Fans expected Matt Boldy to turn into a superstar after a breakout season in 2023-24, and his start to this year only reinforced that notion. But of all the Wild’s struggles, Boldy is the most problematic for a team counting on him to become a star.
Boldy has done a lot of good things this season. Boldy, 23, got off to a blazing start, scoring 11 goals and dishing out 22 assists in his first 20 games. But those stats don’t fully represent how good he had become.
The game was slowing down for Boldy, and his passing skills went from great to elite. He found teammates in open space, fueling the Wild’s offensive attack and becoming one of their best performers in the clutch with five game-winning goals.
For a fan base thirsty for a superstar before Kirill Kaprizov arrived from Russia for the 2020-21 season, the thought of having two superstars on the same team was juicy. Michael Russo noted that Boldy was having his star turn after scoring the game-tying goal in regulation during an overtime loss to the Chicago Blackhawks on Nov. 10.
“Kaprizov is the NHL’s second-leading scorer, but he doesn’t have to be the Wild’s only star,” Russo wrote. “It’s not frowned upon to have two, and Boldy sure looks like he has the makings to be one.”
Wild defenseman Jake Middleton also noted Boldy’s impact, citing his desire to make plays to help the team win.
“He’s got that confidence in himself, almost like a swagger,” Middleton said. “Well, it is a swagger. He wants the puck. He’s always calling for it when he’s open, and he’s gonna take pucks to areas to try and score goals. … Those kinds of plays are what he’ll do. He’ll put the team on his back and try to create something and make it happen.”
When Boldy plays like this, it’s easy to see why many Wild fans will be unwrapping No. 12 jerseys in a few days. But while Boldy is on the path to stardom, his recent play has shown that he’s not quite there – especially since fellow cog Joel Eriksson Ek went down with a lower-body injury in a Dec. 3 win over the Vancouver Canucks.
While Boldy scored and dished out two assists in the first game without Eriksson Ek – a 5-1 win over the Anaheim Ducks – he’s only scored one goal with two assists over his last eight games. But like Boldy’s high assist totals, other aspects have contributed to his slump.
Boldy has struggled defensively, logging a -7 rating over his past eight games. The struggles have Boldy pushing too hard to make plays. In some cases, he's reached instead of moving his feet, leading to 14 penalty minutes over that span.
Eriksson Ek first suffered a lower-body injury in Minnesota's Nov. 14 win over the Montreal Canadiens. Over his past 18 games, Boldy has 10 assists but has only scored three times and accrued 23 penalty minutes.
You could highlight several other reasons for the Wild’s collapse. Ryan Hartman’s 15-game pointless streak has been troubling, as is Marcus Johansson's one goal in his past 14 games. Frédérick Gaudreau has two goals and an assist in his past 15 games, and Marcus Foligno has one goal in his past 20.
But outside of Hartman, nobody can expect these players to be consistent, every-night scoring threats. Even in Hartman’s case, his game is more about adding grit and antagonizing the opponent as a physical force.
Boldy’s role is much different on the Wild. Minnesota doesn’t need him to be good, they need him to be great. Kaprizov has shown the ability to be an elite player, but Boldy has stretches where he disappears, leaving the role players on the team to generate offense.
It’s a situation that Wild fans have seen before. While Jason Zucker, Charlie Coyle, and Mikael Granlund activated everyone’s imagination, they were probably over-elevated in roles the Wild needed to succeed. The frustrating part is that Boldy has the talent to ride shotgun to Kaprizov. But it hasn’t been shown on a nightly basis.
Still, that's the typical path of a 23-year-old in the NHL, who may have the tools to become elite but hasn’t hit that level. While it’s not a death sentence, it’s a negative development for a team looking to make a prolonged run in the Western Conference playoffs.
