Wild's fatal flaw that must be fixed in 2024-25 season
The Minnesota Wild are off to a terrific start in 2024-25. Filip Gustavsson has been lights out between the pipes, Kirill Kaprizov is playing like a true top player in the NHL, and the Wild are 7-1-2 and just four points back of the Winnipeg Jets for first place in the Central Division.
Considering Minnesota missed the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs — the first time it had happened for the franchise in five years — it's been a supremely encouraging start to the campaign in Saint Paul. Led by Gustavsson and Kaprizov, the Wild have won six of their last seven and look like a true postseason threat in the Western Conference.
Even more encouraging is that seven of Minnesota's first 10 games have been on the road. They've won five times away from home, and that road-heavy schedule will start to work in their favor as the year goes on. With the star power showing up and a couple of players taking another step forward, it's realistic to believe the Wild can keep up this elevated level of play all season long. But the offensive depth needs to improve if this roster wants to be considered a top team in the National Hockey League.
Wild are off to a fantastic start in 2024-25
The Wild are fresh off an impressive 5-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Friday night; Kaprizov continued his NHL-leading tear by scoring two goals and adding an assist, while Gustavsson made 28 saves in the triumph.
"Yeah, it's nice win, but I feel like we play not our [best] hockey in first period," Kaprizov said afterwards, per NHL.com's Jessi Pierce. "Maybe it was because it was a long trip and something like that. But I feel like second and third period we played better, and Gus [made] huge saves and a couple blocked shots and we scored our goals."
Kaprizov has been the focal point in the early going, and in 2024-25 he's emerged as one of the NHL's premier players.
The star players on the Wild are carrying all the weight
Kaprizov has been ridiculous through 10 games, leading the league with 21 points and showing no signs of slowing down. He's been putting together a legitimate Hart Trophy case in the early going, and the Wild are going to go as far as the Russian takes them.
"It's the way that he plays, the way that he competes, his willingness to play on both sides of the puck," Wild head coach John Hynes said of his best player, per Pierce. "He's out on the 5-on-6, right, so he has some of those goals. But you're not just putting him out there because you want to get him an empty-net goal. He's proven that he's committed to playing both sides of the puck 5-on-5 and he's been very good in those situations. I think that's what makes him special."
The bench boss continued: "We talk about a one-trick pony, he's not a one-trick pony. He's obviously a point guy and a highly talented offensive player, but his commitment to play for the team, and his commitment to do the things necessary when he doesn't have the puck, is what's really impressive to me."
Along with Kaprizov, the star power on the roster has been showing up; both Matt Boldy (12 points) and Mats Zuccarello (11 points) are playing at above a point-per-game pace in the early going. Sophomore Marco Rossi has chipped in nine points of his own, while Joel Eriksson Ek has managed eight points in seven games.
And the defense is also in good shape, even with Jared Spurgeon continuing to battle the injury bug . Brock Faber has been excellent on the top pair, adding six points while playing more than any other Wild skater. Jake Middleton has also had a breakout start on the blue line, leading the unit with two goals and eight points in 10 games.
But despite Minnesota's undeniable star power and strong defensive play in 2024-25, the offensive depth is still looking like it could be an issue as the campaign goes on. And that is the Wild's fatal flaw this season: a glaring lack of production from the depth forwards.
Wild's fatal flaw is a lack of depth scoring
The Wild might be having success without significant contributions from the likes of Marcus Johansson, Marcus Foligno, Yakov Trenin and Marat Khusnutdinov, but they could use some help from those players nonetheless. Both Johansson and Foligno regressed last season, and neither have provided confidence for a bounce-back campaign in 2024-25.
Johansson is the only one of those players in the top-six, and even with exposure to Boldy and Eriksson Ek, he's having a tough offensive campaign. He's managed just a single goal and three points in nine games. Foligno has been just as futile, managing just three points of his own despite playing one more game.
And the rest of the forward core hasn't been doing much; Trenin has just one point; Khusnutdinov, two. The latter is still getting acclimated to North America, but the former hasn't quite come as advertised from the Nashville Predators. Jakub Lauko and Frederick Gaudreau have been solid with four points each, but overall, the depth is lacking.
Will that be a place that general manager Bill Guerin tries to address at the trade deadline? It'll be difficult considering the significant buyouts of Ryan Suter and Zach Parise are still on the books, but it's possible he could try to add another scoring forward to improve the squad's depth.
As it is, Kaprizov is having no trouble carrying the team, while it looks like Boldy is taking another step forward. Zuccarello and Eriksson Ek continue to produce as well, and that should continue. Add the way Gustavsson has been playing between the pipes, and that could be enough for the Wild to remain near the top of the Central Division all season long.
But the Wild have struggled mightily in the postseason over the last decade, and a lack of depth scoring has frequently been an issue for this club. There's probably no change coming with a 7-1-2 record, but it'll be interesting to see if that flaw will prove fatal for Minnesota in 2024-25.
