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Wild Position Analysis: The Forwards

September 6, 2018, 11:19 PM ET [5 Comments]
Dan Wallace
Minnesota Wild Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
It is no secret that the Wild need to get better production from the forward group collectively.

Eric Staal has been the picture of consistency in his two years in Minnesota, capped off with a franchise tying 42 goal campaign and 76 points, this past season. Jason Zucker had a career season with 33 goals and 64 points, and Mikael Granlund nearly matched his numbers from his breakout 2016-17 season.

The issue was that those three forwards were the lone bright spots on what was otherwise a disappointing Wild offense. Injuries certainly played a significant role, as Nino Niederreiter and Charlie Coyle suffered significant leg injuries in the 3rd game of the season in Chicago. They both were hampered for much of the season and the result for both forwards was a significant reduction in their goals (Niederreiter 25 down to 18, Coyle 18 down to 11) and points (Niederreiter 57 down to 32, Coyle 56 down to 37) totals from the season before.

Zach Parise missed the entire first half of the season and when he finally made his return it took him the better part of a month to get back to his game. Once he did, Parise was arguably the best and most consistent Wild forward the final month of the season and through the first 3 games of the playoffs prior to his broken sternum which ended his season. Parise finished the season with 15 goals in 42 games and added a goal in each of the three Wild playoff games in which he played.

Tyler Ennis and Marcus Foligno, acquired from Buffalo in the Scandella/Pominville deal, were unable to deliver much offense at all with both players netting eight goals each and 22 and 23 points respectively.

Matt Cullen and Daniel Winnick were not signed for their offense of course, but their combined 17 goals still fell below expectations.

So as we look forward to the 2018-19 season, there are not a whole lot of significant changes to the offense.

Gone are Matt Cullen, Daniel Winnick, and Tyler Ennis and in their place are J.T. Brown, Eric Fehr, Matt Hendricks, and Matt Read. None of the new additions is expected to have a significant impact on the offense but the hope is that they can push to be more consistent while at the same time making the Wild a tougher team to play against.

Joel Eriksson Ek had a really challenging first full season in the NHL struggling to find the back of the net for a good majority of the season finishing the campaign with just 6 goals. The low goal production was not necessarily the defining point of JEE's rookie season though. He really established himself in his own zone, and as the season wore on he started to find his offensive game. Expect a much more complete Eriksson Ek this season.

Jordan Greenway made his long awaited debut late in the season and scored his first NHL goal in the playoffs against the Jets. Greenway like Eriksson Ek is very responsible in his own zone, which of course instills the trust of the Wild coaching staff, but that said both players are going to be expected to contribute more offense.

Luke Kunin made a strong case to make the big club out of camp last season but ended up beginning the season in Iowa. As the injury bug bit the Wild hard in the early going Kunin was recalled and played well in his first stint in the NHL. After being sent down once the Wild walking wounded started to return to the lineup. Kunin was recalled at the end of February and it looked as if he would be up for good at that point, but unfortunately his season was derailed when he suffered a torn ACL on March 4th.

Although new GM, Paul Fenton, was not able to pull off any significant deals in his first Summer at the helm, this Wild offense still seems different than in years past. It is still in need of a real sniper, along with some more size and toughness, but it feels like those needs will be addressed in due time.

Fenton will put his stamp on this team, but good for him, for not making the wrong deal simply for the sake of making a trade. Fenton has a plan and will work within the structure of that plan to transform the Wild from a playoff qualifier into a Stanley Cup contender.

The competition in camp for roster spots should be a lot more interesting than it has been in years past, combined with the return to health of Parise, Niederreiter, and Coyle should give the Wild faithful renewed hope.

Follow me on Twitter @dwallace17
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