It's been a rough start to the season for the Minnesota Wild, the team falling to 4-5-2 — good enough for seventh place in the Central Division — after a discouraging first 11 games. Things have gone off the rails early in the State of Hockey, which is surprising considering how the year started. Filip Gustavsson was a rock in Game 1 of the 2023-24 campaign, making 41 saves en route to an opening night shutout against the defending Eastern Conference champion Florida Panthers.
It looked like the Wild were poised to do a great job of keeping the puck out of their net, but things all began to unravel after Gustavsson was lit up for seven goals by the Toronto Maple Leafs in Minnesota's second game. It's been all downhill from there, with the club failing to win two games in a row in the early going. Worse, they were mired in a four-game losing streak before finally getting a victory — their first since Oct. 24 — in an exciting comeback win over the New York Rangers on Saturday night.
But the fact remains, the start has been abysmal. Matthew Boldy returning from injury and scoring three points in two games helps, and so will the impending return of captain Jared Spurgeon. The glaring problem for this team in the early going has been goaltending, and Gustavsson has, much to the surprise of Wild fans, been the team's biggest disappointment.
Filip Gustavsson needs to be much better
It's hard to believe that Gustavsson may have already lost the net to 38-year-old Marc-Andre Fleury. Fleury is a three-time Stanley Cup champion and surefire Hall of Famer, but he is better suited to backup duties at this point in his career. Still, there isn't much head coach Dean Evason can do but start MAF the way things are going.
Gustavsson has given up 30 goals in six starts since the opener, and his struggles were laid bare in the first period against the Rangers at the Xcel Energy Center over the weekend. The 25-year-old conceded three goals on four shots to the high-flying Blueshirts, being pulled early and watching Fleury earn the win as the Wild made a thrilling comeback, eventually winning 5-4 in a shootout.
Gustavsson just can't be trusted right now, and that's evident by Fleury already being confirmed for Tuesday night's game against the New York Islanders. It's a long season, and this is a very talented goalie, but we only saw a small sample size of excellence from the Swede last year. His numbers are a far cry from 2022-23, and that has to change if this team wants to make the playoffs.
But despite Gustavsson's struggles, there has been at least one bright spot on the roster this year: forward Marco Rossi.
Marco Rossi excelling, earning top minutes
Rossi was drafted by the Wild with the No. 9 overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, and Minnesota fans have waited patiently for his NHL breakout. After suiting up for 21 games over the last two seasons, and scoring just one point, he broke out to the tune of 51 points in 53 games for the American Hockey League's Iowa Wild last year.
Coming into the 23-24 season, Rossi was projected to play in the bottom-six, and started in a fourth line role. But it took just 10 games for him to vault up the lineup; on Tuesday night, he'll center the top line with Kirill Kaprizov and Boldy. It's a fantastic opportunity for a player to continue to excel, as he has done in the early going.
Rossi has already shattered his career-highs with five goals and seven points in 11 games. He's averaging just north of 16 minutes of ice time per game, but that has continued to increase as he's earned more and more trust from his coach. Rossi played a staggering 22:44 against the Rangers, recording four shots and his second goal in as many games. He's also getting looks on the first powerplay unit, along with Kaprizov, Boldy, Joel Eriksson Ek and Marcus Johansson. That is absolutely massive for a player who looks primed to breakout in 2023-24.
Although the sledding has been very rough through about 1/8 of the season, things should start to fall into place once Spurgeon returns. If Gustavsson can find his form from last year, there is still an excellent opportunity for this team to slide into a playoff spot before the end of 2023. But as the early warning signs have showed, this may not be an elite hockey team, and that could continue to be evident as the season progresses.
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