January 12, 2023 | 9:15am ET
By Anthony Di Marco, TheFourthPeriod.com

WILD GEARING UP FOR PLAYOFF RUN AFTER EARLY ADVERSITY

Wild GM Bill Guerin

MONTREAL QC — The expectations were not astronomical for the Minnesota Wild entering last season. Following the buyouts of now-former franchise cornerstones Zach Parise and Ryan Suter, many wondered if it would take time for the Wild to re-establish themselves as legitimate contenders.

No time was needed, as the Wild finished with 113 points and second in the Central Division, losing out to the St. Louis Blues in the first-round of the playoffs.

Entering this season, the tune had changed in the “Hockey State.” Now one year into a new era – or shall we say, the “Kirill Kaprizov” era – expectations have been heightened for a team built for sustainability. The Wild were met with some early season struggles, something their General Manager helped them.

“Anytime you can fight through adversity and get your game back on track, it definitely makes you stronger,” Wild GM Bill Guerin told TFP in an exclusive interview. “Just as importantly, it helped us realize our identity again and how we have to play in order to be successful. We can’t play the way other teams play; we have to play to play to our identity, the way we’re built.

“It (the adversity) gave us a slap in the face and a bit of a wake-up call and I think it was good.”

Part of the Wild’s identity is its shrewd defensive play, once again proving to be one of the better teams in the NHL in that regard. According to Moneypuck.com, the Wild rank third in the NHL in Expected Goals Against per 60 with 2.27 and are a top-10 team in yielding shots against.

Entering Friday, the Wild sit third in the Central Division with 50 points. One of the biggest reasons for that has been the play of newcomer in goal Filip Gustavsson.

Gustavsson, 24, was acquired from the Ottawa Senators over the summer for Cam Talbot. The move came on the heels of the Marc-Andre Fleury addition last season, giving a fresh look to the goaltending outlook, both short and long term. Gustavsson’s play this season has solidified the position for the Wild, a good sign given his age and what he can mean for the team in the long term.

The former second-round pick is sporting a .925 save percentage to go along with 10 wins and a 2.17 goals-against-average. Even more impressive is his underlying numbers, as Gustavsson ranks sixth in the NHL in Goals Saved Above Expected per 60 among goaltenders who have played at least five games, per Moneypuck.com.

All this to say Gustavsson’s breakout year has had a major impact on the Wild’s season.

“For him to come in, do what he’s done and prove himself, doing it at a young age, is pretty important for us,” said Guerin. “Him and Flower have been a really good tandem. I think Flower has helped Filip out a lot and Freddy Chabot, our goaltending coach, has really been instrumental in that. Filip has done a good job of getting himself into better condition and really working his game.

“There’s a lot of positives.”

As mentioned before, the current era in Minnesota is led by Kaprizov. The 25-year-old superstar is on pace to once again reach the 100-point plateau and continues to be one of the most dominant offensive players in the NHL. But a name that maybe does not get enough recognition is his linemate, and off ice pal, Mats Zuccarello.

Zuccarello, 35, signed a five-year contract with the Wild in 2019. After registering a career high in goals (24) and points (79) last season, Zuccarello is on pace to surpass both those totals, once again being an quintessential piece to the Wild’s success.

“Zuccarello has just been fantastic,” said Guerin. “He gives us a lot of leadership, the consistency in his game and the way he produces every night with Kirill has been really important for us.”

Getting production from the top guys is important for a team like the Wild, as they are still dealing with the heavy penalties from the Parise and Suter buyouts.

Entering this season, the Wild are operating with a little more than $12.7 million in dead cap space due to the buyouts; a number that will jump to a little more than $14.7 million in each of the next two seasons.

Ironically enough, the Wild are one of the few playoff teams benefitting from a plethora of in-season salary cap space, as they have not been operating in LTIR. Per Capfriendly.com, the Wild project to have more than $16.5 million in cap space by the Trade Deadline. Given how many playoff teams are up against the salary cap, the Wild will have a chance to take advantage of their system ahead of the playoffs.

“If the right deals come along, we’ll definitely try to improve the team,” said Guerin. “You always want to improve, but you also want to go with what’s working and you have to consider asking prices. You don’t want to do something just to do it.

“We want to get better if we can.”

The Wild will have to consider all options as the Trade Deadline approaches, especially if their eyes are set on a Stanley Cup. With the Central Division proving to be as top loaded as it is, Guerin and the Wild will have to leave no stone unturned.

While there is no set player that the team has its eyes on at the moment, the Wild will look at any potential deal that comes along that can potentially make them better.

“Can we get strong down the middle, or add to our defense, or add a scoring winger – the answer is yes to everything,” Guerin admitted. “We can always get better, but again, you have to weigh the pros and cons of every deal.”

Who and what the Wild decide to target will become clearer as the Deadline approaches, but one thing is certain: this team is set for a playoff run. Having already dealt with adversity, both in last year’s playoffs and early this season, the Wild have learned valuable lessons and can have gotten back to their identity.

Depending on what happens over the next two months on the trade front, it could be a deep playoff push in Minnesota this spring.