The Minnesota Wild have a lot to do this summer and everyone knows their top priority is to acquire Dylan Larkin as their top-line center. But while the Wild’s depth down the middle doomed their playoff run, so did their issues on the blue line.
The Wild’s defensive pairings were thrown into chaos when Jonas Brodin missed the entire second-round series with the Colorado Avalanche last spring. But it barely popped up on the radar in the build to free agency until The Athletic’s Michael Russo reported that the Wild could bring back Zach Bogosian.
“Guerin indicated the Wild want Zach Bogosian back, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see him signed soon,” Russo wrote.
A respected leader in the locker room, there’s some value to bringing Bogosian back. But it also seems like the Wild’s blue line could remain with minimal changes as Minnesota tries to capitalize on its championship window.
The Wild must revamp their blue line despite Zach Bogosian interest
Quinn Hughes and Brock Faber are locked into the Wild’s top defensive pairing, but it’s kind of a crap shoot from there. Brodin and Jared Spurgeon had been the Wild’s top pairing for years but with Brodin’s injury history and Spurgeon set to turn 37 next season, both players have had their names floated as potential trade candidates.
The third pairing has even more questions as Jake Middleton was on the ice for 13 of Colorado’s 20 goals with a goalie in net during their five-game playoff series per Dylan Loucks of The Hockey News. While Daemon Hunt performed serviceably on the second line during the Avalanche series, John Hynes went back to Middleton on the second pairing late in a Game 5 collapse and created big questions moving forward.
There’s also a chance the Wild could just go into the season with the same group that was one of the best teams in the NHL last season. But with Filip Gustavsson undergoing hip surgery and the possibility that Jesper Wallstedt is traded, it would benefit the Wild to make their blue line as strong as possible going into next year.
But could also set themselves up for a repeat of last year’s issues. While the top six defensemen look good, Brodin hasn’t played more than 62 games since appearing in 73 during the 2021-22 season. Spurgeon also is an injury risk at his advanced age and because it’s hockey, blocking a shot or crashing into a wall could be other events that peel away at their depth.
With few NHL-ready prospects in the system (and some potentially departing via trade), bringing back Bogosian feels like a security blanket move that wouldn’t cost much. He also was serviceable for his role, scoring twice with six points and a plus-8 rating in 41 games. But the problem is the Wild don’t need to rack up 30-year-olds like Infinity Stones, they need to get younger and bigger.
Mario Ferraro is one potential option in free agency as he scored seven goals with 23 points and a minus-1 rating in 82 games with the San Jose Sharks last season. Logan Stanley, Ryan Shea are also options but Urho Vaakanainen could be a trade target if the Wild decide to go into that market with the New York Rangers.
Cap issues could play a large role in what actually happens, but it would be a failure by the front office to do nothing to solve the problem. It’s a storyline that’s taken a backseat as free agency approaches and one the Wild may want to address if they have plans at taking another step forward next season.
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