The Wild Need To Establish A Role For Liam Ohgren

The Minnesota Wild are looking to escape an endless loop of mediocrity. They didn't have an aggressive summer, even though general manager Bill Guerin and owner Craig Leipold wanted a post-cap hell “Christmas morning.” The Wild added Vladimir Tarasenko, but he’s 33 and no longer a star. They also signed Nico Sturm to handle fourth-line duties, and he isn't expected to be more than that. Once again, they are looking to improve from within. 

Liam Ohgren has improved his appearance as an NHL player. He's bigger, leaner, and looks like a tough player to knock off the puck. However, Ohgren needs NHL minutes to continue to develop as a player. The question is, who can help Ohgren maximize his game? 

The Wild don't need Ohgren to become a 30-goal scorer immediately. It'd help if he could establish himself as a 20-goal scorer and stay with the big club. Hynes can be strategic and put Mats Zuccarello and Joel Eriksson Ek with Ohgren to help him in his development.

Why do Zuccarello and Eriksson Ek make sense? 

The Wild have been trying to find more scoring depth. Hynes is comfortable playing Kirill Kaprizov, Eriksson Ek, and Matt Boldy together. However, the team needs scoring in its middle-six to foster long-term success. 

Ohgren’s likely starting on the third line and second power play if he makes the team. At even-strength, you can't ignore the potential forechecking and net-crashing chemistry between Eriksson Ek and Ohgren. 

At 6-foot-0, 187 lbs., Ohgren can help Eriksson Ek below the faceoff dots. That gives Eriksson Ek a break from being the primary forechecker. Zuccarello’s centering and passing skills will help make Ohgren a dangerous player. 

Ohgren needs a legit playmaker on his opposite wing. He's unlikely to play many minutes alongside Kaprizov or Boldy. Expect Kaprizov and Boldy to lead their lines in the top-six this season. That leaves Ohgren with Zuccarello if Hynes wants to spread playmaking depth on the third line. 

Pairing Ohgren and Zuccarello makes sense because: 

• Kaprizov has been injury-prone. 
• They’re not banking on the St. Louis Blues’ version of Tarasenko.
• Ryan Hartman’s offense can be inconsistent.
• Ohgren can be more effective than Marcus Johansson.

Kaprizov averages 66 games played per season (excluding his rookie season, which was shortened due to the COVID-19 pandemic). Hynes must manage his ice time while still maximizing his potential. Tarasenko is Guerin’s short-term project. Unless Tarasenko shows Hynes the prime version of himself, he’s probably only here for this season. 

Hartman was able to support Kaprizov’s and Boldy's offense in the playoffs. However, expect him to regress to the mean. Hynes will be tempted to play Johansson on the third line due to his speed alone. However, Hynes needs to choose Ohgren’s growth over Johansson’s speed. Johansson is mostly a one-dimensional player, whereas Ohgren is a well-rounded player. 

Pairing Eriksson Ek with Zuccarello and Ohgren creates momentum. Eriksson Ek has many tough assignments at the start and end of games. Ohgren won't be on the ice with Eriksson Ek all the time. There will be times when Hynes would prefer to play Tarasenko due to his veteran status. Don't worry, Tarasenko is a placeholder until Ohgren is ready for the top-six. 

Ohgren’s skating is probably better than Tarasekno’s. Still, you can understand why Guerin traded for Tarasenko. He’s a safety net with winning experience. If anything, Ohgren should look to be more like Tarasenko than Kaprizov once he reaches his prime – a realistic ceiling for Ohgren than a franchise scorer.

Tarasenko was a five-time 30-goal scorer with the Blues and scored 40 goals in the 2015-16 season. In 2021-22, he had 82 points in 75 games, his only point-per-game season. 

Kaprizov’s a three-time 40-goal scorer, scored 100 points, and has been a point-per-game producer since his rookie season. If the league hadn’t shortened the 2020-21 season to 56 games in response to the quarantine, Kaprizov would likely have surpassed 82 points. 

Kaprizov hasn't won the Stanley Cup yet. So, Tarasenko has the upper hand in that regard, having won it twice (2018-19 Blues and 2023-24 Florida Panthers). However, what leverage does prime Tarasenko have over Kaprizov? 

Tarasenko showed himself to be an elite winger in his prime. However, Kaprizov’s a true franchise winger. In other words, a superstar. Expecting Ohgren to be similar to Kaprizov if his game translates is unfair. Kaprizov is showing that he's a rare talent. You can argue that Tarasenko was the Blues’ franchise player, but Kaprizov has shown us another level of a cornerstone.  

In his prime, Tarasenko is likely the better playmaker than Ohgren, but Ohgren is already the better skater. If Ohgren happens to exceed expectations, expecting Tarasenko is more realistic than Kaprizov. 

Hynes needs to trust Zuccarello to help with his offense. Eriksson Ek screening goalies is the icing on the cake. A goalie's worst nightmare is dealing with an annoying screener, playmaker, and sniper.

Ohgren still has top-six upside 

There weren't many categories in which Ohgren is elite. Still, there's reason to believe Ohgren can follow Tarasenko's footsteps.

League Rankings

Shots On Goal Per 60 Minutes (SOG/60) 

176th in NHL 

Ahead of Anton Lundell, Steven Stamkos, Connor Bedard, Vincent Trocheck, Zuccarello, Jamie Benn, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Aleksander Barkov, Brock Boeser, Matt Knies, Nick Suzuki, and Evgeni Malkin.

GAST (Goals Above Shooting Talent) 

T-332nd (-0.9) in NHL

Tied with Nathan MacKinnon. Led Patrick Kane, Sidney Crosby, J.T. Miller, Jack Eichel, Elias Pettersson, Alex DeBrincat, Eriksson Ek, Mark Stone, Jamie Benn, Travis Konecny, Matthew Tkachuk, Brady Tkachuk, Timo Meier, Andrei Svechnikov, and Aleksander Barkov. 

Ohgren produced more shots than Stamkos, Bedard, Benn, and Barkov. His goal production rate suggests he’s in line with MacKinnon’s, albeit in a smaller sample size. He did better than Kane, Crosby, Eichel, Pettersson, both Tkachuk brothers, and Barkov. His shooting talent will only improve from here. 

Who are Ohgren’s future linemates?  

It's tough to say who Ohgren will play with in the next couple of years. Will Riley Heidt or Hunter Haight be ready to play a third-line role in 2026-27? Assuming the Wild doesn’t keep Tarasenko for more than a year, the Wild should expect either Heidt or Haight to join the team. 

Neither Heidt nor Haight will be ready for a full-time top-six role. So, Guerin may be willing to extend Zuccarello as a placeholder for either of them. Will Ryder Ritchie or Adam Benak be ready to battle for a roster spot by 2028-29? We'd hope that Ohgren will be in the top six by then. 

There should still be excitement surrounding Ohgren. He should play more games this season, and Hynes needs to maximize his scoring touch. Zuccarello is approaching his 40s and still looks like a top-six contributor. Ohgren needs to become an established scorer to increase the team's depth. Eriksson Ek will also help Ohgren continue to grow into a power forward. Ohgren has a promising career ahead of him.