Minnesota Wild 2012 Season Grades: The Forwards

The forwards on this particular Wild team were supposed to be much improved on all four lines. Then injuries started taking them down one player at a time, and all of the added talent went out the window. In came the AHL guys, the has beens, and the never weres, and the goal scoring became a pipe dream. The shooter's mentality never gelled, and the pucks just did not end up in the back of the net.

Shots directed at the net, quality of competition... none of it mattered. The forwards couldn't score, and that's the only thing that matters at all.

Nathan- NHL low in shots, goals, and a piss-poor goal differential. All they had to do was fall back to an average season and we're looking at a 6-8 seed. Instead ....

Grade: F

Bryan- To be honest, C level work would likely have been good enough to make the playoffs. The forwards as a group were, in a word, terrible. Afraid to shoot, afraid to fail, afraid to get hurt... afraid. NHL hockey doesn't allow for fear, and the forwards need to get that. A few guys put it all on the line every night, but not nearly enough of them. The injuries sucked, but you know what? So did the guys that played. Harsh? Yep. True? 2.02 goals per game, folks. That is suck defined.

Grade: F-

While it might seem unfair to fail the group of forwards because of the injuries, it's still reality. The guys who had to fill in were not NHL-caliber players. I get that. They still failed to score goals.

Grade: F