The Minnesota Wild have been a hard team to cheer for this season, and as American Thanksgiving has come and gone, it’s time for another roundtable to determine where they are and where they’re headed. It was pretty easy to come up with things they hadn’t done well, but finding success was a little more complicated.
The Hockey Writers Wild team of Tyson McKay and Mariah Stark came up with some hard-hitting questions to answer about some of the things that have made it difficult for the Wild and some of the small bright spots. A team like the Wild need to see both sides and focus on the good things. We’ll start with the most significant issue the Wild have and go from there.
What Is the Biggest Issue the Wild Have? (You Can Only Pick One)
Tyson: The Wild’s biggest issue for me is the cumulative deterioration of all of their top players at once causing them to just be completely out-matched every night. The problem that ends up losing them games changes from night to night because it is whatever the opposing team decides to exploit on any given night. That all changes if you have Kirill Kaprizov, Matt Boldy, Filip Gustavsson, and Marcus Johansson playing like we know they are capable of.
Mariah: Oof, it’s hard to pick just one; there are so many obvious ones to choose from. I’ll have to say converting on scoring chances. They’ve had numerous point-blank chances, and yes, the first that comes to mind is Joel Eriksson Ek’s in Sweden, which he couldn’t convert. If they want to win games, they have to be able to score. I think the other things will fall into place; it’s the scoring I’m worried about.
What Player Has Disappointed You the Most?
Tyson: I am a big goalie guy, so my most disappointing player is Gustavsson. He was an elite goaltender last season who could win the team games and give them a chance to win every single game he played. This season he even showed a brief flash of that skill in the very first game of the season that had me truly sold on his talent. Since then, he hasn’t even been able to produce league-average goaltending, let alone the Vezina-caliber skill we saw before.
Mariah: I hate to say this because anyone who’s followed me for a while knows how big of a fan of his I am, but I have to say Kaprizov. He’s getting paid to be the Wild’s top scorer but hasn’t scored like one. He is getting points, which is great, but he has not found a consistent scoring path. I have faith he will, but it needs to be sooner rather than later, and he’s starting to run out of time.
What Player Needs to Step Up the Most?
Tyson: Going the easy route on this one and saying Kaprizov. He is the highest-paid player on the team, got the alternate captain designation, and then fell off an absolute cliff. For me, it’s not the lack of points that are troublesome with Kaprizov; it’s the turnovers and lack of battle that make it almost nerve-wracking to watch him play because he gives up so many high-danger chances to the other team.
Mariah: Obviously, I could use Kaprizov again, but I’d have to go with Gustavsson. It’s easy to blame the goalie for all the scoring problems, but he’s also getting paid more money and hasn’t fulfilled that contract yet. For some reason, he’s lost that magic he had last season, and they really need him to find it. He showed some flashes in Sweden when they took on the Ottawa Senators, but he has so much more potential.
Who Has Impressed You?
Tyson: Marco Rossi’s attitude toward growing and developing during the offseason was impressive, and the results speak for themselves. It took a little bit longer than most fans hoped for, but it truly looks like Rossi is going to be the top-end talent that the Wild hoped he would be when they drafted him. His dedication and attitude are admirable traits that speak to the kind of person he is, and are things you just can’t teach.
Mariah: Normally, I’d say Brock Faber, as he’s been very impressive this season, but I have to go with Rossi. I knew he’d be better, but he’s often one of the best on the team, and he’s already recorded six goals plus four assists for 10 points in 17 games played. His play has improved dramatically from last season to this season, and he’s definitely earned his spot on the roster. It was also exciting to see how well he handled being on the top line and how easily he fit in.
What Have the Wild Done Well This Season?
Tyson: They have been great at finding new ways to lose games. On a serious note, they have had stretches of play where they were a dominant force. The game against the New York Rangers comes to mind, where they absolutely controlled one of the NHL’s top teams in the second and third periods after going down by three in the first. The Wild have shown they can be a great hockey team; they just haven’t been able to put it together for more than a couple periods.
Mariah: Other than a handful of games this season, the Wild have found ways to make sure they keep shooting the puck. It hasn’t been going in successfully, but they’ve been shooting it and have an average of 30.9 shots a game, something they averaged for the entire season last year, so if they’re doing it this early, hopefully, it’s a sign of good things to come. They’ve been a team known not to shoot the puck enough, and averaging at least 30 shots a game is a step in the right direction.
What Would You Change to Turn This Season Around?
Tyson: Unfortunately, at this point, I think it has to come from within the team, or something drastic has to occur to really shake things up. There is no room under the salary cap, so a trade would have to be a blockbuster that would see a major piece of the current core moved, which is very unlikely. A coaching change may give them a little spark, but I can’t see Bill Guerin letting go of Dean Evason yet; they have too similar of a philosophy regarding the style of play they like to see on the ice.
Mariah: I would put Rossi back on the top line and move Ryan Hartman down to Rossi’s spot. I would leave Zuccarello and Kaprizov together and let it ride until you change it. I feel like they changed it too soon, and I would go back to the original number one power play of four forwards and a defenseman. There’s too much carelessness when there are five forwards on the power play, and while I liked it at first, I’m not a huge fan anymore unless they start producing.
Was Trading Calen Addison the Right Move?
Tyson: Unfortunately, it was, but not because Zach Bogosian is a better player than him. Addison had just reached the end of his time with the Wild and was moving backward in the lineup instead of forwards. The powerplay was his saving grace for a while, but as the Wild’s special teams were horrendous, he lost that position, and it just made more sense to move on and let him try to find a niche in another roster.
Mariah: So, hear me out. I was a big proponent of trading him during the offseason before he started showing how much work he put into his game. I was quite shocked when they announced they were trading him, and I still am somewhat. I understand the cap situation the way it is; they had to do something with their other defensemen coming back and the fact that their young guys like Dakota Mermis and Daemon Hunt were doing so well.
Do the Wild Turn It Around?
Tyson: They might turn it around, but unless they go on an absolute heater, which is not impossible, the damage to their playoff hopes may already be done this season. They are sitting as a bottom-five team in the NHL right now and are already five points back of the final wild card spot in the Western Conference. They did manage to collect a point in each of their games during the Global Series, but they’ll need much more than that to dig themselves out of the hole they put themselves in.
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Mariah: I’m always the optimist, so I will say yes, even more so after watching them against the Toronto Maple Leafs in Sweden. They looked the best they have all season besides their first game, and it’s a good sign that they’re starting to turn things in the right direction. They have a lot to fix and a long way to go, but they’re at least starting to figure it out and have a model game to focus on what they need to do.
Wild Wrap-Up
The Wild will resume their schedule on Friday, Nov. 24, against the Colorado Avalanche at home before they head on the road to face the Detroit Red Wings on Sunday, Nov. 26. These games are starting to get crucial in the points department, and they need to start winning some of them. Hopefully, after their stronger play against the Maple Leafs on Sunday, Nov. 19, they’ll be able to continue that play and convert it into wins.
