Wild GM Bill Guerin provided an update on a pair of injured Wild players, telling reporters, including Sarah McLellan of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, that defenseman Jared Spurgeon and center Joel Eriksson Ek will miss a couple more weeks. Both had been listed as out indefinitely but it appears Minnesota won’t be without two of their top players for much longer. Spurgeon is dealing with a recurrence of a lower-body injury from two weeks ago while Eriksson Ek suffered an upper-body injury a week and a half ago.
Wild Rumors
Minnesota Wild Extend Dean Evason
Ahead of this weekend’s Winter Classic, the Minnesota Wild have left a present under the tree of each member of their coaching staff. Dean Evason and his entire staff have signed multi-year contract extensions. Evason, assistants Darby Hendrickson, Brett McLean, and Bob Woods, goaltending coach Frederic Chabot, and video coaches T.J. Jindra and Jonas Plumb aren’t going anywhere.
Hired partway through the 2019-20 season, Evason has done nothing but win since arriving in Minnesota. The team has a 62-29-7 record during his 98 games behind the bench, including a 19-9-2 record this season. There is obvious buy-in from many of the team’s stars, while other players like Joel Eriksson Ek have taken huge leaps in development since Evason took over.
An extension for the head coach was always likely given his success, but the Wild have rewarded the entire staff for how they work together. It’s not often you see such a widespread contract announcement, but management obviously likes what’s going on behind the bench and on the ice.
The Wild take on the St. Louis Blues at Target Field on Saturday night in what looks like it will be one of the coldest NHL games of all time. Perhaps the security a new contract extension brings can keep Evason warm as he tries to navigate the wintery outdoor game.
Minnesota Wild Facing Organizational COVID Issues
Some tough news hit the Minnesota Wild organization today, as four Iowa Wild players entered the AHL’s COVID-19 protocol, per the team, including center Mason Shaw, who’s gotten into two games with the Wild this season and was a potential call-up option for the team in the coming days.
It’s apparent at this stage that the Minnesota Wild won’t be playing in the Winter Classic on January 1 with a full squad. Center Joel Eriksson Ek is out with an upper-body injury, and head coach Dean Evason confirmed earlier this week that he won’t play. Captain Jared Spurgeon is on injured reserve, listed as week-to-week with a lower-body injury. He won’t be in either.
Now with defenseman Jonas Brodin entering COVID protocol yesterday, it became apparent that the Wild will need depth options in the coming days to continue to field a competitive team. There’s also the very viable concern of more Wild members entering COVID protocol – they’re one of the very lucky teams who have just one COVID-related absence as of now.
It’s important to note that Minnesota still stands in pretty good shape right now. Young Calen Addison and Jordie Benn are legitimate NHL options who can fill in for Brodin and Spurgeon on the back-end, and assigning more minutes to players like Ryan Hartman and Frederick Gaudreau down the middle can help alleviate Eriksson Ek’s absence.
But ahead of the Winter Classic, one of the most-talked-about and most-watched regular-season games of the year, it’s concerning. Over the past few weeks, the hockey world’s seen seemingly endless times how quickly situations like this can devolve.
It’s what makes the news out of Iowa so concerning. Minnesota still has quality depth options available for recall, including forwards Matt Boldy, Kyle Rau, Adam Beckman, Connor Dewar, and defensemen Dakota Mermis and Kevin Czuczman. If the COVID situation worsens in Iowa, however, it could seriously affect Minnesota’s ability to construct a competitive roster for the Winter Classic.
Minnesota Wild, St. Louis Blues Complete Minor Trade
The Minnesota Wild and St. Louis Blues have completed a minor trade, with Will Bitten and Nolan Stevens changing organizations.
The Wild will receive Stevens, a 25-year-old forward that has 12 points in 20 games for the Springfield Thunderbirds this season, his fourth in the AHL since signing out of Northeastern University. Standing 6’3″, he offers some size and skill as a potential depth player for Minnesota. More likely though he’s headed for Iowa where he can continue his season in the AHL. Stevens is on a one-year, two-way contract that carries a cap hit of $750K at the NHL level.
For St. Louis, Bitten comes to town after scoring eight points in 23 games for the Wild. A third-round pick of the Montreal Canadiens in 2016, he is still just 23 but has yet to make an appearance at the NHL level. Like Stevens, Bitten is on a one-year, two-way contract with the Wild but his actually carries a cap hit of $840K at the NHL level–not exactly the easiest to fit in for a team like St. Louis that is battling cap issues.
In all likelihood, both players spend the majority of the season in the minor leagues, perhaps seeing some time on the taxi squad if needed.
Armstrong, Guerin Among Staff No Longer Involved In Olympic Selections
Dec 27: As expected, Quinn will take over the head coaching duties of Team USA. John Vanbiesbrouck, assistant executive director of USA Hockey, will serve as general manager–a position he already holds for the National Junior Team that is currently competing in Alberta. Without NHL participation, several members of that junior group could find themselves on the Olympic team in a few months.
Dec 22: The NHL isn’t going to the Olympics, and that doesn’t mean just Sidney Crosby and Patrick Kane. The active NHL executives and coaches that had previously been announced will also be pulled out, meaning, for instance, that Bill Guerin is no longer the general manager of Team USA and Doug Armstrong is no longer with Team Canada.
For the U.S. the announcement that the managers and coaches will no longer be involved was made this morning, though no direct replacements have been officially named. David Quinn, formerly of the New York Rangers, has been linked to the head coaching position by several reports, including Chris Peters of Daily Faceoff. The U.S. management group is expected to name the final roster–one that will now be made up of players from college, the minor leagues, and European leagues–by mid-January. Peters projected a potential “Plan B” roster earlier this month.
For Canada, Armstrong confirmed to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic that he will step down as general manager. He’s handing the reins to Hockey Canada’s Scott Salmond who will now have to find a roster outside the NHL to compete at the Games, one that doesn’t have the luxury of the Spengler Cup later this month to prepare. In LeBrun’s interview with Armstrong, the St. Louis Blues manager confirms that Crosby would have been the team’s captain, something that was decided very early on. He also explained that they had already locked in “three full forward lines and two sets of D” with January 12 the date they would reveal the entire group.
The managers and coaches involved will all now have to focus on their own NHL schedules–ones that are currently on hold and seemingly changing by the hour.
2022 WJC Participants By NHL Team
The 2022 World Junior Championships will get underway from Edmonton and Red Deer, Alberta on Sunday. As is the norm and to be expected from the top U-20 competition in the world, the World Junior tournament field is loaded with drafted NHL talent. While most nations don’t have the prospect depth to form a roster completely composed of NHL prospects and those that do have opted to include some younger, future draft picks, there are still a whopping 106 drafted players on WJC rosters. Nine of ten WJC have at least one current NHL prospect and six of those nine have at least ten draft picks. Those players come from 30 of the NHL’s 32 teams, with the Carolina Hurricanes leading the way with ten prospects. While enjoying the WJC action in the coming days, keep track of who may one day be playing at the highest level:
Anaheim Ducks (4):
F Mason McTavish, Canada
D Ian Moore, USA
F Sasha Pastujov, USA
D Olen Zellweger, Canada
Arizona Coyotes (1):
F Dylan Guenther, Canada
Boston Bruins (1):
F Fabian Lysell, Sweden
Buffalo Sabres (4):
F Jakub Konecny, Czechia
D Nikita Novikov, Russia
D Owen Power, Canada
F Isak Rosen, Sweden
Calgary Flames (1):
F Matt Coronato, USA
Carolina Hurricanes (10):
F Nikita Guslistov, Russia
D Aleski Heimosalmi, Finland
D Ville Koivunen, Finland
D Scott Morrow, USA
F Zion Nybeck, Sweden
D Joel Nystrom, Sweden
F Alexander Pashin, Russia
F Vasily Ponomarev, Russia
G Nikita Quapp, Germany
D Ronan Seeley, Canada
Chicago Blackhawks (4):
G Drew Commesso, USA
D Wyatt Kaiser, USA
D Michael Krutil, Czechia
F Landon Slaggert, USA
Colorado Avalanche (1):
F Oskar Olausson, Sweden
Columbus Blue Jackets (4):
F Kent Johnson, Canada
D Samuel Knazko, Slovakia
F Martin Rysavy, Czechia
D Stanislav Svozil, Czechia
Dallas Stars (4):
F Mavrik Bourque, Canada
F Daniel Ljungman, Sweden
F Logan Stankoven, Canada
F Albert Sjoberg, Sweden
Detroit Red Wings (8):
G Jan Bednar, Czechia
G Sebastian Cossa, Canada
D Simon Edvinsson, Sweden
F Carter Mazur, USA
F Theodor Niederbach, Sweden
F Redmond Savage, USA
D Donovan Sebrango, Canada
D Eemil Viro, Finland
Edmonton Oilers (2):
F Xavier Borgault, Canada
D Luca Munzenberger, Germany
Florida Panthers (5):
F Elliot Ekmark, Sweden
D Kasper Puutio, Finland
F Mackie Samoskevich, USA
F Ty Smilanic, USA
F Justin Sourdif, Canada
Los Angeles Kings (6):
F Martin Chromiak, Slovakia
D Brock Faber, USA
D Helge Grans, Sweden
F Samuel Helenius, Finland
D Kirill Kirsanov, Russia
F Kasper Simontaival, Finland
Minnesota Wild (6):
F Marat Khusnutdinov, Russia
D Carson Lambos, Canada
F Pavel Novak, Czechia
D Ryan O’Rourke, Canada
D Jack Peart, USA
G Jesper Wallstedt, Sweden
Montreal Canadiens (3):
D Kaiden Guhle, Canada
F Oliver Kapanen, Finland
F Jan Mysak, Czechia
Nashville Predators (4):
G Yaroslav Askarov, Russia
F Simon Knak, Switzerland*
D Anton Olsson, Sweden
F Fedor Svechkov, Russia
New Jersey Devils (4):
F Alexander Holtz, Sweden
D Luke Hughes, USA
G Jakub Malek, Czechia
D Shakir Mukhamadullin, Russia
New York Islanders (0)
New York Rangers (4):
F Brett Berard, USA
F William Cuylle, Canada
G Dylan Garand, Canada
F Kalle Vaisanen, Finland
Ottawa Senators (5):
F Ridly Greig, Canada
F Roby Jarventie, Finland
D Tyler Kleven, USA
G Leevi Merilainen, Finland
D Jake Sanderson, USA
Philadelphia Flyers (3):
D Emil Andrae, Sweden
F Elliot Desnoyers, Canada
D Brian Zanetti, Switzerland*
Pittsburgh Penguins (3):
G Joel Blomqvist, Finland
G Calle Clang, Sweden
F Kirill Tankov, Russia
St. Louis Blues (3):
F Tanner Dickinson, USA
D Leo Loof, Sweden
F Jake Neighbors, Canada
San Jose Sharks (1):
F William Eklund, Sweden
Seattle Kraken (2):
F Matthew Beniers, USA
D Ville Ottavainen, Finland
Tampa Bay Lightning (0)
Toronto Maple Leafs (3):
F Roni Hirvonen, Finland
F Matthew Knies, USA
D Topi Niemala, Finland
Vancouver Canucks (1):
F Dmitry Zlodeyev, Russia
Vegas Golden Knights (4):
F Jakub Brabenec, Czechia
D Lukas Cormier, Canada
F Jakub Demek, Slovakia
G Jesper Vikman, Sweden
Washington Capitals (1):
F Oskar Magnusson, Sweden
Winnipeg Jets (4):
F Nikita Chibrikov, Russia
F Chaz Lucius, USA
F Cole Perfetti, Canada
F Daniel Torgersson, Sweden
*Switzerland roster pending finalization on Sunday; team has been in COVID-19 quarantine since Thursday but will be ready to begin tournament and participate as schedule, the Swiss announced.
Joel Eriksson Ek Seen In A Sling, Jordan Greenway Should Return Monday
- While a firm diagnosis on Joel Eriksson Ek’s injury isn’t yet known, Sarah McLellan of the Minneapolis Star-Tribute notes that the Wild center was spotted postgame in a sling which suggests he’ll be out for a little while at least. That would be a big blow to Minnesota’s attack with the 24-year-old on pace for career highs offensively as he currently has 11 goals and nine assists in 30 games. Minnesota should have winger Jordan Greenway back for their next game on Monday after he missed yesterday’s contest due to a lower-body injury.
What Your Team Is Thankful For: Minnesota Wild
As the holiday season approaches, PHR will take a look at what teams are thankful for as the season passes the one-quarter mark. There also might be a few things your team would like down the road. We’ll examine what’s gone well in the early going and what could improve as the season rolls on for the Minnesota Wild (when it eventually resumes).
What is Minnesota thankful for?
Finally having a true star to market.
Throughout the history of the Minnesota Wild, there have been some excellent players. Marian Gaborik, the team’s first-ever draft pick, stepped into the spotlight as a teenager and scored 30 goals in his sophomore season. He would hit a career-high 42 in his last full, healthy season with the Wild, but was never really even close to any individual awards. Mikko Koivu was picked sixth overall in 2001, but it took him several years to reach the NHL and when he did, his two-way ability was probably never appreciated as much as it should have been. He was a Selke finalist once in a long career, but never received a single vote for any other individual award–not exactly a superstar, even if he was the heart and soul of the franchise.
In 2012, Ryan Suter and Zach Parise put the Wild on the NHL map by signing massive free agent contracts to head back to the State of Hockey, but even they blended into a mediocre team that would make the playoffs on a yearly basis without ever really contending.
Now things have changed, with their marketable, dynamic star forward Kirill Kaprizov. There’s no doubt that signing Kaprizov to a five-year, $45MM contract this offseason was a risk; after all, he had played just 55 regular season games to that point. But there was no doubting Kaprizov’s obviously ability, not only to put the puck in the net but also to invigorate the Minnesota market. Kaprizov was called “the most exciting player in franchise history” almost from the moment he arrived, and with 36 points in 30 games, he’s on pace to set a team record in just his second year. Only one player in Wild history has registered more than 80 points–Gaborik, exactly once. Kaprizov looks like that won’t be much of a problem for him should he stay healthy throughout this contract.
Who is Minnesota thankful for?
There’s no doubt that Kaprizov is the most marketable, and arguably the most important player on the team. That doesn’t, however, mean that the team is most thankful for him in particular. For that, we come to Hartman, who has figured it out at age-27 and now looks like one of the most incredible bargains in the league.
After two mediocre seasons with Minnesota, Hartman actually accepted a three-year contract that saw his cap hit go down this offseason, dropping from $1.9MM to $1.7MM. He’ll carry that number through 2023-24 and actually earns just $1.1MM in actual salary this season. What do you get for $1.1MM? How about 14 goals and 26 points through 30 games, all while driving possession and contributing defensively. If plus-minus is more your thing, Hartman leads the entire league at +22 to this point and has done nearly all of his damage at even strength. It’s an impressive accomplishment for a player that is on his fourth team and has a career-high of 31 points. If this is what Minnesota is going to get from Hartman moving forward, he’ll be one of the most valuable contracts out there.
What would Minnesota be even more thankful for?
A consistent Kevin Fiala.
Make no mistake, when at his best, Fiala is one of the most dynamic offensive players in the entire league. There’s good reason to believe that he could have become that marketable star that Minnesota longed for, had he been able to find any level of consistency to this point. But it just hasn’t been there for him this season, as he struggles to find the back of the net despite plenty of good chances.
It’s not that Fiala is having a terrible year–20 points in 30 games is certainly nothing to turn your nose up at–but it’s those flashes of superstardom that leave fans wanting so much more out of the 25-year-old forward. Decision time is coming quickly as Fiala is a restricted free agent after the season, owed a qualifying offer that would open up a potential arbitration award even higher than his current $5.1MM salary. With whispers about his future in the organization (or lack thereof) coming out earlier this year, a more consistent performance over the second half of the year would go a long way to securing the next stage of his career.
What should be on Minnesota’s Holiday Wish List?
More center depth.
While this may actually come from an internal source, if the Wild decide that Marco Rossi is ready for the NHL, there’s little doubt that the center ice position is still an area of weakness for Minnesota. Joel Eriksson Ek’s upcoming diagnosis after leaving with injury last night will likely decide what kind of player the Wild need to target on the trade market, but a center of some level is needed even if he’s healthy enough to quickly return to action.
The clock has struck midnight on Victor Rask’s 2020-21 performance, with the veteran center now receiving just around 10 minutes a night when he’s even in the lineup, Nick Bjugstad is basically a fourth-line winger at this point, and the combination of Nico Sturm and Frederick Gaudreau doesn’t inspire a ton of confidence when it comes to long playoff runs. If Eriksson Ek is out long-term, the team will desperately need to add a top-six center to the mix at some point. If he’s coming back, some extra depth will still be required.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Evason On Spurgeon's Injury: "It's Not Good"
- Wild defenseman Jared Spurgeon re-aggravated his lower-body injury and had already been ruled out of Saturday’s game against Florida before it was postponed earlier today, relays Sarah McLellan of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. Speaking after the game, head coach Dean Evason had a rather grim comment about his captain’s health, simply saying “It’s not good” which suggests Spurgeon could be out a little longer than just a game or two.
Wild Prospect Filip Johansson Signs Two-Year Extension In Sweden
The Wild have been waiting for a while to get prospect defenseman Filip Johansson under contract and it appears they’ll have to wait even longer now as his club team in Frolunda announced that they’ve inked the blueliner to a two-year extension through the 2023-24 season.
The 21-year-old was a first-round pick of Minnesota (24th overall) back in 2018 but has remained in Sweden since then, spending time at the Allsvenskan level after being drafted before transferring to Frolunda last season. So far this year, he has seven points in 26 games while his average ice time is up to 17 minutes per game.
What’s particularly notable here is that if the Wild don’t sign Johansson by June 1st of next year, they lose his rights. In that case, they would receive the 24th selection of the second round in the 2022 draft which would be 56th overall. However, since Johansson was a first-round pick, the NHL’s transfer agreement with Sweden permits them to sign the rearguard to an entry-level deal and have Minnesota controls where he plays. At that point, he could be loaned back to Frolunda or kept in North America. Lots can change over the next five and a half months but this will be a situation to monitor for the Wild.