Bill Guerin highlighted his veterans’ efforts and claimed that for the team to succeed this season, he’d need a bounceback from the veterans he signed to long-term deals.
That includes Mats Zuccarello, Marcus Foligno, Ryan Hartman, Marcus Johansson, and, last but not least, Freddy Gaudreau.
With limited cap space to make moves, the Minnesota Wild aimed for long-term cost, especially in the deals for the veterans. Gaudreau was one of these. He’s in Year 2 of a five-year deal that pays him $2.1 million until he is 35.
Minnesota’s other veterans have seen a resurgence and answered Guerin’s call. However, Gaudreau has zero points on the season and is in a depth role. Therefore, he hasn’t quite had the bounce back his general manager hoped.
Gaudreau’s been the fourth-line center for Jakub Lauko and Liam Ohgren. Before injuries to Ryan Hartman, Gaudreau started between Foligno and newcomer Yakov Trenin.
For perspective, Wild goaltender Filip Gustavsson has more points and goals than Gaudreau on the season.
While the score sheet indicates that Gaudreau has been a non-factor, that’s not the whole story. Gaudreau's underlying numbers support the idea that there’s more to Gadureau’s game than an empty score sheet.
Gaudreau's possession stats are among the best on the team. Among regulars, he leads the team in CF% at 55.1% and is second in GF% at 69.21%. Gaudreau is also winning 51% of his draws this season.
While some of those underlying numbers are good, it’s still disappointing to see Freddy fail to regain the form he had two seasons ago – especially when the veterans around him are making the most of their opportunities.
Arguably, Johnasson was the biggest disappointment of last season. The Wild gave the veteran Swede a spot in the top six almost all last season. However, he didn’t add much on a line with Joel Eriksson Ek and Matt Boldy.
In the same left-wing spot with Boldy and Eriksson this year, Johansson has three points in six games while being effective at five-on-five. It’s an encouraging sign for a player with 30 points last year.
Zuccarello is another veteran the Wild needed more from, and he has delivered. Zuccy is over a point per game after Minnesota reunited him with Kaprizov. With seven points and four goals through six games, this looks like a course correction for him.
Last season was good for 36-year-old Zuccarello, but not what Wild fans had become accustomed to from No. 36. While 63 points last season was a solid campaign, Zuccarello is on pace for 94 points this season.
It’s difficult to gauge Hartman’s game this season. The former first-round pick has two goals on the year in four games but has only played in four. Serving primarily in a third-line role, Hartman has looked solid and should be on pace for another productive season after he gets healthy.
Foligno is the final veteran in this group. The Wild's assistant captain has battled injuries throughout his time in Minnesota, and they plagued him again last season. Foligno only played in 55 games while recording just 22 points.
The Wild signed Trenin to give the Wild a bit of a Bash Brothers third line. He has played almost all his minutes with Foligno on the Wild’s third line, and they have been physically dominating. They lead the team in hits, but the scoresheet has mostly eluded. Foligno has only one assist through his first few games.
Aside from Hartman, the Wild have given all of the veterans Guerin called out a buddy to play with who elevates their game. Zuccarello is back with Kaprizov, Johansson with Boldy, and Trenin with Foligno. Gaudreau has mostly been skating with newcomer Jakub Lauko, a speedy winger who lacks the offensive pop of guys like Boldy and Kaprizov.
When Guerin called out the veteran on his roster, Gaudreau’s performance was even more under the spotlight. While the other veterans have answered the call, Gaudreau is falling behind. There are some positives to his game, and the Wild have not put him in a great position, but they need more from him sooner than later.
