Jon Merrill – McKeen's Hockey

MCKEEN’S 2023-24 NHL YEARBOOK – MINNESOTA WILD – Team Preview – Player Profiles

Wed, 04 Oct 2023 11:39:17 +0000

SAINT PAUL, MN - FEBRUARY 17: Minnesota Wild left wing Kirill Kaprizov (97) shoots the puck while being defended by Dallas Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen (4) during the NHL game between the Dallas Stars and the Minnesota Wild, on February 17th, 2023, at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, MN. (Photo by Bailey Hillesheim/Icon Sportswire)

Review: The Wild are enduring a nightmare cap situation with the decision to buy out Zach Parise and Ryan Suter leaving the Wild with roughly $12.8 million in dead space in 2022-23. It’s hard to remain competitive under those conditions, but Minnesota ended up being solid with a 46-25-11 record. Goaltender Filip Gustavsson deserves a good share of the credit. In his first season out of Ottawa, the 24-year-old (25 now) posted a 22-9-7 record, 2.10 GAA and .931 save percentage in 39 outings. Veteran Marc-Andre Fleury wasn’t as good, but he was at least solid, and the combination resulted in Minnesota allowing the sixth fewest goals per game (2.67). The Wild sorely lacked scoring depth, but Kirill Kaprizov’s 40 goals and 75 points, complemented by Mats Zuccarello, Matt Boldy and Joel Eriksson Ek each recording at least 60 points, was enough to take advantage of the expert goaltending on most nights. What it wasn’t enough for was to push the Wild forward in the playoffs, though, and they consequently were ousted in the first round by Dallas.

What’s Changed? Very little, thanks to Minnesota’s cap situation. Defenseman Matt Dumba and enforcer Ryan Reaves left as free agents. Meanwhile, the Wild acquired bottom-six forward Patrick Maroon from Tampa Bay.

What would success look like? With Suter and Parise’s cap burden swelling to a combined $14.7 million this year, the Wild will once again be at a competitive disadvantage. Still, goaltender Gustavsson and forwards Eriksson Ek, Kaprizov and Boldy are young, positioning Minnesota to have a solid core for years to come. The Wild’s awkward cap situation runs through 2024-25, but after that they’ll be able to make major additions at a time when their core is in its prime. In the meantime, this is largely the same group that got them to the playoffs last year, so a similar outcome in 2023-24 wouldn’t be absurd.

What could go wrong? Though perhaps too much is resting on Gustavsson’s shoulders. He’s only played in 66 career NHL games, and not every goaltender who looks great at first goes on to have a strong career. If he regresses, that would be a huge problem because Fleury, who will turn 39 in November, shouldn’t be counted on to start regularly at this point. As it is, there’s no guarantee he’ll even be a good backup given his age.

Top Breakout Candidate: Although Minnesota had four players last year with at least 60 points, no one else on the team reached even the 40-point milestone. The Wild desperately need secondary scoring and Marco Rossi might be able to provide that. He’s been limited to an assist in 21 career NHL games, but Rossi has a lot of offensive upside and shined in the AHL last season, scoring 16 goals and 51 points in 53 outings. He should get a long look during training camp as a middle-six option.

Forwards

Kirill Kaprizov - LW

For the Minnesota Wild to have one of the most exciting players in the NHL, it’s a rare treat for their fans and for fans around the league. In just his third season, Kirill Kaprizov dazzled by piling up goals by the bucketload. He had his second straight 40-goal season by putting 40 up on the nose. His 75-point season was a drop from the 108 he had the year before, but he also missed 15 games because of a lower-body injury. Kaprizov led the Wild in goals and points for the third consecutive year and because of his outrageous ability to create offense, he’s hands down the Wild’s most important player. Minnesota was 23rd in the NHL in goals scored and Kaprizov accounted for 16.7 percent of them and nearly a third of their total offense. The Wild had strong goaltending and defense, but they had only a few players capable of finishing with regularity (four players had 20 or more goals). Kaprizov’s regular success since entering the NHL shows he can continue to do it and it’s clear the Wild absolutely need him to keep it up. While he and Mats Zuccarello were regularly together, Ryan Hartman’s injury hurt their overall production. A healthy Hartman should help Kaprizov make a run at the century mark once again.

Joel Eriksson Ek - C

The Wild’s outstanding two-way center was having a huge season for a team that was eager to make noise in the postseason, but ultimately, Joel Eriksson Ek’s season was derailed in April because he broke his leg blocking a shot late in the regular season. Eriksson Ek had 23 goals and a career-high 61 points last season in 78 games. Eriksson Ek attempted to return in Game 3 of their first round series against Dallas but lasted 19 seconds before departing for good. He ultimately needed surgery for the broken leg and will be ready for training camp and the regular season. Eriksson Ek has built up his offensive game steadily over his career, increasing his output each season since he entered the league in 2016-2017. The bar is set high for him now after his performance last season, but he teamed up mostly with Marcus Foligno and Matt Boldy last season, the latter of whom was third on the Wild in goals and points. A healthy Eriksson Ek will be vital to them returning to the postseason and improving their success therein. He’s vital to their 5-on-5 play, of course, but also to their power play and penalty kill. Do-it-all players like Eriksson Ek are the difference makers in the playoffs.

Matt Boldy - LW

While Kirill Kaprizov gets most of the attention in Minnesota, Matt Boldy is their other young star player who gives fans the most hope of a Stanley Cup down the road. In his second season in nearly twice as many games, Boldy scored 31 goals and had 63 points. He was third on the team in both categories and eight of his goals came on the power play. The Wild believe in Boldy in a big way. They signed him to a seven-year, $49 million extension in January and based on the numbers he put up, it was a heads-up move by GM Bill Guerin because further 30-goal seasons (or more) would’ve made that price a lot more uncomfortable. At 22 years old, Boldy is the key young player for the Wild. As good as Kaprizov is, he’s 26 years old after coming over from Russia. Boldy, the 12th pick in the 2019 draft, was one of the Wild’s top performers in possession and expected goal percentage at 5-on-5. While that’s not surprising for a player that had the kind of success he did, for a player at his age it’s beyond encouraging to see that he’s already among the best on the team. His career is just getting started, but the future for him is very bright.

Ryan Hartman - RW

An upper-body injury wreaked havoc on Ryan Hartman last season. In 59 games, he had 15 goals and 37 points. After putting up 34 goals and 65 points two years ago, the injury sidetrack was a tough blow for him and the Wild alike. Hartman plays a rugged, physical game and is a menace all over the ice, particularly around the net in the offensive zone. Despite missing 23 games after getting injured in a fight, he was second on the team in penalty minutes (90) which affirms how much he’s able to get under the skin of opposing players. Hartman’s physical nature is needed as the center between Kirill Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello because those two players aren’t out there to throw the body and get nasty. Hartman handles the dirty work, and he does it well and gets rewarded for it by cashing in on points. Hartman’s become a de facto No. 1 center because he’s most found between those two players. With Marco Rossi potentially on the way to the NHL this season, things could change up the middle for Minnesota’s forward units, but after the consistent success Hartman has had, it would take significant improvement from Rossi to unseat him.

Mats Zuccarello - C

It’s hard to find players as consistently strong offensively as Mats Zuccarello. The 35-year-old Norwegian was second on the Wild with 67 points. Zuccarello is a solid even strength scorer, but he’s also dynamite on the power play. He had nine goals and 29 points on the man advantage last season, and he averaged more than 20 minutes of ice time per game playing on the Wild’s top line. His production was a bit down compared to two years ago, but considering his age and that he had a career-high 79 points then, that he was still one of the team’s top scorers and vital to their success, it says everything you need to know about him. He teamed up on a line with Kirill Kaprizov and Ryan Hartman (as well as Sam Steel in Hartman’s injury absence) and that group drove Minnesota’s offense throughout the season. While Kaprizov and Hartman do more damage scoring goals, Zuccarello excels at setting them up to score. It’s hard to think coach Dean Evason would break that trio up this season, but if Marco Rossi makes a strong case in training camp or throughout the season, things could change. That said, the chemistry those three players have is outstanding and that goes a long way to helping set the lines. This season is a contract year for Zuccarello, and he’ll be 36 once it begins. He’ll have a lot to play for every year from here on out until he retires.

Marcus Johansson - RW

A return to Minnesota was just the thing Marcus Johansson needed to rejuvenate his game. Johansson began last season with Washington, but the Wild re-acquired him around the trade deadline and in 20 games in Minnesota he posted 18 points including six goals. Overall, he had 46 points in 80 games between the Capitals and Wild, but his play to close out the season with Minnesota earned him a new two-year, $4 million contract to stay put. Johansson was last in Minnesota in 2020 after he was acquired in a trade with Buffalo. He played 36 games in the COVID-19-shortened season and put up 14 points in 36 games and later departed for Seattle in free agency. But his return to the Twin Cities lit a fire under him and he also contributed two goals in the Wild’s six-game series loss to Dallas in the first round of the playoffs. His offensive abilities are strong, and he gives the Wild key depth they’ll need to keep up with the other playoff contenders in the West. Johansson played well on a line with Joel Eriksson Ek and Matt Boldy and it stands to reason he’ll be back with them again when the season begins. Johansson will turn 33 this season so his veteran presence is important, but they’ll need him to help spur Boldy to more goals and help on the power play even more this year.

Marcus Foligno - LW

Although he’s not the captain of the team, there’s little doubt that one of the Wild’s strongest on-ice leaders is Marcus Foligno. “Moose” takes care of business on the ice by chipping in with the occasional well-timed goal but also by delivering punishing hits and the occasional fight to fire his teammates up. He had seven goals and 21 points in 65 games last season (lower-body injuries caused him to miss games throughout the year) but he led the Wild with 237 hits which placed him in the top-15 in the NHL in that category. He also led the team with 97 penalty minutes. While that’s not the kind of category you want a player to lead, his penalties were generally crimes of effort because of the physical nature. Two seasons ago, Foligno had a career year with 23 goals and 42 points and assuredly the Wild would love to see him return to that kind of form, but he’ll need good health to allow for that possibility. He teamed up most often with Joel Eriksson Ek last season as well as Jordan Greenway before he was traded to Buffalo. This season he may wind up on a line with Frederick Gaudreau depending on how things shake out. One thing that’s for sure is whoever he’s on a line with can reap the benefits of having one of the league’s hardest working players leading the way.

Frederick Gaudreau - C

One of Minnesota’s most pleasant stories the past two seasons has centered around Frederick Gaudreau. When the Wild signed him as a free agent in the summer of 2021, he just finished his fourth NHL season after a year in Pittsburgh and three previously in Nashville with plenty of time spent in the AHL as well. Since becoming a regular with the Wild, he’s scored 33 goals and has 82 points in 158 games. He set a career high with 19 goals last season and finished with 38 points. His first season in Minnesota saw him put up 44 points. Playing as a third line center, Gaudreau has found a home in Minnesota and a role as the ultimate versatile forward. He played most of his minutes last season with Matt Boldy but also carved up equal amounts of time with Mats Zuccarello, Kirill Kaprizov, Jordan Greenway, Brandon Duhaime, and others. Having a player like that who can step in between any two wingers and be able to be productive and not a detriment is desperately needed for any team in the league. The Wild having Gaudreau score 35-to-45 points while being that guy helps steady their lineup in general, but he particularly makes their middle-or-bottom-six more potent offensively.

Brandon Duhaime - RW

When Brandon Duhaime arrived in the NHL two seasons ago, he announced his presence with physical authority delivering hits and racking up penalty minutes. Last season, things calmed down a bit but a lot of that was due to unfortunate upper-body injuries that held him to 51 games. In that time, he had nine goals and one assist but still managed to pile up 146 hits and 42 penalty minutes. When you consider he had 122 PIM and 201 hits in 80 games in his rookie season the year before, it’s easy to identify which part of the game was missing from the Wild lineup. Duhaime’s feisty play fed Minnesota’s energy lines where he teamed up most often with Conor Dewar, Ryan Reaves, and Frederick Gaudreau. The message was clear when he took a shift: it was time to stir the game up and raise the temperature a few degrees. As he enters his third season, he’s hopeful the injury issues will be behind him so he can contribute regularly and give the Wild more of the physical element they’re looking for deeper in their lineup. Duhaime has no reluctance to get involved and it’s made him a favorite among the fan base.

Pat Maroon - LW

The Wild’s six-game ouster from the postseason to Dallas last year sent a message that was clear as day to read: They needed a spark. They were pushed around by the Stars and often outclassed despite it being a six-game series and to address that they brought in a Stanley Cup champion ringer in Pat Maroon. After winning the Cup three seasons in a row with St. Louis and twice with Tampa Bay, Maroon will try to bring that good fortune with him to St. Paul where the Wild could use a hearty injection of his gamesmanship and grit. Last season with Tampa Bay, Maroon had five goals and 14 points but led the NHL with 150 penalty minutes. He also posted 172 hits and while hits aren’t a lacking category on the Wild with the likes of Marcus Foligno and Brandon Duhaime among others, Maroon’s play helps establish the tone. The Wild didn’t trade for Maroon as a means to reinvent the wheel so to speak, but rather to give them a third- or fourth-line winger who can contribute and knows what it takes to go all the way and that’s a book full of lessons the Wild need to desperately study.

Defense

Jonas Brodin - D

When it comes to defensive defensemen, Jonas Brodin stands out among them as one of the most respected in the league. While Brodin can help with the offensive game, it’s how he handles himself and opponents when he’s on the ice that makes him special. He’s always tasked with the toughest matchups and must fend off the league’s most ferocious scorers, game in and game out. Brodin missed 22 games last season and had three goals and 14 points last season which was a down year for him. In recent years, 20-to-30 points has been a more likely outcome, but he can partially be excused thanks to injury. Still, his 0.23 points per game as his lowest output since 2018-2019. All that said, Brodin was the Wild’s best defenseman in shot attempt percentage and was second best in expected goal percentage. Steady is what teams want from defensemen and the Wild are ecstatic that Brodin is nothing but steady. He averaged the most time on-ice per game on the roster and as he goes, so does Minnesota’s defense. Being solid defensively doesn’t often make the highlight reels, but Brodin is exceptional in his ability.

Jared Spurgeon - D

The Minnesota Wild captain showed why he earned the “C” on his jersey with how he handles the blue line. His 34 points was the best among Wild defensemen as were his 11 goals. Spurgeon has always had a strong offensive game throughout his career and his point total fell in line almost perfectly with his career output. In six of the past seven seasons, he’s scored 30-or-more points and that one outlier season was the COVID-19-shortened 2020-2021 season and he still had 25 points that year. Spurgeon is the guy that once owned the power play but now he’s become their penalty killing stalwart thanks to the arrival of Calen Addison. That said, he’s still getting time on the power play just on a support unit instead of the main group. He averaged nearly 22 minutes of ice time per game last season and got Lady Byng votes because he only had 14 penalty minutes. Spurgeon’s all-around play is outstanding and even though he’s not exactly a large-sized player at 5’9” 166 pounds, he performs in a big way. The Wild count on him in a big way and that he paired up almost exclusively with Jacob Middleton last season, he’s got a partner who will do a lot of the dirty work needed to free him up to create offensively when needed.

Calen Addison - D

Trading Jason Zucker was not an easy move for the Wild back in February 2020, but that they came away with the Pittsburgh Penguins’ top prospect at the time turned out to be a big win because Calen Addison has lived up to his scouting reports. Addison got his first full-season taste of the NHL last season after splitting time between the AHL and NHL the previous two and put up 29 points including three goals in 62 games. Addison’s skill as a puck mover was well evident in his play and how he was able to conduct himself as the Wild’s No. 1 power play quarterback was strong as the Wild had the No. 15 power play in the league and scored 21.4 percent of the time. What the Wild hope to see out of Addison this season is a guy who’s grown into his skin and the roles he’ll move ahead with on the team. He showed savvy and confidence in how he handled the puck last season, but after getting the first real season under his belt, they’ll bank on him to be a lead puck mover in all situations and to improve upon his all-around numbers on the power play and ideally give the Wild a power play to be feared across the league.

Goaltending

Filip Gustavsson - G

When the Minnesota Wild traded veteran Cam Talbot to the Ottawa Senators and brought in the younger, cheaper Filip Gustavsson, it seemed like a gamble designed just to tide them over until prospect Jesper Wallstedt was ready to go pro. And instead, Gustavsson took the opportunity to prove that sometimes, all a young goaltender needs are a new environment with a little more structure; after putting up one of the worst performances of the rotating carousel of goaltenders Ottawa had trotted out the year prior, Gustavsson put up not just the best performance in Minnesota but one of the best in the entire league.

Gustavsson boasts a litany of prototypical Swedish goaltending traits, preferring to push across the crease from his knees and staying in motion rather than setting and trying to maintain good mental rhythm without physical accompaniment. But while he struggled not to show his hand too early during his stint in Ottawa, the more structured environment of Minnesota’s goaltending situation helped to give the young NHLer a chance to establish better harmony with his defense and look more at home holding his feet instead of giving himself away. He looked more in control of the space he occupied in the blue paint during his time with the Wild last year, and the reliability of his game – he doesn’t seem to try to do too much, even when things get chaotic around the net – helped elevate the team’s play in front of him, too. With Marc-Andre Fleury creeping closer to 40 and the team likely needing to limit the future Hall of Famer’s starts more in the coming year, the real test will be to see just how well Gustavsson can replicate his successes from last season as the likely de facto number one for the Central Division club.

Projected starts: 50-55

MCKEEN’S 2022-23 NHL YEARBOOK – MINNESOTA WILD – NHL Player Profiles

Joe Yerdon – Forwards and Defense, Catherine Silverman - Goaltending — Fri, 16 Sep 2022 18:58:24 +0000

ST. LOUIS, MO - APRIL 16: Minnesota Wild left wing Matt Boldy (12) starts to turn up ice during a game between the Minnesota Wild and the St. Louis Blues on April 16, 2022, at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis MO (Photo by Rick Ulreich/Icon Sportswire)

FORWARDS

Kirill Kaprizov

A lot of players after a monster rookie season will have the infamous “sophomore slump” but then again, most players aren’t Kirill Kaprizov. The 25-year-old Russian built upon his Calder-winning season by scoring 47 goals and 108 points. That point total made him fifth in the NHL and his goal total tied him with Winnipeg’s Kyle Connor for fifth best. Kaprizov set Wild team records for goals, assists (61), and points in a season and set the team record for most even strength goals (33) along with Ryan Hartman. Kaprizov was also the best forward when it comes to possession with a 53.6 CF% at 5-on-5, as only defenseman Jared Spurgeon (55.4) was better. Unsurprisingly, Kaprizov was the most dangerous player on the power play leading the team with 14 goals and 31 points. To call him a difference-maker since joining the Wild would be a vast understatement. He’s a legit top-10 player in the NHL and one of its elite scorers. The questions now are how long he can perform at this level, and can he exceed what he accomplished last season. He’s already a challenger for both the Rocket Richard and Art Ross trophies and gunning for the Hart Trophy comes naturally with those. Expect him to be in all those conversations this season.

Mats Zuccarello

It’s rare to see a player have the best season of their career after turning 30, but at 34 that’s precisely what Mats Zuccarello did. He was third on the Wild with 79 points including 24 goals. Zuccarello teamed up with Kaprizov and Hartman to have, perhaps, one of the most unexpected offensive explosions by a line in the NHL. Early in his career with the New York Rangers, Zuccarello was a steady offensive player capable of scoring 45-60 points per season. His first season with Minnesota was disappointing comparably, but the past two seasons has seen him produce at the best rates of his career (0.83 and 1.13 points per game). Teaming him up with Kaprizov likely has a lot to do with that jump, if not everything, but it’s still better than almost every other season he’s played in the NHL. That doesn’t generally happen for players past age 30, never mind their mid-30s. What benefits him most is he’s a naturally smart player on offense and has tremendous vision for passing as well as a sky-high hockey IQ. His size was something always used as a reason why he wouldn’t have success, but at 5-foot-8, 184 pounds he’s proved that size doesn’t always mean results.

Joel Eriksson Ek

The 25-year-old from Sweden has become one of the better defensive forwards in the league. Eriksson Ek was the Wild’s first round pick (20th) in 2015 and the improvement in his game over the past five seasons has been as impressive as it is noticeable. He set career-highs in goals (26), assists (23), and points (49) and was the smallest player on his line with Marcus Foligno and Jordan Greenway. Mind you, Eriksson Ek is 6-foot-1 and 208 pounds. He was third on the team in key advanced statistics with a 53.2 CF% and 56.9 xG%. Eriksson Ek fits in well with his linemates because, like them, he’s unafraid to throw his body around. He was fourth in hits with 138 behind Foligno (238), Brandon Duhaime (201), and Greenway (155) respectively. Physicality is contagious, but to have it come from what’s essentially the No. 2 scoring line makes them a rare team the way the NHL is played these days. Most teams will have fast-skating or overly agile lines with finishing ability, the Wild instead have a line that will punish opponents physically and drop the gloves if needed and it’s Eriksson Ek who drives the line in all those facets.

Ryan Hartman

In the seven seasons prior to last season, Ryan Hartman never scored more than 20 goals or had more than 31 points in a single season. To say that his 34-goal, 65-point season came out of nowhere is beyond true. Even in his two years previous with the Wild there was never any kind of hint this kind of outburst was possible, never mind likely. What stands out about it is that it’s the first time he played center in a full-time basis meaning, like Buffalo’s Tage Thompson, an unexpected position change turned Hartman into a goal-scoring dynamo. What helped Hartman’s scoring explode was how he shot 14.2 percent on 239 shots, career-highs in both categories as well. Is regression likely to hit hard? Probably. In his other seasons, the highest shot percentage he posted was 11.2 percent in his first full NHL season with Chicago. Normally he’s been between 8-10 percent. That said, in no other season did he play with offense drivers like Kaprizov and Zuccarello. That Hartman is a dogged forechecker with a willingness to hit, it gives him an element to his game that his linemates Kaprizov and Zuccarello lack and plenty of reasons to watch and see if he can continue to be an offensive factor.

Matthew Boldy

The anticipation that surrounded the eventual arrival of Matthew Boldy to the NHL was at a high level in the Twin Cities and when he made it to the Wild, the wait was worth it. In 47 games, Boldy posted 15 goals and 39 points and is poised to become a serious point producer from here out. The 21-year-old was the 12th overall pick in the 2019 Draft and signed with the Wild after he finished his sophomore season at Boston College in 2021. After 24 total games in the AHL in the past two seasons, his move to the NHL happened at a rapid pace, but sometimes players just need to be where they’ll flourish best. At 6-foot-2, 201 pounds, Boldy has an NHL build. He also has the kind of vision and play-making ability to improve everyone around him. He also excels at helping creating scoring chances. Boldy posted a 57 percent expected goals rate, behind only Foligno. What will be curious to watch is where Boldy factors into the lineup. It would appear their top two lines from last season are back, and Kevin Fiala–who was traded to Los Angeles–was the other winger on Boldy’s line with Frederick Gaudreau. That will put the onus on coach Dean Evason to find ways to get Boldy more involved.

Marcus Foligno

In his first 10 NHL seasons, Marcus Foligno never broke the 20-goal mark, nor had he scored 30 points in a season. Last season he was able to check off both accomplishments with a 23-goal, 42-point campaign. He also never had a season with more than 100 penalty minutes either until he had 112 last year. Through his career with Buffalo and Minnesota, 30-year-old Foligno has always been a physical player who thrives on throwing the body and wearing down opponents in the process, but he’s never been the kind of offense driver he was last season. Foligno isn’t a prolific shooter. He’s never had more than 100 shots in a season, although he came close last year with 98. All this does is make it impossible to predict how he’ll score by examining his shooting percentage. Where Foligno does a lot of damage is in close to the net cleaning up rebounds and pouncing on pucks down low. His 23.5 percent shooting last season was highest in the NHL and was down four percent from the previous season. Even with all those physical numbers, his possession numbers were still strong with a 52.5 CF%, He also led the team with a 57.8 xG% which exemplifies how he's getting scoring chances in quality areas consistently while also not being on the ice for many against him. With his play style and willingness to stand up for teammates, he’s very much the heart and soul of the Wild.

Frederick Gaudreau

The Wild were a team that thrived on players having productive seasons out of the blue. Another such player was center Frederick Gaudreau. The 29-year-old from Quebec earned a spot on the Wild out of training camp and took full advantage of it and posted a career-year with 14 goals and

44 points. It was Gaudreau’s first season playing entirely in the NHL, and he earned his way onto the third line where he teamed up with Kevin Fiala and Matthew Boldy to give the Wild a third line with equal parts skill and speed. At 6-feet tall and 179 pounds, Gaudreau is a deft skater who uses forechecking to get the puck back when his line doesn’t have it. He also carved out a consistent role with the team by being solid on special teams. Gaudreau had three points on the power play and was one of their regular players on the penalty kill. Although special teams were not one of their strongest areas, Gaudreau’s penalty kill numbers, respectively, were good. If he can build on his solid play from last year, chances are strong he’ll be able to improve his stats as well.

Jordan Greenway

As part of one of the biggest, most physical lines in the NHL that can also fill the net, Jordan Greenway casts an imposing shadow. At 6-foot-6 and 227 pounds, he’s the definition of what a power forward is built like and is a tenacious forechecker as well as a physically punishing player. He hits a lot, and he hits hard. His 155 hits last season was third-best on the Wild behind Foligno and Duhaime who each had more than 200 apiece. Greenway averaged 14:34 in ice time last season and his numbers differ from his linemates Foligno and Eriksson Ek because he doesn’t get much, if any, time on special teams. Greenway is out there to wear teams down at even strength and to intimidate opponents to keep them from winning too many puck battles in corners and along the boards. Even though descriptions like that don’t sound flattering to his offensive abilities, he can add points too. He had 27 points last season, five off his career high, and his 10 goals were two shy of his career-high 12. With the way his line plays and the fact Foligno has made a living crashing the net in Minnesota, it stands to reason Greenway could scrum his way into more goals.

Tyson Jost

The 24-year-old forward and No. 10 pick from the 2016 NHL Draft was a late-season acquisition from the Colorado Avalanche which sent Nico Sturm to Denver. As a one-for-one deal it was a means of getting two players a new setting to turn things around. In 21 games with Minnesota, Jost’s first impressions were OK with two goals and four assists. In all 80 games with the Wild and Avalanche he totaled eight goals and 12 assists. His 20 points are in line with how he’s performed in his previous four-plus seasons. Unfortunately, his average ice time per game has dipped slowly since then. His 12:51 per game with the Wild wasn’t great but was nearly a minute-and-a-half more than Sturm played and two-plus minutes more than others who were regular players like Duhaime and Nick Bjugstad. With a fresh training camp with Minnesota there’s an opportunity for Jost to grab a spot on the third or fourth line and perhaps be the latest Wild player to break out. With Kevin Fiala gone to L.A., there’s a spot up for grabs next to Gaudreau and Boldy, presumably, and Jost’s junior and college career showed he has skill to fill the net. If he can reclaim that ability the Wild would be even more dangerous in the Western Conference.

DEFENSE

Jared Spurgeon

The Minnesota Wild captain thrived last season. Known best for his puck handling ability, and he used that to become their best all-around threat from the blue line. He had 40 points, with 10 of those goals, to be the top scorer on defense. He also led defensemen in key advanced statistical measures with a 55.4 CF% and a 56.4 xG% at 5-on-5. To be a player that unites both old-school and new-school types means doing a lot of everything right. Spurgeon’s 40-point season was his best since 2018-2019 when he had a career-high 43 points and by reaching 10 goals it marked the fifth time he hit double figures in the category. Spurgeon split time among two different partners on the blue line in Alex Goligoski and Jacob Middleton. With Goligoski he had a CF% of nearly 59 percent. But after Middleton was acquired from San Jose at the trade deadline the two were paired up quite often and his possession numbers were below 48 percent. Of course, Middleton’s main strength isn’t exactly puck carrying. It’s tough to believe those two would remain a pairing with those results, but the Wild offense scored almost twice as many goals as allowed at 5-on-5 (15-8) when they were together. Maintaining production and giving Spurgeon a partner that doubles as a bodyguard can be appealing.

Jonas Brodin

All Jonas Brodin does game in, and game out is play superb defense. That’s a big undersell for one of the most under-appreciated blue liners in the NHL. Brodin led the Wild in average ice time per game clocking in at 23:26 per game. He piles on the minutes because he’s their No. 1 defenseman at 5-on-5, their top defender on the penalty kill, and worked the second power play unit. It resulted in him having a career-high in points with 30, seven on the power play. At 29 years old, Brodin is as steady as can be but at a very high level. He paired up with Matt Dumba almost exclusively last season, but also had Dmitry Kulikov when Dumba missed time. His possession numbers were slightly higher with Kulikov than Dumba, but Brodin and Dumba were excellent in keeping scoring chances reduced. In general, Brodin was solid in advanced numbers. At 5-on-5 he had a 52.5 CF% (third-best among Wild defensemen) and his 55.5 xG% was second only to Jared Spurgeon on defense. A big reason for that is how well Brodin handles the puck in general as well as under pressure. Expect him to again be the rock upon which the Wild defense is built.

Matt Dumba

This will be a season to watch Matt Dumba closely because he can become an unrestricted free agent in July. Jared Spurgeon and Jonas Brodin are already locked in long-term and the Wild have the Ryan Suter and Zach Parise buyouts causing them cap pain for the next few seasons. The Wild added defense prospect Brock Faber in the Fiala trade and Calen Addison is knocking on the door. The Wild love Dumba but it’s fair to ask if this will be his final season in Minnesota or if he’ll even finish the season there. As one of the Wild’s jack-of-all-trades defenders, the one thing that got in Matt Dumba’s way last season was injury. A trio of injuries, two upper-body and one lower, caused him to miss 23 games, but during the 59 he did suit up he did well. He put up seven goals and 20 assists for 27 points with five coming on the power play. Since he spent nearly 90 percent of his 5-on-5 time with Brodin, there was plenty of ice time and Dumba averaged 23:06 per game. It was the sixth straight season Dumba averaged 20 or more minutes a game. Dumba plays in all situations and shows consistently how his steady game can cool down excited situations in the defensive zone. His heavy shot from the point can provide an option on offense as well. If this is it for him in Minnesota, the Wild know they’d be losing someone important.

Jacob Middleton

The allure of a tough player in the NHL will always attract fans, GMs, and coaches alike and that’s what makes Jacob Middleton so popular. Standing 6-foot-3 and 219 pounds, Middleton is a certified big guy and his penchant for using it to wear opponents down and give a bit of protection for his defense partners makes him an attractive player. Minnesota acquired him at the trade deadline last season from San Jose in exchange for goalie Kaapo Kahkonen and put him right to work with Jared Spurgeon. While their skill sets and sizes couldn’t be more different, he was brought in almost specifically with Spurgeon in mind.At nearly 27 years old, it took Middleton a few seasons to crack through to the NHL being stuck in what was a loaded Sharks system. But there he saw plenty of time providing a physical balance on a pairing with Erik Karlsson. Middleton isn’t a point-getter. In the AHL he maxed out at 28 points in 67 games with AHL San Jose back in 2017-2018. He’s also not even a tough guy in the classic sense because he’s never eclipsed 100 PIM in a season going back to his junior hockey days. But his strength comes in being smart about throwing hits (he had 118 between the Sharks and Wild last season) and not backing down from a fight (11 career fighting majors through 80 NHL games). Expect to hear more about Middleton as the season goes on.

GOALTENDING

Marc-Andre Fleury

It’s hard to say just what Minnesota is going to get this year – and it might be even harder, if possible, to root against them. They’ll enter the 2022-23 season with veteran Marc-Andre Fleury – who, with Mike Smith out in Edmonton, will be the second-oldest goaltender in the league – as their clear starter, fresh off a bizarre whirlwind year that saw him dealt to the rebuilding Chicago Blackhawks and forced to make his case on the ice in order to earn a move to the playoff-bound Wild mid-season.

Fleury will be 38-years old by the time the season is over, and the story remains the same as it has been for the last four years. As one of the NHL’s most high-octane and reflex-driven goaltenders, his game will only thrive if he’s able to continue playing at the level he’s been at for the last eighteen years. He’s only as good as his most dynamic saves, and he can only post those when he’s able to perform at an elite level for a full sixty minutes. With every passing season, the wear and tear he’s sustained – his 939 career regular season NHL games are seventh among goaltenders all-time – make it riskier to bet on him continuing to achieve that goal from a technical standpoint. But despite that, he’s managed to defy the odds each and every passing season; he likely can’t pull off a 70-game season without hitting a lull, but he managed to even post quality numbers behind the free-falling Blackhawks until they dealt him to the Wild within the Division. He continues to have some magical level of youth that keeps him pushing smoothly through his crease and out into the slot, although he’s managed to rein in some of his tendencies to over-slide and get set out near the hashmarks. And ultimately, eighteen years in the NHL – behind lottery-worthy teams and Stanley Cup contenders alike – have gifted Fleury with incredible instincts. He knows his limitations at this point enough to know when to pull out all the stops and when to make the simpler save, and that seems to have left him capable of preserving his energy enough to keep his teams in games even when everyone expects him to finally bow out. The real question, it seems, isn’t if he’s still got life left – it’s simply if he has enough life left to get the Wild through a deep playoff run this year.

Projected starts: 60-65

Vegas Golden Knights unveil their roster with more chips to fall.

McKeen's Hockey — Thu, 22 Jun 2017 16:19:24 +0000

The Vegas Golden Knights unveiled the first generation of a roster that will likely undergo many changes in the next few days. Rumours of pending trades abound as the NHL Draft gets underway in Chicago tomorrow night.

Marc-Andre Fleury becomes the biggest name on the roster, anchoring the team in net. James Neal brings his sniper’s touch and 238 NHL goals to lead the offense. He ranks 14^th in the NHL over the lasts six years with 165. There are other interesting acquisitions, with many likely acquired to be flipped in short order.

GM George McPhee has held all the cards so far, but the state of play remains in motion, with many chips left to fall. It is premature to analyze the Golden Knights today, so in the meantime here is their current roster.

For subscribers we have set up the team page, if you want to link to the player pages via the team page. You can also link from the tags at the bottom of the article.

Depth Chart

LEFT WING	CENTER	RIGHT WING
Jonathan Marchessault	Vadim Shipachyov	James Neal
David Perron	Cody Eakin	Reilly Smith
William Carrier	William Karlsson	Teemu Pulkkinen
Pierre-Edouard Bellemare	Oscar Lindberg	Chris Thorburn

Brendan Leipsic	Erik Haula	Alex Tuch
Connor Brickley	Tomas Nosek	Tomas Hyka
Nikita Gusev	Reid Duke	David Clarkson
	Mikhail Grabovski

LEFT DEFENSE	RIGHT DEFENSE
Marc Methot	Colin Miller
Brayden McNabb	David Schlemko
Alexei Emelin	Trevor van Riemsdyk
Jason Garrison	Deryk Engelland

Jon Merrill	Nate Schmidt
Clayton Stoner	Shea Theodore
Griffin Reinhart	Luca Sbisa
Jake Bischoff

GOAL
Marc-Andre Fleury

Calvin Pickard
Jean-Francois Berube

PLAYER	POS	HT/WT	AGE	2016-17 STATS	GP	G	A	PTS	PIM
Reid Duke	C	6-0/195	21	Brandon (WHL)	59	37	34	71	81
Cody Eakin	C	5-11/190	26	Dallas (NHL)	60	3	9	12	49
Mikhail Grabovski	C	5-10/185	33	NY Islanders (NHL) - DNP Inj
Erik Haula	C	5-11/190	26	Minnesota (NHL)	72	15	11	26	28
William Karlsson	C	6-0/190	24	Columbus (NHL)	81	6	19	25	10
Oscar Lindberg	C	6-1/190	25	NY Rangers (NHL)	65	8	12	20	32
Tomas Nosek	C	6-2/210	25	Grand Rapids (AHL)	51	15	26	41	33
Vadim Shipachyov	C	6-0/190	30	SKA St. Petersburg (KHL)	50	26	50	76	22
Pierre-Edouard Bellemare	LW	6-0/195	32	Philadelphia (NHL)	82	4	4	8	20
Connor Brickley	LW	6-0/205	25	Charlotte (AHL)	69	15	11	26	57
William Carrier	LW	6-1/200	22	Buffalo (NHL)	41	5	3	8	21
Nikita Gusev	LW	5-9/165	25	SKA St. Petersburg (KHL)	57	24	47	71	8
Brendan Leipsic	LW	5-9/170	23	Toronto (AHL)	49	18	33	51	30
Jonathan Marchessault	LW	5-9/175	26	Florida (NHL)	75	30	21	51	38
David Perron	LW	6-0/195	29	St. Louis (NHL)	82	18	28	46	54
David Clarkson	RW	6-1/205	33	Columbus (NHL) - DNP Inj
Tomas Hyka	RW	5-11/170	24	Mlada Boleslav (Cze)	48	17	21	38	18
James Neal	RW	6-2/210	30	Nashville (NHL)	70	23	18	41	35
Teemu Pulkkinen	RW	5-11/190	25	Iowa (AHL)	47	18	18	36	36
Reilly Smith	RW	6-0/185	26	Florida (NHL)	80	15	22	37	17
Chris Thorburn	RW	6-3/225	34	Winnipeg (NHL)	64	3	1	4	95
Alex Tuch	RW	6-4/220	21	Iowa (AHL)	57	18	19	37	28
Jake Bischoff	D	6-1/195	23	Minnesota (B1G)	38	5	27	32	16
Alexei Emelin	D	6-1/220	31	Montreal (NHL)	76	2	8	10	71
Deryk Engelland	D	6-2/205	35	Calgary (NHL)	81	4	12	16	85
Jason Garrison	D	6-1/220	32	Tampa Bay (NHL)	70	1	8	9	14
Brayden McNabb	D	6-4/205	26	Los Angeles (NHL)	49	2	2	4	54
Jon Merrill	D	6-3/210	25	New Jersey (NHL)	51	1	5	6	24
Marc Methot	D	6-3/225	32	Ottawa (NHL)	68	0	12	12	24
Colin Miller	D	6-0/195	24	Boston (NHL)	61	6	7	13	55
Griffin Reinhart	D	6-4/215	23	Bakersfield (AHL)	54	7	14	21	42
Luca Sbisa	D	6-2/205	27	Vancouver (NHL)	82	2	11	13	40
David Schlemko	D	6-1/195	30	San Jose (NHL)	62	2	16	18	14
Nate Schmidt	D	6-0/195	26	Washington (NHL)	60	3	14	17	16
Clayton Stoner	D	6-3/225	32	Anaheim (NHL)	14	1	2	3	28
Shea Theodore	D	6-2/185	22	Anaheim (NHL)	34	2	7	9	28
Trevor van Riemsdyk	D	6-2/185	26	Chicago (NHL)	58	5	11	16	29
				2016-17 STATS	GP	W	L	GAA	SV%
Jean-Francois Berube	G	6-1/170	26	NY Islanders (NHL)	14	3	2	3.42	0.889
Marc-Andre Fleury	G	6-2/175	32	Pittsburgh (NHL)	38	18	10	3.02	0.909
Calvin Pickard	G	6-0/195	25	Colorado (NHL)	50	15	31	2.98	0.904