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By Aaron Heckmann -
The Minnesota Wild have faced their biggest test this season: playing without veteran winger Mats Zuccarello for potentially a month.
Zuccarello is a dual-threat playmaker and scorer. However, he underwent surgery last week and is reportedly out for three to four weeks after scoring six goals and 14 points in 16 games. It’s a tough break for the Wild, who hope to continue their blistering start. However, they must do so without their top-line right wing and one of their most important players.
While they can't replace Zuccarello, his absence presents an opportunity for someone else in the lineup to step up and contribute more with the hole in the Wild’s top six.
There’s no better candidate to do that than Marcus Johansson.
The 34-year-old winger scored last night but has been underwhelming this season, with only two goals and six points in 17 games. He should be more productive, considering he has mainly been on the second line alongside stars Matt Boldy and Joel Eriksson Ek.
Despite having top-six minutes, Johansson has struggled to get on the scoresheet and make a meaningful impact. His underlying numbers don’t raise concern. Johansson has a 53.34 percent on-ice expected goal share and 62.5 percent actual goal share at five-on-five.
Moreover, Johansson was part of a successful second line with Eriksson Ek and Boldy. The trio drives and controls play with 57.4 percent of the expected goal share and 75 percent of the actual goal share. On Tuesday in St. Louis, the newly created second line of Johansson, Rossi, and Hartman scored two goals. But even if Johansson isn’t holding back his teammates, he has to start driving offense.
The Wild need more from Johansson. That’s true both in the short term with Zuccarello out and in the long term. Minnesota has to get more scoring outside their regular contributors if they will sustain their current success.
One goal and five points in 17 games isn’t enough. Johansson may be playing his part on his line, but he has to start seeing his efforts translate to the scoresheet. Scoring isn’t everything, but he hasn’t stood out this season despite playing in the top six.
Johansson is in the final year of his deal. His production has been an outlier in Minnesota's top six this season. The Wild have a dynamic top line. Boldy is off to the best start of his young career, and Eriksson Ek has five goals.
While Johansson only has one fewer point than Eriksson Ek at five-on-five, Eriksson Ek provides value in many other areas, including his sound defensive play as one of the league’s top two-way centers. Therefore, Johansson has to start bringing more offense and big plays to the table.
The Wild need Johansson to be more consistent. The team must have more offense outside their regular contributors, and Johansson can be a solution.
Johansson has shown he can make an impact at the top of the lineup. Two seasons ago, after the Wild acquired him from the Washington Capitals at the trade deadline, Johansson scored six goals and 18 points in 20 games.
He has shown an ability to be dynamic offensively with his speed and skill and has a knack for clean zone entries. That’s the player Minnesota signed to a two-year contract extension in May 2023. And that’s the version of Johansson the Wild need this season, especially considering their strong start and aspirations.
But the Wild haven’t seen that version of Johansson this season. He has yet to have a big game. Minnesota saw that version of him in spurts last season, where he finished with 11 goals and 30 points in 78 games.
The Wild need to see more of that.
With Zuccarello sidelined for potentially a month, Johansson’s time is now. He must prove that his best play isn’t behind him at age 34. That would alleviate much pressure off the Wild’s best offensive players.
Johansson needs to get back to the game he displayed after he returned to Minnesota in 2022-23 and what he showed in spurts last season. He needs to maximize his speed and skill and increase his shot volume. Only Yakov Trenin, Marcus Foligno, and Marat Khusnutdinov have fewer shots per 60 at five-on-five right now than Johansson’s 4.74.
In a season where the Wild are off to one of their best starts in franchise history and showing signs they potentially can make a playoff run, they can’t have passengers at the top of their lineup. And Johansson’s leash may not be short. Still, he needs to start proving he deserves top-six ice time, especially with Ryan Hartman's past success and experience in the top six and prospect Liam Ohgren getting sent down to Iowa on an AHL assignment earlier this month.
All data via Natural Stat Trick, MoneyPuck, and Hockey-Reference.
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