The Minnesota Wild had a lot of problem areas over the 2023-24 season, and that hunt for the perfect center is still underway. While Joel Eriksson Ek fit the bill later in the season, there’s still some hesitation in fully allowing him to take that role. With the upcoming 2024 NHL Entry Draft right around the corner, the Wild will be looking to address certain areas of their lineup.
While finding the perfect center is undoubtedly a priority, it’s important to remember that this won’t be an overnight process. Even if they strike gold in the draft, they’ll likely have to wait a season or two to see that player in a Wild uniform. So, what areas are the Wild looking to fill, and who will take those spots in the future? We’ll delve into this, focusing on three players who could potentially fill the Wild’s needs, starting with the center position.
Wild Can Always Use Centers
As determined already, the Wild have a center problem, but they have a young future with Eriksson Ek, Marco Rossi, and Marat Khusnutdinov as centers. They’re always on the lookout for that next rising star, and depending on where you look, multiple names pop up for the Wild’s pick number 13 in the first round. The most recent name that pops up in that spot is Konsta Helenius.
The Wild have always been fans of players from Finland and Sweden, so Helenius’s selection wouldn’t be surprising. One of our Hockey Writer’s draft experts, Logan Horn, projected the Wild would pick Helenius, and from his description of Helenius, it would be great if they did. He talks about how Helenius is a strong center who can also play a good defensive game, which is exactly what the Wild could use.
After watching some highlight reels of Helenius, I see that he has an accurate shot that could produce a lot of goals for the Wild in the future. If he can win faceoffs and take shots, he will be the center the Wild need. Hopefully, if the Wild pick him, they’ll finally have a center they can rely on, even if it takes a few seasons to see him. He may be the next Joel Eriksson Ek since he also has a defensive side, which fits well into the Wild’s roster.
Wild’s Defensive Future
In the most recent draft projections by another of our Hockey Writer’s draft experts, Peter Baracchini believes the Wild will pick a defenseman in Adam Jiříček, who hails from Czechia. They’ve been lucky for defensemen over the years, from Jared Spurgeon to Jonas Brodin and, most recently, their trade that…
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