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Minnesota Wild Continue Roster Evaluation with Olofsson Call-Up

By Danny Lambert

Nov 29, 2016; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Minnesota Wild defenseman Gustav Olofsson (23) picks up the puck from Vancouver Canucks forward Alexandre Burrows (14) during the first period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Anne-Marie Sorvin-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 29, 2016; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Minnesota Wild defenseman Gustav Olofsson (23) picks up the puck from Vancouver Canucks forward Alexandre Burrows (14) during the first period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Anne-Marie Sorvin-USA TODAY Sports /
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Today the Minnesota Wild have recalled defenseman Gustav Olofsson from Iowa and sent defender Mike Reilly back to down.  This move looks to be another big step in the top-down evaluation of where the Wild organization is and what it needs personnel wise ahead of the March 1st Trade Deadline.

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The trial period for the young players of the Minnesota Wild continues.  It was announced today that defenseman Mike Reilly will be assigned back to Iowa to facilitate the call-up of fellow defender Gustav Olofsson.  This move comes as no surprise as it was no secret that when Jonas Brodin went down with his broken finger that both Reilly and Olofsson would get good looks up with Minnesota.

Now it is Olofsson’s turn as the Wild are probably expecting Brodin to return by the end of the month.  That means we could potentially see Olofsson in most of the 9 remaining games the Wild have in the month of February.  My guess though is that because the Wild did not practice today, and his call-up was announced this morning you won’t see Olofsson in tonight’s game against the Blackhawks so expect Nate Prosser to be in the lineup.

Related Story: Reilly’s Call-Up Is An Audition

Feb 1, 2017; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Minnesota Wild defenseman Mike Reilly (4) skates against the Calgary Flames during the third period at Scotiabank Saddledome. Calgary Flames won 5-1. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 1, 2017; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Minnesota Wild defenseman Mike Reilly (4) skates against the Calgary Flames during the third period at Scotiabank Saddledome. Calgary Flames won 5-1. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports /

The demotion for Reilly comes after seven games that were a solid sampling of what his current abilities are.  Playing third paring minutes he really showed an improved maturity making solid plays with only a smattering of mistakes.  He tallied one goal, finished as a +1 in plus/minus, and had solid possession stats.  Really he didn’t do anything wrong in his time up with Minnesota, but at the same time it wasn’t a head turning stint with the big club.

I don’t expect Olofsson to do much more pointwise than Reilly did in his 7 games up.  Like Reilly before him, he hasn’t played a lot of games up this season.  As a matter of fact Olofsson has only one NHL contest this season and posted no points in 11:40 of ice time with a +1 plus/minus.

Dec 4, 2016; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Minnesota Wild defenceman Gustav Olofsson (23) is seen out on the ice during the pre game warm-up as they get set to play against the Edmonton Oilers before the first period at Rogers Place. Mandatory Credit: Walter Tychnowicz-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 4, 2016; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Minnesota Wild defenceman Gustav Olofsson (23) is seen out on the ice during the pre-game warm-up as they get set to play against the Edmonton Oilers before the first period at Rogers Place. Mandatory Credit: Walter Tychnowicz-USA TODAY Sports /

In the AHL this season with Iowa, Olofsson has actually shown some stronger scoring numbers with 21 points (5 goals 16 assists) tallied in 45 games.  Reilly was at about the same mark pointswise that Olofsson was when he was called up, so my gut tells me Olofsson might post about the same kind of scoring numbers as Reilly did.

Where Olofsson will excel possibly over Reilly is his discipline and defensive instincts.  He’s a very good stay at home defender with lots of mobility.  His style is very reminiscent of his fellow Swede Jonas Brodin.  As I’ve mentioned before he might actually prove to be the better stand-in for Brodin due to their playing style similarities.

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But just like Reilly this is an audition for Olofsson.  The Wild are making decisions on their future plans right now.  It’s no secret that line jumbling and call-ups are about seeing what the team has now and what they might need in the future.  With tough choices to be made this offseason they need to know if Olofsson can pick up the slack for the possible departure of one or two key defensemen through a trade or expansion draft.

Next: Coyle’s Move to Center Not About Scoring

This will be a great test for the largely NHL inexperienced Olofsson.  He’s finally going to get a chance to play a bunch of NHL games and grow a game tested sample size that will show the Wild what he actually can do against NHL level competition.  Reilly had a good bit of experience before his call-up, but Olofsson has not to this point and while he has the potential to do well the question now to be answered is will he actually do well in a sizeable sample of NHL games.  That’s really what this call-up is all about.

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