By Justin Wiggins -
Buckle up, Wild fans. The next few weeks might be a roller coaster of reactions following every Minnesota Wild game.
Just over a week ago, the Wild’s march to the infirmary continued with the losses of top defenseman Jonas Brodin and No. 1 center Joel Eriksson Ek, where they joined the already injured Mats Zuccarello. Although they’ve found a way to secure points during this rough stretch, each is becoming increasingly difficult to earn.
Adding Jake Middleton to the injured list has turned what has long been a strength for the Wild into a glaring weakness.
During the first shift of Thursday’s games against the Edmonton Oilers, Evan Bouchard's shot from the point hit Middleton, breaking a finger on his right hand. Middleton has already undergone surgery on his hand and is expected to miss a few weeks.
Losing “Midstrom” is a tough blow, particularly with the breakout season their most physically imposing defenseman was having.
Suddenly, the Wild find themselves with a thin blue line. A defensive core that they have long leaned on as this team's strength will now be treading water for a few weeks. While it may seem easy for the defensemen to elevate their game, the forwards must carry the Wild through all three zones.
People hailed Bill Guerin's recent trade for David Jiricek as aggressive. While the trade's long-term outlook looks promising, its immediate impact looms large.
Brodin and Middleton are left-handed, and Daemon Hunt's departure hurts in the short term. Claiming Travis Dermott off waivers on Friday helps. Still, at some point, you can only plug so many holes in a sinking ship.
Last week, we discussed the importance of special teams to get through their injuries. But now it seems the Wild need to focus on more than just improving a struggling penalty kill. With a blue line as ice as thin as Mille Lacs Lake in late April, the Wild will need their forwards to adjust and step up their game to stave off the rest of the Central Division.
Much of the Wild’s success this season can be attributed to a defensive unit comprised of smooth-skating, puck-moving defensemen who allow them to spend less time defending in their own zone. Brodin, Middleton, Jared Spurgeon, and Brock Faber thrive at breaking up plays in their own zone and smoothly executing breakout passes up the ice.
Those four also average over 20 minutes of ice time per game, while the bottom pair of Zach Bogosian and Jon Merrill average under 15 minutes of ice time per game. In most games, the Wild can deploy a defensive core that excels at eliminating chances and generating clean breakouts, allowing their forwards to have a full head of steam into the offensive zone.
Although Brodin should return soon, the Wild will likely enter the weekend having to lean more heavily on the likes of Bogosian, Merrill, Dermott, and Declan Chisholm. Outside of Chisholm, the other three are likelier to chip pucks out of the defensive zone than carry it or create a good first pass in a clean break out.
Less clean breakouts typically lead to fewer rush chances the other way, something the Wild forwards prefer when generating offense. The team must adjust their playstyle to compensate for a less talented blue line.
It seems as though Minnesota's dump-and-chase days may need to return to the State of Hockey.
With fewer clean breakouts, Minnesota's forwards will likely have less speed through the neutral zone. Less speed allows opposing defensemen to maintain their gaps through the middle of the ice more effectively, resulting in less space. Kirill Kaprizov will likely be able to find the space to create in such tight quarters. However, the rest of the forward group must adjust their style in the short term.
The Matt Boldy’s, Marco Rossi’s, and Ryan Hartman’s of the world will find this reality more difficult. And success will be difficult to find if they don’t adjust and continue to attempt to skate through these tight areas of the ice.
It’s not as fun to watch as a fan or execute as a player, but their forwards will need to adopt the Jacques Lemaire mindset of the old Minnesota Wild days: Stay low in the defensive zone in support, chip pucks deep, and get to work in the offensive zone.
The Wild have not been a juggernaut offensively with their stable of quality defensemen in the lineup. However, their presence has allowed the forwards to scream out of the defensive zone for stretch passes up the ice. Bogosian, Merrill, and Dermott garnering more minutes will diminish those chances.
When they exit their zone, it will be difficult to generate speed through the middle of the ice with the puck on their sticks. Attempting to carry the puck across the opposing blue line each time will likely result in more turnovers in a prone area of the ice.
Expect the Wild forwards to spend more time dumping the puck into the offensive zone and chasing on the forecheck. It’s not a comfortable spot for most forwards; they prefer to carry on a clean entry to create offense. However, it’s the reality they find themselves in.
Minnesota's blue line has been eliminating chances for the opposing team. However, their true strength lies in their ability to create easy offense for the forwards.
With that easy button gone, it’s up to the forward group to pick up the slack. It’s not easy trying to generate offense with a grinding mindset, but it’s what the Wild must do to survive the injuries on their blue line.
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