By Aaron Heckmann -
The Minnesota Wild have faced plenty of adversity this season, with an injury-riddled first half like a year ago.
However, while injuries, firing Dean Evason, and missing the playoffs for the first time since 2018-19 defined last season, the Wild have been one of the league’s toughest matchups this season.
The Wild are second in the Central and fourth overall with a 26-11-4 record. Better yet, they have even found success in times of adversity.
There’s no better example of that than their current stretch.
Minnesota was 1-5-1 without Kirill Kaprizov last year, faltering without their best player. However, the Wild are 5-0-1 in Kaprizov's absence, proving they can win without him.
Entering their tilt with the Dallas Stars on Dec. 27, the Wild had suffered their first cold stretch of the season, losing five of their past seven. Nobody would have been surprised if that continued when the Wild announced Kaprizov would miss the game with an injury.
Instead, Minnesota beat the Stars on the road and have won four out of five since. The Wild also lost captain Jared Spurgeon to injury in their New Year’s Eve tilt with the Nashville Predators. They immediately responded with impressive road wins over the Washington Capitals and the Carolina Hurricanes and a come-from-behind win at home against the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday.
“It can go one of two ways when you hit adversity,” veteran defenseman Zach Bogosian said, "and we’re choosing to rise to the occasion."
In their latest stretch, the Wild beat top teams and secured wins without Kaprizov, Spurgeon, and other injured players, which speaks volumes and highlights their potential this season. Considering their injuries this season and a lack of scoring from the bottom of the lineup, the Wild have overcome the odds to be where they are right now.
Despite having only played two games with their full regular lineup, they have proven to be a difficult team to play against.
“The most impressive thing for me is that they’re able to still be good with some of the injuries they’ve had,” NHL Network analyst Mike Rupp told The Athletic. “They look a certain way all the time. They just have that ‘it’ factor.”
Losing Kaprizov could have been detrimental. However, it hasn’t and has reinforced that this Wild club may be different this season. That's hard to believe for an organization that still has $15 million in dead cap on the books.
In the first half of the season, especially this latest stretch without Kaprizov, the Wild continue to make a strong case to be active buyers at the March 7 trade deadline.
There is no better argument for that than beating good teams without some of your most important players in the lineup.
Considering how dry their forward depth has been, Minnesota's current stretch has especially highlighted their potential.
- Matt Boldy has only four goals in his past 21 games.
- Iowa callups Ben Jones and Devin Shore haven’t found the back of the net in 22 and 21 games, respectively.
- Rookie Marat Khusnutdinov has just one goal in 38 games.
- Offseason additions Jakub Lauko (one goal in 24 games) and Yakov Trenin (three in 36 games) haven’t produced much.
Furthermore, Joel Eriksson Ek (seven goals in 27 games) and Ryan Hartman (five goals in 36 games) have seen a dip in scoring. Freddy Gaudreau, Marcus Foligno, and Marcus Johansson haven’t made a difference offensively either, with seven, six, and five goals, respectively.
If the team’s forward depth can get going and start producing more, the Wild could become an even more formidable force in the West.
Despite injuries and a lack of depth scoring, the Wild's accomplishments this season are impressive and reveal how good they can be at full strength.
The players have made a strong argument for the front office to buy at the trade deadline. They have earned an addition. The Wild don’t have a first-round pick this year, but they could pair a second-rounder with a prospect to make a deal.
Taylor Hall is likely too costly, but the Wild might be interested in Brock Nelson, Kyle Palmieri, or Yanni Gourde. They might also consider bringing back Mikael Granlund, who has 35 points in 41 games.
Next season is highly anticipated, with the dead cap mostly gone and the potential influx of more young players. However, this season's importance can’t be overstated. The Wild must prove to Kaprizov that they can become a contender and that the plan is working.
That's why buying at the trade deadline may make sense without giving up significant assets to see what kind of run the Wild can go on.
We still don't know if the Wild are bona fide contenders. However, this team is better built to face adversity this year. They have proven they can win games even with their top players sidelined.
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