Articles in Minnesota Wild

via the YouTube page of the NHL Network,

Minnesota Wild goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury joins Devan Dubnyk and former teammate Mike Rupp for a special "Players Only" discussion of his career achievements and the 2023-24 season.

SAINT PAUL, Minn. – Minnesota Wild President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Bill Guerin today announced the National Hockey League club has signed right wing Ryan Hartman to a three-year, $12,000,000 contract extension ($4,000,000 average annual value) that goes through the 2026-27 season.

Hartman, 29, recorded 37 points (15-22=37), 90 penalty minutes (PIM), a plus-seven rating and six game-winning goals (GWG) in 59 games last season and scored a career-high two shorthanded goals (SHG). The 6-foot, 197-pound native of Hilton Head, SC, ranked T-1st on the team in GWG, second in PIM, T-3rd in SHG, sixth in points and goals, and seventh in assists last season.

SAINT PAUL, Minn. – Minnesota Wild President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Bill Guerin today announced the National Hockey League club has signed right wing Marcus Foligno to a four-year, $16,000,000 contract extension ($4,000,000 average annual value) that goes through the 2027-28 season.

Foligno, 32, recorded 21 points (7-14=21) and led the team with 97 penalty minutes (PIM) and 237 hits last season. Since joining Minnesota in 2017, the 6-foot-3, 226-pound native of Buffalo, NY, leads the team in PIM (415) and hits (1,159), ranks fourth in games played (396) and goals (67), fifth in points (156) and sixth in assists (89).

SAINT PAUL, Minn. – Minnesota Wild President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Bill Guerin today announced the National Hockey League club has signed right wing Mats Zuccarello to a two-year, $8,250,000 million contract extension ($4,125,000 average annual value) that goes through the 2025-26 season.

Zuccarello, 36, recorded 67 points (22-45=67), including 29 (9-20=29) power-play points (PPP) in 78 games last season and averaged a career-best 20:12 in TOI/game and set new career-highs in power-play goals (PPG) and shots (198). The 5-foot-8, 184-pound native of Oslo, Norway, led the team in assists and power-play assists (PPA), was second in points and power-play points, third in goals and fourth in PPG.

SAINT PAUL, Minn. - Minnesota Wild General Manager Bill Guerin today announced the National Hockey League (NHL) club has signed goalie Filip Gustavsson to a three-year, $11,250,00 contract ($3,750,000 average annual value) that goes through the 2025-26 season.

SAINT PAUL, Minn. - Minnesota Sports & Entertainment (MSE) and Minnesota Wild Owner and Governor Craig Leipold announced today three executive promotions to strategically position the organization for future evolution and continued growth.

from Joe Smith of The Athletic,

The Wild insisted this year would be different.

They were mentally and physically tougher. Their latest playoff scar — blowing a 2-1 series lead to the Blues last spring — had hardened them. Taught them important lessons. They were built for playoff hockey.

This was their chance to prove it.

And they failed miserably.

Stunningly.

It was unacceptable.

And their fans let them hear it, with a smattering of boos from the emptying arena in the final minute of a 4-1, season-ending loss to the Stars in Game 6.

“I’m sick to my stomach about it,” Ryan Hartman said. “This city deserves better than what we gave them. We failed them, and it feels like s—.”

“It just sucks in general,” captain Jared Spurgeon said. “Everything.”

“A brutal feeling,” Marcus Foligno said. “We grind all the way to get to the playoffs, and we can’t get out of the first round again. Broken record.”

There’s a ton to unpack for why this franchise hasn’t won a playoff round since 2015, and plenty of difficult decisions are looming this summer. GM Bill Guerin isn’t expected to blow up the roster or fire coach Dean Evason, and he doesn’t have much cap space to make necessary upgrades.

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The Stars will face the winner of Avalanche/Kraken series.

Below watch handshakes and highlights.

from John Shipley of the PioneerPress,

There is no question the on-ice officiating crew at Xcel Energy Center called Game 4 of the Wild’s best-of-seven series against Dallas differently than they called the first three games.

Remember when Matt Dumba sent Joe Pavelski to the doctor in Game 1? The Wild defenseman got a head of steam on the veteran center and sent him tail over teakettle. Pavelski hasn’t played since, and while Dumba was assessed 2 minutes for roughing, that hit seems like a lot more than a week ago after Sunday.

For the on-ice crew, and maybe the suits in New York and Toronto, this became a different series on Sunday and it favored the Stars, who escaped the X with a 3-2 victory and sent the best-of-seven series back to Texas tied 2-2.

“I just feel like it’s a little bit chintzy right now. It doesn’t make any sense,” Wild winger Marcus Foligno said. “This is playoff hockey. You go and hit a guy and it’s not illegal. It’s clean and you’re getting called to the penalty box.”

Stars coach Peter DeBoer made a few headlines after his team’s 7-3 victory in Game 2 at Americans Airlines center by making it a point to mention the Wild’s proclivity for penalties — sixth in NHL during the regular season — and trying to set a tone for the officiating. Wild coach Dean Evason countered that Dallas was taking dives but that didn’t have any legs.

“I don’t know,” Foligno said. “I think in that sense maybe they got to (the refs) before we did.”

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from Michael Russo, Joe Smith and Saad Yousuf of The Athletic,

The Minnesota Wild outlasted the Stars in Dallas on Monday to win Game 1 of their first-round playoff series 3-2 in double overtime. Here’s what you need to know:

• Ryan Hartman found a loose puck in front of the Dallas net and scored to clinch the victory with 7:40 remaining in double overtime.
• Wild goaltender Filip Gustavsson recorded a franchise-record 52 saves in his playoff debut.
• This marked the longest game in Minnesota playoff history.
• Stars center Joe Pavelski was helped off the ice in the second period and did not return after taking a big hit from Wild defenseman Matt Dumba, who was assessed a minor penalty on the play. Stars coach Peter DeBoer said he isn’t confident Pavelski will be able to play Game 2, adding the veteran is “OK, but banged up.”

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Below find the game highlights.

from John Shipley of the PioneerPress,

There was a lot made of the fact that in early February, the Wild ranked 28th among the NHL’s 32 teams in even-strength goals. Well, guess what? They still do, yet even after a disappointing, 4-3 shootout loss to the Knights on Monday, the Wild are in position to win their first division title, and second ever, since 2007-08.

And that’s important. It’s been a while since Minnesota had a favorable first-round playoff matchup, and you’d better believe they’d rather play wild-card leaders Seattle or Winnipeg in the first round than Central rivals Colorado or Dallas, currently ahead of Minnesota by dint of more regulation wins.

“Yeah, it’s important,” said winger Matt Boldy, who scored his 13th goal in 12 games on Monday — and has 20 points in his past 15 games. “I think a lot of it just you’re trying to win every game. Obviously, the standings are important come playoff time, with your matchups and home ice and stuff like that, but we’re not going into any game thinking that it’s going to be an easy one, or anything like that.

“I think we have that mentality that rather than just going in and pushing to be first, we’re going in to win every game, and if (winning the division) is the outcome, then that’s the outcome.”

Only two points separate the Wild, Dallas and Colorado.

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via Sportsnet's YouTube page,

Jordan Binnington goes after Ryan Hartman after a goal, and Marc-Andre Fleury skates down the ice and drops the gloves, but the fight was not allowed by the linesmen.

NEW YORK (March 8, 2023) – Minnesota Wild forward Ryan Hartman has been fined $4,594.59, the maximum allowable under the Collective Bargaining Agreement, for slashing Calgary Flames defenseman Rasmus Andersson during NHL Game No. 1018 in Minnesota on Tuesday, March 7, the National Hockey League’s Department of Player Safety announced today.

The incident occurred at 12:47 of the first period. Hartman was assessed a minor penalty for slashing.

watch the slash below...

from Michael Russo of The Athletic,

Gustav Nyquist agrees with precisely how Bill Guerin characterized the acquisition of the veteran winger during his press availability before Tuesday’s win over the New York Islanders: “This was a bit of an odd one. You don’t see it all the time.”

What the Wild general manager meant was an NHL team doesn’t usually acquire an injured player with the hope that he’ll be able to make an impact in the playoffs.

Nyquist is on the mend from a shoulder injury sustained while playing for the Columbus Blue Jackets just before the All-Star break. But at this early juncture, it’s impossible to pinpoint an exact timeline as to when he’ll debut with the Wild.

He hopes it’ll be before the regular season ends, but that’s not guaranteed even though the rehab is going well and on target with the original medical timeline of a return at the end of the regular season. And remember, the Wild must first make the playoffs. While they have points in seven straight games and are a point from the Central Division lead, they’re also only two points up on the second wild-card spot and we all know one bad week in the Western Conference puts any team in a precarious spot.

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from the Toronto Maple Leafs,

The Toronto Maple Leafs announced today that the hockey club has acquired forwards Ryan O'Reilly and Noel Acciari in a three-team trade with the St. Louis Blues and Minnesota Wild.

St. Louis will receive forwards Mikhail Abramov and Adam Gaudette, Toronto's first round selection in the 2023 NHL Draft, Ottawa's third round selection in the 2023 NHL Draft and Toronto's second round selection in the 2024 NHL Draft while Minnesota receives Toronto's fourth round selection in the 2025 NHL Draft.

St. Louis will retain 50% and Minnesota will retain 25% of O'Reilly's salary as part of the trade.

O'Reilly, 32, has collected 19 points (12 goals, seven assists) in 40 games with the Blues this season. In 978 career regular season NHL games with the Blues, Buffalo Sabres and Colorado Avalanche, the Clinton, Ontario native has recorded 691 points (252 goals, 439 assists) while adding 56 points (22 goals, 34 assists) in 64 career Stanley Cup playoff games. In 2019, O'Reilly was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy after leading the Blues to a Stanley Cup championship.

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from Joe Smith of The Athletic,

The morning of Dec. 2, Dean Evason led the Wild coaches’ usual staff meeting at the TRIA Rink.

Evason doesn’t use a separate office, as his predecessor, Bruce Boudreau, did. Instead, he has a desk in a room shared with his assistants, so they can communicate more quickly. There’s a big screen TV above Evason’s desk, and on this day, he went over clips from the previous night’s win over Edmonton.

One of the first topics? How the game broke down from an analytics perspective.

Enter Mat Sells, the team’s vice president of hockey strategy.

He’s the Wild’s one-man analytics staff.

“What did you see, hockey-wise?” Sells asked. “What did you see on the scoring chances?”

The staff discussed. And then the 39-year-old Sells presented the data.

“What Mat Sells does for us is he dummies the numbers down,” Evason said.

For example, they started breaking down their next opponent, Anaheim, and Sells told the staff the Ducks had the third-highest rate in the league at dumping the puck.

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from Joe Smith of The Athletic,

It drives some fans crazy, wondering why the team doesn’t feel the need to work on things after a loss. But coach Dean Evason’s philosophy doesn’t change whether his team has won three in a row or lost three in a row, as they have now. The Wild have practiced just twice in the first 12 days of January. They had off days Monday and Wednesday heading into Thursday’s game against the Islanders.

It’s not because Evason, an avid golfer, wants to work on his swing. It’s not because the staff doesn’t see value in practice. It’s not because players are snowed in.

“When you see the science behind it,” captain Jared Spurgeon says, “It makes sense.”

Evason says the team’s decision on a practice schedule is the result of constant communication between coaches, players and the strength and conditioning staff. He believes rest can be a weapon, especially in today’s NHL. He understands the importance — mentally and physically — of getting away from the rink.

And Evason trusts the data....

Each Wild player wears a heart-rate monitor as often as he can — from when he’s getting his gear on, to workouts, practices and games. The monitor is attached to a strap around the chest.

There’s a program called Firstbeat, which many NHL teams (and soccer clubs) use. It tracks a measurement called TRIMP (training impulse), which is based on zones of your heart rate. You accumulate units per minute. For example, if you’re above 90 percent of your max heart rate, it can be accumulating at least three TRIMP per minute, and it decreases as it goes down.

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NEW YORK (Dec. 23, 2022) – Minnesota Wild forward Mason Shaw has been suspended for two games, without pay, for kneeing San Jose Sharks forward Evgeny Svechnikov during NHL Game No. 532 in San Jose on Thursday, Dec. 22, the National Hockey League’s Department of Player Safety announced today.

The incident occurred at 12:10 of the second period. Shaw was assessed a major penalty for kneeing and game misconduct.

Under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement and, based on his average annual salary, Shaw will forfeit $8,108.10. The money goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.

Watch the explanation below.

from Michael Russo of The Athletic,

Coach Dean Evason was livid referees Ghislain Hebert and Jordan Samuels-Thomas called only coincidental fighting majors on Dumba and Megna rather than what the Wild felt was textbook instigating. That would have given Megna 17 minutes of penalties and the Wild a power play with a chance to tie.

“I thought that was an instigator … automatic,” said Dumba, who periodically has had to fight for clean checks and in 2018 had his season ended when Matthew Tkachuk gave him no choice but to fight after his unpenalized check on Mikael Backlund the week before. “I mean, two guys don’t make a play on the puck and come right at me. It’s an instigator.”

Evason echoed that sentiment to both officials during an animated meeting at the Wild bench before the third period.

“If you make a clean hit, you shouldn’t have to be confronted by two people before you fight,” Evason said after the loss. “That doesn’t make any sense. One guy grabs him and he jostles with that guy and punches back and forth. And then another guy comes in and he has to fight for a clean hit. That shouldn’t be in our game. That was the key point in the game.”

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Watch the incident below.

NEW YORK, November 23, 2022 – New York Rangers President and General Manager Chris Drury announced today that the team has acquired a fifth-round pick in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft from the Minnesota Wild in exchange for Ryan Reaves.

Following the trade, the Rangers now have eight picks in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft.

Reaves skated in 81 games with the Rangers over parts of two seasons (2021-22 and 2022-23), recording five goals and eight assists for 13 points, along with 55 penalty minutes.

Kirill Kaprizov of the Wild with a cross check and Juraj Slafkovsky of the Canadiens.