The Wild's top six was at maximum capacity at the start of the season. That gridlock among the team's top forwards pushed Ryan Donato to the fourth line, even though he held a more elevated role upon his arrival from Boston in February.
But a lower-body injury to captain Mikko Koivu busted the logjam, and Donato was promoted Tuesday to work between wingers Zach Parise and Kevin Fiala. He responded by scoring the game-tying goal in an eventual 3-2 shootout loss to the Ducks, and the significance of this latest opportunity only grew that night.
With center Eric Staal's status uncertain after he left the action injured, the Wild's depth could be further tested when it resumes a three-game homestand Thursday against Edmonton — a challenge Donato can help the Wild overcome if he continues to settle into his new spot in the lineup.
"He's been playing fine," coach Bruce Boudreau said. "He was the most dangerous guy we had in overtime. He's taken advantage."
When he debuted with the Wild late last season after a trade from the Bruins that sent forward Charlie Coyle the other way, Donato was a regular in the top nine and produced as such.
He contributed at nearly a point-per-game pace, finishing with 16 in 22 games amid a shoot-first style that looked like a welcome addition to the Wild's forward group.
At training camp in September, the Wild did experiment with Donato at center in the upper half of its lineup, but the 23-year-old was ultimately assigned a support role.
"He's handled it really well," Boudreau said. "We've asked more of him, more of a 200-foot game rather than just an offensive game. So, when he was playing six minutes a night and he was starting to do the right things, then all of a sudden you can get a little more faith in that individual and you start to play him more.