The 2023-24 season was disappointing for the Minnesota Wild. Almost all of Minnesota’s veteran players regressed. However, many of their middle-six players were at the forefront of the disappointment. Whether it was production, health, or effort, the Wild got less-than-inspiring seasons from Freddy Gaudreau, Ryan Hartman, and Marcus Johansson.

The Wild must see significant internal improvement from those forwards heading into next season. The Wild signed Yakov Trenin, who should bring a renewed hard-nosed identity and toughness to the Wild.

While hoping that veteran forwards will unexpectedly better isn’t sound practice from the front office, it’s one of Bill Guerin’s best pathways in getting this team back to the postseason.

While physical strength and being hard to play against are contributing reasons why the Wild could make the playoffs this next season, the Wild were still 26th in even-strength goals per 60 minutes (GF/60) last year.

But with the Wild’s lack of cap space, there’s not much room to add a premier offensive scorer. There are rumors that the team could acquire Patrik Laine from the Columbus Blue Jackets, but it would be difficult to pull off with Laine’s hefty salary.

The Wild could try a prospect like Liam Ohgren in the top six. However, it might be asking too much of a 20-year-old with four games of NHL experience.

That means the Wild are left hoping they can get a bounce back from this trio of middle-sixers. But how realistic is a bounceback from this group?

Marcus Johansson

Johansson spent most of last season in the Wild’s top six. The Wild put Johansson in a position to succeed, but it seemed like he was getting in a cardio session most nights. Johansson would only muster 11 goals and 30 points across 78 games last season.

To be fair, Johansson has only scored 20 or more goals three times in his career. The most recent time was a season in which he shot 14.29% and played at his best with Matt Boldy during a playoff push.

Johansson will not suddenly be the player he was with Boldy. He’s fine. Johansson’s play while lining up with Boldy was ephemeral – he never got close to playing at that level last year. While the 18 points in 20 games at the end of the 2022-23 season was fun, it was not a true reflection of the value Johansson will bring going forward.

Maybe playing Johasson in a third-line role that allows him to elevate his defensive game and gets him more engaged on both ends of the ice would be beneficial. Regardless, the Wild should not give Johansson that second-line left-wing spot by default. Minnesota needs Johansson to bounce back, but it’s unreasonable to assume he’ll regain the form he had with Boldy.

Ryan Hartman

Hartman is a bit of a different story. Hartman was a stud and should continue to be an aggressive, play-driving forward. He didn’t take that much of a step back last season.

Hartman’s points per game was .63 in 2022-23, and it was .61 in 2023-24. He eclipsed double-digit goals in both seasons and even scored 21 last season. The thing is that this is a big step down from his 34-goal, 65-point season in 2022-23 playing with Kirill Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello.

Hartman entered his prime in Minnesota. Until that season with Kaprizov, Hartman had never hit double-digit goals and had a career-high of 22 points in Minnesota. Now that Hartman has established himself, he’s a player who can play a two-way game, score 20 goals, and put up 40 to 50 points.

While last season was another letdown from his career-best campaign with Kaprizov, it was more of a shift to the status quo. We shouldn’t expect more from Hartman, and that’s okay. Hartman must keep doing what he’s doing, not regress further.

Freddy Gaudreau

I like to pretend that Gaudreau plays for another NHL franchise, but No. 89 will suit up in the green and red next season and for four more seasons. Gaudreau was largely an unproven player before he came to the Wild. Guerin had a connection with him from his time in the Pittsburgh Penguins organization. Former Wild head coach Dean Evason had also coached him with the Milwaukee Admirals in the AHL.

As a result, Gaudreau benefited from an elevated role in the lineup. As we’ve seen before, centering Kaprizov and Zuccarello or Boldy and former Wild star Kevin Fiala usually increases the number of points a player produces each year.

Gaudreau has back-to-back solid campaigns, scoring double-digit goals with 44 and 38 points, respectively, in each season. That’s when Guerin decided to give him a five-year extension worth $2.1 million per season. However, that contract extension looks terrible right now. Gaudreau faced injuries and demotions and only had five goals and 15 points in 67 games.

However, Gaudreau is Minnesota’s biggest bounce-back candidate. Hopefully, he can enter this season healthy and with something to prove. Chances are he will get a shot on the third line with Marcus Foligno and Trenin, and they can make a strong two-way line.

The Wild are banking on internal improvements from these players. The chances of them improving dramatically enough to impact the Wild’s season are low. It’s easy to see why Hartman and Johansson regressed. Gaudreau’s production dropped off dramatically, but he was injured. Even if Gaudreau comes back healthy, don’t expect a 50-point season.

There won’t be a bounceback for any of these players, except maybe Gaudreau. It’s why the Wild should prioritize young, cost-effective players in the future.