Fewer Minutes Have Meant More Productivity For Marcus Johansson

Marcus Johansson made headlines recently when he stated his desire to play for Team Sweden at the 2026 Olympic Games. 

Of course, most players have the ultimate goal of representing their country in best-on-best international competition. That isn't news. What made Johansson's bid for Team Sweden noteworthy is that it underscored a huge bounce-back season for the veteran forward.

Johansson's efforts to crack Sweden's initial roster ultimately came up short, but that doesn't mean he shouldn't be recognized for his work this season. 

He’s the kind of player who, rightfully, has received a lot of criticism for his streaky play during his Wild tenure. However, none of those issues have manifested this season. Instead, Johansson has been one of Minnesota's most valuable depth scorers.

In 44 games this season, Johansson has recorded 12 goals, a high mark for his time in Minnesota, and 20 assists for 30 points. The numbers speak for themselves, but they’re even more impressive given that the Wild haven’t given him substantial ice time. 

The forward is averaging 15:57 of time on ice per game, or just 26% share of possible ice time, the lowest number of his career since his rookie season. Less responsibility has paid dividends for Johansson. His 2.74 points per 60 minutes is the highest total of his career and places third on the team behind star players Matt Boldy and Kirill Kaprizov.

It's evident to anyone who watches the Wild that Johansson is having his best regular season since the Wild traded for him in 2022-23, but let's take a deeper dive into what's made him so successful in 2025-26.

Johansson is scoring more efficiently this year. He’s scoring on 18.2% of his shots after shooting below 10% in each of his previous two seasons. 

A high shooting percentage can sometimes indicate that a player is having some luck with the puck. However, in Johansson's case, it should be seen as a sign of efficiency. He's earned his shooting percentage through generating solid scoring chances. That improvement is evident in his shot selection this season compared to last year's.

(Source: NHL EDGE)

This season, roughly 67% of Johansson's shots on goal are coming from either high-danger or mid-range chances. Last season, that number was about 62%. An even starker contrast is how much less Johansson is deferring to long-range shots this year. Only 6% of his shots come from long range, compared to about 13% last year.

His shooting percentage is high, and it's likely to regress to the mean a bit. Still, it shouldn't fall drastically, given Johansson's efficiency this season.

Another impressive part of Johansson's game has been his ability to maintain his skating speed throughout his career. Speed has always been a part of Johansson's game. However, it'd be understandable to see that take a dip now that he's entering his late 30s.

That dip hasn't manifested yet, with NHL EDGE tracking Johansson in the 91st percentile league-wide with a max speed of 23.06 miles per hour. The top-end speed is impressive, but even more remarkable has been his ability to consistently reach high speeds. Johansson has reached 20 miles per hour or faster 110 times this season, one of the best marks in the league.

(Source: NHL EDGE)

Johansson playing a fast, direct, and highly efficient game is an obvious blueprint for success. It’s produced some incredible results this year, and that seems sustainable as long as he can continue using his speed to reach good scoring areas.

While Johansson has played well individually, he must find his role on the team. That’s another area where the Swede has excelled this season. He’s found great chemistry with Joel Eriksson Ek and Matt Boldy. 

The Johansson-Eriksson Ek-Boldy unit has played 256 minutes together this season, more than any other three-man unit for Minnesota. 

“Playing with those two is a lot of fun and easy for the most part, too,” Johansson recently said of the trio. “We’ve been clicking. I think we all like playing with each other, and we work hard. Just try and help each other out. I don’t think we make it too complicated most of the time. We work hard and try to do the right things, and, like I said, we help each other. We all want the puck and give each other outs, and that makes it easier as well. It’s fun when it’s working.”

The numbers back up the trio’s effectiveness. Boldy is having a career season, Eriksson Ek is steady as always, and the line has excelled offensively and defensively. 

Among Wild lines that have played more than 50 minutes together, Johansson’s line ranks second-highest in expected goals percentage (55%) and second-lowest in expected goals against per 60 minutes (2.13).

(Source: Moneypuck)

Of course, Johansson isn’t the straw that stirs the drink on that line. Boldy and Eriksson Ek are two of the Wild’s most vital talents. Still, Johansson is a great complement to the two stars, and it’s difficult to ask much more out of a 35-year-old who makes $800,000.

For a player who has often been defined by his inconsistency, this season represents a meaningful course correction for Johansson. He’s using the strengths of his game better than in the past few seasons to drive meaningful results for a team that often struggles to find scoring beyond its top talent. 

When the Wild re-signed Marcus Johansson over the summer, it was unlikely that most thought he’d play a vital role on the team. Yet, here Johansson is, playing a key role for a team that has become a contender.