By Tony Abbott -
The Minnesota Wild had the ultimate weapon last season: A top line capable of buzzsawing through any team. When Kirill Kaprizov joined forces with Joel Eriksson Ek and Matt Boldy, the trio out-scored opponents 30-18 over 374 5-on-5 minutes. It was an incredible run of dominance, and there's room for that line to get even better.
That is, if Minnesota can afford that luxury in the future. There was a reason Dean Evason liked to keep Kaprizov, Eriksson Ek, and Boldy on different lines, after all. Minnesota's top line was +12 in 374 5-on-5 minutes. But the 3,500 minutes or so where the Wild didn't load up their top line? Well, they were a -17, and that was with having one or two of those three stars on the ice together for much of that time.
You can make a compelling argument that the key to fixing Minnesota's secondary scoring woes is spreading the wealth. That might be what John Hynes is forced to do next season, but that shouldn't be Plan A. The Wild should be going through this summer in a way where they can have it all -- a dominant, loaded top line and a decent second-scoring punch.
The 374 5-on-5 minutes that Kaprizov, Eriksson Ek, and Boldy skated together weren't the problem. It's fixing the other 3,500 minutes. Let's say everyone is healthy enough for Minnesota to have that line log the fifth-most 5-on-5 ice time of any trio in the league. We'd be talking about 700 minutes of time on ice, which brings down our number of minutes to fix to "only" around 3,200.
No sweat.
The Wild already have two-thirds of what should be a solid second line in Marco Rossi and Mats Zuccarello. As a duo, they out-scored their opponents 24-22 and controlled 54.6% of the expected goal share in 588 minutes together. The problem was that there was this duo with Kaprizov and then them without Minnesota's Russian superstar.
With Kaprizov, Rossi and Zuccarello held a 19-13 advantage over opponents in 314 5-on-5 minutes. Do the math, and that's an absurdly low five goals scored to nine allowed over the remaining 274.
It might seem like the trio is nothing without Kaprizov. But looking at their linemates, Rossi and Zuccarello's teammates failed them instead of the other way around. Marcus Johansson took 148 minutes on this line (they were out-scored 2-7), and Ryan Hartman had 65 minutes there (out-scored opponents 2-1). With the right support, they can shine. It's just that that support can't come from Kaprizov or Boldy.
Fortunately, the Wild have options to fill in that second line, including on the free agent market. Michael Russo and Joe Smith of The Athletic have pegged David Perron as a likely target for Minnesota to address their secondary scoring. Ideally, Rossi and Zuccarello might be better suited for a player who's more of a volume shooter, but Perron has averaged 12 5-on-5 goals per 82 games over the past five years, which would be an upgrade over Johansson.
But free agency isn't the only opportunity Minnesota has to address its secondary scoring. Its ballyhooed forward prospects might also be ready to contribute next season. Riley Heidt is expected to be given a chance out of training camp, and the Wild can give him nine games to see what he can do with a top-six role without burning a year on his entry-level contract.
Heidt popped off in the WHL last season with 37 goals and 117 points in 66 games for the Prince George Cougars. He might not be the perfect fit with Rossi and Zuccarello. Heidt is also considered a playmaker. However, if he makes the team, it can still open up options for Minnesota. Either they can try to make that trio work with Heidt on the wing, or Heidt can slide into the center spot between Zuccarello and Free Agent X. That would put a 20-goal-scoring center in Rossi on their third line.
Liam Öhgren could also fill that second-line wing spot. The physical, skilled winger made his NHL debut late last year, where he scored his first NHL goal. Öhgren also had an abbreviated but strong year in Sweden's top league, scoring 12 goals in 26 games and driving possession to an absurd degree from a 19-year-old. And you know he'll be in shape, ready to compete for a roster spot in training camp. Hynes told Russo in April that Öhgren was "jacked."
That's three second-line candidates that Minnesota didn't have last year. And the good thing about having a surplus of second-line candidates is that they could easily be good third-liners. Heidt being an NHL-ready center is certainly a big "if," but if he is, that's a huge X-factor for the Wild's top-nine. It's maybe too early to make a lineup card, but let's game this out, assuming Smith and Russo are dead-on about Perron.
Kaprizov - Eriksson Ek - Boldy
Perron - Heidt - Zuccarello
Marcus Foligno - Rossi - Öhgren
On paper, you can see how that would go a long way toward fixing the 3,200 minutes the Wild aren't playing their top line. Heidt can play to his strengths, setting up Perron and Zuccarello, crafty veterans who can get to the right spots to score. Perron and Zuccarello can also be experienced veterans who help Heidt learn on the fly.
On the third line, two-way center Rossi can anchor a third line with Foligno and Öhgren. Foligno and Öhgren can forecheck like a mini-GREEF line, and Rossi and Foligno can crash the net to create space for Öhgren to lurk in the slot. That formula worked with Eriksson Ek, and Rossi has a lot of Eriksson Ek to his game.
Is that a perfect top-nine? Of course not. Heidt might not be ready, necessitating Hartman or rookie Marat Khusnutdinov to step into one of those middle-six center spots. Perron, Zuccarello, or Foligno -- who will be 36, 37, and 33, respectively, at the start of the season -- could find Father Time catching up to them. It could take time for Öhgren's offense to translate to the NHL, even if he's ready for a regular role.
Still, that's a much better spot than Minnesota was in last season, relying on Rossi, Zuccarello, and Hartman to carry a middle-six that often included underperforming players like Johansson and Freddy Gaudreau in crucial offensive roles. This is a group that, especially with Hartman and Khusnutdinov in line as the next men up, can break even when the top line is off the ice.
And if the depth can hold opponents to a tie, Kaprizov and Co. can do the rest. Heck, the rest of the team put them in a minus-17 hole at 5-on-5, and their top line still almost dragged them to the playoffs. Giving their ultimate weapon at least a semblance of a legit supporting cast could let their star-studded line carry Minnesota back to the postseason next year.
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