Minnesota Wild’s 3 Unsung Heroes Through 15 Games – Hockey Writers – Minnesota Wild

The Minnesota Wild have been on fire, so much so that their 10-2-3 record is the best start in franchise history. Aside from Kirill Kaprizov starting with a bang, there are other reasons why the Wild are playing well and are sitting in second place in the Central Division.

Frederick Gaudreau

Frederick Gaudreau’s road to the National Hockey League wasn’t easy, he fought his way through the American Hockey League and earned stints with the Nashville Predators and Pittsburgh Penguins before finding a home in Minnesota.

But even Gaudreau would admit he’s lucky to still be on the Wild; he’s lucky he’s still in the NHL. He was that bad in the second half of last season. After December 31, 2023, he played in 42 games, scoring twice while adding four assists. He played eight games without registering a point to start this season.

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Now on the bright side. Gaudreau immediately gained confidence and started playing the way he has been playing for the past two seasons. In the last seven games, he has scored two goals while adding six assists and most impressively is a plus-8 during this time. He returned to centering the third line with Marcus Foligno and Ryan Hartman after being buried on the fourth line in the first month.

The team is better for it, to say the least. Despite going 6-1-2 in the first nine games, the team had no impact from the third or fourth line. Arguably, the Hartman, Gaudreau, Foligno trio has been the best second line during their recent streak.

Jacob Middleton

Speaking of unsung heroes, look no further than Jacob Middleton. What doesn’t he do? He throws his body around every night and is one of the rare Wild players who doesn’t hesitate to stand up for his teammates. He is the first type of team; the kind of guy you’d want to fight.

Since entering the NHL, Middleton has been counted on by all of his coaches. In his rookie season of 2021-22, he was assigned to be paired with San Jose Sharks top defensemen Brent Burns and Erik Karlsson. It’s been the same thing since the Wild got him as he’s been playing a lot with Brock Faber.

Middleton’s all-around game is strong again. He is tied for second in the NHL with a plus-13 rating and has officially gone one month (13 games) without being a minus player. He leads all Wild defensemen with three goals and is currently fifth on the team with nine points.

Zach Bogosian

Zach Bogosian knows his best days are behind him and he embraces his role. It has been nine seasons since Bogosian scored more than three goals, but in only 15 games this season, he has two goals. The third round pick in 2008 seems to have finally found a home after being bounced around from team to team for a while.

He has changed his game over the years. He used to be a smart defender; now he’s an older version of Middleton, a sentence killer and a gun stopper who will fight for the team. Bogosian is a plus-5 and has only two turnovers this season. He’s the type of guy you need when the Stanley Cup Playoffs start in April.

In order for teams to be successful these days, they must have players at the bottom of their list who can contribute but also don’t have big salaries. Gaudreau, Middleton, and Bogosian are three perfect examples of that.