After the draft, the opening of the free agent market and several staff moves during the offseason, NHL.com is profiling the various teams for the 2023-24 season, which begins on October 10. Today, the Minnesota Wild.
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Record in 2022-23: 46-25-11, third in the Central section; eliminated in the first round in the Western Conference
Best scorer: Kirill Kaprizov (40)
Best passer: Mats Zuccarello (45)
Best scorer: Kaprizov (75)
Arrivals
• Pat Maroon (A)
Acquired in a trade from the Tampa Bay Lightning on July 2 for a seventh-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, Maroon is expected to bring a tough style of play, leadership and playoff experience to Minnesota. He won the Stanley Cup with Tampa Bay in 2020 and 2021, and with the St. Louis Blues in 2019. Maroon had 14 points (five goals, nine assists) in 80 regular season games with the Lightning last season and led the NHL in penalty minutes (150). He had one assist in six Stanley Cup Playoff games.
Video: WSH@TBL: Maroon’s second goal in the 3rd period
Departures
• John Klingberg (D)
• Ryan Reaves (A)
• Sam Steel (A)
• Gustav Nyquist (A)
• Oskar Sundqvist (A)
Klingberg (one year) and Reaves (three years) each signed a contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs on July 1. Klingberg had 33 points (10 goals, 23 assists) in 67 regular season games with the Wild and Anaheim Ducks last season, including nine points (two goals, seven assists) in 17 games after being acquired in a trade by Minnesota on March 3. He added four points (one goal, two assists) in four playoff games. Reaves, acquired in a trade from the New York Rangers on Nov. 23, had 15 points (five goals, 10 assists) in 61 games with the Wild last season. He was shut out in six playoff games.
Steel and Nyquist also agreed to a one-year contract on July 1. Nyquist, who had five points (one goal, four assists) in three games with the Wild after being acquired from the Columbus Blue Jackets on Feb. 28, signed with the Nashville Predators, while Steel, who got 28 points (10 goals, 18 assists) in 65 regular season games with Minnesota, signed with the Dallas Stars.
Sundqvist signed a one-year deal with the Blues on July 12. He had 28 points (10 goals, 18 assists) in 67 games with the Wild and Detroit Red Wings, including seven points (three goals, four assists) in 15 games after being acquired in a trade from Detroit on March 3 .
They knock on the door
• Brock Faber (D)
• Mark Rossi (A)
• Sammy Walker (A)
Faber, 20, played in two regular season games and six playoff games with Minnesota last season. Selected in the second round (45th overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft, Faber had 27 points (four goals, 23 assists) in 38 games with the University of Minnesota last season. Faber also recorded five assists in seven games to help the United States clinch gold at the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship, and he represented the United States at the 2022 Olympics in Beijing.
Rossi, the ninth overall pick in the 2020 draft, had one assist in 19 games with Minnesota last season and ranked second with the Iowa Wild, Minnesota’s AHL farm club hockey, with 51 points (16 goals, 35 assists) in 53 regular season games. He had six points (one goal, five assists) in seven appearances for Austria at the 2023 IIHF World Championship.
Walker, 24, has one goal and one assist in nine regular season games with the Wild. Selected by the Lightning in the seventh round (200th overall) in the 2017 draft, Walker led Iowa in goals (27) and was third in points (48) in 56 games.
Needs
A contract for goalkeeper Filip Gustavsson. The restricted free agent, whose salary arbitration hearing is scheduled for Aug. 4, set a personal best in wins (22-9-7) and shutouts (three) in 39 games (37 starts). He ranked second in the NHL (minimum 20 games played) in goals-against average (2.10) and save percentage (.931), behind Vézina Trophy winner Linus Ullmark, Boston Bruins (MBA 1.89; %ARR. 938).
what they said
“I would have liked to be more active (in the free agent market). You get frustrated at times, but when you look at the board, you realize that the majority of your team is already established. We still have a few agreements to conclude with our free agents with compensation, but in general, our team is assembled, and we are satisfied. — General Manager Bill Guerin
Training scheduled for 2023-24
Kirill Kaprizov — Ryan Hartman — Mats Zuccarello
Matthew Boldy — Joel Eriksson Ek — Marcus Johansson
Marcus Foligno — Frédérick Gaudreau — Brandon Duhaime
Patrick Maroon — Marco Rossi — Connor Dewar
Jacob Middleton — Jared Spurgeon
Jonas Brodin — Calen Addison
Jon Merrill — Brock Faber
Philip Gustavsson
Marc-Andre Fleury
2023-07-20 01:22:12
#acquisition #Maroon #brings #bit #robustness #Wild
