Up until now, the Minnesota Wild report cards have focused on one player per report, but this time it will be split among two. Both of these players joined the Wild late in the season and didn’t get much playing time. Those players were Oskar Sundqvist and Gustav Nyquist who didn’t play enough games to warrant a full report each.
Sundqvist and Nyquist joined the Wild at the 2023 NHL Trade Deadline and while Sundqvist played right away, Nyquist didn’t. However, they both made impacts when they became part of the Wild and we’ll start by looking at their regular seasons.
Wild Newcomers Make Impacts
Sundqvist played almost immediately after being traded to the Wild and while he only played 15 games before the season ended, he contributed three goals and four assists for seven points. He tried to stay out of the penalty box as well with just eight minutes over those games.
He showed his offensive powers with his ability to score goals but his defensive game could’ve improved. He only blocked three shots but had 21 hits. He focused more on his physical game rather than his defensive game but luckily Sundqvist’s turnovers were limited with four giveaways and he helped with three takeaways.
While Sundqvist played basically right away, Nyqvist’s appearance in the lineup was a bit delayed due to a shoulder injury that occurred in January. He only played three games prior to the postseason but he scored one goal and four assists for five points. He started off with two assists in his very first game and then a goal each in the two remaining games. He did an even better job of staying out of the penalty box with zero minutes recorded.
As far as his defensive game it was minimal like Sundqvist’s with just two blocked shots and two hits. However, Nyquist did well with zero turnovers and three takeaways. So, both players made offensive contributions but struggled when it came to defense.
Wild’s Sundqvist & Nyquist Contribute
When the postseason started the Wild’s offense all but disappeared with a few players finding ways to break through. Sundqvist was one of those players; his postseason was very short-lived with one goal scored in just one game played. He scored in their Game 2 loss but also had three shots on goal. He continued with his physical presence with four hits in that game plus one blocked shot. He stayed quiet on the penalty front with zero minutes and he didn’t have any takeaways or giveaways.
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Nyquist played in all six games and had an astonishing five assists for five points which tied for the team lead in points. He started out with an assist in Game 1, two assists in Game 2, one assist in Game 3, and his final assist in Game 6. He contributed nine shots on goal throughout those games and he unfortunately took a two-minute penalty as well that wasn’t great for their penalty kill.
Defensively he did slightly better than Sundqvist with three blocked shots and just two hits. He also had two giveaways but made up for it with three takeaways. Again, both Sundqvist and Nyquist figured out how to produce offensively but struggled when it came to defense, something both of these players need to get better at.
Wild’s Sundqvist & Nyquist’s Grades
While they played very minimal time to determine a grade, they did just enough to come up with some comments on areas to improve and yes, a grade. Sundqvist will be up for review first and if it was based just on offense, he’d have an A but defense is an important part of being an all-around player. For his regular season grade, he earned a B+ due to his scoring in such a short amount of time but with room to improve his defensive game.
Switching to his postseason grade, the same comments can be said. He found a way to produce offense but his defense really struggled and, in the playoffs, you have to be able to do both. It is important to remember he only played one game in the postseason and he scored a goal. As a result, he earned an A-, slightly better due to the goal but yes, the defensive game could’ve been better with less physicality and more blocked shots. Overall, he earned a high A-/low B+ for an all-around grade.
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Now it’s Nyquist’s turn to be graded and while he did better offensively, he also has room to improve defensively. He played a very short time before the season ended but managed to produce a higher number of points. For that reason, his grade will be higher with an A- but it’ll sound like a broken record, he could improve on his defensive game.
When it came to the postseason, he recorded a high number of points once again and for that, he earned the same, an A-. It didn’t go lower because he did well offensively and he did slightly better defensively than the regular season. Overall, he earned an A- for all his offensive spark and he did start to improve defensively. Hopefully, if either player stays on the roster as they’re both free agents, for next season they can show their full potential.
