After buying out Zach Parise and Ryan Suter in the summer of 2021, the Minnesota Wild had a shift in their philosophy. Unable to land some of the high-priced free agents on the market, the Wild had to find younger, cheaper talent that could fill key roles on the team.
That deflected the attention to a pair of former first-round picks in Matt Boldy and Marco Rossi. Entering this year’s training camp both players have an opportunity to have a large role in Minnesota’s lineup.
“I think a lot of guys will get a good opportunity,” Wild GM Bill Guerin said in a recent interview on KFAN. “We have a bunch of players that are in spots where they really have to prove themselves and they really want to have good years. I’m looking forward to see how guys step up.”
One of the biggest spotlights will be shined on Boldy. The Wild’s 2019 first-round pick made a major impact during his rookie season, recording 39 points (15 G, 39 assists) in 47 games. He also jumpstarted Kevin Fiala, who had 64 points (26 G, 38 A) in 51 games after Boldy made his debut against the Boston Bruins on Jan. 6.
With Fiala and Boldy on the same line, Minnesota posted a 32-12-4 record to close the season. After the Wild traded Fiala to the Los Angeles Kings, they have a major hole to fill and Boldy will be one of the players relied upon to replace that production.
“A successful year would mean that I had an impact on a lot of games, playing an impactful game where it shows up in the standings,” Boldy told NHLPA.com’s Chris Lomon. “I try not to worry too much about how many goals I score or how many assists I get. If I can help create chances and not do anything to hurt the team, that’s a pretty successful game for me.”
While Boldy has the benefit of NHL experience, Rossi will be looking to crack the opening night roster. After missing the 2021 season while dealing with a heart condition related to COVID-19, the ninth overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft made his NHL debut on the same night as Boldy, but played with the AHL’s Iowa Wild for a majority of last season.
Playing in Iowa was a huge benefit for Rossi’s development. In 63 games, Rossi tied with Kyle Rau for the team lead with 53 points (18 G, 35 A). He’ll now look to battle for a spot at center along with free agent signings Nic Petan and Sam Steel, and fellow prospect Connor Dewar.
“You want to see him take charge,” WIld head coach Dean Evason said in an interview with Michael Russo of The Athletic. “You want to see him be assertive and not be a deer-in-the-headlights, rookie type of thing. And I think our environment invites that with not only our staff, but our players. They will allow a player to flourish.”
Guerin reiterated that no young player will be handed a spot, but expressed a vote of confidence for Rossi.
“I believe in Marco,” Guerin said. “I believe in his character, work ethic, and all that stuff. He’s going to come in and have a great camp. I’m confident of that.”
The WIld will have several other young players to keep an eye on this season but Boldy and Rossi are going to grab the most attention. If the team wants to continue to be credible contenders in the Central Division, they’ll need both players to step up, which is what the franchise envisioned when they were selected in the first round of back-to-back drafts.
“I mean, that’s the ideal situation,” Evason said. “We obviously, as an organization, drafted Marco Rossi to be a distributing center ice man and we drafted Matt Boldy to score goals. It seems like it should be the perfect fit. Is it going to be? We don’t know. We’re certainly going to give it a real good look through training camp and practices and see where it shakes.”
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