The NHL Playoffs are here and once again the Minnesota Wild are hoping to finally end their first-round series curse that extends back to 2015. That’s the last time the Wild have given fans more than one playoff series but for the first time in a really long time it feels like Minnesota has a roster talented enough to make run.
That being said, it’s still an incomplete roster.
ESPN’s Rachel Kryshak broke down a fatal flaw for each of the playoff teams and hit the nail on the head for the Wild. It’s the quiet part out loud, but the Wild not trading for a top line center is something that could end up holding them back given the plethora of talent at the position elsewhere in the bracket.
"It is not a stretch to say that the Wild's best center would play the third-line center role for their opponents," Kryshak argues. "If the Wild get out of the Central, they are likely to meet Edmonton or Vegas, where Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Jack Eichel, and Tomas Hertl await. Successful playoff teams are deep at center. The Wild are not, and that could be their undoing."
Wild missing a 1C on their top line could be a problem in the playoffs
This is what everyone assumed the Wild would address at the trade deadline but Bill Guerin ended up holding on this cards. It’s probably the right move in the long run but in the short term it puts the Wild behind the rest of the conference at a critical position.
If the Wild were going to acquire a center like Vincent Trocheck it was going to likely cost Jesper Wallstedt plus more, which is a steep price to pay. It’s not that Trocheck wouldn’t have been a valuable addition but there is likely going to be a better trade to make in this summer when guys like Brady Tkachuk, Auston Matthews, or potentially Jack Hughes are available.
That’s the trade to hold onto your assets for, but it undoubtedly puts the Wild at a disadvantage. It’s not an insurmountable one but the Wild’s inability to dominate and win face-offs has been an issue all season and is going to rear its head in a bad way against Dallas.
It’s not like the Wild don’t have any talent at center, though. Joel Eriksson Ek’s shutdown ability was missed last year when he battled an injury and couldn’t play, and Danila Yurov is a young developing talent. Ryan Hartman has come up in the clutch before as well, in addition to being a bit of a veteran presence on the team after multiple playoff apperances.
There’s no doubt that the Wild have issues at center, and it’s something that could sink some of their chances, but it’s also worth noting how much Quinn Hughes and Kirill Kaprizov can help mitigate. Kaprizov has single-handily won the Wild games this year, as recently as his hat trick against the Red Wings, and Hughes is the best defenseman Minnesota has had probably ever
Minnesota is equipped like never before to make a legitimate run at a Stanley Cup, but before that they’re in a position to end the dread when it comes to first round exits. Not having a top line center certainly hurts but it shouldn’t be the end-all-be-all to their chances of putting up a good fight in Dallas — and hopefully beyond.
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