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  • The Wild Need More From Their Rookies


    Image courtesy of Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images
    Bekki Antonelli

    The Minnesota Wild continue to have a great season, but their fourth line has almost nothing to do with it. 

    Minnesota is currently third in the Central Division and has only one regulation loss. The Wild was on their way to breaking an NHL record for the most minutes not trailing to begin a season. The Boston Bruins hold the record at 457:21 minutes in the 1969-1970 season, when the NHL had 12 teams, including the Minnesota North Stars. 

    The Wild beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-2 last Thursday. However, the Lightning scored 11:31 into the second period, making the score 2-1 and taking the lead.  Still, Minnesota clinched second place with 391:31 minutes of being tied or ahead in regulation time. While many players are producing, a few younger players still need to. 

    Marat Khusnutdinov, Jakub Lauko, and Liam Ohgren have spent the last few games on the bottom of the lineup. Over the past 5 games, Khusnutdinov had one assist, Lauko had one goal, and Ohgren didn’t get a single point. 

    In Saturday’s game against the Philadelphia Flyers, Lauko, Khusnutdinov, and Ohgren played on the 4th line. In the games prior, Gaudreau centered the 4th line, while Khusnutdinov played on the 3rd line with Marcus Foligno and Yakov Trenin

    The Flyers highlight why these players are still struggling to get ice time. One line alone wasn’t responsible for the 7 goals against, but the 4th line certainly contributed to the loss. Khusnutdinov, Lauko, and Ohgren were on the ice for the 2nd and 3rd goals and may have cost the team more if any of them had gotten more than 8 and a half minutes of ice time. 

    The second goal against, 3:51 into the first period, started by the Flyers rushing up the ice. 

     

    There are 2 defensemen back, and Khusnutdinov and Lauko are on the puck carrier. Lauko is in the right lane but doesn’t successfully block a pass up to old friend Nick Seeler, the Philadelphia defenseman. Seeler was wide-open and able to shoot and score. 

    Understandably, Lauko might have considered the puck carrier a greater threat than the late-to-the-play defenseman. However, Lauko doesn’t move his feet once he makes the pass. He watches Seeler skate in and shoot. 

     

    At 18:16 into the second period, Philadelphia scored its 3rd goal against Minnesota. Matt Boldy was out on the ice this time instead of Ohgren, and there was a delayed penalty against the Wild. Essentially penalty killing, the Wild forwards needed to fill shooting lanes. Lauko and Khunutdinov failed to do this, and Flyer’s forward Matvei Michkov was able to shoot by them both. They needed to get a stick on the puck sooner or fill the lanes. 

    These goals against are small mistakes; they made the difference in the Wild's winning or losing the game. However, all three players are young and in their first few seasons.

    All 3 of these players are young, but Liam Ohgren, 20, is the only true rookie. This is his second season in the NHL and with the Wild, with just 10 games total. He played in only 4 games last season, spending a lot of time in the AHL and other leagues. Ohgren has been rostered for 6 games this year. He’s so early in his career that there’s little data to make future predictions, but he has a ton of potential and probably just needs more time. 

    Khusnutdinov is only in his second season with the NHL and the Wild, but he has played 8 games this season and 24 total. Unfortunately, his visa issues last season contributed to his not playing for Minnesota or Iowa. While Khusnutdinov got plenty of ice for HK Sochi, he may have had more developmental success in Iowa. 

    Lauko has more experience than Khusnutdinov and Ohgren combined, having played 91 games over 3 seasons, including this year. He has 19 points in that time. However, he played his first two seasons for the Boston Bruins and needed more time to adjust to the Minnesota systems and coaching style and find chemistry with his teammates. 

    Notably, much more veteran player Frederick Gaudreau has also had a difficult season and bounced around the bottom two lines. However, in the same way being teamed up on a line with Kaprizov or Zuccarello will make a player look better, Gaudreau’s difficulty producing may result from less experienced linemates. 

    Let's look at the Central Division leaders, the Winnipeg Jets, to give some context to these stats. 9 games into the season, they have 3 players who have played 8 or more games and only have 2 or fewer points. Last season, the Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers had only one player who dressed for most games but had less than 15 points – Ryan Lomberg, with just 7 points. Minnesota isn’t wildly behind the Jets or the Panthers regarding 4th line producers, but there’s room for improvement. 

    Something to consider is how players with similar starts to their careers fared later on. Kirill Kaprizov may have gone straight to the NHL and scored 51 points over 55 games in his first season, but not every great player does that. Marco Rossi played only 2 NHL games in his first season and 63  AHL games. He also had complications from COVID-19. 

    He improved significantly in his third season for the NHL and the Wild last year and put up 40 points over 82 games. Ryan Hartman has a similar story. He played only 8 games and got 1 point in his first two NHL seasons combined, along with plenty of points and ice time for the AHL. By his third season, he played 76 games and had 31 points. 

    Age and extra ice time in the AHL helped these players develop and become the major contributors they are today. Khusnutdinov, Lauko, and Ohgren have growth potential and have faced setbacks, but they need to quickly figure out how to produce to help Minnesota this season.

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    Ohgren is going to get sit in the press box or sent to the AHL once Hartman comes back.

    Ohgren is just plain invisible.  Khusnutdinov at least gives you defensive responsibility and speed.  Ohgren has yet to show anything worth keeping on the roster.  Send him down, give him more time and less pressure and competition, and maybe he'll pull a Rossi and return better equipped to at least make SOME positive contribution.

     

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    I think Ohgren has the tools but it's looking like the baptism by fire is messing with his head.  He just isn't up to NHL speed yet.

    Iowa might help but honestly I think playing here is better but he has to show some sort of progress.

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    I'm still high on Khuz's prospects as a bottom six energy bug and occasional top six fill-in.  I was hoping to have seen more flashes by now, but I think he's progressing ok.  He is 23 (i think) so the time is now bro-chella.

    The disclaimer with Ogz is that he's only 20.  That said he's looking like the guy who no-showed on the score sheet for those couple of WJC's.  But P-Snot he was captain of those teams....likely a man among boys situation for him.  I'm definitely not writing him off but I'm getting more convinced his ceiling is Nino 2.0 because he don't got much dog in him.  He's not the top six white night he's been hyped he'd be.  Again he's only 20.

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    Considering we are top-10 in goals-for and 5th in goals-against per game, I think the rookies are doing aight so far. 

    Ohgren looks a little out of place but I think Khusnut and Lauko (shout out Billy G for a great trade.. and I believe Marat came from the Kunin trade...) are providing energy/big shifts pretty routinely to this point. Flyers game wasn't great, but everyone kind of sucked in that game.

    Replace Ohgren with Hartman when he's healthy and I think that line could be 3rd-line quality and just tilt the ice even more. 

    Edited by B1GKappa97
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    A Spurgeon sighting happened last night.  Was good to see him back on the ice.  He definitely looked rusty but I thought he improved in the 3rd.  Was smart of Hynes to put him with Brodin.

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    1 hour ago, Will D. Ness said:

    I think Ohgren has the tools but it's looking like the baptism by fire is messing with his head.  He just isn't up to NHL speed yet.

    Iowa might help but honestly I think playing here is better but he has to show some sort of progress.

    You're right, Will, but I'd argue that he has shown progress. Showing progress is much more than just showing up on the scoresheet. I pointed out before the season started that Ohgren's MO is he's a slow starter. 

    As long as he's not costing the Wild goals, keep playing him. I'd like to see a little more check finishing from him, but his legs have gotten pretty close to up to speed. Unfortunately, his hands are still behind, but this is typical for him. 

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    1 hour ago, Pewterschmidt said:

    I'm definitely not writing him off but I'm getting more convinced his ceiling is Nino 2.0 because he don't got much dog in him.  He's not the top six white night he's been hyped he'd be.  Again he's only 20.

    But, P-Sizzle, Nino played a lackluster rookie year, and played year 2 in the minors. Sometimes, these guys take a little longer to acclimate. By the time we got him, he had a little more in the tank.

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    8 minutes ago, mnfaninnc said:

    But, P-Sizzle, Nino played a lackluster rookie year, and played year 2 in the minors. Sometimes, these guys take a little longer to acclimate. By the time we got him, he had a little more in the tank.

    Then I guess you're making my point.

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