Minnesota Wild: 3 Rookies Primed To Break-Out

For all that is said about the age of the Minnesota Wild’s core, there is some youth with big potential emerging. Which one will be the best performer?

There are three obvious candidates, all of which will be expecting to make the Minnesota Wild roster out of training camp.

Jordan Greenway

Jordan Greenway screams old-school power forward in terms of his height and weight; he’s massively improved in his ability to create chaos in front of the net. He offers a lot to be excited about for the Minnesota Wild.

Last year saw him make a tough decision and finish up with Boston University and have a short stint in the NHL and he performed admirably, putting up a goal and an assist in the Stanley Cup playoffs whilst fulfilling third-line duties.

This year he’ll be hoping to solidify a top-nine spot; ideally for him a top-six one is on the horizon.

Given his size, Greenway would be my odds-on player to have the most impact of the younger guys on the team.

Nick Seeler

Nick Seeler in a lot of ways benefited from the misfortune of others. The injuries to others on the Minnesota Wild blue-line saw Seeler gaining more ice-time than was forecast.

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Armed with a new contract, the late bloomer will be hoping to continue his impressive defensive play, as assessed in his season preview. He’s not a player that we’ll ever expect to put up incredible scoring totals, but he is the sort of player that will willingly stand in front of a fast-moving puck.

The return of Ryan Suter should be something he uses to his advantage; the Minnesota Wild veteran can certainly offer advice on improving the elements of his game that still need a bit of work.

A third pairing spot seems to be the obvious opportunity for Seeler, though given his increased ice time in the playoffs and the trust the coach was able to place in him, it won’t be out of the question for a spot on the second pair to open up.

Luke Kunin

Luke Kunin gives the Minnesota Wild even greater center depth. The issue is he tore his ACL last year and that is likely to limit his ability to make an impact early-on.

He will face an uphill battle with his own fitness and with new signing Eric Fehr to even sneak the fourth line center spot.

There are options for Kunin; one is to accept that he may have to ride the buses for a few months in the American Hockey League. Another is to man up and fight for a spot on the Minnesota Wild twenty three man playing roster. The final is to accept a spot in the line-up on the wing as opposed to at center.

This would be the wise approach for Bruce Boudreau to take. Giving Kunin a role in the line-up that is slightly less impactful is better than not putting him in the line-up at all.

It’d be safe to predict a breakthrough much later in the year for Kunin. In the early going, don’t expect much more than some tentative steps back onto the ice as he regains full movement and motion.

The burdensome contracts elsewhere in the line-up aren’t going anywhere anytime soon, but at least there’s some young blood under cap control coming through the system. Long may that trend continue!