The first two days of free agency are officially in the books, and as many figured, the Minnesota Wild didn’t do as much as they once planned. Instead of going all out, they decided to play it safe and kept some money to spend later. The day before free agency, they traded for Valdimir Tarasenko, and then the next afternoon, they brought back Nico Sturm.
Some Wild fans may remember that name as he played with the team several seasons back. He spent a few seasons in Minnesota before he was traded to the Colorado Avalanche, where he went on to win his first Stanley Cup. He then joined the San Jose Sharks for a few seasons before being traded to the Florida Panthers, where he won his second Stanley Cup this last season. In this article, we’ll look at why the Wild brought Sturm back, who the Wild lost, and what they need from their new additions. We’ll start with what Sturm brings to the lineup.
Sturm Brings Experience
While general manager Bill Guerin brought in Tarasenko for his Stanley Cup experience, Sturm fits that role as well. His first time around with the Wild, he was a rookie in the NHL and struggled to find a spot right away, playing just a couple of games a season, until he finally cracked the lineup. He started putting up points once he joined the roster, and although he didn’t record a lot of points, he made an impression.
After he left the Wild, he continued to put up points, a little up and down; he still needs to find consistency offensively, but defensively, he’s strong. He isn’t afraid to throw his body around to hit others or block shots, which is something the Wild can always use more of in their lineup. While he isn’t going to be a scoring machine, he will be an asset to the bottom six, which did need some strengthening.
He’s been gone from Minnesota for only two and a half to three seasons, but in that time, he’s been a part of two Stanley Cup-winning teams. The funny thing about it both of those Stanley Cup wins were when he arrived on each respective team. He came in at the trade deadline and played 20 or fewer games, but also played in both playoff runs. This most recent run, he didn’t put any points on the board, but with the Avalanche, he had two assists back in 2021-22. Hopefully, he’ll be able to contribute more for the Wild this upcoming season.
Wild Lose Some
This signing was the only bigger one the Wild made on the first day of free agency, but they also let some players go. Out of their free agents, Justin Brazeau went to the Pittsburgh Penguins, and although he made a small impact on the lineup, the Wild had to move on. He has size, but they need more speed in their players than just size, and someone who contributes more to the roster. He was brought in with the hopes he’d make a bigger impact, but when he didn’t, they had an out with free agency.
The other player that left was Gustav Nyquist, but he didn’t go far; he stayed within the division and went just north of the border to the Winnipeg Jets. Once again, he made a small impact on the lineup for the Wild, but it’s better off if he moves on. He struggled to get anything going offensively, and his offside mistake in the postseason will likely be the one thing Wild fans hang on to for quite some time.
The final player that has yet to find a spot but remains a free agent is Jon Merrill. It doesn’t seem like the Wild are going to re-sign him, but it wouldn’t be a bad idea if they did. He had a decent showing last season, and he would be a capable defensive choice for this next season, plus he has veteran experience.
Wild Need More
The Wild know what position they want Sturm to be in, but they’re going to expect more of him than they did the first time around. He may be in the bottom six, but they’re going to need him to lead the way for those bottom six. He has the ability to score goals, but they’ll need his defense as well, especially those blocked shots.
Related: Wild Trade For Tarasenko to Start Off Free Agency Early
However, Sturm isn’t the only player they’re going to expect production out of; they’re going to need contributions from their other newest member, Vladimir Tarasenko. The Wild elected not to make a big move during free agency, so they’ll need the most out of the two players they did sign. Hopefully, they can make a bigger impact than everyone expects and help the Wild make a deep playoff run.
