The Minnesota Wild have gotten off to a solid start to the season with a 4-2-1 record entering Thursday night’s game against the St. Louis Blues. But not everyone has stormed out of the gates including center Ryan Hartman.
Hartman was in a crucial spot entering this season, entering the final year of a three-year, $12 million contract extension. Counting on to be a critical part of the Wild offense and a potential top-line option after scoring 23 goals and recording 43 points last season, Hartman has instead given Minnesota his latest disappearing act with one point in his first seven games.
The good news with Hartman is that he has plenty of time to turn things around. But the bad news is this is the downside of Hartman’s game, which could make him a ticking time bomb in the middle of Minnesota’s lineup.
The Wild are seeing the ugly side of Ryan Hartman this season
The Wild have gotten plenty of good use out of Hartman during his time in Minnesota. Since arriving to Minnesota for the 2019-20 season, Hartman has scored 120 goals and recorded 259 points in 487 games in a Wild sweater including a career year with 34 goals and 65 points during the 2021-22 season.
After putting up those numbers as a 27-year-old, Hartman looked like the type of player the Wild have been trying to trade for all summer. But the reason they were in that market is because Hartman hasn’t come close to that production since.
Over the past four seasons, Hartman is averaging 17.5 goals and 37.8 points. Those low totals have also come with some low points including the 2024-25 season where Hartman scored 11 goals and had 26 points in 69 games and earned a 10-game suspension that was later reduced to eight after ramming Ottawa Senators center Tim Stutzle’s head into the ice.
While ramming Stutzle’s head into the ice is extreme, Hartman has other agonistic qualities. When he’s a productive player, it’s something that fans have grown to love. But when things are going the other way, it has fans running to his Puckpedia page and wondering how they can get out of it. This season has been the latter example and it’s enough why Hartman has been off to a slow start.
The Wild can’t afford to wait for Ryan Hartman to show up
The stats are rough but it’s even worse when you consider Hartman isn’t making any impact on the game. In five of the Wild’s seven games, Hartman has failed to register a shot on goal. He has also logged four penalty minutes in those seven games, which has tested Minnesota’s new-look penalty kill. The worst part is that Hartman’s defense has failed with a minus-7 rating and his ice time has dropped from an average of 16:45 last season to 13:18 per game this season.
Another factor could be Hartman’s uncertain future. While he’ll be a free agent at the end of this year, he also has been rumored to be in trade discussions that could finally acquire Dylan Larkin from the Detroit Red Wings. But even then, Hartman has a 10-team no trade clause and while it is not confirmed, it’s possible that Hartman added the Red Wings to that list in an effort to stay in Minnesota.
With Hartman’s future during and after the season in limbo, this could be a case where Hartman is gripping the stick tightly and trying to make a play. But it could also lead to the type of frustration that has gotten Hartman in trouble in the past and give the Wild a non-productive player in the middle of their lineup.
Whatever the deal is, the Wild need a better version of Hartman and the sooner he shows up, the better the future will be for both sides.
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