Next up on the Minnesota Wild’s report card list is another fourth liner, Mason Shaw. He was pretty new to the lineup this season and it’s actually quite a miracle he made it to the NHL at all. During his junior career, he tore his ACL three times, once in one leg and twice in the other. After the third tear, it appeared the NHL wasn’t even going to be an option, but thankfully he found a way to overcome it.
Shaw worked hard through the rehab with the help of many trainers, friends, and family and finally made it to the NHL. He’s a gritty player that’s not afraid to mix it up with anyone but also has the ability to score goals. He’s not a scoring machine but when he gets on a roll he’s hard to stop. That perseverance also led him to a nomination for the Bill Masterton Trophy but unfortunately, he didn’t make the final cut.
Shaw Stepped Up
Shaw didn’t play the first couple of games this season but as soon as there was an opportunity he jumped at it. He was bumped from the lineup a few times due to a suspension, being a healthy scratch, and finally, at the end of the season, he tore his ACL for the fourth time. However, before that happened, he played 59 games and registered seven goals plus 10 assists for 17 points and 92 shots on goal.
As is typical for many fourth-liners he kept up his physical presence with 87 hits and 79 penalty minutes. He also worked on his defensive side of the game with 27 blocked shots and 18 giveaways plus 17 takeaways. Like his teammate and linemate Connor Dewar, Shaw spent a lot of time on the penalty kill and even had two shorthanded assists.
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While Shaw found his strength on the penalty kill he was also put on the power play for a short amount of time. It didn’t work out as well, he didn’t record any points and had just one shot on goal. However, his regular season totals were obviously better than the playoffs as he didn’t get a chance to play at all due to his injury.
Shaw’s Non-Existent Playoffs
Of course, Shaw’s injury would happen in the last couple of weeks of the season and it was a crushing blow. He missed the last five games of the regular season and then all six of the postseason. However, he did deliver a very compelling opening speech in Game 3 of the Wild’s Round 1 series that got everyone fired up.
Shaw’s the type of player you want on your team as he’s very driven and plays with emotion. He gets into the game and won’t stop until his shift is over and even then, he’s encouraging his teammates on the sidelines. It’s hard to fault someone for getting hurt before the playoffs and Shaw’s injury was a fluke accident, but as soon as it happened everyone could tell it wasn’t good.
With his contract up this summer, everyone’s hoping the Wild elect to re-sign him and give him a chance to continue to prove himself. He had started to show his talents before his injuries and hopefully, he has an opportunity to do so again. If the Wild are able to, he’ll be sure to give it everything he’s got as that’s the type of player he is.
Shaw’s Grade
Shaw had the chance to show his talents during the regular season and he really stepped up. He did have a minor hiccup with a suspension that seemed questionable to many Wild fans at the time. However, regardless if it was warranted or not, the Wild did lose him for two games and while they won one and lost one, luckily it didn’t hurt them too badly. Overall he earned an A-, he made some great advancements in offense, some defense, and penalty killing but still has room to improve especially on the power play.
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Obviously, he can’t really earn a grade for the playoffs since he didn’t play, but he should get something for the speech he gave. He gets an A for the speech and while it’s purely an honor thing, the speech was very moving. So the A- sticks when it comes to an overall grade and he earned it. Hopefully, he gets another chance to play for the Wild once his leg heals.
The team needs him as a penalty killer as well as the grit and emotion he brings to the lineup. He’s a guy everyone rallies around and after this last ACL tear, he’ll be more fired up than ever. The Wild are a team that doesn’t give up easily on their players and hopefully, that stays true when it comes to Shaw.
