Goalies are the last line of defense in the NHL. In a long 82-game season, the
starter is going to need a break. Whether that's because of injury or simply
because the number one needs to catch his breath from the bench, NHL teams need
 to have capable backups ready to go.

Minnesota Wild training camp will feature two guys battling for the backseat of
 the crease. Who will get the chance to start when Devan Dubnyk receives a
night off?Why the Wild Need a Solid Backup

If the Wild can get strong production from a backup goalie this year, they
could improve on last year's 45-win season. Dubnyk accounted for 35 of those
wins, with Alex Stalock providing the other 10.

Dubnyk had the sixth-most wins in the league last year, yet only seven teams
(Arizona, Columbus, Detroit, Edmonton, New York Rangers, Ottawa and Vancouver)
had fewer wins by their backup goalies. Columbus was the only team of that
group to qualify for the playoffs.Devan Dubnyk (Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY
Sports)

While it's a good thing that Dubnyk is getting the job done right now, it would
 help the Wild to find a serviceable backup to lighten the load for the
32-year-old netminder. To increase the competition and push Stalock, the Wild
signed Andrew Hammond, 30, this offseason.

Goaltending is going to be important.

The Wild's leading scorer from last year, Eric Staal, just had his biggest
offensive season since 2010-11. While it would be nice to see that production
again, the Wild can't afford to bank on the 33-year-old to repeat the
performance. Last season saw Staal eclipse the 40-goal mark for the first time
in nearly 10 years (the 2008-09 season was the last).

Aside from a six-goal performance in Game 3 of the first-round series with the
Winnipeg Jets, the Wild scored just three goals in the playoffs this year. Only
 Anaheim (4) and Los Angeles (3) scored fewer goals in the playoffs. The Wild
were 11th in the league in goals scored during the regular season, but that
includes Staal's 42 goals.  The Wild should plan to rely on goaltending more
this year.

If the Wild can't figure out the offense, the goalies are going to need to keep
 the puck out of the net. To give Dubnyk some help, the incumbent Stalock will
battle Hammond for the backup spot.Backup Goalies Win Games

It's no secret that backup goalies are important. If a team can trust its
backup goalies, that means the starter can take a night off every now and
again. This results in more quality starts for the starter. If you want to
examine the importance of quality backups, just take a look at the two teams
that advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals last year.

Washington was no doubt led by starter Braden Holtby, but backup Philipp
Grubauer played a huge role in getting the Capitals to the playoffs. Grubauer
started in 28 games for the Caps, registering 15 wins to go with a .923 save
percentage. His 15 victories accounted for just over 30% of the Capitals' total
 wins (49) last year.Washington Capitals goalie Philipp Grubauer (Brad
Penner-USA TODAY Sports)

On the other bench, a barrage of goalies played for the Vegas Golden Knights.
Starter Marc-Andre Fleury played extremely well for the team, but missed a
large chunk of time due to injury. Backups Malcolm Subban, Maxime Legace, Oscar
 Dansk and even WHL goalie Dylan Ferguson got into games with the Golden
Knights.

The group of backups secured 22 wins for the team, accounting for a whopping
43% of the Golden Knights'; wins in its inaugural year. The Vegas goalie
carousel was one of the big storylines throughout the year.

Last year, backup goalies across the league picked up 440 of the 1,241 total
wins between the 31 teams. That's more than a third of all wins for the entire
year (35.5%). Before the Wild add to that number next year, Stalock or Hammond
will have to reserve a spot.Alex Stalock

Stalock probably has the upper hand to win the job, since he has prior
experience with the team and was serviceable in the role last year.

The 31-year-old Minnesota native stacked up a record of 10-10-4 last season in
Minnesota. Stalock finished with a 2.85 goals against average, .910 SV% and one
 shutout. His 28 games played last season was the highest number of his
career.Alex Stalock (Jason O. Watson-US PRESSWIRE)

Over two seasons with the team, Stalock has made some solid saves.

He has continued to work on his game this summer in Edina, Minnesota with ΓÇÿDa
 Beauty League'. The league features players from numerous NHL rosters
including Erik Haula, Derek Stepan, Nate Schmidt, Casey Mittelstadt and more.

Stalock has amassed a 35-30-11 record over his career with the San Jose Sharks
and Wild. He boasts a .910 SV% and a 2.50 GAA for his career. According to the
Minnesota Wild PR team, he set two Wild records in December 2017, becoming both
 the first Wild goalie to register a shot on goal as well as being the first
Minnesota native to earn a shutout for the team.

While his numbers last season weren't earth shattering like St. Louis Blues
backup Carter Hutton, (17-7-3, .931 SV%) the Wild could do a lot worse in net
than Stalock.Stalock has seven years of NHL experience and costs very little
against the team salary cap at $650,000 this season. That's a pretty solid
value contract, especially if you consider the Edmonton Oilers paying unknown
KHL goalie Mikko Koskinen $2.5 million earlier this summer to back up Cam
Talbot.Andrew Hammond

The Wild went out and signed ΓÇÿThe Hamburgler' to a one-year, two-way contract
 worth $650,000 when free agency opened on July 1.

Hammond, 30, is most commonly known from his infamous run with the Ottawa
Senators back in 2014-15 when he was called upon by the Senators to be the
starter after Craig Anderson was hurt.

Hammond responded in an enormous way, recording an astounding 20-1-2 record
while posting a .941 SV% and 1.79 GAA. He recorded a 7-13-4 record in Ottawa
over the next two seasons before being shipped to Colorado last season. He has
a career record of 27-15-6 with a .923 SV% and 2.31 GAA.

The thing that always struck me about Andrew Hammond is that it didn't matter
if he was riding the peak of Hamburglar run or being demoted to the AHL, his
demeanour never changed. 

Always polite, humble and appreciative of his hockey life. You have to pull for
 people like that.

- Ian Mendes (@ian_mendes) April 21, 2018

He played in just one game of the 2017-18 NHL regular season against
Philadelphia on Mar. 28. The Avalanche lost 2-1, but Hammond stopped 31 of 33
shots in the effort. Hammond made his return during the playoffs on Apr. 20
against the Nashville Predators, stopping 44 of 45 shots as Nashville went on
to win 2-1.Andrew Hammond (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

Hammond gave up five goals in Game 6, and the Avalanche were eliminated.What
Now for the Minnesota Wild?

The two goalies will battle it out during training camp. The winner will begin
the year as the backup to Devan Dubnyk, and the other will head to Iowa to
serve as the AHL team's starter.

The best thing about the competition is that both goalies are signed on two-way
 contracts, meaning they can't be claimed on waivers by other teams. If one
wins the backup job but struggles, they can always switch spots at any time.

While goaltending seems to change on a dime based on hot streaks and other
factors, Minnesota Wild fans should feel confident knowing that regardless of
who ends up behind Dubnyk, the backseat appears to be in good hands.

The post Meet the Goalies Battling for Dubnyk';s Backseat appeared first on The
 Hockey Writers.

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