Trenin and Foligno's Physicality Is Opening Things Up For the Wild

Yakov Trenin and Marcus Foligno have brought back an edge to the Minnesota Wild, and they have made life much easier for their linemates. Their physicality doesn’t just fire up the crowd or pad the hit totals. It literally opens up ice, widens lanes, and buys time for Minnesota’s skill to take over. 

Defenders have to brace for contact first and worry about the puck second when Trenin and Foligno are on the ice. That slight shift in priorities is where their teammates find room to operate. When they are barreling in on the forecheck, defensemen stop playing as aggressively up in the neutral zone and start backing off. They know if they try to stand still at the blue line, they might get run through. 

Trenin is the league-leading hitter with over 225 hits to date, and stretches where he's sitting in the top tier for physical play, so opponents understand he’s coming every shift. 

Foligno has been one of the Wild’s best wall-players for years, turning harmless dumps into extended offensive-zone shifts just by winning battles and pinning defenders deep. Because those defenders are worried about getting hammered, they retreat a half-step earlier or peel off the wall sooner than they’d like. That creates a wider middle lane for a center to cut through, or for a trailing winger to arrive late into a soft spot in coverage. It’s often the difference between a rushed, outside shot and a clean look from a dangerous area. 

Trenin and Foligno don’t always make the highlight reel, but they meaningfully influence plays that lead to goals. When they ride shotgun with skilled players like Danilla Yurov or Ryan Hartman, they crash in, blow up the first battle, and the skill guy arrives second with the puck already loose. 

Trenin has enough touch to chip in double-digit goals, but his real offensive value is in winning races, knocking defenders off balance, and kicking pucks to the middle or up high once coverage collapses around him. 

That kind of shift-after-shift pressure means their lines often spend more time in the offensive zone than a typical checking unit. It also forces opposing coaches into uncomfortable decisions. If they use their top pair against Kirill Kaprizov’s line, they risk exposing a softer group of defensemen to Foligno and Trenin’s physical style.

The value they bring without the puck is just as significant. Coaches lean on them whenever the game tightens up. Foligno draws tough defensive zone starts because he can close a cycle, seal the boards, and finish a hit without taking himself out of the play. Trenin’s mix of size, speed, and nastiness makes him a natural fit on the penalty kill and as a matchup forward against bigger, heavier lines. 

That style scales really well to playoff hockey. Over a seven-game series, defensemen start rushing their decisions because they don't want Foligno to bury them in the corner. Trenin’s repeated contact has the same effect. By Game 4 or 5, opponents are chipping pucks away earlier, which feeds right into Minnesota’s structure and keeps the puck out of their own net.

There’s also the emotional and cultural side of what they do. Foligno has been a tone setter in the room for years, backing up his words with the way he plays, hard, honest, and willing to answer the bell for his teammates. Trenin arrived with a playoff reputation as the kind of power forward who can chip in depth offense, fight his own battles, and make every shift a miserable experience for the other team. 

Together, they give the Wild a clear identity. They can skate and score, but they can also grind out a physical game if that's what it takes. Their physicality allows the skill guys to stay on the puck instead of constantly fighting through tight gaps and taking clean hits. The stars get the space; Trenin and Foligno take the punishment that creates it.