It’s time to start talking about New Year’s resolutions as Christmas has come and gone. The Minnesota Wild have found a way to grab some wins, but there’s always room to improve, and that’s where resolutions come into play.
Some take them quite seriously, while others are still trying to write down the right number for the year. I tend to be the latter, but once in a while, I find a goal to reach for in the New Year. In this piece, we’ll break down the team and see what resolution each player should try to achieve in 2024, starting with the goaltenders.
Marc-André Fleury: Stay Youthful & Smiling
Whether on a winning or losing streak, Marc-André Fleury has always been able to harness the youthful side of his game. He plays like he’s half his age and almost always smiles. His resolution is to keep that personality shining and try to keep himself young at heart, even when things are hard.
Being upbeat and optimistic when things are tough can help a team remain focused and remember it will improve. Fleury just hit game 1,000, and hopefully, he has a few more seasons left because he is fun to watch, even if he’s not with the Wild past this season.
Filip Gustavsson: Stay Confident
After a rough start, Filip Gustavsson has finally started to shine in the last month. He’s been making great saves and playing with confidence in his abilities, and once he’s on his game, he’s hard to stop. He’s also channeling his inner Fleury when he leaves his crease to play the puck, but thankfully, it’s not often.
Part of the Wild’s early struggles was their goaltending and not stepping up how they should. When the defense failed, they’d count on the goaltender to get the final stop, and unfortunately, it wouldn’t happen often. Hopefully, now that they’ve figured out how to win games and take losses in stride, they can continue to make the necessary saves, and Gustavsson will keep his confidence once he returns from his most recent injury.
Jared Spurgeon: Stay Healthy
Most of the time, players aren’t in control of injuries, but the Wild could really use Jared Spurgeon in the lineup, as he’s been injured quite a bit over the last few seasons. He’s missed out on 20 games this season alone due to injuries. Last season, he missed three games, but during 2021-22, he missed 17 games due to injury or illness.
He’s the team’s captain, and while they can get along without him in the lineup, as they’ve proven the past few weeks, they do need his leadership and dedication to giving 100 percent. If there’s any way he could somehow stay healthy the rest of the season, it would greatly help the Wild and give them some stability.
Jonas Brodin: Keep Blocking Shots
Jonas Brodin’s resolution could match defensive linemate Spurgeon in how he needs to stay healthy. He’s had injury issues off and on, just like Spurgeon, and he’s also one of their best defensemen whom they rely on night in and night out. However, moving on from the injury issues, they need him to continue to block shots like he does.
Besides Jake Middleton, Brodin is their top-shot blocker, and they need his help. If their goaltender is struggling, the defense needs to keep shots from getting through, and he’s one of the best. While resolutions are typically about setting new goals, his is simple: keep doing what he has been doing.
Brock Faber: Keep Shooting the Puck
Regarding Brock Faber, there’s not much to pick apart about his game. He’s a 21-year-old rookie who’s played a total of 37 regular season games and six playoff games and has played better than almost every player on the Wild. When Spurgeon and Brodin were out with injuries, Faber was the top defenseman and took over the main power-play unit, played on the penalty kill, and played over 30 minutes a night.
The one area of his game he doesn’t necessarily have to improve but needs more confidence in is shooting the puck. He’s great at seeing the play and knowing what to do, but he needs to shoot the puck more often. He has a great overall game and a strong shot that he should use more.
Jake Middleton: Stay Confident Offensively
Middleton has come so far in the short time he’s been with the Wild, and while he fit in right away personality-wise, it was a little harder to find his spot on the roster until they paired him with Spurgeon. The two of them hit it off quite well last season, and they did start together again this season, but things seemed off. Then injuries happened, and everyone got moved around.
He landed with rookie Faber, and the two hit it off, which resulted in the both of them being comfortable enough to try offense when given the chance. Middleton has been a bit more confident in this area than Faber, but he needs to keep trying. The more he breaks into the zone, the more likely he’ll be able to score some goals. He’s doing well with it but needs to keep going with it and get all the way to the net for his resolution.
Alex Goligoski & Jon Merrill: Improve Offensively & Defensively
I paired Alex Goligoski and Jon Merrill together because they are the two defensemen who have struggled the most this season in nearly all aspects of the game. They’re typically on the bottom pairing and oftentimes have turnovers.
They aren’t bad defensemen; they’re just struggling a lot right now, possibly due to a lack of playing time. They have to improve those areas if they want to play more. It’s frustrating when they make simple mistakes that could be avoided, and that’s why they have the same resolution for the rest of the season.
Zach Bogosian: Trust Himself
Zach Bogosian was almost in the same category as Goligoski and Merrill, but he’s been doing slightly better lately. He needs to continue trusting himself and forcing himself into plays as he has been doing. He makes the right play when he goes with his instincts and helps out defensively and offensively. Again, he doesn’t get much playing time, but when he plays, he has to trust himself, and he’ll play more.
Brandon Duhaime: Find Offense
Brandon Duhaime may be on the fourth line, but he’s proven he can score goals many times. Last season, he was bothered by injuries, but this season, he’s been healthy and still only has four goals. He has the speed and ability to move the puck. Plus, with his size, he can get to the net, but he needs to shoot more.
He works well on the fourth line with his physical play and strength on the penalty kill, but he needs to work on that one offensive aspect. Hopefully, he can make this resolution come true as the season progresses.
Connor Dewar: Score Shorthanded
This may sound like an odd resolution because many teams struggle to score shorthanded, but last season, Connor Dewar scored three times and could’ve had many more. He can pick off the puck from the opponent’s defense and carry it in, usually on a breakaway. With the slight changes to their penalty kill form this season, he hasn’t had as many opportunities when he’s deeper in the zone.
If the Wild continue to take penalties as they have, they need someone to start scoring goals while shorthanded to give them an advantage. They won’t score a lot, but even one or two can help keep them in a game or even win one.
Pat Maroon: Work on Turnovers
For the type of player Pat Maroon is, the kind of play the Wild have received from him has been surprising and strong. He has made some mistakes like every player, but overall, he’s helped them more than hurt. The one area he could fix is his turnovers. He’ll get the puck and try to either pass it or leave the zone with it and will lose it. He needs to pass and carry the puck more effectively.
Marcus Foligno & Frédérick Gaudreau: Keep Playing the Way They Are
It may sound cliché, but the way Marcus Foligno has been playing has been much better than last season in terms of discipline and penalties. He’s also been doing better in the points department, and while he still has a ways to go, he’s headed in the right direction.
Related: Wild’s Fleury Hits Milestone With Game 1,000
The same can be said about Frédérick Gaudreau; while it doesn’t seem like he’s been involved as much as before, there’s not much to complain about. He’s been playing smart and getting involved in both the penalty kill and power play, something they need others to do more of. Hopefully, Foligno and Gaudreau can keep up their consistent play and be an example to others.
Ryan Hartman: Stay Disciplined with Anger
Ryan Hartman plays hot-tempered. He always has since he joined the Wild, and that can get him into trouble, especially when it comes to the penalty box. However, he can use that differently and channel it towards his offensive abilities. He could move faster and past opponents with the same level of aggression he actually uses to fight them. He needs to focus on not retaliating but skating instead, which can be hard, but it can be done.
Marcus Johansson: Change Things Up
A month ago, it would’ve been a lot easier to pick a resolution for Marcus Johannson because he was struggling, but lately, he’s found ways to get involved and score goals. The reason he resolves to change things up is because every time he tries to carry the puck into the offensive zone, he makes it to the same spot between the two defensemen and then loses the puck.
He needs to either find an alternate route into the zone or find a way to pass the puck before getting stopped. He can’t keep losing the puck at the blue line because the team loses so much progress, potentially creating an odd-man rush the other way that they can’t defend. Hopefully, he can continue his scoring with some slight changes to give him more opportunities.
Joel Eriksson Ek: Keep Grinding
Joel Eriksson Ek has been consistently playing well out of every player on the Wild’s roster besides maybe Faber. He’s always grinding at 110 percent and showing the level of play everyone in the lineup should. He’s constantly beaten up in front of the net but doesn’t complain and gets results.
He’s also involved in the power play and penalty kill and can be used in almost any situation. He could use to take a few fewer penalties, but when a player grinds as much as he does, they’re bound to get called for things because they push so hard.
Marco Rossi: Succeed on the Power Play
Marco Rossi’s another player who can’t get nitpicked too much because he’s a rookie, and he’s honestly has done quite well for his first full season in the NHL. With his talent level, his resolution is to find ways to succeed on the power play. He’s contributed in small ways, but he’s so fast and great at maneuvering with the puck they need him to score goals while on the man advantage.
Those goals can be the difference between a win and a loss, and now that he’s become accustomed to playing at the NHL level, it would be great for some power-play success to come along as well. Obviously, it’s not on him to lift the team, but he’s shown his talent, and it’s clear he can do more.
Matt Boldy: Block Shots
Like Johansson, Matt Boldy had a slow offensive start, partially due to injuries, but he’s been doing well recently. The area that he can improve on is his blocked shots. In 28 games, he’s only blocked nine shots. Of course, forwards aren’t expected to block as many shots as a defenseman, but his numbers need to be higher.
When he’s on the ice in the defensive zone, he should be getting in front of the point and blocking whatever shots they try to take, or at least taking away the lane. So he needs to become more involved defensively for his resolution, which will give him more offensive chances, as blocking a point shot can create a breakaway in the opposite direction.
Mats Zuccarello & Kirill Kaprizov: Stop Passing to Each Other
With the recent line adjustments and injuries, this hasn’t been as much of a problem, but when Mats Zuccarello and Kirill Kaprizov are together, they often only see each other. While they are a great tandem, that does get in the way. They’ve both been doing well offensively, and although their defense can always be better, they turn the puck over when trying to pass to each other.
When they are on a line together, they need to remember others are on the ice and use them to their advantage. When teams expect them to pass to each other, someone else is wide open and can be passed to. Kaprizov and Zuccarello need to be more aware of their surroundings and use them to their advantage. They’ll be able to score more goals and be more successful.
Wild’s New Year
The Wild have found success recently with a few bumps along the way, but everyone has found ways to step up. Even with success, there are always areas to improve, and each player has a resolution to fulfill. Hopefully, as the New Year progresses, players will find ways to carry out these resolutions and help their team win more games.
