It was so bad that Fleury heard boos from the crowds at Xcel Energy Center and was replaced by newcomer Filip Gustavsson in the second period of the Kings game. Gustavsson was given the start in the Wild’s next game against Colorado, also played in downtown St. Paul, and gave up five goals on 37 shots in a 6-3 loss to the Avalanche.

The Wild’s goaltending situation, and defense, looked like a mess.

Fast forward a year to opening night at Xcel Energy Center on Thursday and the storyline could not have been more different. Gustavsson, now entering the season as the Wild’s No. 1 goalie ahead of the 38-year-old Fleury, stopped 41 shots by the Florida Panthers in a 2-0 victory over the defending Eastern Conference champions.

Filip Gustavsson watches play in front of him against the Florida Panthers. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

The 18,976 who packed the X were on their feet throughout as Gustavsson made key save after key save. The Wild were outshot, 41-21, including 14-5 in a poor first period and 15-5 in the third, but Gustavsson never looked rattled and was always in control.

“(He’s) definitely the reason we got two points,” Wild winger Marcus Foligno said.

This type of performance was the reason that Wild general manager Bill Guerin rewarded Gustavsson with a three-year, $11.25 million contract during the offseason. That extension came a little more than a year after Guerin obtained Gustavsson from Ottawa for veteran goalie Cam Talbot.

That trade was only made because it was clear Talbot was not going to be happy having to share the net with Fleury and Guerin isn’t going to keep anyone who doesn’t want to be on his team. Gustavsson had played in a combined 27 games with the Senators the previous two seasons and many thought Guerin was taking what he could get for the disgruntled Talbot.

Those same people, present company included, had to rush to the Internet to find out who Gustavsson was and came away assuming he might not last the season.

Gustavsson quickly proved that given an opportunity, he belonged as an NHL starter. He started 37 regular-season games, only eight fewer than Fleury, and finished the season second in the league in goals-against average (2.10) and save percentage (.931). Gustavsson was brilliant in the Wild’s 3-2 overtime victory at Dallas in their first-round series, stopping 51 of 53 shots.

The 25-year-old — known as the Gus Bus and the subject of a fantastic commercial the Wild have begun airing in their “Not Weird. Wild” ad campaign — was the beneficiary of goals by defenseman Brock Faber, his first in the NHL, and center Joel Eriksson Ek. But that wouldn’t have been nearly enough if Gustavsson hadn’t kicked out shot after shot and stopped any rebounds that came his way.

“It’s not going to be like that every night, that’s for sure,” he said. “But sometimes you’re lucky, and you create your own luck.”

Gustavsson was being modest. There was nothing lucky about making 10 saves on Matthew Tkachuk or four on Evan Rodrigues or three on Aleksander Barkov.

His fourth career shutout had little to do with luck and far more to do with proving he belongs as the Wild’s No. 1 goalie.

The post All Aboard the Gus Bus appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

MHM Photo / Rick Olson

Guerin looked like a guy who hadn’t slept much since the Wild was ousted by the Dallas Stars during a lifeless performance that earned well-deserved boos from the home crowd on Friday night in Game 6. That potential lack of sleep could be tied as much to Guerin’s concern about the future, as his frustration with opening round losses to Vancouver, Vegas, St. Louis and now Dallas since he became GM in August 2019.

In his opening statement, Guerin said he didn’t, “view this season as a failure,” before adding, “it is extremely disappointing.”

His agitation level quickly grew when Michael Russo of The Athletic asked him about how the Wild will get over the hump. “What hump do you want us to get over?” Guerin said. When told that would be getting past the first round, Guerin said: “They’re not going to put our name on the Stanley Cup (by making) it to the second round. They’re not going to give us a ring. But you know what? That’s not our goal. Our goal’s not to make it to the second round. Is it going to make it feel any better? It’s not.”

Maybe not for Guerin, but it would certainly would make Wild fans feel better to see the team end a streak of seven consecutive first-round exits and eight consecutive series losses. Guerin won two Stanley Cups as a player and two as an executive with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He knows exactly how important playoff experience can be for a team and its players. Getting to the second round isn’t the goal, but it’s certainly an improvement on how far he and coach Dean Evason have managed to the take franchise so far.

Ryan Suter and Jake Oettinger share a celebratory moment after Game 4 at Xcel Energy Center. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

So why be so defensive? Because that’s what happens when you realize better days might not be immediately ahead. The reality of the Wild situation simple: Guerin’s decision to buy out Zach Parise and Ryan Suter in July 2021 will continue to haunt this franchise for two more seasons and there’s nothing that can be done about it. To be clear, I’ve always supported the decision because in order to get the Wild headed in the right direction, Parise and Suter had to be removed from the locker room.

The fact that Suter was just part of a Dallas team that beat the Wild — and that no one on the Wild came close to retaliating for Suter’s cross-checks on Kirill Kaprizov in Game 1 — likely will bother Guerin well into the summer. But nothing will bother him as much as the fact that Suter and Parise’s buyouts will leave $14.7 million of dead money on the Wild cap for the next two seasons. That figure was $12.7 million this season and, because the cap continues to grow slowly, caused issues.

The cap for 2023-24 is expected to be $83.5 million in 2023-24, only a $1 million growth of this past season.

“I rarely bring this up, but I’m going to bring this up today because it’s real and it’s important,” Guerin said with Evason sitting beside him. “I think our players and our coaches deserve a lot of credit because they are fighting with one hand tied behind their back because of these cap restraints. We don’t apologize for it, it’s fine, we’re fine with it.

“But I think our players and our team have done a fantastic job in just ignoring that and moving on and playing hockey. (Is this playoff loss) disappointing in the end? 100 percent. I’m very disappointed but I don’t view this season as a failure. Our team played well. Back to back 100-point seasons. We have two of the best seasons that this franchise has ever had. Winning is hard, it’s hard and we’re working towards it.”

But Guerin is at an important crossroads with this team.

He is never going to use the word “rebuild” or acknowledge he’s OK with the Wild missing the playoffs, but deep down knows next season needs to be one in which he begins making decisions with the future in mind and giving chances to some of the heralded prospects, such as center Marco Rossi. The ninth pick in the 2020 draft, Rossi has gotten cups of coffee with the Wild the past two years before being dispatched to Iowa of the American Hockey League to gain more experience.

Marco Rossi (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

“Marco just wasn’t ready,” Guerin said of Rossi, who had one assist in 19 games this season. “The worst thing we could have done was forced him into the lineup every night. He’s going to spend the bulk of the summer here to focus on his fitness here, rather than going back home. We don’t want to put him in positions to fail, or to stunt his development.”

The Wild now have little choice.

They need to find out if Rossi, and some other young players, can handle the NHL. Their playing time needs to come at the expense at some of the grinders and veterans that Evason, a grinder himself in his playing days, and Guerin love so much. If nothing else, those young players can get valuable experience and put little strain on the salary cap.

Guerin has built two very different teams the past two years. Last season, the Wild produced plenty of goals and dramatic comebacks but fell flat in a six-game loss to the Blues in the first round. This season, Guerin put together a group that was far more defensive-minded and had the ability to grind. It looked like a team built for the postseason. Unfortunately, after taking a 2-1 lead against the Stars, this collection provided a no-show as bad as the one against St. Louis. 

Kaprizov, the Wild’s star, had one goal in six games against Dallas, while winger Matt Boldy, coming off an incredible March, didn’t score a goal. In both 2022 and 2023, Guerin made deals at the trade deadline to try to improve the Wild in order to help them make a playoff run. It didn’t work and now Guerin is faced with being so tight against the cap entering next season that he almost certainly is going to have to subtract some veterans. That means longtime defenseman Matt Dumba, who will be a free agent, won’t be the only recognizable name departing.

Matt Boldy never found the scoring touch he was looking for once the postseason began. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

And this isn’t even getting to the concern about Evason, who is now 8-15 in the playoffs as the Wild’s coach and was 1-12 with four playoff series losses while coaching Nashville’s minor league affiliate in Milwaukee before he joined the Minnesota organization.

Evason’s lack of adjustments and uptight nature in the postseason raises questions about his ability to coach in the spring, but he has two years remaining on his contract and his job doesn’t appear to be in jeopardy. Should it be? Depends on how you look at the situation. If the Wild had big aspirations for next season, it would make sense to consider a coaching change. But if the Wild is going to spend next season resetting, there likely isn’t a hurry to make a move.

“That’s not what I’m going for,” Guerin said when asking about sacrificing a season in the playoffs for developmental purposes. “Craig (Leipold, the Wild owner) and I have talked about this at length, even while I was interviewing for this job, and, quite frankly, neither of us had time or the stomach for a rebuild.

“We felt we were good enough to kind of do it on the fly, and I think we’re doing a good job of it. We’ve kept all our picks and things like that. We’ve got some really good young players in the system that will be here soon and I think they’ll help. Honestly, I wish I could kind of speed things up and get some of these kids here now. I don’t want to miss the playoffs. That’s not my goal and I know it’s not Deano’s goal and it’s definitely not the players’ goal.”

The Wild’s salary-cap situation — and the need to get a look at at least some of those kids — might mean Guerin and the franchise need to reset those goals. No matter how painful  that might be.

The post Capped Out appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Filip Gustavsson follows the action in an Oct. 17, 2022 game at Xcel Energy Center vs. the Colorado Avalanche. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

The decision is made more interesting by how coach Dean Evason approached the Wild’s first-round playoff series last year against St. Louis. Coming off a franchise-record 113-point season, Evason started Fleury in Game 1 of the opening round against the St. Louis Blues and stuck with him until the Wild trailed 3-2 in the series. Facing elimination, Evason went to Talbot but it was too late. The Wild lost 5-1 in Game 6 and a once-promising season was finished. Talbot, who had gone 13-0-3 in his last 16 regular-season starts, didn’t hide his displeasure.

Fleury had been acquired at the trade deadline from Chicago, so it wasn’t a massive surprise that he got the start in the opener. What was surprising was that Evason didn’t turn to Talbot after back-to-back 5-2 losses in Games 4 and 5. Blues coach Craig Berube hadn’t hesitated to replace Ville Husso with Jordan Binnington after the Wild took a 2-1 lead in the series.

It would have been unfair to pin all blame on Fleury — Minnesota scored five goals in the final three games and was shutout in the opener — but, as Berube showed, a willingness to make timely changes in the playoffs can be the difference.

That thought should be in Evason’s mind as these playoffs approach.

Gustavsson has been outstanding this season — he is second in the NHL in goals-against average (2.03) and save percentage (.932) to Boston’s Linus Ullmark — and has been in a rotation with Fleury for the past 12 games. Fleury has a 2.82 goals-against and .910 save percentage in 44 games, while Gustavsson has played in 36 games.

During a 16-2-5 stretch that began in mid-February and vaulted the Wild to the top of the Central Division, Gustavsson has gone 8-1-4 with a 1.78 goals against and .942 save percentage. Fleury is 8-1-1 with a 2.28 goals against and .933 save percentage.

The answer to how Evason approaches this postseason might be available by going back 20 years in Wild history. This spring marks the anniversary of the franchise’s improbable playoff run in 2003, only the third season in the Wild’s history. Wild coach Jacques Lemaire helped guide that team past Colorado and Vancouver in the opening two series’ by not committing to either goalie.

Dwayne Roloson started the first four games against the Avs, but was sat after giving up two goals on four shots in Game 4. Manny Fernandez replaced Roloson and played the remainder of the series as the Wild rallied from a 3-1 deficit to shock the heavily favored Avalanche in overtime of Game 7.

Fernandez’s success got him the Game 1 start in the second round against Vancouver, but after a 4-3 overtime loss, Lemaire went back to Roloson for two games, used Fernandez in another overtime defeat, and then started Roloson for the final three games as the Wild again came back from a 3-1 deficit.  Fernandez then started three of four games in Anaheim’s sweep of Minnesota in the Western Conference Finals.

Lemaire wasn’t using a rotation, but he was open to riding the hot hand. So why couldn’t Evason do the same? Fleury and Gustavsson both want to be the starter, but the two seem to have a relationship where there will be no friction caused if Evason goes with one or the other. 

Marc-Andre Fleury focuses on the puck in a March 19, 2023 game vs. the Washington Capitals at Xcel Energy Center. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

In many ways, this Wild team reminds me of a more talented version of that 2003 group. Last season, the Wild was built for the regular season but not the playoffs. The team’s ability to stage late rallies and score timely goals made them entertaining, but that formula wasn’t going to work in the springtime. Guerin has built a team this season that has talent, but also is a bigger, more physical collection that can win close games by sticking to the structure Evason wants to see on a nightly basis.

The Wild will need Fleury or Gustavsson to make a few huge saves each game, but if they don’t try to match their opponent’s talent and instead play a physical brand of hockey that takes away time and space, there is potential for playoff success.

Using both Fleury and Gustavsson in a playoff series also makes sense in part because the two have such different styles. Gustavsson is cool, calm and collected and uses excellent technique that can frustrate foes. Fleury is more of a throwback, sprawling and rolling all over the place to make saves that are much more likely to make the highlight-reel than Gustavsson’s stops. A switch from Fleury to Gustavsson or vice versa, is going to force opponents to make changes in approach.

The most important thing is not to get too hung up on who gets the Game 1 start but rather how the situation is handled after that. Evason has two quality goalies at his disposal and it’s on him to pull the right strings. That likely will mean using Fleury and Gustavsson in each series and not waiting until it’s too late before he does so.

The post No Easy Decision appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

In the 11 games before Kaprizov’s injury, the left winger had accounted for eight of the Wild’s 25 goals during a stretch in which they went 9-0-2. Kaprizov had 39 goals and 74 points in 65 games. He was the Wild’s offense.

So what now?

Matt Boldy sets up new linemate Marcus Johansson for an early Minnesota lead over Boston on Saturday afternoon at Xcel Energy Center. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

The latest answer came Sunday afternoon at Xcel Energy Center as winger Matt Boldy recorded a hat trick in a 5-3 victory over the Washington Capitals. That gave the Wild 24 goals during a five-game stretch in which they are 3-1-1 and have improved to 12-1-3 since coming out of the All-Star Break and their bye week with a 1-4-1 record that had many wondering if Minnesota would make the playoffs.

If you’re doing the math, the Wild were averaging 2.3 goals per game in the stretch before their best player got hurt. In the five games without him, they are averaging 4.8 goals. Boldy, long encouraged to shoot more and pass less, has five goals in those five games.

Trade-deadline acquisitions Marcus Johansson, who has had great chemistry with Boldy, has two goals and seven points and Oskar Sundqvist has two goals and three points. Even big winger Ryan Reaves, who wasn’t obtained to score goals and didn’t get his first of the season until Feb. 28 against the Islanders, has three goals and five points in his last five.

No one is going to say the Wild doesn’t miss Kaprizov, but guys who might have been waiting around for him to score goals, have realized they must do more.

“I think you look at our lineup, up and down the lineup,” Reaves said. “Everybody is contributing in different ways. If you look at Kirill, he leads our team in points, but he goes to the dirty areas. He’s not afraid to get dirty, not afraid to get in the corners, and bump a body once in a while. When you’ve got a guy like that doing it, then it kind of trickles down to the whole lineup and then we’ve got some big bodies that just like to play that game. Those guys are contributing, too, so it’s just kind of a collective effort right now.”

Wild winger Oskar Sundqvist celebrates his second goal in a Minnesota sweater since his March 3 acquisition from the Detroit Red Wings in the third period of Saturday’s loss to the Bruins. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

Evason wanted to make it clear, even after Boldy’s big day, that the “collective effort” Reaves is talking about is emphasized.

“The team has stepped up, not just a few guys,” he said. “Everybody. I don’t think they sat in there and went, ‘Guys, we have to score now.’ They always try to score. With his absence they all know that there’s a little extra push that needed to be had because literally he’s playing half the game so there’s opportunities for people, too. People have been able to step up, but I think (that means) people being the entire Minnesota Wild hockey team.”

The Wild also are beginning to get healthy. Their 14-game point streak came to an end on Saturday in St. Paul with a 5-2 loss to the NHL-leading Boston Bruins. Minnesota had two goals wiped out by offsides reviews and the Bruins added an empty-net goal to increase their margin of victory. There was no hangover from that loss on Sunday against a Capitals team that looks as if it will miss the playoffs.

It was a tremendous help that defensemen Jake Middleton and Jonas Brodin returned after absences and enabled Evason to scratch Calen Addison and veteran Jon Merrill after they formed the third defensive pairing against the Bruins.

Middleton, acquired from the Sharks at the 2022 trade deadline, has proven to be a tremendous fit on the top pairing with Jared Spurgeon. Brodin, who returned for six games in February after sitting out two, had missed 12 more after presumably re-injuring himself. Brodin’s extended absence this time was probably due to the fact that the Wild wanted to make sure his lower-body injury healed this time.

Winger Brandon Duhaime also returned against the Capitals and scored what proved to be the game-winning goal. Winger Marcus Foligno could be in the lineup before the week is out and the Wild are hoping to get another trade-deadline pickup, winger Gustav Nyquist, back from a shoulder injury in time for the postseason.

Capitals goalie Charlie Lindgren can only watch as Brandon Duhaime’s eventual game winner settles into the Washington net on Sunday afternoon. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

Then there is Kaprizov. The Wild might be winning without him right now — Minnesota was a point behind Dallas for the Central Division lead after Sunday’s games — but if this team has any shot at making a deep run into the postseason, No. 97 will have to be flying around the ice.

But will other now more confident players be less reliant on Kaprizov being the guy that they expect to bail them out?

“He’s going to score and we’re going to need him to score for sure,” Reaves said. “When the playoffs start, Kirill is going to start getting checking lines, especially on the road and that’s when the rest of the guys need to step up. I think we talked about this last little stretch. 

“It’s got to be a playoff atmosphere in the room, on the ice for us. We’ve got to start putting a playoff type game onto the ice every night because it’s hard to just float into the playoffs and say we’re going to amp it up. That’s not how it works. I think right now we’re starting to figure that out and put good games together.”

Kaprizov’s return should only help.

The post Stepping Up appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Turns out the Wild general manager wasn’t even close to being done.

Newly-acquired Wild forward Gustav Nyquist wins a puck battle with now teammate Jared Spurgeon as a member of the Detroit Red Wings in an April 4. 2015 game at Xcel Energy Center. (MHM Photo / Jonny Watkins)

Guerin made three more trades before the 2 p.m. deadline. Winger Jordan Greenway was dealt to Buffalo for a second-round pick in this year’s draft and a fifth-round selection in 2024, and Oskar Sundqvist, who can play center and wing, was acquired from Detroit for a fourth-round selection in 2023.

Those two moves weren’t surprising. The third one, which was reported just after the deadline had passed, was a stunner. The Wild acquired veteran defenseman John Klingberg from the Anaheim Ducks for Andrej Sustr, a 2025 fourth-round pick, and the rights to 2019 sixth-round selection Nikita Nesterenko (Boston College). The Ducks also retained 50 percent of Klingberg’s $7 million cap hit.

Guerin acknowledged even he was surprised by the amount of activity. “I did not think we would get this busy,” he said. “I told my wife that this morning and she called B.S. I guess she knows me better than anybody. I think we got a lot accomplished today. I think we’re better today than we were yesterday and that’s the idea.”

The Klingberg acquisition means coach Dean Evason is going to have some decisions to make on the blue line, especially when Jonas Brodin returns from injury. Klingberg’s skill set could mean that Calen Addison, who has ended up in Evason’s doghouse this season because of his play in his own zone, could be making a return to the press box. Veteran Alex Goligoski also could be the odd man out.

The 30-year-old Klingberg spent his first eight seasons as a standout defenseman in Dallas before signing a one-year contract with the Ducks in July. He had eight goals and 24 points in 50 games with the Ducks and was minus-28 on one of the NHL’s worst teams. Klingberg is considered a defensive liability — and his performance this season was a major disappointment — but the Wild are willing to take a risk and hope he returns to the form that led to a 47-point season in 74 games with the Stars in 2021-22.

Winger Kirill Kaprizov has been a one-man show on offense for the Wild of late — he scored both goals in a 2-1 win on Thursday in Vancouver — and Klingberg’s ability to move the puck from the back end should help the Wild’s transition game. Klingberg also is likely to quarterback the first power-play unit, replacing Addison in that spot.

The Wild’s average of 2.77 goals per game puts them 26th among 32 NHL teams. However, Minnesota is fifth in the NHL in goals against, giving up only 2.66. In winning seven of their past eight, and getting at least a point in each, the Wild have averaged only 2.25 goals per game. Take out the shootout goals the Wild was credited with to secure victories in two of those games and the Wild have 16 goals in that time. Kaprizov has eight of them.

Somebody else, anybody, needs to create offense.

“The blue line has been great,” Guerin said. “Not that our guys don’t move the puck well now, but it’s just that natural offensive instinct, that natural offensive ability (that Klingberg will bring). We like to defend first, but when there’s a play to be made he’s the type of guy that really can make a high-level offensive play.”

Jordan Greenway, seen here in a March 26, 2022 game vs. the Columbus Blue Jackets, is taking his grinding, defensive game to Buffalo after the trade deadline dust settled. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

Guerin’s activity at the deadline shouldn’t be confused with a desperation that he had to rebuild the roster. Despite having plenty of salary-cap room as the deadline approached, the Wild will be back in cap hell starting in the offseason and will remain there through 2024-25 because of the buyouts of Zach Parise and Ryan Suter. Guerin knew what he was getting into the day he decided to jettison the pair, so there is no attempt at a pity party coming from the GM.

What Guerin tried to do this week was give his defensive-first team a bit of a boost with some offensive pieces that he will have the ability to move on from when the season ends. Johansson, who spent the shortened 2020-21 season with the Wild before moving to Seattle, is playing on a one-year contract, while Sundqvist and Nyquist (who is currently injured) are in the final seasons of their multi-year deals. All are rentals, but also come at reasonable prices.

Greenway’s departure is addition by subtraction. The fact the Wild received a high pick (which originally belonged to Vegas) in what is considered a deep draft is a big win for Guerin.

The Wild once had high hopes for Greenway but the 2015 second-round selection never consistently used his 6-foot-6, 231-pound frame to his advantage. He was sidelined in training camp and for the early part of the season after having shoulder surgery and things went downhill from there. Greenway was scratched from a January game after showing up late and eventually received a talking to from Guerin about his play.

Greenway, 26, had only two goals and seven points in 45 games this season. His assist in Tuesday’s win over the Islanders broke a 21-game pointless streak and his last goal came on New Year’s Eve in St. Louis. 

The 28-year-old Sundqvist, whose size (6-3, 220 pounds) will help replace Greenway’s, had seven goals and 21 points in 52 games this season with the Red Wings. He has played in 340 career NHL games and has 116 points in eight seasons with the Penguins, Blues and Red Wings and also has 10 points, including four goals, in 36 playoff games.

The Wild deserved some sort of boost, considering their 76 points put them three behind first place Dallas in the Central Division and the Western Conference as the deadline arrived. Minnesota was three points ahead of third-place Colorado, the defending Stanley Cup champion and the team the Wild would face if the postseason began today. 

But Guerin wanted to be careful not to go overboard with his support because the Wild were only four points up on Winnipeg, which holds the second and final wild card spot in the conference.

Joel Eriksson-Ek and Jonas Brodin look on as fellow Swede and new Wild teammate Oskar Sundqvist fires a shot for the St. louis Blues in a Feb. 24, 2019 game at Xcel Energy Center. (MHM Photo / Jeff Wegge)

Guerin made it clear as the deadline neared that he wasn’t going to trade his first-round pick in this year’s draft, or any of his top prospects. He knows that once the Wild emerge from their salary-cap issues, which could happen sooner than expected if the cap increases in the next two seasons, a prospect pool that was voted the best in the NHL by The Athletic could put the organization in a spot to make a run at its first Stanley Cup.

Mortgaging that future for a team that Evason has molded into a shut down unit that would make Jacques Lemaire proud, would not have been wise. Guerin, after all, had high hopes last season after acquiring goalie Marc-Andre Fleury and others at the trade deadline. That Wild team had a franchise-record 113 points — and a far more dynamic offense — and was bounced in the opening round for the sixth time in its past six tries.

The Wild is hoping to end that stretch, and win their first playoff series since 2015, this spring. Guerin’s moves this past week appeared to increase the chances of that happening. “We’re committed,” Guerin said when asked what he hoped these moves showed his team. “Our owner, Craig Leipold, is committed and he’s providing us with the financial backing that it takes to get better. We’re serious. We’re serious about winning.”

Just not at the expense of harming a bright future.

The post Committed to the Cause appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Mats Zuccarello embraces his linemate after one of Kaprizov’s three goals in a 6-2 win over the St. Louis Blues in Game 2 of their Stanley Cup playoff first-round series on May 4, 2022 at Xcel Energy Center (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

The latest example came after the Wild’s 4-3 victory over Nashville on Sunday at Xcel Energy Center, in which Kaprizov scored twice for his offensively challenged team.

“Ultimately every guy has got to step up, work hard and enjoy the game, love the game,” Kaprizov said. “If we do that, we’ll continue to find ways to score. I don’t care who scores. It’s great that I score. But ultimately we want to win, we want to win games and that’s what it comes down to. I don’t care if the goalie scores as long as we win the game, that’s all that really matters.”

That deflection of a question about the pressure Kaprizov is feeling these days to carry the Wild might have been better than any deflection he’s put past a goalie this season. So let’s cut through the niceties and deal with facts: The Wild’s playoff hopes would be gone, if it weren’t for the 25-year-old left winger.

The win over the Predators was the Wild’s second in a row on a seven-game homestand that started with a loss to the Golden Knights, a shootout win over the Devils, a shootout loss to the Panthers and then a disappointing one-goal loss to the Avalanche. Goalie Marc-Andre Fleury had one of his worst games of the season against Colorado, but the Wild only scored six goals in the first four games, if you take away the nonsense that is a shootout goal.

Kaprizov’s two tallies against the Predators gave him 33 goals and 66 points in 56 games this season. Kaprizov is the team leader in goals by 12 — Joel Eriksson Ek is next with 21 — and his points are 10 more than linemate Mats Zuccarello.

“I hope we never trade him because I don’t want him to come down on me because it seems like he always finds a hole somewhere,” said Wild goalie Filip Gustavsson, who stopped 23 shots against the Predators and has become the Wild’s top goalie. “It’s incredible how some players just have that and they score on everything.”

So what makes them special?

“I don’t know,” Gustavsson said after much thought. “Mostly they do … at least for me as a goalie, I always try and read where they shoot, how they angle the stick, the blade and how their body language is. Some of those guys don’t show anything, they don’t give anything away and just, all of a sudden, it comes at 80 miles an hour and you don’t know exactly where it’s going before it’s in the air and when it’s in the air it’s usually too late.”

Kirill Kaprizov and Kevin Fiala celebrate the former’s first period goal, No. 46 on the season, in a 3-2 win over the Calgary Flames on April, 28, 2022 at Xcel Energy Center (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

Kaprivoz’s scoring touch was vital last season as he finished with 47 goals and 108 points, but the balance was spread around a bit more as second-line winger Kevin Fiala contributed 33 goals and 85 points. Fiala was traded in the offseason for salary-cap reasons and now has 21 goals and 61 points in 57 games with the Los Angeles Kings.

His production hasn’t been replaced.

That has put more pressure on Kaprizov and there have been times it looks as if he’s trying to do too much. Who can blame him? When Brandon Duhaime scored his fifth goal of the season only nine seconds into the second period against the Predators, it ended a drought of 413 minutes, 37 seconds of the Wild not scoring without Kaprizov on the ice. That dated seven games to the third period of a Feb. 6 loss at Arizona.

Kaprizov’s two goals against the Predators included one of three the Wild scored at even strength. They entered the game having scored only 13 five-on-five goals in the past 14. In that 14-game span, Kaprizov had six goals and 13 points, including three goals on the power play.

Wild coach Dean Evason said he hasn’t had to talk to Kaprizov about not putting too much pressure on himself individually, but he recently talked to the first line of Kaprizov, Zuccarello and center Ryan Hartman about their approach.

“We brought their line in because we thought they were trying to force offense too early (against Dallas),” Evason said. “Before we got into the offensive zone. It’s not just Kirill but that line in particular. It’s a credit to them, they are trying hard, but they were trying to create offense in the defensive zone by making pretty plays down there or through the neutral zone. 

“We asked them just to get through those two zones to use their abilities to score and be creative in the offensive zone. I thought they did a great job of that tonight (against Nashville).”

Hartman, in fact, ended up deflecting in the winning goal off a Jonas Brodin shot with less than a minute left in the third period, after former Wild winger Nino Niederreiter had scored only 26 seconds earlier as the Predators rallied from a 3-1 deficit to tie it.

The Wild got a valuable two points to remain in the second and final wild card spot in the Western Conference, two points ahead of the Flames. Minnesota also stopped the Predators from getting at least one valuable point in the playoff race.

“With wins, obviously, it kind of gives everyone confidence, so that’s not just me,” Kaprizov said. “Everyone can start scoring, the team starts playing better and with wins, more wins will come. I like to say, live and see what happens.”

That’s a lot more fun for the Wild with Capable Kirill shouldering so much of the scoring load.

The post Capable Kirill appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

The defeat against a Penguins team that hasn’t been anything special dropped the Wild to 7-8-2 and tied them with three teams that are a point behind Nashville for the second and final wild card playoff spot in the Western Conference. The Wild’s third consecutive loss also gave them a 2-5-1 record at Xcel Energy Center, a building in which they went 31-8-2 during a franchise-record 113-point season in 2021-22.

“We’re just tired of losing,” defenseman Jon Merrill said. “It’s not something we want to get comfortable with.”

Unfortunately, it’s becoming clear the Wild might not have a choice.

Players can call as many meetings as they want, coach Dean Evason can continue to juggle lines and defensive pairings and Evason and his players can talk all they want about the need to work harder or play smarter.

At this point, who could blame Kirill Kaprizov for posting a ‘Help Wanted’ sign in the Wild’s dressing room? (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

But there is one thing that appears almost certain to remain a problem. This team is going to struggle to score goals. Winger Kirill Kaprizov remains a star player, although he entered Saturday’s game against Carolina having gone four games without a goal. The bigger problem: How much goal scoring depth exists behind Kaprizov?

The Wild doesn’t have anything close to a No. 1 center to put between Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello, who also is struggling. Frederick Gaudreau had gotten the opportunity, but in practice on Friday he was replaced by Sam Steel, who was listed as the Wild’s fourth line left winger on Thursday. Gaudreau’s hard work has made him a favorite of Evason, but he isn’t qualified to center a first line and moving Steel to that spot amounts to a hockey Hail Mary.

Linemates Joel Eriksson Ek and Marcus Foligno are coming off seasons in which they had career-highs of 26 and 23 goals, respectively. But it would be silly not to expect regression and those two have seen very limited time with winger Jordan Greenway, whose presence with Eriksson Ek and Foligno made up the tough-to-play-against GREEF line. Greenway has appeared in only two games because of injury issues but might be set to return Saturday on a line with Gaudreau and Matt Boldy, who got off to a good start but has no goals and one point in his past seven games.

The Wild hoped that 2020 first-round center Marco Rossi would make a contribution, but he has spent much of the early season on the fourth line and has only one assist in 16 games. Rossi might one day be ready to ascend to the top line, but for right now he is playing between two hard workers in Connor Dewar and Mason Shaw.

All of this leaves one wondering exactly how the Wild is going to get the kind of offense they did last season when they averaged 3.8 goals per game? This season that figure has dipped to 2.8 goals and Minnesota hasn’t scored more than four goals in a game since getting six and losing by one to the Kings in the season’s second game.

The Wild have dealt with injuries but there is no one who is going to return and fix the goal-scoring issue. Greenway had only 10 goals last season. Ryan Hartman scored 34 goals as the center on the Wild’s top line, but that was a career year and he got off to such a rough start this year that he was demoted to wing. It’s also unknown when Hartman will return from an upper body injury suffered in a fight against Chicago in late October.

The obvious missing piece is winger Kevin Fiala, who finished second to Kaprizov last season with a career-high 33 goals and 85 points. Fiala was traded to the Kings during the offseason in large part because of the salary-cap issues the Wild face for the next three seasons due to the buyouts of Zach Parise and Ryan Suter’s contracts in the summer of 2021. Fiala and Boldy formed an immediate chemistry when the latter was summoned from Iowa of the AHL last year but so far Boldy hasn’t found that chemistry with any of his current teammates.

More is needed from players like Filip Gustavsson if Minnesota’s offensive woes continue. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

Pinning all of the Wild’s troubles on Fiala’s departure would be an exaggeration of the facts. There are other issues, such as Rossi’s slow start or Tyson Jost having been placed on waivers after he didn’t perform as expected. But there is no question this team misses Fiala, and it doesn’t help that backup  goalie Filip Gustavsson gave up a few terrible goals against the Penguins after Marc-Andre Fleury was placed on injured reserve because of an upper-body injury suffered in Tuesday’s loss at Nashville.

The Wild’s homestand won’t get any easier with Winnipeg and Toronto following the Hurricanes into town. Two of the last three games will provide weaker teams with Arizona and Anaheim bookending a visit from Connor McDavid and Edmonton. The problem is nothing is easy for the Wild and there’s no guarantee that’s going to change anytime soon.

“We want to win,” Eriksson Ek said. “We want to compete and win hockey games. And right now we’re not. If people were happy in here, I would be more worried than right now.”

Being unhappy is fine, but being able to do something about it is more important. Are these Wild talented enough to address their problems with more than words? They better hope so or this could turn into a long winter at the X.

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But not everything was as coach Dean Evason had hoped. Winger Brandon Duhaime had joined a list of injured forwards that already included Marcus Foligno, Jordan Greenway and Ryan Hartman. These are four of the Wild’s top sandpaper players and all were now out — replaced by the likes of Mason Shaw, Steve Fogarty and others whose ice time had gone beyond the expected.

So how much of a problem had this become?

“It’s not,” Evason said. “It’s exciting because you get to put people in opportunities to be successful. They all want to play. So you get an opportunity to place a guy in a spot that he wants, he’s hungry for. Clearly we don’t want injuries, we’d like to have everybody healthy. But it happens, it’s a physical game, so it’s going to happen. It’s exciting for us as an organization to see the progress, the development and the depth of our organization.”

The expiration date on Evason’s excitement might have come two days later as the Seattle Kraken shut out the lethargic Wild, 4-0, at Xcel Energy Center. The good news was the Wild had a four-day break to get players rested and healthy for a three-game West Coast trip that begins Tuesday against the Kings.

That c0uld be enough time to get Greenway, Foligno and Duhaime back. But the return of those three won’t erase the fact that if the Wild are going to come close to repeating the franchise-high 113 points they posted last season this team is going to have to make some decisions about how it wants to play.

Kevin Fiala is not only gone but needs to be forgotten as the Wild must find other ways to replace his production. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

The salary-cap related offseason trade of winger Kevin Fiala to the Kings cost the Wild a dynamic goal scorer. Fiala, who had three goals and 10 assists in 13 games entering the weekend, wasn’t in the superstar class of Kirill Kaprizov but he was a star, as evidenced when he went on a heater in which he was nearly unstoppable.

During a 33-game stretch late last season, Fiala had 19 goals and 28 assists and was a plus-20. That was playing on a second line with center Frederick Gaudreau and winger Matt Boldy. The Wild’s first-line of Hartman between Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello made shutting down the Wild a difficult task, at least in the regular season.

Minnesota finished 2021-22 averaging 3.72 goals per game, placing them fifth in the NHL. This season the Wild is averaging 3.09 goals in 11 games. That is 19th in the league.

The hope was that Fiala’s production would result in other players picking up the slack in the goal scoring department. That was an ideal thought but not realistic. Boldy is off to a strong start with six goals and four assists but he isn’t going to be able to replace Fiala’s goal scoring by himself.

The Wild’s reality is this: This team isn’t nearly as deep in the scoring department. The Kraken provided a good blueprint on how to beat the Wild by playing a disciplined game and focusing on slowing Kaprizov and Zuccarello, who were no longer being centered by the slumping Hartman even before he got hurt. Hartman, who was injured in a fight against the Blackhawks on Sunday, had a career-high 34 goals and 65 points in 2021-22, stats he is unlikely to repeat.

Gaudreau had moved into the center spot on the Wild’s first line — a clear indication of the quality depth lacking at that position on the roster — but he was taken off in favor of Boldy in the third period. What Evason is going to have to hammer home with this team, no matter what line combinations he uses, and no matter who returns from injury, is that there is only one way to play.

Players like Freddy Gaudreau can’t let themselves get caught up in “keeping up with the Kaprizovs.” (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

As the Wild struggled to open the season, there was talk of the team trying to find its identity and not yet knowing what it is. That’s nonsense. The identity of this team must be hard work by the many players who aren’t talented or skilled enough to get away with anything else. Kaprizov, who had 47 goals and 108 points last season and already has eight goals and 13 points this year, remains one of the NHL’s best and Zuccarello is an elite-playmaking winger.

But the majority of this roster is made up of players who should never fall into the trap of thinking they can play Kaprivoz or Zuccarello’s game. Gaudreau, a player in whom Evason has great faith, has gotten too cute at times when playing on the first line. The scoreless first period on Thursday featured only four shots by the Wild and Kraken goalie Martin Jones got the 22-save shutout despite the fact he gave up numerous juicy rebounds that the Wild failed to pounce on by driving to the net.

Even Kaprizov and Zuccarello got caught in the trap of trying to be too flashy in the Wild’s 2-1 loss last Saturday in Detroit. Afterward, Evason lamented that his players had gone away from their identity.

“We haven’t done the spin-o-ramas, we haven’t done the throwing pucks from behind the net (in a 3-0-1 stretch that followed the 0-3 start),” Evason said. “We’ve got to get it to the top, and we run our routes in the offensive zone and cycles, and we get opportunities from that. We don’t get opportunities by being a cute hockey team. We’re grit with skill. And we thought that we were just skilled tonight.”

The Wild might have been able to get away with this approach, at least for long stretches, when Fiala was around. But his departure has altered this team’s makeup and the sooner everyone realizes this the better.

The post Cute Won’t Cut It appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Fleury had given up seven goals in a 7-3 loss to the Rangers on opening night at Xcel Energy Center, and now it was four goals on 14 shots in what became a 7-6 loss to the Kings. The final goal of the first period from Alex Iafallo came on a shot from the blue line in which Fleury had clear vision of the puck and still managed to allow it to get past him. Fleury, welcomed as a hero when general manager Bill Guerin acquired him at the trade deadline last season, heard a chorus of boos.

“I don’t blame them. I’d boo myself,” he said. “I was not good. I feel bad for the fans. I feel bad for my teammates. I’ve got to be better. I’ve got to step up and give our team a chance to win. There’s some tough goals. A few of them. Still, I’ve got to make some saves. Especially the stupid last one there.”

Fleury initially used a much stronger word in describing that goal before quickly apologizing. But the word he picked wasn’t nearly as offensive as the goal he allowed.

Wild coach Dean Evason, who despises lifting a goalie, much less a decorated one like Fleury, brought in offseason acquisition Filip Gustavsson in the second period. Gustavsson gave up the final three Los Angeles goals on 20 shots. Evason, not surprisingly, continued to say all the right things about Fleury, but he then made a decision that spoke volumes.

Divine intervention may be what it takes the turn the Wild’s goaltending woes around. (MHM Photo / Jeff Wegge)

Evason picked the 24-year-old Gustavsson to start Monday night’s game against the defending Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche. It was a move that provided a clear indication of the Wild’s concern about Fleury having surrendered 11 goals in four periods.

The Wild played its best game Monday, but Gustavsson’s inability to stop the puck led to a 6-3 loss. The worst goal came with the score tied 2-2, when Nathan MacKinnon dumped the puck toward the Wild net from the neutral zone and Gustavsson failed to cover it. Mikko Rantanen swooped in and put the puck into the Wild net.

It was a back-breaking, can’t happen goal against a Wild team that is coming off a franchise-best 113-point season and is in desperate need of a lift. Of course, the fact Fleury wasn’t in net was the main story. The Wild’s goaltending struggles have provided some early-season “I told you so” ammunition for those who questioned Guerin’s decision to sign Fleury to a two-year, $7 million deal in July after he was less than stellar in starting the first five games of the Wild’s six-game playoff exit against the Blues last spring.

A week after Fleury signed, Guerin dealt disgruntled goalie Cam Talbot to the Ottawa Senators for Gustavsson. The hope had been that Fleury and Talbot could share the net, but Talbot was less than pleased with the fact he didn’t start against the Blues until Game 6 of the playoffs. Instead of having the luxury of splitting time between Fleury and the 35-year-old Talbot, Fleury became the main man in a season in which he will turn 38 on Nov. 28. (Talbot is currently sidelined for five-to-seven weeks because of an upper body injury.)

So far, Fleury has looked every bit his age and Gustavsson, who has made 24 career starts in three seasons, isn’t magically going to turn into a No. 1 goalie. The Wild does have 2020 first-round pick Jesper Wallstedt at Iowa of the American Hockey League, but the soon-to-be 20-year-old just arrived from Sweden and the Wild almost certainly won’t rush him.

Meanwhile, Evason will do his best to fend off the goaltending critics and hope that Fleury can get on track and the rest of his team can play a more responsible defensive game.

“Goals against is a concern,” Evason said when asked about the goaltending concerns. “It’s not on the goalie. It’s on the goalie. It’s on the defense. It’s on the forwards. It’s on the coaches. It’s on all of us. We’re giving up way too many goals. That’s not one that’s on an individual trait. Sure, we got some bad hops and bounces and situations or whatever. Have we let in a bad goal? Sure. Have we made frickin’ mistakes defensively? Absolutely. Have we not done things up the ice offensively? Sure. We’ve all done that. Have we made bad coaching decisions? Clearly we have. Otherwise we wouldn’t be 0-3. We’re all responsible. We’ll all be accountable, and we’ll get out of this together.”

As bad as Minnesota’s goaltending has been, opponents have found no shortage of clear paths to the Wild net this season. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

The question is how soon? The Wild closes a four-game, season-opening homestand on Thursday night against Vancouver, having failed to hold a lead in 180 minutes of play and having given up an NHL-worst 20 goals (one empty-netter). Confidence is clearly lacking. There is no better way to get it back than for Fleury to come out and have a strong game against the Canucks before the Wild embarks on a five-game trip.

Otherwise, the concern that has begun to permeate Xcel Energy Center could soon turn into full-blown panic.

The post Red Light District appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

It didn’t come close to happening. The Wild made the NHL’s postseason tournament for the next six seasons, but only advanced to the second round twice.

Minnesota missed the playoffs in 2018-19 before making three more appearances, the final one after Parise and Suter had their contracts bought out. The general managers have changed, the coaches have changed and so have the players. The disappointment has not. Three more quick exits from the playoffs and no second-round appearance since 2015.

The Wild’s most recent postseason loss might have been the most disappointing. A franchise-record 113-point season and second-place finish in the Central Division was followed by a six-game loss to the St. Louis Blues in the opening round last spring. General manager Bill Guerin liked the team’s chances so much he acquired future Hall of Fame goalie Marc-Andre Fleury at the trade deadline.

The Wild were all in. And then they were out.

“I was not a nice person to be around for like the week,” Leipold said of his reaction to elimination. “We weren’t ready for it. I wasn’t ready for it. We had a better team than that. It didn’t happen. We didn’t win the games we needed to win. One of you guys said, everybody that didn’t have the name Kirill Kaprizov really needs to think about how they contribute in playoffs. Kirill was great. And other players, we need to step up and, you know, it’s gonna happen. The entire organization was just sick about that.”

As great as Wild winger Kirill Kaprizov is, he’ll need teammates to step up in the spring for Minnesota to have any chance to avoid another Stanley Cup first-round exit. (MHM Photo / Jonathan Watkins)

The Wild will open their season on Thursday night against the New York Rangers looking to jettison the sour taste of their latest playoff ouster. They will do it without winger Kevin Fiala and his 33 goals. He was shipped to the to the Los Angeles Kings in a salary-cap related move that resulted from the $12.7 million the Wild doesn’t have because the Parise and Suter buyouts. That number will increase to $14.7 million the following two seasons, although the NHL’s cap ceiling is expected to increase. Cam Talbot, who was the Wild’s top goalie for much of last season, was traded to Ottawa after it became clear he wasn’t happy with the plan for him and Fleury.

Kaprizov and his 47 goals are back; 2020 first-round center Marco Rossi is expected to contribute; and a solid blueline returns. So what are Leipold’s expectations for his 15th season in charge of the Wild?

“Our expectation is to get out of the first round,” he said. “I think that’s a fair expectation to have. I think we have a team that can do it. You know, a lot of good things have to happen. We know that, and we have to work hard enough so those good things happen to us. … Let’s first all get out of the first round and then we’ll see what happens.”

It’s an underwhelming response for an owner who once declared it was Stanley Cup or bust for his team. But it’s also an indication of Leipold’s realization of how difficult it has been for his team — or teams if you include his time owning the Nashville Predators — to have success in the postseason. 

Guerin, who won two Stanley Cups as a player and was part of two more Cup winnings teams as an executive with the Pittsburgh Penguins, has made significant changes to the Wild roster, altering the makeup of the team both on the ice and in the locker room. He also has rebuilt the team’s prospect pool, giving the franchise hope that young talent can help them through two more seasons of salary cap issues.

“This is my 24th year, 14th here, 24 years owning a franchise,” Leipold said. “I’m getting a little itchy. I know how hard it is. … I look back at teams that have done it a number of times, including Chicago and Tampa Bay and all the teams that have done it recently. You’ve got to have a lot of respect for those teams because it’s a hard thing to win. It’s a hard thing to get out of the first round. But, yeah, I’d say I’m a little itchy. I think we’ve got a really good team with an open window that is pretty long right now. And I think we’ll have a lot of fun in the next couple years and it’s my hope that we’ll win it.”

Or, at the very least, be playing far deeper into the spring.

The post Itching To Advance appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.