WILD WEDNESDAY - Hockey is Back!
The Wild kick off their season with the home opener against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday. Now that last year’s disappointing season is in the past where the Wild missed the playoffs for the first time since 2019, it is time to jump into this season with some optimism. With some offseason moves and a promising preseason, the Wild should have a winning record and hopefully be a playoff contender.
Three’s a Crowd?
On Monday, the Wild signed 21-year-old Jesper Wallstedt to a two-year, $4.4 million contract that will prevent him from becoming a restricted free agent. For the first time in franchise history, the Wild are carrying three goalies. It will be interesting to see how a three-goalie rotation will work, but coach John Hynes claims a lot of it will be performance-based.
“You’re always putting in the lineup you think is going to give you the best chance to win, and saying that, we think we’ve had a lot of guys that deserve to play,” Hynes told the Pioneer Press.
Wallstedt only has three NHL games under his belt, but the Wild have made it clear that Wallstedt is part of their long-term plan as Fleury is probably hanging up the skates after this season. Gustavsson, who has two more years left of his contract at $3.75 million per year, is coming off one of his worst seasons of his career with .899 save percentage and a GAA of 3.06. Fleury is on a one-year, $2.5 million contract and had a .895 save percentage and a GAA of 2.98 last season. Wallstedt is the only goalie on a two-way contract, but if Gustavsson or Fleury have another rocky season, Wallstedt could very well have multiple starts that he so desperately wants.
Let’s Get Physical
To add some more grit to the lineup, the Wild acquired forward Yakov Trenin on a four-year, $14 million contract. Trenin is not a forward who scores a lot, but his value lies in the penalty kill and he is a great defensive player that hits and forechecks a lot.
The Wild’s penalty kill was the third worst in the league last season, with only 74.5% of successful kills. Trenin’s defensive capabilities shined in the preseason as the Wild’s PK rate improved to 84%, killing 21 of 25 penalties in six games. Trenin is on the third line where he can hopefully help his linemates, Foligno and Hartman, play a more disciplined, but still aggressive game.
Another tough player the Wild added that is not afraid to lay down a big hit or block a shot is forward Jakub Lauko. He had an impressive preseason that rewarded himself a spot on the roster where he will play on the fourth line alongside Khusnutdinov and Gaudreau. Like Trenin, Lauko does not score often, but his skating speed and physicality is what makes him a notable player.
Heading into Home Opener
Wild prospect Liam Ohgren will be an opening night healthy scratch with Freddy Gaudreau claiming the last forward spot for now. Watch this one closely as I am sure the Wild do not plan on keeping one of their brightest prospects up in the press box for long, especially if Gaudreau is still in a slump from last season.
The Wild’s depth remains the question this season as the team severely lacks in secondary scoring. That is why staying healthy is going to be key this year and will be critical to make the playoffs. Matt Boldy and Joel Eriksson Ek are coming off their best seasons yet, and Kaprizov is looking to finally have a 50-goal season, after just coming short of the mark last season.
Like the penalty kill, the powerplay also showed improvement in the preseason hitting at over 53%. Obviously that high of a rate is unattainable, but still is promising when compared to last season's rate of 22.7%.
When healthy, the Wild arguably have two of the top best defensive pairings in the league with Brodin, Faber, Middleton and Spurgeon. Brodin continues to be one of the most underrated defensemen in the league, while Faber is evolving into a top 5 defenseman. Middleton carries a strong physical presence and Spurgeon is the leader of the team that excels in all areas of defense. Since the Wild’s offense is not built for a high scoring output, it is key that the defense, special teams and goaltending be at a premium.
After the home opener, the Wild face Seattle on Saturday then travel to Winnipeg to play Sunday.
Kelly Rivard
Avid Wild and Twins fan, Kelly is a native of Centerville, MN and attended U of M!
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