By Luke Sims -
The Minnesota Wild have had awful injury luck, with over half a dozen core players missing time. The bubonic plague has struck this team. Only two players have played in every game for the Wild: Matt Boldy and Freddy Gaudreau.
Team pillars Kirill Kaprizov, Joel Eriksson Ek, Jared Spurgeon, Jonas Brodin, Marcus Foligno, Jake Middleton, and Brock Faber have missed time. Kaprizov remains out with an unknown timetable.
Bill Guerin said he believes that all of these guys will be back for the playoffs, and the team will be fully healthy going into the playoffs.
Whether that happens remains to be seen. Still, what would a fully healthy Wild lineup look like?
At full health, the Wild led the NHL in points in January, and Kaprizov was playing like an MVP. However, injuries and inconsistent play have dropped the team into the first wild-card spot in the Western Conference. Minnesota can stay afloat until the playoffs start. However, as it stands, this team would face an early exit in the opening round.
The Wild made two additions at the trade deadline and lost two significant players. They sent Marat Khusnutdinov and Jakub Lauko to the Boston Bruins. The Wild brought in big winger Justin Brazeau and old friend Gustav Nyquist to add depth.
Both players have playoff experience, and Brazeau brings the size and strength that teams often rely on in the postseason. Nyquist has 30 points in 77 playoff games. He has playoff experience with three different teams.
The Wild also added Vinnie Hinostroza via waivers. Ryan Hartman’s childhood friend has had a respectable six points in 16 games. The former sixth-rounder has carved out a nice role in the Wild’s bottom six and should be a key depth piece in the playoffs as a responsible two-way forward with some punch.
In net, Filip Gustavsson has been one of the best goaltenders on the planet over the past month, regaining his early season form. He recently held a shutout streak over five periods in last week's games against the Seattle Kraken and Buffalo Sabres.
The Wild have seen Gus stand on his head in multiple playoff series. Remember Game 1 in Dallas two years ago? Gustavsson was outstanding in Minnesota’s double-overtime win. However, the Wild have seen Gus at his lowest at the midpoint of this season and for most of last season. Nobody knows how Gustavsson will play in the playoffs, but it looks like he’ll be at his best when the games matter the most.
Assuming the hockey gods allow everyone to come back healthy, here is what Minnesota’s first-round lineup could look like:
- Kaprizov - Eriksson Ek - Boldy
- Mats Zuccarello - Marco Rossi - Nyquist
- Marcus Foligno - Hartman - Marcus Johansson/Hinostroza
- Yakov Trenin - Gaudreau - Brazeau
- Devin Shore/Brendan Gaunce
The added depth and Rossi’s emergence allow the Wild to load up the top line without losing depth scoring. Nyquist and Zuccarello have extensive playoff experience and will be able to support Rossi on the second line.
Minnesota’s bottom six is tough to figure out because it wants the size that Foligno, Trenin, and Brazeau offer but also needs the centers in Hartman and Gaudreau. Neither one has been playing a fourth-line role, but that’s how things shake out. I thought keeping the two childhood friends together in Hartman and Hinostroza would foster chemistry.
Potentially a late-season Liam Ohgren addition, but history suggests he’ll be watching from home.
On the defensive side of the puck:
- Middleton - Faber
- Spurgeon - Brodin
- Zeev Buium - Zach Bogosian
The top four is as good as it gets. There’s not a team in the league that can say they are clearly better than that group. The curious decision comes with the bottom pair. I imagine the Wild will want to keep Bogosian’s physicality in the lineup.
Jon Merrill hasn’t been too bad this season. However, the Wild would love to have Buium’s puck-moving ability on the powerplay and the breakout, similar to how Faber came in as a rookie two years ago. Expect Buium to have a similar impact.
The Wild have not shown trust in Declan Chisholm at all this year, and I doubt he will draw in the playoffs unless injuries rear their head again.
In net:
- Gustavsson.
Simple. Keed the hot hand rolling.
This team has stayed afloat amid all the injuries, and we’ve seen what the forward core can do when it is fully healthy. Minnesota's most likely draw is the Vegas Golden Knights, Dallas Stars, or Colorado Avalanche – all familiar foes.
Competing with Colorado’s star power is hard, and Dallas’ forward core with Mikko Rantanen is unfair. Still, on paper, I like the Wild’s chances in the playoffs against Colorado or Vegas.
Guerin has made this team more playoff-ready. Now it’s time to find out how far they’ll go.
All stats and data via HockeyDB, Cap Wages, and Evolving Hockey unless otherwise noted.
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