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How Does Guerin's Plan Evolve in 2023 |
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2023 is in full swing and the calendar page turn from December to January, typically signifies the point where separation of contenders and also runs takes shape
That said, the Wild are 4-2-2 thru their first eight games of the new year after last night's 5-2 loss in Carolina. Sometimes the final score is not necessarily indicative of how the game was contested. Last night was one of those games for the Wild.
Did they deserve to win, absolutely not, but the game was a much closer than the 5-2 score would indicate.
Fredrik Andersen was most certainly a huge factor for the Canes making some huge timely saves. A couple of those saves were turned into Hurricane puck possessions that resulted in goals for the home squad.
The Wild had numerous opportunities to get back into the game including a powerplay shortly after Matt Boldy had cut the deficit to three and a full 5-minute man advantage later in the third period.
Unfortunately for the Wild they could not capitalize on either of their opportunities and they skated off with the 5-2 loss.
This Wild team is good, however they are still missing some important elements.
As the trade deadline approaches we will hear all kinds of rumblings and most certainly the Wild roster will look different on the other side. Missing for certain is another finisher to round out the top six forwards. It is obvious when watching this team playing from behind they lack that extended zone pressure that some of the higher end teams deploy. These top end teams have more than one legit scoring line.
For the Wild, at least they now have that one legit scoring line with the ultra talented Kirill Kaprizov and his partner in crime Mats Zuccarello. However Matt Boldy still flies solo on the second line without a true complement to tap his 5-on-5 potential.
A lot will be made of the salary cap situation for the Wild with the dead cap space on the books, however the dual buyouts were absolutely necessary. All one has to do is picture the Wild with #11 and #20 on the active roster, forget about who they would be replacing in today's lineup. Ask yourself would a Wild team with #11 and #20 be a playoff team? I think not.
So we can pretty much assume that Matt Dumba is on his way out, and the rumors are swirling about Jordan Greenway as well. Now what could either player net in return is the bigger question.
Greenway has not had a good season at all after his return from the shoulder injury. The big man has often been criticized for not using his 6'6" frame to his advantage. Quite frankly he often plays soft for a guy that big.
Dumba on the other hand is a right shot defenseman, who can be an effective player when he plays his game. He has a big shot, although he does not use that as often as he used to. That may or may not be a good thing. In the past he had a tendency to take the big shot without much thought as to the results. There were a lot of blocks that turned into scoring chances for the opposition or the loss of possession.
We know this Guerin will not stand pat with the current roster. The decisions on RFAs, Sam Steel, Calen Addison, Brandon Duhaime, Mason Shaw, and UFAs Freddy Gaudreau and Ryan Reeves, will have an impact as well.
Minnesota Wild Blogger • 
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