Wild eye up middle six depth, internal growth ahead of NHL free agency

The Wild want to revive the tough and taxing style that made them a pesky matchup in the past, and they have a few options for restoring this reputation.

Staying healthy and better individual performances would help.

So would avoiding another slow start to the season.

“We have to be more ready to go,” President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Bill Guerin said.

They can also bring in players to help bring out this grit in the Wild when NHL free agency opens for business at 11 a.m. Monday.

“I’m really more focused on the identity of the team,” Guerin said. “I think we have guys that can score. We just had guys that had off years offensively last year, and we are looking for them to bounce back. But I think playing to our identity really helps guys produce more.

“So, that’s something that we have to get back.”

How much do the Wild have to spend on this spark?

Not a ton: they are approximately $6 million under the salary cap after their recent addition of rugged winger Jakub Lauko in a draft-day trade with Boston, which cost them Vinni Lettieri; the teams also swapped fourth-round picks.

“The ingredients that he brings are what we’re looking for,” Guerin said of Lauko.

What isn’t factored in is a new contract for Declan Chisholm, a waiver-wire pickup from Winnipeg last season who became a regular on defense.

Chisholm is a restricted free agent, and the Wild extended a qualifying offer to him and forwards Sammy Walker, Adam Raska and Graeme Clarke (acquired in the Adam Beckman trade with New Jersey on June 21) to retain their rights.

But they didn’t do the same to Mason Shaw, who healed three knee injuries before making the Wild and then had to overcome a fourth ACL tear to return last season.

Shaw, a 2017 fourth-round draft pick, had eight goals and 12 assists over the past two seasons.

Forwards Sam Hentges and Dmitry Ovchinnikov, defenseman Simon Johansson and goaltender Hunter Jones also didn’t receive qualifying offers. They become free agents. Forward Jake Lucchini and defensemen Alex Goligoski and Dakota Mermis are on expiring contracts, too, after fulfilling support roles.

Replenishing their depth is on the Wild’s radar, and that goes hand-in-hand with their rebrand.

A rash of injuries and dips in production from players like Marcus Johansson and Frederick Gaudreau contributed to the team failing to advance to the playoffs for just the second time in 12 years, but the Wild also weren’t equipped to overcome these challenges because of their unbalanced lineup and a thin pipeline.

Guerin wants to sign a No. 5 goalie and bolster Iowa in the American Hockey League; these players could push to make the NHL roster, and same goes for some of the organization’s top prospects.

Winger Liam Ohgren, defenseman Daemon Hunt and goalie Jesper Wallstedt will merit serious consideration at training camp; all three made their NHL debuts last season. Riley Heidt, a second-round pick from a year ago, will also audition after his 37-goal, 117-point season with Prince George in the Western Hockey League.

Still, the Wild could acquire scoring help in free agency. A top-tier player is likely out of their budget, so a middle-lineup add is more realistic.

Beginning Monday, the Wild are also allowed to sign players entering the final season of their contracts to extensions, players such as Brock Faber and Jake Middleton.

Although Guerin mentioned the team has time to re-sign Faber after his breakout rookie season, Guerin did meet with Faber’s camp recently for an initial conversation.

Besides Faber and Middleton, the Wild have four other NHL defensemen signed.

At forward, the Wild have 11 under contract. Goalies Marc-Andre Fleury and Filip Gustavsson are also on the books.

In other words, the Wild don’t have too many openings despite nearly $15 million of their salary cap covering the Zach Parise and Ryan Suter buyouts for one more season.

As a result, improvement from within might be the best plan for the Wild to rediscover their winning ways.

“We need to get back to our identity,” Guerin said. “We need to get our swagger back. We need to get back to the way we’re capable of playing but with our identity. To me that’s the biggest thing. We have players that had down years and, look, that happens. We all understand that, but we need them to have bounce-backs.

“We have guys that are proven scorers that didn’t score as much as they needed to. We need that.”