10 Most Important Minnesota Wild Players: #8 Eric Staal
The Minnesota Wild play their season opener in 23 days. Until that time we will be counting down the 10 most important Wild players for the upcoming season. Kevin Fiala came in at number 10 and Ryan Donato checked in at number nine.
Eric Staal has had a long, illustrious career in the NHL. It’s had to believe that he’s about to embark on his 16th season and his fourth as a member of the Minnesota Wild.
The talented veteran is coming off a down season in which he finished with 22 goals, 30 assists and 52 points. All three of those numbers were the lowest of his Wild tenure.
Are those “down” numbers a sign of regression and father time rearing it’s ugly head? Or is Staal due for a bounce back season in his 16th season in the league? Keep in mind the season prior, Staal scored 42 goals, the second highest output of his career.
Staal may not longer be a household name, but he can still be a 60 point player. Our very own Lake Martin believes Staal is in store for a bounce back season while opening things up for his linemates.
“Staal won’t be the cornerstone to this team, everything hinging on his performance for the team’s success, but I believe that if Staal performs well he opens the ice up for everyone else he plays with,” Martin said. “Look at his 40 goal season: 42 goals, 34 assists. Frequent linemates Jason Zucker had 33 goals and 31 assists and Mikael Granlund had 21 goals and 46 assists. That line was a bear for opponents. For this season, I’m expecting a return to what has typically been a normal season for Eric Staal: 30 so goals and 35 assists, and helping open up the ice for everyone else.”
Through his first three seasons as a member of the Wild, Staal has scored 28 goals, 42 goals and 22 goals. According to NHL.com, if Staal scores 20 or more goals this season he will become the first player in franchise history to have scored 20 or more goals during their first four seasons as a member of the team.
Staal will begin the season needing 24 points to reach 1,000 career points. Staal should have no issue reaching that mark, as a reasonable projection for the veteran center is 31 goals and 34 assists to give up 65 points on the season.
It’s been detailed thoroughly on this website that the Wild need their young players to reach their potential if they are going to make some noise this season. It’s also true that if the Wild are going to get back to the postseason they’ll need a veteran player, like Staal to enjoy a bounce back season. If Staal can put up another 60-point season it will go a long way to getting the Wild back into postseason contention.