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Special teams are incredibly important in crunch-time games, and the Minnesota Wild's power play had been struggling to cash in on their few chances in the last week or so. In their last four games, Minnesota went 0-for-9 with the man advantage, including two losses to big-time teams. Normally, a team like the Wild can ride out a four-game slump. However, needing to get a win against a top Washington Capitals team, John Hynes needed to do something drastic to shake things up. On Wednesday, the usually-conservative Hynes went bold, icing a five-forward power play unit. Some of the best, most talented teams have tried this tactic -- the Toronto Maple Leafs and Florida Panthers come to mind as the pioneers -- but the Wild have been slow to the party. Under Bruce Boudreau, they were among the last teams to fully embrace having four forwards on the power play. Dean Evason always felt confident enough in Jared Spurgeon to have him as a defensive safety blanket. As for Hynes, Spurgeon, Brock Faber, and Declan Chisholm have all had 50-plus power play minutes. You can understand a fully-healthy Wild getting tempted into a five-forward unit. Having Kirill Kaprizov, Joel Eriksson Ek, Mats Zuccarello, Matt Boldy, and Marco Rossi all on the ice? No one would bat an eye at that. But Hynes pulled that lever with Kaprizov and Eriksson Ek on the shelf, putting in Freddy Gaudreau and Marcus Johansson on the top unit. That raised eyebrows, or it would have, if it hadn't worked. 23 seconds into Minnesota's second (and final) power play chance, Gaudreau tipped Boldy's point shot to send the puck past Charlie Lindgren to tie the game. It was a necessary step to secure a crucial two points by knocking off the President's Trophy-leading Capitals. Gaudreau even iced the game by notching an empty-net goal. When Gaudreau first got to the Wild, he was plucked out of obscurity by Evason, whose long relationship with the player came from their days with the AHL's Milwaukee Admirals. Evason staked some of his reputation on Gaudreau, telling Michael Russo in August 2021, "I can attest to him... being a real, real good player, but a real good teammate as well." After a 44-point season, Evason got to take a victory lap. "I think my feelings personally on Freddy are well-known by now and I think it's an organizational feeling as well," the coach declared the following September. "You could play Freddy anywhere." But when Evason got fired amidst a slow start from many Wild players -- including Gaudreau -- it put Gaudreau into somewhat uncharted territory. Gaudreau was a late-bloomer, making the NHL full-time at 28, under a coach who had a unique relationship with him. How would it work under Hynes, who had no connection to Gaudreau at all? As Gaudreau's struggles compounded, it didn't work. During the 2022-23 season under Evason, Gaudreau averaged 16 minutes and three seconds per night for Minnesota. During Gaudreau's final 37 games in his first season under Hynes, that average time on ice fell to 13:24. Early this season, Hynes put Gaudreau on fourth-line duty, with him averaging just under 14 minutes a night in October, a month in which he went scoreless until the final game. His struggles under Hynes led to widespread speculation that the Wild might seek to give him a fresh start under the coach who had 1000% faith in him. However, no such move materialized, and Hynes, Minnesota's front office, and the fans all should be happy about that right now. It’s the State of Freddy Hockey now. Goals have been tough to come by in St. Paul this March, and Gaudreau's been one of the only reliable sources of them. His six scores in March leads the team, and his eight points are behind only Matt Boldy, tying him for second on the Wild. On a squad that's struggling to keep up trying to elevate the team in the wake of an absurd string of injuries, Gaudreau is one of the few players seeming to gain strength as the season wears on. And whether Gaudreau sees it this way, he's proving that he's no one-coach wonder. Hynes is leaning on Gaudreau like he never has before and is finding why Evason had such trust in the player. Since the start of February, Gaudreau is averaging 17:16 per night -- more ice time than Gaudreau's peak season (16:16) under Evason. During that span, Gaudreau is fifth among Wild forwards in 5-on-5 time, fifth in power play time, and by far their top penalty-killing forward. When defending a one-score lead with a 5-on-6 against the best goal-scorer of all time, Hynes had Freddy Hockey out there to stop Alex Ovechkin from tying the game. As Evason said, Hynes is finding he can play Gaudreau anywhere. Of course, some of this increase in playing time is out of necessity. During February and March, Ryan Hartman missed time due to suspension and Eriksson Ek has been out for over a month. If Gaudreau was simply eating minutes, maybe that's not a perfect indication of trust. But Gaudreau is stepping up, and as the five-forward power play showed, Hynes is looking for ways to get him into the game. It's working, and Gaudreau is suddenly in sight of setting a career-high in goals. He scored 19 two seasons ago, which means he needs just two in his final nine games to not just hit a career-best, but crack the 20-goal mark for the first time. More importantly, the perpetual underdog is helping an underdog Wild team claw out points as they grow closer to clinching a playoff spot. Last night saw him help Minnesota pick up a huge regulation win against Washington. Earlier this month, he notched two points in a 4-3 win against the Seattle Kraken. He scored the only tally in a 1-0 shutout of the Boston Bruins. Combine those big-moment scores with his always-solid two-way game, and Gaudreau is showing he's a player capable of earning the trust of any coach.

“It is going to be alright. It’s all good!” “This team is so awful. I’m angry!” “Listen, this is exactly what you’d expect to happen, so really, it is what it is. Just go with the flow, bro.” Odds are that when you think of the Minnesota Wild right now, a phrase that sounds like one of the three above starts running through your head. Whichever one it is, it’s also likely the same phrase that runs through your head most of the time. Sports fans tend to fall into one of three categories. Scroll through the comment section on any sports website. You’re likely to see each one of them battling for the souls of the other two in an increasingly escalating debate that eventually dissolves into a bunch of fiery declarations about who lives in their parents’ basement and who just needs to open their eyes and “actually watch the games.” And let’s be honest, we’re lucky if it stops there. But we here at Hockey Wilderness are a civilized bunch intent on delivering wholesome content to our loyal and knowledgeable readers. So, instead of rehashing the same conversations you’re likely to find in the comment sections on lesser sites, what you’ll see here today is what happens when three highly rational, completely objective hockey fans engage in a spirited discussion about how the Wild will fare in this year’s Stanley Cup Playoffs. In one corner, you have Optimist Brian. In the other, Peter the Pessimist. And up there, perched from the rafters and taking in the big picture, is Rational Randy. ---------------------------------------- The prompt: The Minnesota Wild will find playoff success this postseason and win at least one round. Optimist Brian: They can definitely do it! If you don’t count the past two months, the Wild are basically one of the best teams in the league. No reason they can’t ramp it back up in April with all their big guns. Peter the Pessimist: Listen, good hockey is like jazz music – I know it when I see it, and with this bunch, I haven’t seen it in a while. Plus, I mean, if we’re not counting the past two months, I’ve only gained four pounds since Christmas. So why don’t my pants fit then? Rational Randy: The way I see it, you can’t win or move comfortably in your pants if you’re not healthy, so of course, the Wild have been struggling lately. I believe that answers Peter’s question as well. Let’s see what happens if everyone gets healthy and the Wild can give opponents a healthy diet of Kirill and Co. every night. Time will tell, fellas. Optimist Brian: That’s exactly what I’m saying! We all know that when the Wild put the pedal to the medal and play their game, they get rewarded for their efforts. In general manager Bill Guerin, we trust! This is the guy who finally got Kaprizov to come over and who led the team to the best regular season in franchise history. Peter the Pessimist: Listen Brian, would I trust Bill Guerin to spin a good yarn and pick up the tab at the bar? Absolutely. Do I trust him with my hockey team? Sorry, but that ship flew the coop when he handled the team like he has this year. And really, even before that, things started getting weird. Rational Randy: Well, the way I see it, going into the season, the Wild weren’t expected to be as good as they have been so far, so we have to keep that in mind. Have they been as good as we would have hoped? No. But they haven’t been awful either. Time will tell what happens. We just gotta let the universe unfold as it will, bros. Optimist Brian: Well, listen, the universe unfolds according to the will of the hockey gods, and this year, they have to be on our side! I mean, the Wild put on their hard hats every game and go to work, and they’re bound to get rewarded with some puck luck at some point. Why wouldn’t this be the year they finally do? It’s the final year of Flower Power, after all. The gods be with us, I say. Peter the Pessimist: What in the name of Manny Fernandez are you two blabbering on about? The universe and hockey gods don’t win you hockey games! It’s Xs and Os, execution, being a well-oiled machine, and star power. And right now, the Wild are headed down the home stretch looking like the rickety sled in Cool Runnings, and the team’s stars are being held together with duct tape. Rational Randy: You know, Peter, some people have used duct tape to do some really great things. I had a wallet made out of it for all of middle school. The Wild’s chances have definitely gotten worse with all the injuries they’ve had, but all you really need is a chip and a chair, and then once the cards are dealt, it’s all up to fate. Time will tell. Let’s just sit back and enjoy the ride, dudes. Optimist Brian: You’re damn right I’m gonna enjoy the ride! How many teams do you know that could survive this many injuries to key players and still be pretty much a lock to make the playoffs? You know why? It’s because they have the intangibles and put the pieces in place to succeed. Their goalie tandem features an emerging star and a sure-fire hall of famer. They have a great mix of young talent and steady vets who all know their roles. Look at Marcus Johansson. He’s practically the Greek god of off-puck neutral zone positioning. That’s the stuff you need to win! Peter the Pessimist: Oookay. Let’s unpack this for a second, Brian. Your rationale for the team making a playoff run is that the Wild played well to start the season, they have a backup goaltender who they’ve barely played in the last month, and because they have Marcus freaking Johansson? What in the name of Justin Fontaine are you smoking? Randy, come on, this guy’s nuts, right? Rational Randy: Well, I can see both of your points, really. There’s a lot to be said for having a veteran presence in the room, and Fleury is known to have been a valuable mentor to young goalies in the playoffs. And Johansson does bring some defensive value, but Greek god is a little over the top. So yeah Peter, Brian’s probably smoking something. But that’s just his journey, man, just like the Wild are on theirs. Time will tell what happens, compadres. Optimist Brian: The Wild won this week! They are the best! Peter the Pessimist: The Wild lost this week. They suck. Rational Randy: You win some, you lose some, bros. Optimist Brian: Let’s go Wild! Let’s go WILD! Peter the Pessimist: Uhh yeah…I’m gonna go. Randy, can we be done here? Rational Randy: Sure thing, fellas. Rational Randy abides.

The KHL playoffs are ongoing, and on Friday, Danila Yurov found himself on the ice for the first time since February 15. Unfortunately for his hopes of winning back-to-back Gagarin Cups, Metallurg Magnitogorsk fell to 0-2 in their best-of-seven first-round series. Of course, an early exit in the KHL might not close the book on Yurov playing in more playoff games. The Minnesota Wild have to be hopeful for the possibility of having Yurov at their disposal for the playoffs, which are now less than three weeks away. However, it's not as simple as, say, signing Zeev Buium once his season at Denver is over. When it comes to the Wild and Russia, how could it be any other way? Yurov will be in a situation where he's technically under contract until May 31 and unable to sign with Minnesota unless the team agrees to release him. It's possible -- Marat Khusnutdinov was able to exit his contract early -- but Metallurg is under no obligation to accommodate Yurov. Any fan who had to sit through the ordeal of bringing Kirill Kaprizov to North America has earned the right to cast any hope for a smooth, uncomplicated transaction with suspicion. Until a definitive answer to this question comes up, you can expect the Will They/Won't They? machine to hit full-steam in the next few weeks. It will be a massive question throughout April, and it'll likely obscure an even more important one. Namely, how likely is Yurov to help the Wild in the playoffs, anyway? It's easy to draw a one-for-one parallel between Yurov and Kaprizov. By the time Kaprizov got to the Wild, he was a highly-touted forward with 200-plus KHL games and a Gagarin Cup under his belt. Similarly, Yurov is considered a top prospect, has played 200 KHL games, and lifted the Garagin himself. But there's one big difference between the two. Kaprizov arrived in the NHL fully formed as a 23-year-old. He was just three months shy of his 24th birthday. His resume came with not one but four playoff runs in the KHL. There was no development left, essentially. Meanwhile, Yurov would be thrown into the NHL playoffs at just 21 years and four months. Beyond that, Kaprizov was ruled ineligible for the playoffs during the COVID bubble, meaning he got to log 50-plus NHL games before seeing postseason action. Yurov's season can't end until April 1 and could easily go longer. If you allow for the fastest possible timeline -- an April 1 elimination and 72 hours to negotiate a release, sign a contract, fly halfway across the world, figure out where to live, etc. -- Yurov will get five games, max, before seeing the playoffs. That's such a whirlwind that it feels impossible to know what to expect. Especially since we don't have a baseline of what Kaprizov might have done in August 2019 if he had been playoff-eligible. But do we have anything to go off of? Looking back since the 2010 Draft, there are few examples of a Russian forward who was a bonafide, top-level prospect and went straight from the end of the KHL season to have a meaningful role in the Stanley Cup playoffs. As far as I can tell, it's happened just once: Last year, Ivan Miroshnichenko played six regular-season games for the Washington Capitals before getting in the playoffs. He played one game, registering zero points and two shots in nine minutes and 31 seconds. So, we don't have much information on KHL prospects going straight from Russia to the playoffs. However, we have more information on what many top Russian prospects, who had the benefit of acclimating to a North American league before the postseason, did in their first trips to the playoffs. Let's take every first-round Russian forward drafted from 2010 to 2019*, plus a couple of bonus prospects, and look at their playoff debut (minimum two games). Vladimir Tarasenko, 2012-13 (age 22): 6 GP; 4 goals, 0 assists Valeri Nichushkin, 2013-14 (age 18): 6 GP; 1 goal, 1 assist Nikita Kucherov, 2013-14 (age 20): 2 GP; 1 goal, 0 assists Evgeny Kuznetsov, 2014-15 (age 22): 14 GP; 5 goals, 2 assists Vladislav Namestnikov, 2014-15 (age 21): 12 GP; 0 goals, 1 assist Pavel Buchnevich, 2016-17 (age 21): 5 GP; 0 goals, 1 assist Andrei Svechnikov, 2018-19 (age 18): 9 GP; 3 goals, 2 assists Denis Gurianov, 2019-20 (age 22): 27 GP; 9 goals, 8 assists Klim Kostin, 2022-23 (age 23): 12 GP; 3 goals, 2 assists Vasily Podkolzin, 2023-24 (age 22): 2 GP; 0 goals, 0 assists That's 10 players who managed to make it to the NHL and play some kind of role for a playoff team. Combine them all, and we're looking at 26 goals and 17 assists (43 points) in 95 games. For an 82-game pace, that's a fairly solid 22-goal, 37-point season, looking similar to Marco Rossi's rookie year (21 goals, 40 points). But of course, we're not looking at the regular season. We'd be talking about a seven-game series, not an 82-game marathon. Compress those paces into a playoff series, and we can expect around two goals and an assist (matching Kaprizov's playoff debut) for a full seven-game affair -- with a ton of variance. That's not a perfect guess. We don't know how big a disadvantage it is to have zero to five regular-season games of NHL experience. Still, it's probably the best guess we've got. Is it worth throwing the kid into the fire if Minnesota's "expected" reward is just two goals and three points? Not to get too depressing, but... have you seen the Wild in the playoffs? Look back at Minnesota's 2023 series with the Dallas Stars, and you'll see four players (Freddy Gaudreau, Ryan Hartman, Mats Zuccarello, Marcus Johansson) who had multiple goals for the Wild. Go back another year (2022 vs. the St. Louis Blues), and that number drops to two: Kaprizov and Joel Eriksson Ek. Mind you, both of these series went six games. It's possible, even if Minnesota can get Yurov to the NHL and up-to-speed enough so John Hynes will put him in playoff games, that he won't impress. Better players have disappointed in the playoffs -- look how we're waiting for Matt Boldy's postseason breakout. Yurov could easily languish in limited minutes, get shut out by hot goaltending, or simply not be ready for primetime yet. It's a risk. However, in the context of the Wild's recent history, it is not huge. The biggest reason for Minnesota's postseason stagnation has been a lack of goals. The Wild have scored just 2.26 goals per game in the playoffs since 2020-21, which is dead-last among the 23 NHL teams with postseason games. When you're looking up at the Seattle Kraken, Montreal Canadiens, and the New York Islanders, it's safe to say you've got a problem generating offense. As is the case with Buium, introducing Yurov to the playoff mix would give Minnesota a level of upside that they simply don't have right now. Even when healthy, Minnesota's struggled to produce offense when Kaprizov's not on the ice. This team is largely identical to the one who couldn't score against St. Louis in 2022 or Dallas in 2023. It will probably be difficult to get him to St. Paul, but once he's here, it will not be hard to find a spot where he can add some desperately needed scoring punch. *Not including players who've never played in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, such as Alexander Burmistrov, Nail Yakupov, Kirill Marchenko, et al.

The Minnesota Wild are finally getting flexibility this offseason. Most of this will come from the bulk of Zach Parise and Ryan Suter's buyout charges disappearing, which helps Minnesota to get to nearly $22 million in cap space, according to the NHL's estimates. That number sounds like a lot, and relative to the cap room the Wild have had the last four years, it's a windfall. It's also a number that might disappear faster than we'd think. After taking care of Marco Rossi's RFA status, acquiring a top-six player, potentially retaining other RFAs like Declan Chisholm, and maybe dipping into the goalie market after Marc-André Fleury's retirement... their flexibility might not last long. So, it makes sense that Wild fans would like to see the team trim more salary. More flexibility can't be a bad thing, right? And a fairly obvious target for the would-be The Bobs in the fanbase to downsize is Jared Spurgeon. It's not a hard argument to make. Spurgeon is 35 years old, which is generally not an age you want to be paying $7.575 million to a player. The Wild have his successors in place, with Brock Faber (22) already established as a top-pairing defenseman and David Jiricek (21) still considered a great defensive prospect. Spurgeon has also missed 15 or more games in three of his last four seasons, including playing just 16 games in 2023-24. And, fair or not, Spurgeon does have the distinction of being the constant in a 13-year stretch where Minnesota has only advanced past the first round once. You can see all that listed out, and understand why someone might think Spurgeon is a viable trade candidate. But you can also watch Spurgeon playing for the Wild this year, and if you are, it's hard to argue that Minnesota is better off without him. The Wild got blown out on Saturday afternoon 5-2, but Spurgeon showed the kind of plays he's still capable of making at 35. In the final seconds of the period, Nico Hischier (who scored his 31st, 32nd, and 33rd goals of the season), Jesper Bratt (20 goals), and Timo Meier (22 goals) caught Minnesota for a 3-on-1. Jared Spurgeon was the only thing standing between three top-line forwards and certain paydirt. And then... You can dish out the blame to Meier for actually deflecting the shot harmlessly away, but Spurgeon's stickwork calmly guided Meier into that spot, creating maximum chaos with zero help. It was vintage Spurgeon: relying on his feet, poise, and experience to snuff out threats. It'd be one thing if this were but one flash of his former glory, but Spurgeon is every bit as ageless as he looks. Frankly, we're past the point where someone needs to investigate his attic for a portrait of a graying Spurgeon getting turnstiled by some young forward. The man spits in the face of aging curves. Spurgeon's workload may be decreasing. His 20 minutes, 31 seconds per game is the first time he's averaged fewer than 21 minutes a night since his rookie season. However, his play during that time has hardly missed a beat. Look at the bottom graph to see his xStandings Points Above Replacement (an all-in-one metric from Evolving-Hockey) over time: You practically have to take out a straight edge to confirm that his 2024-25 season is a half-step below the incredibly consistent level of his prime. It's still enough for him to have entered Saturday with 3.3 xSPAR, which ties him with Jake Sanderson and others for 25th in the NHL. As for those three points in the standings, those absolutely matter, given that Minnesota is currently tied with the St. Louis Blues for the last Wild Card spot and just six points ahead of the playoff bubble. Why let those points go to another team? Given Spurgeon's age, it's hard to see him playing at that high level for much longer, but there are always outliers. It's fair to say Spurgeon has been one of those outliers and is as good a bet as anyone to continue to do so. Here are the top 10 players in total xSPAR between ages 30-to-34 seasons during the Analytics Era: Zdeno Chara, 28.1 Lubomir Visnovsky, 28.0 Mark Giordano, 27.9 Shea Weber, 25.0 Brent Burns, 24.3 Dan Boyle, 24.0 Brian Campbell, 23.8 Roman Josi, 22.8 Kris Letang, 22.1 JARED SPURGEON, 21.1 Josi is the only player in Spurgeon's age range, so we have data on the next two seasons for each player. That should give us a pretty good look at possibilities for Spurgeon in the final two seasons of his deal with the Wild. With that in mind, here are their xSPAR totals for their age 36 and 37 seasons, followed by their rank among all defensemen in that range: Chara, 9.3 (first) Campbell, 8.2 (fourth) Boyle, 7.0 (seventh) Letang, 5.7 (10th) Giordano, 4.8 (11th) Burns, 3.3 (T-14th) Visnovsky, 3.2 (T-16th) Weber, 1.5 (T-32nd) Of course, there are no guarantees, but besides Weber (limited to 48 games due to injury), every defenseman joining Spurgeon was more than usable, with three (and arguably five) elite players in that group. You can't ignore the absurd longevity some of these players had, either. Brent Burns is 39 and only now seeing Father Time catch up with him a bit. Giordano had a similar path in his late-30s. Boyle retired after his age-39 season and was an elite puck-moving defenseman until the end. And, of course, Chara was a first-pairing caliber defenseman until age-41 and still had three more seasons to give the Boston Bruins. As long as Spurgeon's body holds up, it's hard to see an imminent decline. He's the definition of a dude with Old Man Skills. Spurgeon's a great skater, but not in a straight-line speed sense. He relies on craftiness and positioning to manipulate attacking forwards. Spurgeon's always been a puck-mover, but his offensive toolkit is more about making smart plays than dancing through traffic and dazzling with his puck skills. The hands and feet may go eventually -- that moment comes for all players -- but someone who relies on their brain to excel is a better bet to age gracefully. Having an extra $7.575 million to play with this summer might be tempting for Minnesota, but investing that money in Spurgeon, who's bankable for three points in the standings, is a strong use of that cap space. Even if Jiricek is ready next year, we've seen the insane workload Faber has had to take on, and how it's grinded him down in each of the last two seasons. Keeping both Spurgeon and Jiricek in-house to hedge against Faber having to take on 25-plus minutes a night feels like a wise plan. Someday, we'll wake up and witness a version of Spurgeon that can no longer help the Wild. It's inevitable. However, that moment isn't here and will not likely arrive soon. Spurgeon still has much more to give, and it'd be a shame to see him helping another team make the playoffs next season.

When we think of the face of the league, Alex Ovechkin, Sidney Crosby, or Connor McDavid come to mind. All talented players who have been integral players on the same team since their rookie year. However, most NHL careers are not this steady or consistent. Vinnie Hinostroza is an example of a talented player who is still trying to find the right fit. The Chicago Blackhawks took Hinostroza 169th overall in the 2012 draft. He made his NHL debut in 2015-16 and played 3 seasons in Chicago. Chicago traded him to the Arizona Coyotes, and he had a brief stint with the Florida Panthers before they traded him back to Chicago. Hinostroza signed with the Buffalo Sabres, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Nashville Predators before the Minnesota Wild claimed him off waivers on February 5. The Predators signed Hinostroza but assigned him to their AHL affiliate in Milwaukee. However, Nashville called him up on December 29, 2024. Hinostroza was the AHL’s leading scorer then, with 11 goals and 33 points. Unfortunately, this success did not translate to Nashville. Hinostroza had 0 goals and 2 assists in 13 games and averaged 11:32 minutes per game. Minnesota added him to the lineup for their February 6 game against the Carolina Hurricanes. He got a practice and a pregame skate with his new team but immediately produced with the Wild. Hinostroza scored at the start of the 3rd period with Minnesota, breaking both his 26-game goal drought and the Wild’s 2-game goal drought. At 5-foot-10, 183 lbs., Hinostroza isn’t a large player but uses his size to his advantage. For his goal with the Wild, he gets around Carolina center Jordan Staal and tucks under him to bat the puck in. In 17 games with the Wild, Hinostroza averages 14:31 TOI and has 4 goals and 2 assists. Why has he been so productive with the Wild? Hinostroza is only playing three more minutes per night, but he’s playing with a better team. The Wild rank 7th in the Western Conference, while the Predators are in 14th. Hinostroza doesn’t have highlight reel plays, but he scores greasy goals. Maybe his style didn’t work as well in Nashville, or he’s motivated to prove himself in Minnesota. Regardless, his goals and assists come from hustling to the puck, getting his body in front of opponents, or muscling his way to the front of the net. That playstyle is especially important in playoffs, where a last-ditch effort to cram a puck into the net often decides the game, rather than fancy, multi-pass, top-corner shots. Hinostroza’s goal against the Seattle Kraken on March 4 is a microcosm of Hinostroza’s playstyle. Hinostroza pushes to the front of the net, shaking off the Kraken defender. Mats Zuccarello takes a shot on net, and Hinostroza can deflect it in because he’s in the right spot. Most of his points for the Wild look similar. He digs in close to the net to bat in any loose pucks rather than staying wide for a one-timer. Team chemistry has also boosted Hinostroza’s production. Ryan Hartman and Hinostroza grew up in Chicago and met playing for the Chicago Mission, an AAA youth team. They later reunited while playing for the Rockford IceHogs, the Blackhawks AHL affiliate. The pair aren’t just former teammates but close friends: Hinostroza was also a part of Hartman’s wedding party. Since the end of Hartman’s suspension, the Wild have paired the Chicagoland forwards to great effect. Hinostroza has already been much more successful than he was in Nashville, and Hartman has 6 points in 10 games, compared to 17 in his previous 48 games this season. Strong players know their linemates well and can predict where they will be, allowing them to constantly be in the right place at the right time. The way this pair moves in sync reflects their history of playing together. Hinostroza got the second assist on Hartman’s goal against the Kraken last Wednesday. He picked up the loose puck along the boards and held onto it, drawing the Kraken up high in the zone. Hinostroza waited until Zach Bogosian crossed the blueline before passing to him. He had other passing options but had the patience to take an extra moment and wait for Bogosian, who was coming from an undefended angle. Bogosian then passed to Hartman, who took the lane that Hinostroza opened up and scored. Hinostroza’s assist against Buffalo on Saturday is also an example of his hustle and use of body making the play. Hinostroza raced to catch up with Sabres defenseman Owen Rogers, muscled in front, and beat him to the puck. He took a quick look up and nudged it back to Yakov Trenin. Trenin then passed it out front to Marco Rossi, who scored. The Chicago native is not afraid to battle it out in the corner, and his size allows him to be physical without drawing a lot of penalties. He also has good patience with the puck and can make smart decisions and clean passes under pressure. Hinostroza has struggled to find a long-term home in the NHL but has good chemistry with the Wild. He took a long and winding road. But Hinostroza may have found a place he can call home.

Even after dropping two straight games on back-to-back nights by a combined score of 8-1, the Minnesota Wild are still a relative lock to make it into the playoffs. As of Wednesday, Evolving-Hockey has their playoff odds at 90.4%. Barring a total collapse, the only question left is who they'll play -- more specifically, where they'll play. As a (likely) Wild Card team, they'll get put in either the Central Division or Pacific Division playoff bracket. Interestingly, Minnesota hasn't been a Wild Card since the 2015-16 season and has never jumped into the Pacific Division side, which has generally been much less of a meat grinder than the Central. Once again, the Central Division path looks like a gauntlet. The Winnipeg Jets have been hot almost the entire season, with Connor Hellebuyck playing like a runaway Vezina Trophy winner and someone who should lift the Hart. The Dallas Stars were already intimidating, then loaded up with Mikko Rantanen at the deadline. Meanwhile, the Colorado Avalanche lost Rantanen and have a 15-6-1 record since making the deal. The Pacific Division doesn't look like a cakewalk. The Edmonton Oilers made the Cup Final last year, and the Vegas Golden Knights are two years removed from winning it all. Still, if you had to pick your poison, a team would generally prefer the Pacific. Edmonton's got their vulnerabilities, and the Los Angeles Kings haven't proved they're a "playoff-style" team in their current configuration. However, it's hard for someone to watch the Wild these last two nights and come away thinking there's an ideal first-round matchup anywhere. Maybe that's not fair. The team is missing Kirill Kaprizov and Joel Eriksson Ek, (arguably) their two most important players. They didn't have Jonas Brodin in the lineup Monday night against Dallas but kept things fairly even in scoring chances. While the Wild laid an egg on Tuesday against Vegas, that was on the second half of a back-to-back with travel. All this is true. It might sound doomer-ish, but it's also difficult to come away from these last two games and think that either playoff bracket could yield a good result for Minnesota. The Wild threw their best punch at the Stars for 59 minutes without Kaprizov and Eriksson Ek. The result was zero goals for Minnesota. Meanwhile, all Dallas needed to do was score twice in a minute to build an insurmountable lead. If you're a Wild fan, maybe you can take some comfort in that Minnesota cut Vegas' lead to 2-1 in the third period and even lit the lamp to tie the game before waiving off Marco Rossi's goal due to playing with a high stick. But don't fool yourselves. When Brett Howden scored to lift the Golden Knights to a 2-0 lead, they had a 13-to-5 shot advantage over Minnesota. After surviving the Wild's "charge" back in the third period, they needed only 13 seconds following a Ryan Hartman penalty to put the game completely out of reach. Minnesota's on red alert with the St. Louis Blues on the Wild's heels to pass them up in the standings. "Everything can happen in the playoffs, but first we gotta worry about getting there," Mats Zuccarello told the media postgame. It's true in the abstract, but St. Louis isn't their problem. All the Blues can do is pass Minnesota up for the first Wild Card spot and bump them into second place. The objects in the rearview mirror are the Vancouver Canucks (six points back of Minnesota with a game in hand) and Calgary Flames (seven points back, two games in hand). And the fact is, both teams are nearly out of runway for their playoff hopes to take off. The Wild have 10 games left and realistically only need seven or eight points to clinch a spot. A 3-6-1 record probably does the trick. The bigger worry is the sheer talent gap between the Wild, as currently assembled, and the top teams. St. Louis passing Minnesota in the standings would leave the Wild to (likely) face the Winnipeg Jets in the first round. Minnesota's 0-7-1 against the Jets since April 2023, being out-scored 32-to-13. It's hard to feel good about that matchup. But what's the difference between the Jets and the Knights? Vegas has also had Minnesota's number over these past three years. The Wild are 1-6-2 against the Golden Knights, who have out-scored Minnesota 36-17. If history is destiny, then we're only talking about the difference between a four- and five-game series. It's too hard to ignore how Minnesota didn't have an answer for Vegas' top players. Even more than the impact on the scoresheet by Jack Eichel (who had a hat trick) and Mark Stone (two assists), there's the fact that they weren't even going all-out, at least from a minutes perspective. In a do-or-die situation, Vegas isn't limiting those two all-star forwards to under 17 minutes per night. But that was all they needed to thoroughly handle Minnesota on Tuesday. Of course, they play the games for a reason, and you only need to look at the Wild's last two playoff series wins to see why. In the 2014 and 2015 playoffs, Minnesota knocked off two teams that won the Central Division. Few expected much from the Wild in either season, but they surprised two top teams in consecutive years. If Kaprizov and Eriksson Ek can hit the ground running and stay healthy enough to give Minnesota a great seven games, it could happen against Winnipeg, Vegas, Dallas, Colorado, whoever. At the same time, those upsets were a decade ago, their star forwards' health is far from a guarantee, and the Wild are dealing with salary cap limitations caused by their stars from 2014 and 15. Anything can happen, but a playoff series win for Minnesota feels like a tall, tall order after getting served a reality check in these past two games.

Ryan Hartman’s career with the Minnesota Wild has been filled with bittersweet moments, ranging from scoring game-winning goals to pushing Tim Stützle’s head into the ice. Sometimes, the range of emotions caused by having a player like Hartman doesn’t seem worth the risk. From the couch, it’s easy to point blame at any individual player, and if you’re anything like me, that blame often shifts weekly. However, it’s essential to remember how challenging Hartman’s role is to fill, especially with the Wild’s stars on injured reserve. Hartman knows his job is to spark energy on the bench by scoring a goal, getting in a fight, or laying a big hit. That’s a big ask for a player who hasn’t shown the talent or discipline to be a consistent contributor throughout his career. Still, the Wild extended Hartman last summer but failed to sign him to a contract that reflects his actual value. In 2023, the Wild signed Hartman to a three-year contract and a $4 million annual cap hit, but he has only caused more trouble than good since signing. Hartman has the third-largest cap hit out of Minnesota’s rostered forwards but is only ninth in scoring. He hasn’t been playing well compared to past seasons with Minnesota. Since Hartman scored 65 points three seasons ago, the Wild have taken him off the first line, and he has failed to reach 50 points since. Without consistent scoring and having just served an eight-game suspension, it becomes harder to see the value of Hartman’s extension. Still, there is a redeeming side to having a hard-nosed forward who can swing the momentum of the game instantly. There is something inherently exciting about watching Hartman play, which is why it’s hard to decide where I stand on the 30-year-old forward. The Good There is nothing like watching a player breathe life into your team. Since signing with the Wild in 2019, Hartman has been that guy. Hartman's goal in their home game against the New Jersey Devils was a perfect example of what he can bring. Down 3-1 to New Jersey in the third, who else but Ryan Hartman brought the game back within one? Matt Boldy went to the penalty box, and New Jersey immediately scored two goals, which diminished this. Still, it’s precisely what Hartman has offered the team since the Wild signed him in 2019. Hartman has also managed to contribute offensively since returning from his suspension. At a time when the Wild are struggling to find offense, Hartman has scored four goals and seven points in the 13 games since his return. He’s starting to look like a $4 million player and the glue guy he was before the suspension. Hartman’s numbers haven’t been inherently impressive, but he is scoring more than he did during the suspension. This year, Hartman only has 11 goals and 24 points, a third of that after his suspension. Whether you think he’s scoring enough, Hartman’s uptick in offense is nice. With Kirill Kaprizov and Joel Eriksson Ek returning soon, Hartman will have more opportunities to find the back of the net. The Bad Although Hartman has found ways to score, he has been far from consistent. With Hartman’s goal against the Devils, he ended a four-game pointless streak. I like to believe that you are only as good as your last goal, but Hartman’s inconsistency has been a major headline since his breakout season in 2021-22, where he scored 65 points. For example, Hartman has had some long scoreless streaks this season. With eight games left in the season, Hartman went scoreless from January 18 to March 7, spanning 10 games. Even worse, he didn’t score in 18 games from November 23 to December 29. It’s important to remember that much of Hartman’s scoring troubles were when the team was winning consistently. Hartman needs to change the narrative around his career quickly. The Wild must consider alternative options if he can’t start scoring consistently. The NHL is not as black and white as scoring your way out of trouble. Of course, a forward's defensive ability is essential, but in Hartman’s case, it becomes harder to justify playing him when the team needs him to stay on the ice and out of the box. His lack of discipline and streaky scoring have resulted in just over 15 minutes on ice a night. John Hynes will likely continue to limit Hartman’s playtime without changing his playstyle. The Ugly Hartman has had some unflattering moments in Minnesota. However, he has started to become downright embarrassing. Since 2023, Hartman has received four suspensions, making him a repeat offender in the NHL. It’s not great to have a bad reputation in general. However, to have such a bad reputation to receive the longest suspension in franchise history is almost unconscionable. I never want to see a player struggle, but fans can no longer defend a player who has so much controversy following them. From giving the middle finger on live television to recent accusations of slew-footing in the recent Vegas Golden Knights game, there is no shortage of dangerous things Hartman has done on the ice. After his last suspension, one of the biggest questions was whether Hartman would adjust his game. It may be too early, but I don’t think he has. I always give the players the benefit of the doubt because I have no idea what they’re going through. Still, unless Hartman can stay out of the box, having him on the team has become an expensive liability. Time will tell if Hartman can turn things around, and he will have plenty of chances to prove himself when Kaprizov returns. But as the season comes to a close, every player needs to stay focused. The Wild’s spot in the playoffs is still not guaranteed, so every point still matters. Now is the time for every Wild forward to step up.

The Minnesota Wild made an unprecedented move last Friday when they deployed a five-forward powerplay unit for the first time. The Wild are the most recent team to try out the tactic, the newest innovation in the ever-evolving strategy of power play hockey. For most of the NHL’s history, power plays functioned with two defenders like they do at even strength. When the Vancouver Canucks led the league in power play percentage in 2010-2011, their top unit consisted of Alex Edler and Christian Ehrhoff leading the extra-attacker unit. Fifteen years later, almost every team in the league employs a four-forwards and one-defenseman setup. The change could come at the perfect time for the Wild, who badly need a boost for their offense and special teams. The Five-Forward Powerplay Revolution While the four-forward setup has been standard for some time, teams have recently continued to push towards an even more all-out attack approach, with forwards filling all five power play positions. The Florida Panthers and Montreal Canadiens tried it with varying degrees of success in 2022. At one point in the 2021-22 season, Florida had amassed 28:53 of five-forward power play time, scoring six goals and conceding one short-handed goal. The Canadiens ran their unit for 13:11 and had one goal for and against. Since then, more teams have tinkered with the idea; this year's Toronto Maple Leafs is the most recent team to do so with consistency. The Leafs have gone more in on this idea than any team, deploying their unit of Mitch Marner, Auston Matthews, William Nylander, Matthew Knies, and John Tavares for 74:24 of total ice time this season. That unit faced some struggles early in the season, but in recent weeks, it has exploded. Since the trade deadline, Toronto’s top power play unit has been the most efficient in the NHL, scoring 8.5 goals per 20 minutes. In total, that Leafs unit has scored 18 goals this season while conceding two goals against. Toronto's consistent success with its five-forward power play has proven that the strategy can be viable for teams with the right personnel and need for innovation on their power play. Special Teams In Need Of Change If any team needs to change their fortunes on special teams, it's the Minnesota Wild. Whenever Minnesota is in a rut, their horrible injury luck is the most common factor discussed. While the Wild's injuries hamper the team, their special teams are also a massive culprit in their struggles. Even with the Wild's special teams playing better recently, Minnesota still ranks second-to-last in the league with a 71.4% penalty kill. The power play is slightly better but still below the league average at 20.4%, good for 21st in the league. With the need for change, the Wild are turning to the five-forward power play system. Starting in their game against the Washington Capitals on March 27, Minnesota added a new wrinkle to their power play with a top unit that deploys Frederick Gaudreau, Marco Rossi, Mats Zuccarello, Marcus Johansson, and Matt Boldy, who moved from his previous spot on the wing to operating the point. The change to the unit paid immediate dividends, with a goal at a crucial moment in the game. Down 2-1, Gaudreau scored a goal, deflecting Boldy’s point shot. Minnesota won the game against one of the NHL's top teams 4-2, and that goal was a turning point. With the five-forward power play unit scoring in their first game, John Hynes spoke about the need to shake things up for the Wild, who have struggled on special teams. "The power play's been struggling a little bit. I think just having a left shot up there, it is a big difference [in] the way that we run it. It basically runs a lot off Zuccy's side," Hynes said. "I think Boldy's a very good shooter, so put him in some positions. Try and put your best shooter in positions to be able to shoot on the power play." Five-Forward Powerplay Is An Opportunity For Matthew Boldy Hynes singling out Boldy is appropriate because this new strategy is a massive opportunity for the forward. Boldy’s season has been marred by inconsistency after Bill Guerin proclaimed he would someday score 50 goals and 50 assists in the same season. Make no mistake: With 62 points in 74 games, Boldy is a productive player. Still, he hasn't quite made the jump people expected. Moving Boldy from the wing to the point on the powerplay allows him to add a new aspect to his game that seems perfect for him. A few key attributes are needed to succeed as a forward operating the point on a five-forward power play. To see this in action, one must look no further than the previously mentioned Maple Leafs. The Leafs have had great success with their new power play system, and one of the main cogs is Mitch Marner's play. Marner is a playmaking winger who excels in a perimeter-based offensive game that allows him to use his creativity and vision to generate scoring chances. He also has an underrated shot when he wants to use it and is a solid defensive forward. He's the perfect player to run the point because it mitigates the risk of having a defensive shortage with no defenders on the ice. Boldy possesses a similar skill set. He's a great skater, solid defensively, has excellent vision, and a great shot. Having him run the point opens up a new set of options for the Wild power play because there are limited defensive options. Boldly can punish opposing teams with his playmaking and his shot ability. Opponents can't commit too many resources to defend him on the penalty kill, or it leaves teammates open. After the game against the Capitals, John Hynes spoke about the options Boldy opens up when handling the point. "You got Boldy up top, lefty, who's a shooter. He can one-time it, he can shoot like he shot it today (against the Capitals). And then you got Johansson over on the one-timer, and you have a lefty-righty combo at the net front and right in the slot," Hynes said. "So just a little bit of a different look but more of something that we felt would probably be more ideal." The Wild's new power play unit, with Boldy leading it, has seen positive results, albeit in a limited sample size. The five forwards have played together on the power play for just 3:52. They've already scored a goal while logging a 108.15 Corsi-for per 60. The unit is still in its infancy, but it has the makings of a promising experiment. It will be interesting to see the rest of this season if the Wild continue trying out the five-forward power play. The special teams need a boost, and it uses Matt Boldy's unique attributes as a player.