Bill Guerin’s roster puzzle in Minnesota has become hard to miss.
The Wild spent plenty of the offseason talking about the shape of their forward group, and most of that buzz centered on the top six. Minnesota had to absorb the loss of 150 points from last year’s roster after Mats Zuccarello, Vladimir Tarasenko and Marcus Johansson departed last summer, and the big question was how those minutes and goals would get replaced.
Maxim Shabanov has moved into the top six, and the “superline” of Matt Boldy, Kirill Kaprizov and Joel Eriksson Ek has helped carry the load. But the bottom six has not done its part.
That gap is glaring through 11 games. Only five Wild players - Kaprizov, Quinn Hughes, Boldy, Eriksson Ek and Shabanov - have topped five points.
There’s also the possibility that Danila Yurov, who has started with four goals and an assist, could be moved in a trade for Dylan Larkin, which would make the scoring shortage even tougher to manage. It all points back to a roster construction issue Guerin may have already had reason to revisit last summer.
The bottom six, in particular, has been a major letdown.
This hasn’t exactly come out of nowhere. Under Guerin, Minnesota has invested heavily in that part of the lineup, with Yakov Trenin, Ryan Hartman, Marcus Foligno and Michael McCarron all landing substantial deals in recent years.
But the production has rarely matched the money, and the early part of this season has followed the same script. Aside from a few brief flashes, the Wild have not gotten steady offense from those spots.
McCarron has been the most productive of the group so far with a goal and five points. Bobby Brink, who signed a team-friendly deal last offseason to prove he could deliver, has gone 11 games without a goal and has just five points.
Blake Coleman, who was expected to fill a second-line role beside Eriksson Ek and Boldy, opened well and then flattened out. He has two goals and three points in his first 11 games with Minnesota, but all three points came in the first four contests. Since then, he’s gone seven straight games without a point, a stretch that includes Thursday’s 2-1 loss to the Calgary Flames.
Hartman has been an even bigger concern. He’s seen top-line duty at times in Minnesota, so getting him lower in the lineup should have brought some offensive punch.
Instead, he has been one of the team’s least effective players, with a goal, an assist and a team-worst minus-7 through 11 games. Whether that’s tied to trade rumors or something else, the results haven’t helped.
Trenin hasn’t scored in 11 games either, even while carrying a $3.5 million cap hit in each of the next two seasons. Injuries have forced Nico Sturm, Reiger Lorenz and Tyler Pitlick into action, but that trio has combined for just two assists. The lack of depth scoring is impossible to ignore.
Health is part of the problem, and it’s only getting worse. Even if Marcus Foligno and Nick Foligno return soon, neither is likely to provide a jolt of offense on his own.
Marcus Foligno had eight goals and 13 points last season in 56 games, along with a minus-12 rating. Nick Foligno posted four goals and 15 points in 54 games between Minnesota and the Chicago Blackhawks last year.
With both players in their late 30s, there’s also the real possibility that injuries will keep knocking them out of the lineup.
If the Wild are going to solve this, someone has to start producing. Hartman looks like the clearest candidate to spark the bottom six, but if his play doesn’t turn around, he’s more likely to become a trade chip than a fix. Brink belongs in the discussion too, though he has to start putting the puck in the net.
Another option would be to bring back Vladimir Tarasenko, who remains unsigned after scoring 23 goals and totaling 47 points last season. The problem is cap space. According to Puckpedia, Minnesota has just $2.2 million available, which limits what Guerin can do.
Unless the Red Wings eventually deal Dylan Larkin and the Wild land a top-nine forward in return, this issue isn’t going away. Minnesota needs more from the bottom of the lineup, and Guerin has another roster problem on his hands.
In Other News...
Wild Still Have One Big Scoring Problem Dylan Larkin Could Solve
The Wild have spent enough time proving their top line can hold up against anyone, even in a matchup as demanding as the one they faced Tuesday in Edmonton. Joel Eriksson Eks unit has been one of the clearest bright spots in Minnesotas recent stretch, giving the team a dependable anchor at the top of the lineup and showing it can drive play against elite opposition. The problem is not at the front of the group. It is what comes after, where Minnesota still needs more offense to keep the pressure off its stars.
That is why Detroit center Dylan Larkin keeps surfacing as a logical name to watch if the Wild decide they need a real jolt down the middle. He would not be arriving to chase the spotlight on the top unit, but to steady the second line and give Minnesota the kind of balance it has lacked when the first group comes off the ice. For a team with playoff ambitions, that kind of addition can change the shape of the whole lineup. [Read more 🡒]
Quinn Hughes Just Got A New Reason To Leave The Wild
The Wild are still trying to lock up Quinn Hughes long-term, but the situation has only gotten more complicated as the defenseman weighs his next move. Minnesota has been working to keep him in the fold, and Hughes remains one of the biggest pieces in their plans as he moves toward free agency next summer.
Now there is another wrinkle to monitor, with the Devils strengthening a roster that already has family ties to Hughes. New Jerseys latest move adds to the appeal of a place he has reason to consider, and it gives Minnesota even more to fight through as it continues exploring ways to keep him from reaching the open market. [Read more 🡒]
Wild Linked To Winger Who Could Change Their Forward Group
Reports out of Philadelphia have put Travis Konecny back into the conversation, and the Minnesota Wild are among the clubs said to be watching closely. For a team looking to deepen its forward group, that kind of name naturally turns heads. Konecny has built a reputation as a dynamic winger who can drive offense and bring pace to a top six, which is exactly the sort of addition that can change the look of a lineup.
The complication is obvious: any talk around Konecny comes with serious layers attached. His contract is heavy, and his no-movement protection gives him control over where this goes next, if it goes anywhere at all. For the Wild, the appeal is easy to understand, but so is the challenge, since getting a player of that caliber in the door would require much more than simple interest from both sides. [Read more 🡒]