Goldman: John Hynes isn’t the solution to what really ails the Wild
Can a coaching change be the spark the Minnesota Wild have been missing?
That’s what management’s clearly hoping, now that Dean Evason’s been dismissed in Minnesota, along with assistant coach Bob Woods.
The Wild have slid down the standings with a 5-10-4 record that ranks ahead of just two Western teams: Chicago and San Jose . The difference is, Minnesota has contender aspirations. The start of this season just hasn’t reflected those playoff hopes in the slightest.
Firing a coach is just one part of the equation — there’s also the replacement. And in the Wild’s case, they went with a fairly predictable, but also underwhelming pick in John Hynes.
So while the drastic change in itself may be enough to spark some players — and if that extends to the goaltenders, the Wild are in luck — Hynes isn’t answer to help this team reach their contender potential.
Considering his experience working with Wild general manager Bill Guerin in Wilkes-Barre, Hynes makes sense as the pick. Sometimes in hockey, it’s less about you know but you’re connected to. That seems to be the case here because the argument for Hynes isn’t super strong otherwise.
Much of the case for Hynes’ hiring has to do with his defensive reputation. That’s been the Wild’s identity over the years, and it’s slipped compared to last year.
Up until his last year with the New Jersey Devils when Hynes was dismissed mid-season, the Devils’ five-on-five defense was slightly above average with him behind the bench. That could benefit the Wild, who are slightly worse in their own zone relative to last year. But that drop-off isn’t that significant in front of the goal crease — they’re still seventh in their expected goal suppression so far this season. Poor goaltending has made all the defensive lapses more glaring. Minnesota’s goalies have allowed a combined seven goals above expected. The only team off to a worse start in that measure is the Devils.
In theory, the fact that Hynes’ systems emphasize more coverage in the high-danger areas of the ice could help better protect the struggling goaltenders. Except, the team is already doing a pretty solid job of that at five-on-five, as represented in blue below.
If that could be instilled on the penalty kill, where the Wild have been abysmal, then Hynes would be helpful in remedying a clear area of weaknesses. The penalty kill showed some positive signs in the second half of Hynes’ tenure with the Devils. Not only were there some defensive strengths, but the team took a proactive approach and generated short-handed chances to push the pace of play as well.
The Wild have allowed the third-highest rate of shots and expected goals against, and rank dead last with 14.3 goals against per 60. The team continued to flounder even after Jared Spurgeon returned to the lineup, so their struggles couldn’t just be chalked up to his absence as the season rolled on. And that fully explains why Woods, who runs the defense and penalty kill, was fired along with Evason — although it’s not clear yet who will take over that assistant coach role.
But there’s no guarantee Hynes will be the difference the Wild need there, either. Hynes’ Predators teams had a penalty kill that was below average in their expected goal suppression in three of his four seasons there. The Predators just had very stellar goaltending most of the time. That made their even-strength play look better than it was in some seasons, too.
Even if Hynes was some elite defensive coach, which he just hasn’t proven to be at the NHL level, that’s not what the Wild should be seeking right now, anyway. Sure, this team isn’t as stout as they were in their own zone in the past and yes, there’s absolutely a need for a new voice directing the penalty kill. But the other side of the ice is where there needs to be more emphasis. As much as this team’s had a defensive identity for some time, they’ve also been known to underwhelm offensively, especially when the power play isn’t clicking and that’s true this season, too.
Obviously Hynes, like Evason, has somewhat of an uphill battle considering the roster flaws. The team is centered around Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy driving the offense and their lack of depth is so apparent when those two aren’t clicking. The center depth remains weak relative to where a contender should strive to be. Hynes can’t suddenly invent forward or defensive depth, nor can he clear up cap space the management unwisely invested in players like Marcus Johansson or sunk into buyouts.
But management should have looked for a coach with a more reliable track record of maximizing the offensive ability of a team, and Hynes absolutely has not done that. That’s exactly why general manager Barry Trotz let him go in Nashville just a few months ago in favor of Andrew Brunette. And that’s exactly why Guerin should have looked at someone like Jay Woodcroft instead if the insistence was on someone with NHL experience.
Hynes has benefited from players like Taylor Hall , Filip Forsberg , and Nico Hischier headlining his rosters over the years. But almost every single team he’s coached at the NHL level has been below-average offensively at even strength — even when his star players thrived. His tenure in Nashville was a prime example of that. The coach could count on Forsberg, Matt Duchene , and Roman Josi to transition the puck up the ice with control. Otherwise, the team’s rush effort was almost non-existent.
And that’s not what the Wild should want to become in today’s NHL when speed and skill are pivotal.
Under Hynes, there will likely be more emphasis on forechecking and wearing opponents down. The Wild have players who would thrive in that environment, like Joel Eriksson Ek , Frederick Gaudreau , Marcus Foligno , and Connor Dewar . But that’s just element of offensive success, and this team needs more dimension than that – just as the Predators did during his tenure.
This team needs to show some creativity, especially when Kaprizov isn’t on the ice or excelling and that puts more pressure on young talent like Boldy to pick up the pace, or Marco Rossi to reach his potential. This may not be a roster filled with young talent that needs a coach ready to develop talent, but considering the aging core around them, the progression of their young forwards is that much more important. Maybe Hynes learned more about how to help young talent progress in his last few months in Nashville, when Tommy Novak and Luke Evangelista shined. But his coaching history to that point was lacking in the development department — Eeli Tolvanen’s usage and quick emergence after joining the Seattle Kraken is just one representative of that.
The Wild’s biggest problem is that they like what they know, and don’t often veer from it. Sometimes that can work for a team; look at the Carolina Hurricanes , who continuously find ways to feed into their strengths and expand on them. But Minnesota’s not Carolina, and shouldn’t be immune to drastic change. Refining their defensive identity should be the floor of what a new coach is asked to do and not the ceiling. This team needs more than just a bounceback from their goaltenders, too.
The Wild need a coach who can maximize this flawed roster and give this team more dimension. Otherwise, they risks facing the same result again and again: A finish in the dreaded middle that likely ends with a Round 1 elimination. So while management may feel familiarity is the answer here in Hynes, it could ultimately be what holds the Wild back.
(Photo of John Hynes: Brace Hemmelgarn / USA Today)
