Minnesota Wild: The Need for Grit is Apparent

The Minnesota Wild have never been considered a team with a group of bullies. But as the team looks to compete for a championship, the Wild must get more physical in order to experience playoff success.

In the National Hockey League, grit and size are needed to have sustained success in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. That is unless of course you happen to be the Chicago Blackhawks, who have enough skill that it makes up for their lack of size. The Minnesota Wild do not have the top end skill players that the Blackhawks possess, so it would be wise for the team to fill out their roster with players who can add that element of grit to the team.

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First, it is worth pointing out that the Wild have identified this as a need this offseason. With the most telling sign being the resigning of Chris Stewart. Stewart is the ideal forward to add to the mix with this team, he is able to play in any role he is asked and will not back down from anyone. He is not a fighter (nor does the team need him to be), but he is willing to throw his body around and takes exception to cheap shots by opposing players.

When he was with the team two years ago, you could see the difference in how the team played.  They were less afraid of the other team because Stewart had their backs. His toughness and grit were (in my belief) the main reasons he was brought back this offseason.

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Another under the radar player who has shown toughness in this regard is Matt Dumba. Although he is only going to be 22 when this season starts, he has shown a willingness to drop the gloves and come to the defense of his teammates. It is one of the reasons I believe that the team made it a priority to resign him this offseason despite prolonged negotiations.

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Yes, he’s a defensemen capable of scoring 10 plus goals a year and that’s definitely an asset to the team. However the Wild possess three other defensemen who are capable of scoring that many goals in a season (Suter, Spurgeon, and Scandella) so its not as if his production was irreplaceable. No, the Wild like that a young player is willing to mix it up, as he showed with a devastating open ice hit on Patrick Kane last year.

Next: Should Any of the Remaning UFAs be Resigned?

Currently the Wild are in the process of filling out their fourth line, with the only spot on that line is currently filled by Stewart. With the emphasis this offseason of retaining and acquiring more physical players, don’t be surprised if the Wild chooses to fill out its forward lines with players who add more of that element to the team. This give players like Zac Dalpe a slight edge to make the team over a more skilled player such as Alex Tuch or Joel Eriksson Ek as the Wild look to get grittier.