In 2022-23, the Minnesota Wild put up 46 wins and collected 103 points, which was good enough for third place in the Central Division. They were a completely dominant squad that could find ways to win games in a variety of ways on any given night. I don’t think anyone foresaw the team falling face-first off a cliff this season to the point where they are currently on pace for just 35 wins and 78 points.
The change in fortune came about this season despite the team looking mostly the same as last, with just a few seemingly minor changes being made throughout the lineup. It’s time we take a look at those players who left in the offseason and see how they are fairing with their new teams. Let’s get to it.
Matt Dumba
It will always be strange for Wild fans to see Matt Dumba in another uniform. Whether you loved him or hated him, he was part of the organization for 10 seasons before a lack of salary cap space forced them to let him walk into free agency. The seventh overall draft pick was a mainstay on the Wild’s blue line paired with Jonas Brodin. Brodin’s elite defensive skills and Dumba’s offensive talents just meshed well together, but unfortunately, those days are over.
Dumba signed a one-year deal with the Arizona Coyotes for $3.9 million but is not having the resurgent season they likely hoped he would. The Coyotes are a much-improved team this season compared to the last few, currently sitting ahead of the Wild in the standings, but Dumba has collected just five points in 44 games with his new team.
He is still averaging around 20 minutes of time on ice per game, but would likely be much more limited on a team with better defensive depth. There is a good chance the Coyotes look to flip him at the upcoming trade deadline for a pick. A disappointing turn of events for a player who was once a top-end offensive defenseman.
Ryan Reaves & John Klingberg
A strange pair of players to be linked together in any manner. The Wild acquired Ryan Reaves way back on Nov. 23, 2023, from the New York Rangers for a fifth-round pick, and John Klingberg at the last second of the March 3, 2023 deadline from the Anaheim Ducks for a 2024 fourth-round pick, Andrej Sustr, and prospect Nikita Nesterenko. The thread that links these two vastly different players? The fact that the Toronto Maple Leafs signed both of them to contracts, which they now seem to be regretting.
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At one point in time, both Reaves and Klingberg were extremely highly regarded in their own special niche. Reaves was an extremely tough enforcer, and Klingberg was an elite puck-moving offensive defenseman. Unfortunately for both players, they have suffered some harsh deterioration in their overall game, and their niche skills are just not enough to make up for their failures in other areas. Klingberg only participated in 14 games with the Leafs before hip surgery ruled him out for the remainder of the season. Reaves has just returned from an injury that kept him out of the lineup for over a month, but he has just two points on the season and has only broken 10 minutes of ice time in a game once.
Oskar Sundqvist & Gustav Nyquist
A pair of veteran Swedish forwards that the Wild added to their roster at the trade deadline for a rather low cost. Oskar Sundqvist brought his hulking form over from the Detroit Red Wings in return for a fourth-round pick, while it only required a fifth-round pick to add the injured Gustav Nyquist. Neither player really had much time to settle into the Wild’s roster before their first-round exit sent them both off into free agency.
Sundqvist returned to the St. Louis Blues on a one-year deal at the league minimum of $775,000. The Blues, similar to the Wild, struggled in the first half of the season but have somehow found enough of a groove to leap into a wild card spot before the All-Star Break kicked in. Sunqvist has continued to do what he does best in a shutdown role in the bottom six but has been adding a nice amount of point production to go along with it. A great player at that low of a cap hit.
Perhaps the biggest loss on this list is Nyquist, so it hurts that much more that he is playing for a divisional foe, the Nashville Predators. Nyquist’s injury meant he only got to play nine total games with the Wild, six of which were playoff games, but he managed to produce 10 points in that short period. The Wild did not have enough cap space heading into this season to extend him, so instead, he is on pace for 60 points with the Stars and is making just a hair over $3 million a season. This one definitely hurts.
Sam Steel
Joining Nyquist on the Stars is Sam Steel. Steel was a late addition to the Wild’s 2022-23 roster after he signed as a free agent. Steel would play in 60 total games with the Wild and produce 30 points. Steel never really found a home on the Wild’s roster, as he was tried in just about every position, with every combination of linemates possible. A short stint on the top-line centering Kirill Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello helped his stat line.
He signed a one-year deal with the Stars for $850,000 where he is currently producing at a slightly slower pace than last season and jumping around their bottom six, similar to what he experienced with the Wild. He has had some time with strong linemates, the most recent being Jamie Benn and Joe Pavelski, but it feels like unless Steel manages to find another gear, his career may be shorter than he hoped it would be.
Overall Not That Painful
There are no subtractions over the last season that have left the Wild feeling like they made a massive mistake. Sure, they would have liked to keep Nyquist around a little longer, but even that would not have improved them enough to not be the sixth-worst team in the NHL. Some would argue that their inability to let more of their older players move on is an even larger reason for this failure of a season. Fans may have to expect (or hope for) some larger changes headed into next season, as an incoming wave of young prospects may push some more veterans out the door.
