and indifferent play by the team in front of him. Then down the stretch he was really good i thought(Playing for a #1 gig somewhere?)

i also think the teams that need a #1 might think twice about overpaying for a Schneider or Bernier when they could get Harding for nothing as a UFA.

Could he be the next Mike Smith?

[Jarick]

Mike Smith is good because he's playing under Tippett. Has any goalie ever not played well under him?

I want Backs-Harding for another year while Hackett continues to develop in Houston.

[NHLFreak]

Originally Posted by Jarick

Mike Smith is good because he's playing under Tippett. Has any goalie ever not played well under him?

I want Backs-Harding for another year while Hackett continues to develop in Houston.

I wont discount the Tippett situation. But if you watch Coyote games its more then Tippetts system that makes them win. Smith has literally carried that team on his back this past season. Hes a very good goalie.

Forget his play in TBay! He was unhealthy and the team was lousy in front of him. Theres a reason he was a top prospect in the Stars org and hes showing it now.

[Minnesota]

Originally Posted by NHLFreak

Unless ofcourse he overwhelms them at T-Camp

Yeo and Fletcher have said they want him getting as many minutes as possible next year. He's not ready to become our starting goalie next year, and he would likely be splitting time with one of Backstrom or Harding.

It's quite possible he's playing for the Wild in a couple years, but he's not beginning the year in the NHL (barring serious injuries to Backstrom and Harding).

[roon]

Hackett has huge rebound control issues if you ask me. He needs to get that figured out, a lot of the goals against him in his time in the NHL came off of MONSTER rebounds he gave up. If he can get that figured out I think he has a future in the NHL.

[Billy Mays Here]

Originally Posted by roon

Hackett has huge rebound control issues if you ask me. He needs to get that figured out, a lot of the goals against him in his time in the NHL came off of MONSTER rebounds he gave up. If he can get that figured out I think he has a future in the NHL.

Yes we wouldn't want him to become a Marc-Andre Fleury now would we.

[MNman]

Originally Posted by NHLFreak

Yeah i think alot of non Wild fans underestmate harding. The guy was really good earlier on in the season. Ran into some nagging injuries and indifferent play by the team in front of him. Then down the stretch he was really good i thought(Playing for a #1 gig somewhere?)

i also think the teams that need a #1 might think twice about overpaying for a Schneider or Bernier when they could get Harding for nothing as a UFA.

Could he be the next Mike Smith?

Harding is one of the best #2 goalies in the NHL, but he has not shown the ability to stay in the line-up over the course of an NHL season. Based on his history of injuries, I would not trust him as a #1 goalie for my squad.

[Jarick]

Fleury is one of the examples that suggests the Wild need to continue bringing Hackett along slowly. He got thrown into the mix too soon and was overwhelmed. It took a few years before he adjusted to the speed of the game and became a solid goalie.

If you look at the successful goalies in the NHL, most of them tend to be in their late 20's or in their 30's. They have the longest development time of any player but the longest peak as well.

I would rather keep Backstrom and Harding as a tandem for one more year and let Hackett get 50 starts in the minors. Especially if Fletcher can't fix the roster. Last thing I want is Hackett getting shelled with zero goal support for an entire season.

[Billy Mays Here]

Originally Posted by Jarick

Fleury is one of the examples that suggests the Wild need to continue bringing Hackett along slowly. He got thrown into the mix too soon and was overwhelmed. It took a few years before he adjusted to the speed of the game and became a solid goalie.

If you look at the successful goalies in the NHL, most of them tend to be in their late 20's or in their 30's. They have the longest development time of any player but the longest peak as well.

I would rather keep Backstrom and Harding as a tandem for one more year and let Hackett get 50 starts in the minors. Especially if Fletcher can't fix the roster. Last thing I want is Hackett getting shelled with zero goal support for an entire season.

This exactly.