The Minnesota Wild Definitely Did Not Need Hartman To Get Suspended 10 Games Right Now

Ryan Hartman's 10-game suspension comes as the Minnesota Wild are without their top player and are tight in cap space. It could alter their playoff picture, says Adam Proteau.

The whopping 10-game suspension handed out to Minnesota Wild right winger Ryan Hartman on Monday comes at an especially inopportune time for the team. 

Hartman's dangerous roughing penalty against Ottawa Senators center Tim Stutzle will likely hurt the Wild's Stanley Cup playoff picture. While Minnesota will likely still get into the playoffs, their first-round opponent may be much tougher to beat.

The Wild have already been slipping in the Central Division standings, going 4-6-0 in their last 10 games. They’re now 11 points behind the first-place Winnipeg Jets despite being only two points behind them a month ago. They're losing momentum from earlier in the season, now sitting third in the division.

Minnesota is three points behind the Dallas Stars and is in danger of falling into a wild-card spot in the West, as Colorado is just two points behind. That means the Wild could be taking on the Edmonton Oilers or 2023 Cup-champion Vegas Golden Knights in the first round, each of which has been to the finals recently. Minnesota's been outscored 7-3 in two losses to Vegas this season and 15-9 against Edmonton, going 1-2-0.

If they sink further, they could face the Western Conference-leading Jets in the first round of the playoffs despite Minnesota being outscored 11-2 in the three games the team played and lost to Winnipeg.

They've had closer games against the Stars, going 1-1, scoring four times and allowing four goals.

The Wild already learned they'd be without superstar left winger Kirill Kaprizov sidelined for at least another three weeks after having surgery. They need all hands on deck to to remain in a good spot in the Division. They did not need Hartman, who had been suspended four times in his career, to put his forearm on the back of Stutzle's head, fall to the ice and earn a fifth suspension.

It isn’t as if Hartman's been having a strong season. He’s currently been seeing his lowest average time-on-ice (14:45) since the 2020-21 season, and he’s posted seven goals and 17 points in 48 games this season – his fewest points-per-game total (0.35) since 2019-20. It's a drop from the last three seasons, where he had the best scoring rates of his career.

But Hartman has a cap hit of $4 million that will be wasted in the next 10 games. The Wild have about $50,000 of cap space while paying over $14 million of buyout costs to Zach Parise and Ryan Suter. They can't use any cap space from the long-term injured reserve pool either since Kaprizov isn't expected to be out for the rest of the season. Every dollar counts for a team trying to make the playoffs with the best matchup possible. The Wild have yet to win a playoff round since 2015.

A team’s destiny isn’t decided by only one or two players, and who knows – the Wild may rally without Hartman. But it’s just as likely his suspension has hamstrung Minnesota and hurt the team's momentum more.

Get the latest news and trending stories by following The Hockey News on Google News and by subscribing to The Hockey News newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or by visiting our forum.