When the Minnesota Wild’s season started, they boasted a roster stocked with recent draft picks and young prospects. Just two weeks into the season three of those players have already been reassigned to the AHL (although one is already back). Management’s reliance on solving their line-up issues from within seems to be part of the slow start to the season. So, where do they go from here?
In general manager Bill Guerin’s ideal world Hunter Haight, Danila Yurov, Liam Ohgren, Daemon Hunt, Zeev Buium, Jesper Wallstedt, and David Jiricek would not have been on the opening night roster. Yes, a couple of them, but not all seven. The best laid plans are often undone by unexpected injuries, as is the case with Mats Zuccarello and Nico Sturm.
The injuries did open up opportunities for the youngsters to fill the holes in the line-up, and credit to Buium and Wallstedt for grabbing those golden rings and making the most of it. They have played to expectations and then some. Unfortunately for some of the others, they showed that they weren’t quite ready for prime time.
Haight was the first to be assigned to Iowa after he failed to register a shot in his brief two-game cameo to begin the season. He was replaced by Yurov, who has yet to record a point, but has fired a few pucks toward the net and is one face-off loss from winning 50% of his draws (11 for 24).
Jiricek played in the season opener, but was rotated out once Jonas Brodin returned earlier than expected from his injury. The young defender was loaned to Iowa, where he played in one game before being recalled due to Zach Bogosian’s injury. Jiricek logged 13:25 in the 2-1 overtime loss to Philadelphia on Saturday and continues to have an up-and-down performance.
Perhaps the most surprising move was Liam Ohgren’s reassignment to the AHL. The 21-year-old Swede was looking to build on his 24-game season last year and seemed to have a roster spot locked in as a winger on Yurov’s line. A failure to record a point, along with the line’s struggles in regards to puck possession (the Wild generated just 35.7% of the scoring chances with Ohgren, Yurov, and Vinnie Hinostroza on the ice) led to him being sent down.
So, where does that leave the Wild? Well, right now it leaves them at 2-3-1 and struggling to find even-strength offense. After scoring four 5v5 goals on opening night, they’ve scored just two since then. Had they been able to generate any consistent offense from the other three lines, perhaps the rookies would have been given a longer leash to find their footing at the NHL level.
For now, it appears John Hynes is going to go with Tyler Pitlick, the 33-year-old forward from Minneapolis who was signed to a two-way deal in the summer. Yurov centered Pitlick and Yakov Trenin in the game against the Flyers, and they seemed to have a little chemistry as they generated four out of the six scoring chances while they were on the ice.
Guerin likely won’t make a big move until Sturm or Zuccarello return, which, if everything goes well, should be sometime in late November. The question will be if the Wild, aided by the young players still left on the roster, can stay competitive until then. While they have the luxury of playing most of their November games at home, it’s not going to be an easy schedule. They already sit six points behind division-leading Colorado, and three points out of the third playoff spot in the Central. Even at this point in the season, they can’t afford to be dropping points and digging a larger hole.
The youngsters aren’t to blame fully for where they are after two weeks of the season, but their inability to step up hasn’t helped things either.