Wild seek playoff return, scoring boost with Trenin, Lauko

Rookie forward Khusnutdinov also expected to make impact in 1st full season

After the NHL Draft, free agency and other offseason moves, NHL.com is examining where each team stands in preparation for the 2024-25 regular season, which starts Oct. 4. Today, the Minnesota Wild:

2023-24 season: 39-34-9, sixth in Central Division; missed Stanley Cup Playoffs

Key arrivals

Yakov Trenin, F: The 27-year-old signed a four-year contract July 1. Trenin had 17 points (12 goals, five assists), and a career-high 207 hits in 76 games with the Nashville Predators (60 games) and Colorado Avalanche (16 games) last season. He has 82 points (48 goals, 34 assists) in 299 regular-season games during five NHL seasons. … Jakub Lauko, F: Acquired from the Boston Bruins with a fourth-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft (defenseman Aron Kiviharju) for forward Vinni Lettieri and a fourth-round pick in the 2024 draft (defenseman Elliott Groenewold) on June 29. Lauko had 10 points (two goals, eight assists) in 60 games with the Bruins last season.

Key departures

Alex Goligoski, D: An unrestricted free agent, Goligoski had 10 assists and was minus-8 in 36 games last season, spending most of the season as a healthy scratch. The 38-year-old has 475 points (87 goals, 388 assists) in 1,078 regular-season games during 17 seasons with the Wild, Arizona Coyotes, Dallas Stars and Pittsburgh Penguins. … Vinni Lettieri, F: Traded to the Bruins on June 29, Lettieri had nine points (five goals, four assists) in 46 games with the Wild last season and eight points (four goals, four assists) in 10 games with Iowa of the American Hockey League. … Dakota Mermis, D: Signed a one-year contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs on July 2. Mermis had eight points (three goals, five assists) in 47 games last season playing mostly on the third defense pair.

On the cusp

Marat Khusnutdinov, F: The 21-year-old had four points (one goal, three assists) in 16 games for the Wild last season, after signing his entry-level contract Feb. 28. He had 20 points (six goals, 14 assists) in 54 games with Sochi and SKA St. Petersburg of the Kontinental Hockey League last season. A second-round pick (No. 37) in the 2020 NHL Draft, he is expected to be an imporatnt piece of the Wild offense this season. … Liam Ohgren, F: The 20-year-old had two points (one goal, one assist) in four games with the Wild last season after he had 19 points (12 goals, seven assists) in 26 games for Farjestad of the Swedish Hockey League. He is expected to compete for an NHL spot during training camp.

What they still need

Scoring depth. The Wild saw limited production from its bottom-six forwards, with only five of their forwards scoring at least 20 goals (Kirill Kaprizov, 46; Joel Eriksson Ek, 30; Matt Boldy, 29; Ryan Hartman, 21; Marco Rossi, 21). Frederick Gaudreau (five goals in 67 games), Marcus Johansson (11 goals in 78 games) and Marcus Foligno (10 goals in 55 games) will be counted on to rebound from poor seasons, but Minnesota also could address the need by acquiring someone outside the organization.

They said it

“I think Marat is the type of player that can help us right now. All the assets that he has — he’s a solid two-way player, he’s got speed, he’s tenacious — those are the things we’re looking for. We want to make sure we put him in a situation that he can succeed in and timing of when he gets into the lineup is going to be important, but he will eventually get in the lineup.” — general manager Bill Guerin

Fantasy focus

Rossi was second among NHL rookies in goals (21) last season, behind only Calder Trophy winner Connor Bedard (22) of the Chicago Blackhawks. Rossi also was among rookie leaders in even-strength points (34; second behind Bedard, 40) and shots on goal (167; tied for third behind Bedard, 206, and Nashville Predators forward Luke Evangelista, 172). Rossi remains a fantasy sleeper this season who could be utilized much more often on the first power-play unit with Kaprizov and defenseman Brock Faber, who was a Calder finalist last season. — Pete Jensen