The Wild’s 5-10-4 start had gotten coach Dean Evason fired and now Minnesota was in a 1-7-1 slide that dropped it from being on the verge of a playoff spot to again looking like a team that could begin booking tee times for April.

Guerin, though, claimed he wasn’t giving up hope.

“If you look at our roster like when we are healthy,” he said, “I think it’s a good team. I want to keep the expectations high. … I expect us to compete for a playoff spot.”

Guerin’s competitive nature certainly played a role in his continued confidence, but you had to wonder if his real motivation was making sure the guys in his locker room wouldn’t feel as if he was punting on the season.

That’s exactly what he should do.

The word associated with this is tanking, but that’s such an ugly term. It insinuates an entire team is giving up and, as we know, most coaches and players are too competitive to do this. A more palatable word would be acceptance.

Accepting that even if you sneak into the playoffs, you aren’t getting out of the first round and accepting that an already bright future could get brighter by adding draft picks before the March 8 trade deadline, while also potentially putting yourself in the NHL draft lottery. (Eleven of the 16 teams that miss the playoffs are eligible for the first pick in the draft.)

The two things that should influence Guerin’s thinking are:

1) The depth this team has built up through the draft in recent years. Jesper Wallstedt, the team’s top goalie prospect, has been up a few times this season but is likely to take over as the Wild’s top goalie in 2024-25. Russian Marat Khusnutdinov, a speedy two-way center and forwards Liam Ohgren (Sweden) and Danila Yurov (Russia) are included in a prospect pool that has been replenished in recent years. That doesn’t include rookies Marco Rossi and Brock Faber, the latter of whom is a candidate for the Calder Trophy.

2) Next season will be the final one in which the Wild will carry a combined $14.7 million in dead salary-cap money because of the buyouts of Zach Parise and Ryan Suter. That figure will drop to $1.7 million in 2025-26, meaning that team will have plenty of space to pursue a free agent as well as offer star winger Kirill Kaprizov a long-term extension.

Marco Rossi is part of the Wild’s bright future, and he’s already left a positive mark on the NHL club. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

This plan might not appeal to owner Craig Leipold, who lives and dies with every game and wants his team to be competitive, in part because of the extra cash generated by even a few home playoff games, but Guerin has an opportunity he should embrace.

Wild has plenty no-move, no-trade protection players
The elephant in the room when it comes to the Wild’s potential trade candidates is the fact that in today’s NHL far too many players are afforded either no-move or no-trade protection that gives them a say in whether they want to uproot themselves and their families and go elsewhere to chase a Stanley Cup.

The Wild’s roster has nine players with some type of no-trade protection: Mats Zuccarello, Marcus Foligno, Frederick Gaudreau, Marcus Johansson, Ryan Hartman, Pat Maroon, Jonas Brodin, Alex Goligoski and Zach Bogosian. Foligno, Johansson, Hartman, Brodin and Goligoski have complete protection.

There are some guys who aren’t going to be shopped, even though they don’t have no-trade clauses, including Kaprizov and Joel Eriksson Ek. Perhaps the most interesting chip on whom Guerin could take bids is goalie Filip Gustavsson.

Gustavsson has had an up-and-down season, but the 25-year-old could be very appealing to a contender. He’s in the first season of a three-year, $11.25 million contract he signed in July, meaning his average annual salary is a very reasonable $3.75 million per. Teams that could be in the market for a goaltender include Carolina, Colorado, Edmonton, Los Angeles and New Jersey.

Guerin’s ability to create a bidding war among those teams could make what seems like a difficult decision (trading Gustavsson) too lucrative not to do. If there’s internal confidence that Wallstedt will be ready to take over as the Wild’s top goalie next season, getting a first-round pick and needing to find another goalie for next season could be the prudent plan. And that’s assuming Marc-Andre Fleury does not return.

It was interesting that before the game against the Islanders — one the Wild won 5-0 en route to going on a 4-1 run — Guerin did not close the door on making moves at the deadline, if things were not on the right track.

The fact the Wild then lost back-to-back home games against Western Conference rivals Nashville and Anaheim, the latter of which is a bottom feeder, should have given Guerin a push in the right direction entering a 10-day break for the bye and the All-Star Game.

“I don’t think I can sit here right now and say, ‘If it goes sideways, we’re going to do X, Y and Z,'” Guerin said in mid-January. “But we could.”

Actually, the word “could” needs to be amended to “should” because while there is hope for the future of the Wild, the present isn’t worth preserving.

The post Time To Punt appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Well, happy that he made it through a big NHL milestone, not happy with the result of the Winnipeg Jets sweeping the home-and-home weekend with the Minnesota Wild. The Jets skated to a 3-2 win on Sunday afternoon at Xcel Energy Center, handing Fleury a loss in his 972nd start and 1,000th career NHL game.

“I wish it was a win,” Fleury said. “Disappointing. I thought the guys played great tonight. Battled hard.

“Obviously, very flattered by the reception from the crowd, from my teammates. It means a lot.”

The Minnesota Wild and fans recognize Marc-Andre Fleury’s 1,000 NHL games milestone during a timeout on the ice on Dec. 31, 2023. (MHM Photo / Heather Rule)

That reception started with treatment usually reserved for rookies. When the Wild came out for pregame warmups in their throwback green-and-yellow sweaters, Fleury led the team out of the tunnel. Except no one followed him. The 39-year-old goaltender took a brief lap around the Wild zone before the rest of his teammates hit the ice behind him.

“Yeah, they got me,” Fleury said. “Usually I’m the one that let the young guys go.”

Better late than never? Fleury wasn’t even sure the rookie laps were a thing when he came into the league 20 years ago.

The Wild acquired Fleury during a flurry of moves near the NHL trade deadline of the 2021-22 season. General manager Bill Guerin was busy with moves that included picking up current Wild defenseman Jake Middleton from San Jose. Guerin grabbed Fleury from the Chicago Blackhawks. At the time, Fleury stepped into St. Paul having already amassed a 511-297-85 record, 2.57 goals-against average, .913 save percentage in 928 career NHL games. Fleury is also a four-time All-Star (2011, 2015, 2018, 2019).

Fleury’s first few times in the Wild dressing room left some of his new teammates, especially the younger ones, starstruck.

“I remember when I first came up in the league, you wanted to score on Marc-Andre Fleury,” said Marcus Foligno in March 2022. “To have him on your team, it’s exciting.”

Fleury’s won his Wild debut in net, a 3-2 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets at Xcel Energy Center on March 26, 2022. Fleury made 23 saves. Perhaps that was business as usual, but what wasn’t so ordinary was fans tossing flowers onto the ice to show support for their new goaltender. Fleury said at the time that it made him feel like a figure skater.

Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury has 550 career NHL victories, one away from tying Patrick Roy. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

Since then, Fleury’s play hasn’t wilted too much in goal. He wrapped up 2023 becoming the 10th Wild player to play his 1,000th NHL game in a Wild sweater, reaching the milestone a few days early following the injury to his counterpart Filip Gustavsson on Saturday in Winnipeg. Fleury will likely see the net for a while now, as the Wild announced on Monday that Gustavsson was placed on injured reserve. Through 1,000 games, Fleury is 550-321-93 with 73 shutouts.

On New Year’s Eve, Fleury received a loud cheer when his name was announced as part of the starting lineup. Then at the first TV timeout in the first period, the videoboard showed graphics recognizing his 1,000 games complete with an in-arena announcement of the milestone. Fans rose to their feet for a thunderous ovation as Fleury skated out of his crease in acknowledgment.

He made some strong saves in goal, including a windmill motion for one and a couple of solid pad saves later that got the crowd roaring yet again. The Wild took 1-0 and 2-1 leads but ultimately fell 3-2 with a third-period Jets comeback, spoiling the weekend and Fleury’s pre-New Year celebration as he was denied a victory.

“Tonight again, so many people cheering for my time out there,” Fleury said. “I got some goosebumps and some butterflies. I don’t think no other job in the world can give you that.”

His teammates can’t speak highly enough about the veteran and what he means to the team.

Fellow Quebec native Frederick Gaudreau said he was emotional thinking about the thousand games for his goaltender and teammate.

“The thing that’s crazy about this thing, it’s not so much about the thousand games, it’s about how he’s done it,” Gaudreau said. “He’s the best teammate I’ve ever had. Still having fun.

“I feel very grateful that I’ve been able to share a locker room with him for a few years already.”

Ryan Hartman and Marc-Andre Fleury embrace during a home game Dec. 3, 2023. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

Having the Flower in net for his 1,000th game made it a little extra special for the rest of the Wild as well. Foligno called the milestone “unbelievable,” and noted how much easier it can be as a skating player to hit 1,000 games rather than a goaltender.

“We’re so proud to have him here as a teammate, and as good as a player he is on ice, off ice he’s even better,” Foligno said after Sunday’s game. “We’re lucky to have him in our room, and it’s great to be a part of something so special in a player’s career.”

Forward Ryan Hartman also noted how amazing it is that only four goaltenders have reached the milestone, and Fleury is one of them. Martin Brodeur (1,266 games), Roberto Luongo (1,044) and Patrick Roy (1,029) are the other three goaltenders.

“To have the chance to play in front of him is special,” Hartman said. “We obviously wanted to win that one for him.”

The Wild plan to honor Fleury’s milestone during a future home game this season. Some of the recent 1,000 games Wild players were Alex Goligoski, Zach Parise, Mikko Koivu, Ryan Suter and Eric Staal.

The post Flower’s 1,000th Game appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Sophomore forward Nick Bjugstad carries the puck up ice on frozen Baudette Bay in the second-annual Hockey Day Minnesota on Feb. 9, 2008. (Photo Courtesy of Vintage Minnesota Hockey)

“We looked outside, and it just looked cold,” Bjugstad said. “We opened the door and we were looking at each other like, ‘there’s no way we’re playing, are we?’” Bjugstad said. “I think I was looking at it more (as a) city boy. The Roseau, northern boys, they’re a little tougher when it comes to that.”

The game went on, despite the sub-zero temps, and Roseau won 1-0 in overtime. Bjugstad compared playing in the frigid weather to continuing to play when you’re a bit injured.

“You kind of forget about it while you’re on the ice,” Bjugstad said. “The cold time is when you’re sitting on the bench.”

Saturday’s Winter Classic at Target Field didn’t see the thermometer rise above zero, with a puck-drop temperature of -5.7 degrees. So there was plenty of time for Bjugstad and his Minnesota Wild teammates to sit on the bench and chill a while. Not only was there the bitter cold to contend with, but the 6-4 Wild loss to the St. Louis Blues left the home team with a bitter feeling, having dropped their fifth-straight game.

Bjugstad recorded a hit and assisted on Rem Pitlick’s goal late in the second period in Bjugstad’s 10:25 on the ice.

Coming into Saturday, Wild defenseman Matt Dumba was the only Wild player on the ice for both the Winter Classic and the 2016 Stadium Series the Wild played on the University of Minnesota campus at the Gophers football stadium. The makeup of the team personnel may have changed quite a bit the past few seasons, but it’s Bjugstad who has the most experience playing in these type of special outdoor hockey games at various levels, from high school to the NHL.

“I guess I have the experience,” Bjugstad said. “I love playing outside. I still go out on the lake and play shinny with the neighbors.”

Junior forward Nick Bjugstad prepares to face off with a Wisconsin Badger in the 2013 Hockey City Classic at Soldier Field in Chicago on Feb. 17, 2103. (Photo Courtesy of Vintage Minnesota Hockey)

As a junior with the Gophers, Bjugstad played in the Hockey City Classic in February 2013 at Soldier Field. The Gophers lost 3-2 to Wisconsin, but Bjugstad and former Wild player Erik Haula assisted on Minnesota’s second goal.

The Gophers game was the second of a college doubleheader. The warmer weather with sun beaming down onto the ice made the ice conditions a bit trickier for Bjugstad and his Gophers teammates for the second game. It resulted in bouncing pucks that were unpredictable and made it tough to pass more than 10 feet, Bjugstad said.

“That was a different experience in that the ice was tough to play on, just because of the weather,” Bjugstad said. “It was such a warm and sunny day.”

Though Saturday was his first Winter Classic experience, Bjugstad played in an NHL Stadium Series game with the Penguins on Feb. 23, 2019. Pittsburgh lost in overtime 4-3 to host Philadelphia at Lincoln Financial Field. So while Bjugstad has played in outdoor games in high school, college and now two in the NHL, he’s own personal record in those games dropped to 0-4 with Saturday’s loss to the Blues.  

Each game was also different in terms of the elements for outdoor hockey. Baudette Bay offered sub-zero temperatures, Chicago was in the 30s and it wasn’t too chilly playing in Philly, but the precipitation was a mix of rain and sleet, which fogged up players’ visors, Bjugstad said.

Saturday’s Winter Classic was a chance to showcase the state of hockey on a national level. Playing outdoor hockey in cold temperatures is where many players have their roots in the sport, including Bjugstad.

As a kid, he skated and shot pucks on a rink behind his house that his neighbor put together. When he wanted to play in a group setting, he ventured to Happy Acres, a three-rink outdoor facility in Blaine complete with an outdoor Zamboni, so the ice was always good, Bjugstad said. Getting to watch the high schoolers play there, or even join them, was “the coolest part” as a kid, he added.

“I grew up since I was 3 (years old) on the outdoor ice,” Bjugstad said. “It’s free in the fact that you can do whatever you want, there’s no coaches. You can kind of play a game or you can just become… creative and have fun from that aspect.

“I don’t think I’d be where I was without outdoor hockey. It’s a big part of my upbringing and skill development.”

The tradition of outdoor hockey continues for Bjugstad even now. His current neighbors put together a 100-yard rink on the lake they live on. Bjugstad said he still enjoys getting out on the open ice, in the cold air with no boards.

Alex Goligoski (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

Goligoski returns home
Had the Winter Classic in Minnesota happened a year ago as planned before the pandemic shutdown, Wild defenseman Alex Goligoski wouldn’t have played the big game in his home state since he signed with the Wild prior to the current season. As a kid, he skated on ponds and rinks in his native Grand Rapids, particularly on the rink at Southwest Elementary School two blocks from his house. He went to that rink “pretty much every night in the winter,” Goligoski said.

Growing up in northern Minnesota in Grand Rapids, Goligoski should be a hearty veteran of embracing the cold to play hockey, right?

“Maybe I was. I don’t know, I’ve been living in Dallas and Arizona for the past 10 years. So I think I’m a little soft now,” said Goligoski, who played with Pittsburgh, Dallas and Arizona since his NHL debut in the 2007-08 NHL season before signing with the Wild ahead of this season.

Goligoski played in the 2011 Winter Classic with Pittsburgh at Heinz Field, a game that was warm enough to see rain fall. The Washington Capitals won that game 3-1. Goligoski recorded a shot on goal in about 20 minutes of ice time.

Wild head coach Dean Evason and assistant coach Bob Woods were part of that 2011 Winter Classic as well, on the Washington coaching staff. Evason recalled the festive atmosphere around that game, the anticipation and how exciting it was to have all the families involved as well.

“It’s completely different from any other game,” Evason said after Wild practice earlier in the week. “Having said that, do we conduct ourselves any differently of how we play the game? No. We want to be very consistent of how we play the game as the Minnesota Wild. But let’s embrace the difference. Let’s embrace the excitement.”

Unfortunately for the Wild, they didn’t seem to have a desired consistency on the ice.

“It’s hard to reflect now, obviously, but I think once we look back on it, it’ll be an exciting experience,” Evason said after the game. “Just ended a little bit bitter, that’s all.”

The post Backyard Basics appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

“We want to have fun, but we’re still working,” said Wild head coach Dean Evason. “We haven’t had a lot of practice time. It was work today, but it was also clearly fun to be outside and to have the fans. As we’ve talked about, our fans have been absolutely incredible all year.”

Those incredible Wild fans who showed up for the outdoor practice two seasons ago have seen this Wild roster go through some major changes.

It’s amazing how much has happened since the Wild last hosted an outdoor, open-to-the-public practice on Jan. 2, 2020. The most obvious item, of course, is the global pandemic that changed everything before that season was over.

But looking at the Wild team specifically, so much is different. In January 2020, Bruce Boudreau was still the Wild’s head coach. Though he was fired on Valentine’s Day that year. There was also a ton of buzz at the ROC (Recreation Outdoor Center) at the time with the official announcement of the NHL Winter Classic coming to Target Field. That game was originally scheduled for Jan. 1, 2021 before the pandemic canceled those plans.

Following the announcement and practice in early 2020, the media talked with Boudreau and a few players to get their thoughts on the exciting news of playing outdoors. Zach Parise said the Winter Classic coming to Minnesota was “a little overdue.” Ryan Suter reflected on the Wild’s Stadium Series game in 2016 against the Chicago Blackhawks. Eric Staal, 35 years old at the time, looked forward to the Winter Classic having never played in an outdoor NHL game.

That trio no longer wears Wild sweaters. Neither do Devan Dubnyk, Mikko Koivu or Jason Zucker, who played in the Stadium Series game. Only captain Jared Spurgeon and alternate captain Matt Dumba remain from that 2016 squad that played in the Stadium Series. Dumba scored the game’s first goal in a 6-1 Wild win at then-TCF Bank Stadium at the University of Minnesota.

The loss for guys like Staal, Suter and Minnesota-native Parise looking to play that Winter Classic is the gain of Minnesota products Nick 

Bjugstad and Alex Goligoski. Bjugstad grew up playing hockey for Blaine High School while defenseman Goligoski represents the North out of Grand Rapids.

“It’s kind of crazy that we get to play an outdoor game in Minnesota with my hometown team,” Bjugstad said. “I’m sure that’ll sink in probably a few days before. That excitement’s there.”

For now, Bjugstad and his teammates got a taste of outdoor hockey at the ROC. It was a typical Wild practice, until the end when players tossed souvenir pucks into the stands for eager fans. The players talked about how perfect the weather would be if they could copy/paste this for Jan. 1. Conditions were so perfect that bundling up in layers wasn’t necessary, according to alternate captain, Marcus Foligno.

“We know it will probably be a little bit colder than today,” Foligno said. “We were all thinking about it (the Winter Classic) out there for sure.

“Obviously being in a bigger stadium. It’s the same thing, you step on that outdoor pond and you feel all the good jitters when you were young again. It brought back a lot of good memories today.”

Some players even stopped to greet fans or sign autographs on their way off the ice. A few players, like Goligoski and Jon Merrill, went back onto the ice afterward with their kids skating around and shooting at the net. Kirill Kaprizov didn’t come off the ice because he was busy passing a puck back and forth with a youngster donning a Goligoski jersey.  

With so many road games and a tiring travel schedule lately, the outdoor practice was a welcome break.

“When you step on the ice in front of the fans in this kind of scenario, you get that childhood feeling again,” Foligno said. “A lot of fun, a lot of smiles on guys’ faces today. We’re all looking forward to that Jan. 1 game.”

The rescheduled Winter Classic against the St. Louis Blues at Target Field will also mark the first time the event will be played in primetime. It’s the 14th anniversary of the first NHL Winter Classic in Buffalo.

While Evason, Bjugstad and Foligno all agreed that weather conditions were just about perfect for outdoor hockey during Saturday’s practice, Minnesotan Bjugstad acknowledged it might be a different deal in January.

“You feel it out,” Bjugstad said. “Like I said, we’ve all had the cold feet, the cold fingers. I’m sure the adrenaline will just kick in, and it’ll be a game to remember.”

The post Outdoor Appetizer appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

“We loved how we responded,” Evason said Thursday. “It’s great to get seven goals, but we did it the right way. We played team-first. We weren’t extending our shifts. We weren’t individually trying to score. We were scoring the right way.”

Sixteen games into the season, the Wild (11-5-0) have played the right way more often than not. They’ve been in first place, or close to it, consistently in the Central Division. They’ve won 11 games, starting the year with a four-game winning streak before adding another four-gamer to start the month of November.

Seven of their first eight victories were considered comebacks, with thrilling sequences of last-minute, last-second goals in regulation to help the Wild to a perfect 4-0 overtime/shootout record. The Wild’s longest losing streak so far sits at two games, both 4-1 margins coming in their inaugural visit to Seattle and then in Colorado.

A lot of things have gone the Wild’s way so far this year. What’s really noticeable is the overall depth of the team. Perhaps no game was better evidence than the win over the Stars (6-7-2), which is also not too surprising in a game with seven goals for one team.

But it wasn’t like the Wild got a hat trick from Kirill Kaprizov, two goals from Kevin Fiala or even the majority of points from a dominant top line. No, the Wild celebrated seven different goal scorers on the ice, from rookies to veterans. All four lines produced scoring. Marcus Foligno was the only forward who didn’t register a point.

“We’re a great team all over,” said forward Mats Zuccarello. “Any line can score any game.”

Rem Pitlick, fresh off his natural hat trick Nov. 13 in Seattle, opened the scoring midway through the first period as he skated around the zone before elevating his shot from the top of the circles. Then Kaprizov made it 2-0 by the end of the first period with an easy open-net shot on the backdoor with a slick pass from Zuccarello.

That goal started a career-high, four-point night for Kaprizov, who added three assists by the time the night was over. None was more exciting to watch than his pass to Frederick Gaudreau who waited out in front of the net as Kaprizov was behind the net, facing the glass and spun a behind-the-back pass to his teammate for the 5-1 lead in the third period.

“You have to know that even though it doesn’t seem like he sees you, there’s good chances that he knows where you are,” Gaudreau said. “I just was ready on that (goal). … I was pretty sure he knew where I was.”

Kaprizov is the fourth Wild played in the past 15 years to record a four-point game at age 24 or younger, according to NHL Public Relations. Matt Dumba, Guillaume Latendresse and Pierre-Marc Bouchard were the others.

Evason shook up the lines for Thursday, putting Kaprizov on the third line with Gaudreau and reunited him with center Victor Rask. Kaprizov has been a target of some criticism from fans early this season for his lack of production in the goals column. He went goalless for the first eight games, though he still contributed assists.

Alex Goligoski’s three-point night helped lift the Wild over the Stars 7-2 on Nov. 18 (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

But after waiting all summer before signing his five-year, $45 million contract, it seemed to come with some superstar-like expectations from a fanbase that was dazzled by his play in his first (partial) NHL season last winter. He’s had a few rough games this season, sometimes not even being that noticeable. Tuesday against the Sharks, he had no points and was a minus-2. He still leads the team in points (15) and assists (11) after Thursday.

When he’s on his game, however, he’s one of the best and most fun players to watch.

“I just try to play hockey, just try to play my game and do the best I could every single night,” said Kaprizov, through an interpreter.

Kaprizov and Zuccarello were split up on the lines for the most part against the Stars. But they were reunited briefly following penalty kills and it worked out. Zuccarello praised Kaprizov’s overall effort and play, despite criticism that he’s not scoring enough.

“I think sometimes you have to see beyond the goals and assists and see what he creates and how hard he works for our team,” Zuccarello said.

Only a minute and 1 second into the second period, the Wild took a 3-0 lead on Ryan Hartman’s team-leading eighth goal of the season when he jammed home a rebound on Goligoski’s wrap-around attempt. Goligoski had quite the night facing his former team. When the Stars made it a 3-1 game in the third period, Goligoski responded a few minutes later with his first goal in a Wild sweater, a shot from the point through traffic.

Goligoski had a three-point night with his pair of assists. He’s feeling more comfortable with his new team this season.

“It can take a little while,” Goligoski said. “New team. You play for the same coach for the past four years, so it’s a little different system and just chemistry with guys, where to put pucks. Everyone’s different.

“I felt good.”

Zuccarello made it 6-2 only 29 seconds after a Jamie Benn goal cut into the deficit again. Then 45 seconds later, Rask, back in action after being scratched for four games found a bouncing puck in front for the Wild’s seventh goal of the game, a season-high.

Getting him back in the lineup, Evason was pleased with Rask’s effort and urgency.

“It’s great to get points, obviously,” Evason said. “And it’s great that we scored some goals. But we saw a lot of people play the right way. Rasky played with urgency, got up and down the ice, checked very well.”

What’s so encouraging about the good position the Wild have put themselves in, and the depth they possess is that there’s still plenty of potential for more production and more improvement. There’ll be room for that as the team heads out for a three-game road trip ahead of Thanksgiving, that unofficial benchmark where NHL teams inside the playoff picture at Turkey Day often make the postseason in the spring.  

The post Wild playing the ‘right way’ appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Former UMD Bulldog defenseman Matt Niskanen is thriving under increased workload in Pittsburgh.

The preseason reports of Matt Niskanen’s demise in Pittsburgh turned out to be greatly exaggerated

Much to the Penguins’ delight.

Playoffs aside, Niskanen is nearing the end of a career year which could not have come at a better time for an injury-riddled Penguins squad which recently became just the third NHL team to ever eclipse the 500-game mark in man-games lost to injury.

That the Pens have managed to reach the 50 win plateau for the third time in team history is a minor miracle considering the quantity and quality of players missing significant action this season. Niskanen’s role in Pittsburgh’s success cannot be overlooked and hasn’t been by his teammates.

“He’s been thrown into kind of a quarterback role on the power play for a chunk of the season and playing a lot more minutes against teams’ top players,” Penguins captain Sidney Crosby said. “He and a lot of our D have been thrown into different responsibilities and they’ve responded well. He just seems to get better with each season he’s played here.”

The slew of injuries and illness, particularly to Penguins’ defensive stalwarts Kris Letang, Brooks Orpik, Rob Scuderi and Paul Martin, thrust Niskanen into a bit of a role reversal as a leader on the Pens’ defensive corps.

[Niskanen] just seems to get better with each season he’s played here. – Sidney Crosby

In fact, Nisaknen played a stretch of games in December which left him as the lone veteran amid five rookies forming Pittsburgh’s top-six blueliners. Wild fans may recall the time frame coincided with Minnesota’s trip to Pittsburgh on December 19, an uninspired 5-2 loss to the Penguins a night after Niskanen logged a career-high 29:44 against the New York Rangers in Madison Square Garden.

“We’ve had the injury bug bad this year, more than any other team, so I was forced into kind of a leadership role,” Niskanen said of his increased responsibility. “I’ve always been the youngest defenseman on the team so it was a really good challenge. I think I kind of took it and ran with it.”

One of those rookies is 19-year-old Olli Maatta, who Niskanen has been paired with much of the season and has taken under his wing. He recalls how much he looked up to and appreciated what veteran mentors such as Sergei Zubov, Mattias Norstrom and current Minnesota Wild assistant coach Daryl Sydor did for him and is simply paying it forward.

“I’ve just tried to remember what it was like to be a rookie, what it was like to be in an NHL dressing room and translate that into helping Olli out,” Niskanen said. “I don’t have to help him a lot, he’s a really good player and he’s pretty smart for a 19-year-old kid.”

“He’s been a huge factor for our team,” Pittsburgh coach Dan Bylsma said of Niskanen. “From a guy who was supposed to be traded away and not going to be on our roster, to a guy who’s been our top defenseman this year, without a question, not just offensively but defensively as well, it’s been huge.”

An Uncertain Future

When Pittsburgh signed then 24-year-old defenseman Robert Bortuzzo to a two-year $1.2 million contract last summer, rumors swirled regarding Niskanen’s future, or lack thereof, in the Steel City.

With Orpik, Martin, Letang and Scuderi locks as the Penguins’ top-four defensemen and a host of blue line prospects in waiting, Bortuzzo’s cap-friendly deal left the Virginia, Minn. native—with a cap hit of $2.3 million this season in the final year of a two-year contract—appearing as the odd man out and trade speculation ensued.

Niskanen, who led Virgina/Mt. Iron-Buhl to its first-ever trip to the Minnesota State Boys’ Hockey Tournament in 2005, was aware of the buzz surrounding his potential departure and admitted it became both a cause for concern and a source of incentive.

“Coming into the year I was probably penciled in as a third-pairing guy and a lot of people thought I was going to be on the move, so some things were up in the air,” Niskanen said. “I really like it here so I was worried a little bit and I think it did motivate me.

“I came into camp with kind of an attitude that I was going to prove that they needed to keep me because I really wanted to be here this season.”

Bylsma took note and, looking back, now scoffs at the idea that Niskanen was on his way out.

“Last summer I heard a lot of (long pause) pundits say he was going to be traded and not be back,” Bylsma said. “I don’t know if he bore a little bit of an edge because of that talk but he came in, had a great training camp and started off great with our season.”

I came into camp with kind of an attitude that I was going to prove that they needed to keep me because I really wanted to be here this season. – Matt Niskanen

That great start served as a catalyst to an outstanding season for Niskanen as the former Minnesota-Duluth star has posted career bests in goals (10) and points (43) and is a plus-32 while playing all 79 games to this point in the final year of a two-year $4.6 million contract.

A Career Transformation

While those numbers should earn Niskanen a significant raise this offseason, they’re a far cry from the 15 points and minus-15 he put up in 2009-10, his final full season with the Dallas Stars, the team which drafted him in the first round (No. 28 overall) in the 2005 NHL Draft.

After posting 61 points in his first two seasons with the Stars playing alongside Zubov, Norstrom and Sydor, Niskanen’s production dipped once his mentors departed as he wasn’t ready for the burden placed upon him.

Upon recording just six assists in 45 games played in 2010-11, Niskanen was shipped to Pittsburgh, along with forward James Neal, in exchange for former Gopher defenseman Alex Goligoski on Feb. 21, 2011. Niskanen says the trade was the best thing that could have happened to his career.

“At that time I needed change of scenery and a new set of eyes on me,” Niskanen said. “I wasn’t in the plans anymore there so it was nice to get a fresh start. I obviously hit the jackpot coming there. As it turns out I think it was a pretty good trade for us.”

His long-time teammate, and one-time trademate, has had a front-row seat to Niskanen’s maturation as a player.

“I think from the day he got traded, he’s been a changed guy and a changed player,” said Neal who scored 40 goals in his first season in Pittsburgh. “He’s showed how good he is and how good he can be. He’s been great for our team and given us a big boost.”

Niskanen agrees his overall game has come a long way in the past couple seasons and says there is plenty of credit to go around for that.

“The coaches have been really good, they’re really detail-oriented here, which I think has helped me a lot,” Niskanen said. “Part of it, too, is just the culture here. You have some elite talent that works really, really hard and they’re always looking to get better.

“That’s contagious.”

The post Stepping Up His Game appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.