Do the Wild Have Buyer's Remorse On Ryan Hartman?

In the days before the start of the 2023-24 season, Bill Guerin moved to lock up the Minnesota Wild's core. He didn't extend Kirill Kaprizov or make a trade to get him an elite linemate. Instead, he dished out long-term contracts to Marcus Foligno, Mats Zuccarello, and Ryan Hartman.

Foligno, Zuccarello, and Hartman aren’t the Wild's future as much as they are the present. Operating in a world where he’s still paying for buying out Zach Parise and Ryan Suter, Guerin was making a statement by giving these players significant extensions. It was almost like if the Wild were going to succeed, they would do it with these players.

Two years into the deals, the returns have been mixed. Zuccarello continues to be Kaprizov’s running mate on and off the ice, and Foligno is the physical presence who can get you 30 points in a good year.

However, of the three deals, the Wild may have buyer’s remorse on Hartman, whose leadership is valued but his play has become questionable.

We should start by saying Guerin wouldn’t last too long as a day trader. Most analysts tend to buy the dips. Still, he invests in the peaks, paying top dollar for players he probably could get for a lesser price. 

Guerin argues that if he let these players go, he would have to find another one either in free agency or at the lower levels of the organization. While Zuccarello adds a level of playmaking ability, Foligno could be considered replaceable if it weren’t for his leadership.

The Wild signed Hartman to a three-year, $12 million contract extension in October 2023 because of his leadership and production. However, the Wild laid the groundwork for an extension weeks before they hired Guerin as general manager.

The 30th overall pick in the 2013 NHL Draft, Hartman debuted as a 20-year-old, playing five games with the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2014-15 season. It took two more years for him to become a full-time NHL player, scoring 19 goals and recording 12 assists in 76 games for Chicago in 2016-17.

Hartman became a bottom-six fixture on the Blackhawks. Still, they traded him to the Nashville Predators at the 2018 trade deadline, triggering a string of transactions. Hartman played with the Predators for about a full calendar year before they traded him to the Philadelphia Flyers at the 2019 deadline.

After the season, Philadelphia traded him to the Dallas Stars, but Dallas didn't tender Hartman a qualifying offer. Paul Fenton was Nashville's assistant general manager when the team traded for Hartman. During his short tenure as Minnesota's GM, Fenton signed him up in free agency on a two-year deal. However, the Wild fired Fenton a month later and replaced him with Guerin.

Hartman had 42 points in 120 games during his first two seasons with the Wild. However, in 2021-22, he broke out with 34 goals and 65 points in 82 games.

While Hartman was thriving on the ice, he also established himself off it, becoming a fan favorite as an agitator. When Hartman was fined $4,250 for flipping off Evander Kane in April 2022, fans raised $30,000 to help him pay the fine, but he had them donate it to the Children’s Minnesota Hospital.

Even as Hartman’s production dropped to 37 points in 59 games during the 2022-23 season, his leadership made up for it, and the Wild rewarded him with his current deal.

However, whatever charm in Hartman’s game has worn off as soon as the ink dried on his signature.

Hartman put up a respectable 21 goals and 45 points during the 2023-24 season. Still, a string of questionable events on the ice tarnished his reputation. 

Hartman earned a two-game suspension for slew-footing Alex DeBrincat in November 2023. A few weeks later, Hartman allegedly told Cole Perfetti he was going to intentionally throw a high stick during a faceoff as retaliation for a hit that injured Kaprizov. (Hartman denied the allegations in an interview with Michael Russo a few days later.)

When the Wild dropped an overtime game to the Vegas Golden Knights later that year, Hartman snapped over a missed call. He threw his stick in an official's direction, earning a three-game suspension.

Hartman addressed the incident by admitting he was “over-the-top” frustrated and quickly went into leadership mode over the offseason. He told reporters that he would have loved playing against the Wild last year and took the “Choose Your Hard” motto to heart, running to Home Depot and creating the “HARD” chain the Wild use in postgame celebrations.

While Hartman's efforts had some value to the Wild’s hot start, he didn't drive winning with his play. Hartman had seven goals, 17 points, and a minus-8 rating through 48 games. The season reached its boiling point on Saturday when Hartman was given an attempt to injure penalty after driving Ottawa’s Tim Stützle to the ice at the end of the second period.

Hartman has an in-person hearing in the NHL later this week, and all signs point toward a lengthy suspension. His spot on the team isn’t in immediate danger. Still, Hartman has invited speculation over whether he will play the final two years of the deal or the Wild will trade him when his no-movement clause turns into a 15-team no-trade clause next summer.

Hartman’s presence has some value with the Wild. However, it’s fair to wonder if the risk Guerin took in September 2023 is still worth the reward.