Minnesota Wild Mid-Season Awards

Which Wild players deserve recognition for their performances to this point? Dylan Loucks and Aaron Heckmann discuss it.

The NHL All-Star break seems like the perfect time to reflect on the Minnesota Wild's first 49 games and a good time to hand out some mid-season awards to the Wild who are still battling for a playoff spot. 

Kaprizov has 45 points in 42 games this season. Despite a couple of stretches where the All-Star forward was struggling, Kaprizov has found his game recently and has looked like the previous Kaprizov Wild fans have known to love. 

I bet at the start of the season no one would've expected Joel Eriksson Ek to lead the Wild in goals, yet here we are. Eriksson Ek has 21 goals in 49 games this year and leads the Wild in power-play goals as well. 

I think if Mason Shaw returns to the Wild before the end of the season then this trophy is all his. But with Shaw down in the AHL, we have decided to give it to Marcus Johansson who has played in every game for the Wild this season. Johansson has had a great career but has been nabbed by injuries a lot, like his 2020-21 season with the Wild where he only played 36 games. This year he's been healthy and has performed well for the Wild in their top six.

The Lady Byng trophy goes to the player adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability. For us that is Jonas Brodin. The 6-foot-2 defenseman has played in 32 out of the Wild's 49 games this season and has one goal and 13 points. He also only has six penalty minutes which is the second-lowest on the team while playing elite-level shutdown defense on the back end for the Wild.

HECKMANN: Brock Faber has simply been a lifesaver for the Wild this season. Captain Jared Spurgeon only played 16 games before suffering season-ending injuries, and Jonas Brodin was sidelined for 17 games between December and January. One can argue that if it wasn’t for Faber, the Wild wouldn’t even have a chance right now to get back in the playoff race. 

LOUCKS: Although it's hard not to pick Faber as the MVP of the Wild, I'm going to go with Eriksson Ek. The 6-foot-3 center leads the team in goals with 21 and is second in points with 39 behind Kaprizov. He has played in every game and is second on the Wild in many defensive stats behind Marcus Foligno who is playing as a NHL Selke nominee. Eriksson Ek leads the Wild in power-play goals and is third on the team in WAR which is wins above replacement. Without Faber, the Wild would not be where they are today, especially with the injury to Spurgeon but I think it would be the same if they were without Eriksson Ek. He's been that good. 

This won't be the last time you see Faber's name on a list of awards for the Wild. The 21-year-old has been the Wild's best defenseman all season and arguably the most consistent. His defensive metrics have slipped a bit but that is likely because of the minutes he receives nightly. He leads all Wild defensemen in points with 29 and is a favorite to win the Calder trophy in the NHL as the best rookie in the league. It's crazy what he has been able to do in his first season. The Norris trophy is well deserved for Faber. 

LOUCKS: According to Evolving Hockey, Foligno leads the Wild in EVD and xGA/60 and has been a top defensive forward in the NHL all season. He ranks eighth in the NHL in xGA/60 amongst all forwards and is ninth in the NHL in Corsis against per 60 minutes. Which is the shots Foligno allows the opposition to get. He has been the Wild's best defensive forward by far and arguably one of the best defensive forwards in the entire NHL. Too bad most of the league votes for centers instead of wingers for the Selke trophy because Foligno deserves to be in the conversation.

HECKMANN: Foligno is having another strong two-way season for the Wild after signing a four-year contract extension in late September. Not only is the 32-year-old contributing offensively with eight goals and 19 points, but he has continued to be strong defensively and one of the most valuable members on the team’s penalty kill. Foligno’s 1.82 goals against per 6o and 2.01 expected goals against per 60 rates at five-on-five rank first on the team, according to Natural Stat Trick. Simply put, Foligno, who has a +11 rating through 45 games, is playing good hockey right now.

Faber has had a high, abnormal workload for a rookie — especially during the absences of both Spurgeon and Brodin — but he’s handled the tough assignments with ease. The 21-year-old’s defensive acumen has been on full display this season, but he’s played a well-rounded, two-way game by also contributing 29 points in 49 games. Faber, who is averaging almost 25 minutes a game, was named the NHL’s Rookie of the Month for January and is second to Connor Bedard in rookie scoring. Faber should be the Calder frontrunner, and he’s been one of the Wild’s most important players this season.

HECKMANN: Goaltending hasn’t been a strength for the Wild this season as both Marc-Andre Fleury and Filip Gustavsson have struggled in goal. Fleury is 8-9-3 with a .897 save percentage and has allowed 7.48 goals above expected, according to Natural Stat Trick. Meanwhile, Gustavson is 13-13-2 with a .896 save percentage and has allowed 7.46 goals above expected. I’m giving Fleury the edge at the halfway point because of his even-strength numbers and for taking an increased workload while Gustavsson was sidelined for two weeks. Unlike Gustavsson, Fleury has thrived at five-on-five this season with a .926 save percentage and a GSAx of 2.99.

LOUCKS: Based on last season I think we would all expect Filip Gustavsson to be the Wild's Vezina trophy winner. Especially since Gustavsson was almost in talks of the Vezina trophy for the whole NHL. But based on this season alone, I think it goes to Fleury. When Gustavsson was out with an injury, Fleury stepped in and played well. In 29 games this season, Gustavsson has a negative 5.1 GAR. Meanwhile, Fleury has a positive 4.2 GAR in 23 games. Gustavsson's GAR ranks as the fourth worst in the NHL amongst all goalies who have played 20 or more games. Fleury ranks 38th out of the 83 goaltenders who have played a game this season. Fleury has been better right now which is why both Aaron and I have decided he's the Wild's mid-season Vezina award winner.