This edition of the report cards will include two Minnesota Wild players because one basically replaced the other following the 2022 NHL Trade Deadline, as both Connor Dewar and Nico Sturm spent time on the fourth line throughout the season. Dewar played a bit at the very start of the season and then was sent back to the Iowa Wild while Sturm remained in the lineup.
Dewar rejoined the Wild in January alongside Sturm when the team did some line juggling and the two stayed on the roster off and on until Sturm was traded away to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for Tyson Jost. Dewar finished off the season with the big boys and joined them in one game of the postseason. Both players had okay seasons, though, Dewar’s was a bit more acceptable since he was a rookie.
Sturm & Dewar’s Regular Season
Sturm was expected to have a big season for the Wild and was considered one of those players that had to step up. He played in 53 games before he was traded and scored nine goals and eight assists for 17 points in that time. It was a decent number but not enough, especially with the potential he has, but for some reason, he just couldn’t find the extra step while he was with the Wild.
There was no scoring breakthrough when Sturm joined the Avalanche but it can take time to adjust to a new team. He’s also a center which at the time the Wild had plenty of, and while the Avalanche have plenty of centers as well, he’s able to adjust and play wing which worked for him. He only tallied three points but he played in all 21 of the Avalanche’s final regular-season games rather than being a scratch like he was with the Wild.
Nico Sturm, Minnesota Wild (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)
Transitioning to Dewar, he’s another one of the Wild’s promising rookies. He played in 35 games throughout the entire season and tallied six points (two goals, four assists). They weren’t Kirill Kaprizov or Matt Boldy numbers but his play was rather impressive. He fit in well on the fourth…
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