By Phillip Garrett -
Since the Minnesota Wild traded for Marcus Johansson again in 2023, I have been optimistic about his potential. Even though Johansson has been in the league since 2010-11 (I was only seven when he entered), watching the 32-year-old winger score six goals and 18 points in 20 games caught my attention.
A year later, the Wild extended Johansson for two more years, and all the hype around him bringing offensive upside has subsided. Johansson finished that season with 11 goals and 30 points through 78 games.
Johansson will be an unrestricted free agent after this season. Does that mean his time in Minnesota is over?
Nobody expected Johansson to be a point-per-game player for the Wild, but there was a chance that his second stint with Minnesota could help his confidence. After he had a 58-point breakout season with the Washington Capitals in the 2016-17 season, Johansson has changed teams seven times throughout his career. Since scoring 58 points in 2016-17, Johansson has failed to score more than 30 points for a team – until this season.
Johansson has scored nine goals and 30 points with only six games left in the season. He’s on the cusp of scoring more points for the Wild than he ever has, and it will be the most he’s scored for a single team since 2016-17.
So, should the Wild extend him?
By the time you read this, the Wild will have already played the New York Islanders, giving Johansson his chance to break 30 points for the first time in almost a decade. Also, consider that Johansson is coming off a game where he scored a goal and three points against the New York Rangers. There’s a good chance we will see Johansson playing with confidence.
Therefore, the Wild may feel justified in extending him.
Breaking 30 points doesn’t make one a star. Still, it may be just what Johansson needed to prove he can still play a middle-six role. Johansson’s scoring has also come at an opportune time. The Wild have struggled to score goals all year, so they may seek offense from anywhere they can get it.
Johansson has scored four goals and 14 points in his last 19 games. Since late February, Johansson has played at almost a point a game. He isn’t scoring at the rate of Matt Boldy or Marco Rossi, but he is becoming an essential part of the offense. Johansson’s speed and playmaking ability are good enough to change the game's pace in a second.
He had one of the best (shorthanded) goals I’ve seen from the Wild this season midway through their last game against the Rangers. Retaining that kind of talent at a team-friendly cost may be worth it, even if Johansson only offers sporadic offense.
Johansson is in a contract year. While the Wild are far from guaranteed a playoff spot, if Johansson can prove reliable in the offseason, I would love to see him on the bench next year. However, the Wild lost five of their last six games. There’s a good chance they will miss the playoffs for the second year, and Johansson may want to finish his career with a bona fide contender.
The Wild are sitting in the second wild card spot in the West with 89 points in 76 games. The Calgary Flames are behind them with 84 points in 75 games. Right now, the Wild are trying to survive as long as possible until they can get Kirill Kaprizov and Joel Eriksson Ek back. That means other players must step up, and Johansson has done his part.
I don’t know what is going through Bill Guerin’s mind. However, Johansson has proven worthy of an extension, especially if he plays well at the end of the season.
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