The aftermath of the Wild's on-the-margins trade Tuesday with Colorado of center Nico Sturm for center Tyson Jost became a referendum of sorts on the team as it heads toward Monday's trade deadline.
Can the Wild rediscover the winning identity that was lost for a month?
Wednesday's win was a good sign, but consistency will tell the full story.
March 17, 2022 at 7:44PM
At the time GM Bill Guerin met with reporters over Zoom on Tuesday, the Wild had lost 10 of its last 14 games (one loss via shootout) and had allowed a whopping 63 goals in that span as Cam Talbot and Kaapo Kahkonen took turns slumping in the net. Solid footing in the Western Conference (and particularly the Central Division) had become more tenuous.
Guerin sounded like someone whose faith was being tested.
He answered a question about a possible trade for a goalie by saying "not necessarily," then adding: "I still have confidence in these guys. I know the numbers aren't telling me I should, but I do. ... I know the character of these guys."
Of the Jost trade, he indicated he likes the player's offensive upside. But he harbored no illusions about it being some sort of fix-me-up move.
"When we're doing the things we're supposed to be doing and playing the way we're supposed to be playing ... we're a very good team," Guerin said. "You can't trade your way out of problems. It's just impossible. ... If you have a problem, a trade's not going to fix it. So I'm not trying to fix anything. I'm trying to make us better."
With that as a reference point, Wednesday's 4-2 home victory over Boston — a quality opponent — feels even more significant.
Two goals from Kirill Kaprizov set a tone. And a big one from Jordan Greenway in the third period, plus a solid outing from Talbot, carried the Wild to the win.
That makes the Wild 3-1-1 in its last five, a far more forgiving sample size than the last 15. Perhaps as important was that it felt as though the Wild had rediscovered its identity: quality depth and a relentlessness that makes it a tough opponent against which to play.
Now the question is: Can the Wild do it again. And again. And again.
Minnesota is two games into a massive nine-game homestand, with two rare and luxurious two-day breaks from games in the next week. The schedule in general feels favorable down the stretch.
But seeing what is possible and executing are two different things. The Wild team we watched for most of the last month couldn't beat a lot of teams. The one we saw Wednesday can compete with anyone.
Which one will we see the rest of the way?
When he was hired after the disastrous 2016 season to reshape the Twins, Derek Falvey brought a reputation for identifying and developing pitching talent. It took a while, but the pipeline we were promised is now materializing.
