The Minnesota Wild’s season report cards are still moving through the defensive core but getting down to the final two defensemen. The first of the two will be the subject of this article, and that is Jonas Brodin, possibly their best veteran defensive defenseman. However, this past season was one of his hardest due to his off-and-on injury problems.
While he had his ups and downs this past season, he actually bounced back from the previous season. In this article, we’ll look at a rough part of his game, a strong part of his game, and give his overall grade. The first will be the difficult part of his game, which revolved around his lack of physicality.
Brodin Needs a Slight Physical Edge
For most players, physicality isn’t a problem; they’re ready to throw hits as often as possible, but Brodin is a different style of player. While he also struggled with turnovers like his linemates, he actually had more takeaways than giveaways. He took the puck away from opponents 26 times and turned it over 21 times in 62 games.
The turnovers aren’t as big of an issue with Brodin because he typically makes up for those errors right after they happen. However, the physicality is something he could improve on and use more of. He’s been injured quite a bit and having a more physical side could help that and is really one of the only parts of his game that needs improvement.
He threw 21 hits, which had him towards the bottom of the roster, and while that hasn’t been an integral part of his game, it could prevent him from being injured in the future. If he can protect himself a bit more when fighting for the puck, he may be able to stay in the lineup. He doesn’t have to go over the top physically, but a few more hits here and there would be beneficial.
Brodin’s a Model Defenseman
Think of everything you could possibly want in a defenseman, and that’s what you have in Brodin. He’s speedy, smart, and puts his defensive priorities first. While he had his off games, he gave his all when he was in the lineup, including blocked shots. He was third on the roster in blocks with 142. Despite all his injury issues, he still put his body between the puck and his goaltender.
He even added some offense with seven goals and 20 assists for 27 points. That may not seem like a lot, but when it’s coming from one of your top defensemen, it makes all the difference. He found ways to elevate his game, which also helped elevate his defensive partner. With the many injuries to their lineup, his defensive partner changed quite often, and he also handled that in stride.
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As far as the defensemen on the Wild roster go, Brodin and Brock Faber are pretty equal and were together the most often, with Faber following in Brodin’s footsteps, so to speak. They’ve made a great team when paired together, but they both have a way of working with anyone they’re paired with. It’ll be interesting to see if they get paired together next season or apart.
Brodin’s Grade
Originally, Faber was going to be the only defenseman who earned above an average grade because of his play, but after reviewing Brodin’s season and all he faced, he’s earned a B-. For those who think that’s too low, he could’ve found ways to step up a bit more and helped lead when the team needed someone to look to. However, for those who think it was too high, he did so much for dealing with consistent injury problems.
It’s hard for players with injuries to put up decent numbers, but he found a way to do that. He earned his grade and did what he could to help his team. Hopefully, he can be a little more physical and stay healthy next season so he can fully help his team make it back to the postseason.
