By Tom Schreier -
The Minnesota Wild ran a “Grit First.” promotional video before last year’s playoff series against the Dallas Stars. “I want our team,” Bill Guerin said in the opening seconds, “to be able to play their best game in the most hostile environment.” There were shots of players working out and Xcel Energy on a chilly morning with a dramatic musical backdrop. Playoff hockey doesn’t need hype, but the marketing team did everything possible to ramp up the drama.
Filip Gustavsson made 51 saves in Game 1, and the Wild stole a 3-2 double-overtime victory in Dallas. Dean Evason perplexingly turned to Marc-Andre Fleury for Game 2, and the Stars won 7-3 despite only outshooting Minnesota 31 to 26. The Wild outhit Dallas 45-22, but they also racked up 52 penalty minutes. Evason accused the Stars of diving. “There’s a hockey term for that,” DeBoer responded. “It’s called deflection. You know what, if I were coaching one of the most penalized teams in the league, I’d probably be doing the same thing. That’s good coaching.”
DeBoer outcoached Evason in the playoffs again last year, just as he did with the Vegas Golden Knights in 2021. Minnesota’s “grit” really was just code for reckless play. They bought into their marketing campaign too much. The Wild won Game 3 at home, but Dallas beat them by a combined 11-3 score in the final three games. Minnesota failed to reach the second round for the seventh straight season.
In a press conference after the season had ended, Guerin felt it was unfair that a reporter brought up Minnesota’s first-round woes. He highlighted that the Wild have “one hand tied behind their back” because he bought Zach Parise and Ryan Suter out and incurred dead cap space. But Guerin dismissed Evason after Minnesota started 5-10-4 to start the season. DeBoer handed the Wild their worst loss during the seven-game losing streak that ended Evason’s five-year run, an 8-3 blowout before Minnesota went on their Sweden trip.
Minnesota had an opportunity to redeem themselves against the Stars this week. But they routed Jesper Wallstedt and the Wild in his debut, 7-2, and rookie goalie Matt Murray shut them out, 4-0, on Monday. Minnesota has lost six of their past six games. “We gotta learn to play in these tight games,” three-time Stanley Cup champion Pat Maroon said after Monday's game, “and learn to shut teams down when it’s a 1-0 hockey game and try to get one there.”
The Wild started 11-3-0 under John Hynes, but injuries have hampered them recently. Kirill Kaprizov, Jared Spurgeon, Jonas Brodin, and Gustavsson are out. For those keeping score at home, that’s Minnesota’s best player, top defensive pair, and starting goalie. Therefore, Maroon’s sentiment is fair at this moment. They were fortunate to come back and win in Columbus on Saturday. But they will need to take any wins they can get until their stars come back.
Let’s not confuse effort and grit, though. The Wild should always give maximum effort, especially in the playoffs. But grit is a marketing slogan that turned into detrimental play. It’s something that undertalented teams that sneak into the playoffs rely on to pull off an improbable run. When fully healthy, Minnesota has a generational talent in Kaprizov and a No. 1 center in Marco Rossi. Spurgeon and Brodin are elite defensemen, and Brock Faber is one of the most impressive young blueliners in the league. Gustavsson is a solid young goalie, and they just called up their top goaltending prospect.
The Wild will struggle to build a contender with their limited cap space. As strange as it is that the NHL punished Minnesota’s ownership for spending on their roster, Guerin knew the league’s rules when he bought Parise and Suter out. He played both sides in his infamous press conference last year. Guerin mentioned, unsolicited, that the limited cap space hampered Minnesota’s roster, then quickly said it wasn’t an excuse. This year, he said he’s never seen the number of injuries the Wild have endured.
Both sentiments are fair, and they’re also related. The Wild haven’t been able to build a team talented enough to go on a playoff run because of limited cap space. They also haven’t been able to add depth to cover for their stars. Few teams could endure the injuries Minnesota has and win. Still, if those injuries linger and they continue to lose, they can use a high draft pick to add another talented, young, and cost-controlled start to the mix.
Guerin decided to buy Parise and Suter out and go all-in, knowing the cap restraints. There’s no turning back now. He has his star player, top goalie prospect, a No. 1 center, and a minutes-eating young defenseman. He’s also locked multiple veterans into long-term deals. The next step this group needs to do once it gets healthy is to drop grit from their vocabulary and establish an identity built around skill and scoring.
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