Minnesota Wild Have Few Decisions Left to Make Before Regular Season – Hockey Writers – Minnesota Wild

With just one week left before the 2024-25 NHL season, the Minnesota Wild are wasting no time getting down to business. The majority of the team is down to 24 bowlers, with the exception of Matt Boldy, who is still out with an injury but is expected to return to class later this week.

Seeking Balance Across Lists

The team takes a very balanced approach to the whole program by the looks of things. Head coach John Hynes wants to have four tight ends and his approach is for each line to have speed, skill, and size.

The team desperately needs Marcus Johansson to have a bounce-back season, so he got the perfect gift on the second line. Surprisingly, high school graduate Marco Rossi was focused on the “check line.” This could limit him offensively, as he looks to improve on his 21 goals in his first season.

The main list lines are below. Saturday practice lines:

Forward

Kirill Kaprizov-Ryan Hartman-Mats Zuccarello

Ryan Johansson-Joel Eriksson Ek-Liam Ohgren

Marcus Foligno-Marco Rossi-Yakub Trenin

Jakub Lauko-Marat Khusnutdinov-Frédérick Gaudreau

Ben Jones

The protectors

Jonas Brodin-Brock Faber

Jacob Middleton-Jared Spurgeon

Declan Chisholm-Zach Bogosian

Jon Merrill-Daemon Hunt

Goals

Filip Gustavsson/Marc-Andre Fleury/Jesper Wallstedt

Jones the The surprise of the camp

Every few years, a new player comes out of nowhere and becomes the wonder of training camp. For Minnesota, that player without question is Ben Jones. The center from Waterloo, Ontario, is a five-year veteran of the American Hockey League (AHL). Had a stint (two games) with the Vegas Golden Knights in 2021-22. Jones, who has appeared in all four preseason games, has two goals, but sat out Devon Shore against the Dallas Stars after scoring a goal on Wild Matt Dumba. The most impressive thing is that he did not look everywhere in his games.

Who Wins 2 Finalist List Slots?

When training camp ends the Wild will have a 23-man roster. How will the last two to three team roster spots be determined? Does general manager Bill Guerin want Ohgren, Hunt, and Wallstedt to sit out most nights as healthy scratches, or would he like them to get more minutes in the AHL? It would be surprising if the roster split didn't have 13 players, seven defensemen, and three goaltenders to start the season.

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Boldy will play on the second right wing alongside Eriksson Ek and Johansson. The question then becomes who will be the 13th player. Ohgen played well in training camp so not playing every night will not help his development. The Swede is entering his first pro season in North America and needs to play as much as possible. Jones needs to be waived, but the Wild won't be losing too much sleep over that, as he's unlikely to be wanted.

The big question is in the background. Jon Merrill hasn't looked good in training camp and hasn't played with the big leagues yet. At this point in his career, Merrill is the seventh defenseman. Would they lose him to layoffs? Maybe, but he makes about $400,000 a year more than Daemon Hunt.

Hunt has looked good during training camp and is looking to prove he can be a full-time NHL defenseman. At this point in the season, who does that and who doesn't need to compromise on the many decisions made. This decision can come at the last minute, no matter which way they lean.

A Three-Headed Monster on the Net?

From the goals, it seems clear that they will keep three goals for now. The team splits all six games, ultimately giving each goaltender two starts. The net at the start of the season will definitely belong to Gustavsson. But if he struggles early, they have two other options to lean on. Wallstedt can be sent down to the AHL at any point during the season, so if Gustavsson plays his game early, he won't need all three in net. The negative decision later in the season could be whether Wallstedt deserves Fleury's spot if Fleury struggles? If the Wild want to be contenders again, that decision could be it is difficult and complicated to do.

Overall, the Wild has a very balanced lineup. Staying healthy and scoring goals will be key to them getting back to the playoffs.