Welcome to the offseason series where we will look at each player’s impact this past season, what their future in Minnesota looks like and what to expect in 2023-24.

For the first time in his career, Ryan Hartman, 28, played like a legitimate top-six forward during the 2021-22 season – and his numbers supported it. 

Costing a cheap $26,153 per point, which ranked 39th in the NHL, Hartman scored a career-high 34 goals and 65 points centering the Minnesota Wild’s top line with Kirill Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello. He finished the year as a +31 with a career-high 18:11 average time on ice per game.

The best part about it?

It marked the first year of his three year contract extension worth a team friendly $1.7 million annually. What made his season more noteworthy is the fact he had been four years removed from his 19-goal rookie season in 2016-17 – the only other time he had previously scored more than 12 goals.

Fast forward to now: Hartman put together another solid season in Minnesota with 15 goals and 37 points in the 2022-23 campaign, which is his second highest point output so far in his career.

Hartman finished this past season with the second best performance relative to the cap, per The Athletic, despite it being somewhat of a down year for Hartman after ranking second on the Wild in goals and fourth in points in 2021-22. And the Wild also need him to be more disciplined next season as he took a team-high 34 minors penalties last season.

With that said, it’s impossible to be unsatisfied with a player who still managed to have a .63 point-per-game rate in a down year. That’s especially true with the context of his career, how he’s performed in Minnesota and his contract in mind. In fact, his annual price tag of $1.7 million price tag is not only affordable, but it’s one of the Wild’s best value contracts – even for a 37-point season. 

What’s more is that Hartman played just 59 games due to injury, which saw him produce at a 51-point pace in a full 82-game season. The Paul Fenton signing still steadily produced at an affordable price point even though he took a step back following a career year. That made him remain a positive value player for the 2022-23 season at 0.7 wins above a replacement level player.

And even though the South Carolina native's point totals were down last year, he continued to be responsible defensively while once again holding his own when it came to driving play. Hartman finished the season controlling 55.32% of the expected goals share. With Hartman on the ice, the Wild outscored the opposition 50-44.

The trio of Kaprizov, Hartman and Zuccarello played only 249 minutes together last season, but they once again had success together, and Hartman played a role in that. The trio sported a 57.2 expected goals percentage – the 19th best in the league among lines that played at least 225 minutes together.

Hartman has done an admirable job adjusting to center since the Wild moved him there in 2021; that versatility of effectiveness at either center or wing is a premium these days, especially in Minnesota.

The fact he had that the ability to switch and thrive in the first place shouldn’t go unnoticed. Hartman didn’t look out of place either like some of his predecessors who also played in an elevated role due to the Wild’s absence of a true No. 1 center.

What's next for Hartman?

It’s difficult to project what’s in store for Hartman next season, but a healthy Hartman entering a contract year should continue to be a key piece of the Wild’s supporting cast. While Hartman will have a large role again, where he plays in the lineup (Does he remain on the top line?) will likely impact his production. 

Regardless, Hartman's versatility and production with a cheap price tag makes him a valuable piece of the puzzle in the Wild's current financial climate.

Aaron’s Hartman prediction: 22 goals and 27 assists for 49 points

Dylan’s Hartman prediction: 17 goals and 20 assists for 37 points

All Data Via Evolving-Hockey, Natural Stat Trick, Hockey-Reference, Moneypuck and CapFriendly