The Minnesota Wild Must Be Careful With Liam Öhgren – Minnesota Wild

The luster of the Minnesota Wild’s fabled “Christmas Morning” is growing dimmer by the day. Nearly every day brings reports of another potential free agent target going off the board. The trade market is there, theoretically, but the Wild have aggressively devalued their biggest trade chip in Marco Rossi.

So what now?

Beat writers Michael Russo and Joe Smith put together a list of Wild players who are most likely to be moved this offseason. If Rossi’s value on the market is busted (and it appears so), and Minnesota’s short on draft capital (they are), then options are limited to prospects. The consensus seems that Liam Öhgren is the most expendable member of the Wild’s upcoming crop of youngsters, with Russo and Smith categorizing Öhgren in their “Most Likely to Be Moved” tier.

Looking at Minnesota’s prospect group, it makes some sense that Öhgren would be a logical trade chip. He’s seen as a half-step below A-tier prospects like Zeev Buium, Danila Yurov, Jesper Wallstedt, and David Jiříček… and that’s probably fair. Scoring 19 goals and 37 points in 41 AHL games doesn’t make you a slouch. Still, in terms of raw skill, a prospect like Yurov — who the Wild will hope to be a top-six center — eclipses Öhgren, whose upside is perhaps closer to a strong option as a winger on a scoring third line.

Öhgren’s ideal NHL role has value, but perhaps not as much as Minnesota could get for an NHL-ready prospect with a first-round pedigree. So why not shop Öhgren now?

That’s a logical, sensical approach, but even so, the Wild shouldn’t be so quick to jettison the young Swedish winger. While he may not be in Minnesota’s top tier of prospects, he can offer the team a ton of value in the next two seasons.

For one, Öhgren potentially gives the Wild a lot of flexibility in the lineup. While he may shine brightest on a scoring third line, Öhgren pairs top-six skill with a bottom-six mentality, enabling him to play well on a line with Kirill Kaprizov or Matt Boldy, if needed. And if there’s no room in the top-six? No problem, Minnesota should have no qualms with letting him wreak havoc on the third line.

And make no mistake, he will wreak havoc. David St-Louis’ scouting report from January 30 detailing his game against the Montreal Canadiens read:

Liam Öhgren showed why he will be an NHLer for a long time in this game. He may lack pure speed, but he powers through his strides and gets to the puck first, shielding them from the opposition. He forechecks with intensity, drives the net, fights for position there, and puts in the effort defensively.

Even if Öhgren’s skill isn’t at the Boldy/Marco Rossi/Danila Yurov level, this is his value-add. The physicality he brings to the lineup outpaces all the Wild’s other prospects, with his skill being a clear step above your typical third-line forechecker. We saw in the playoffs how the Florida Panthers succeeded by having skilled players finish hard on the forecheck and play like pests in front of the net. Öhgren has what it takes to be that kind of presence in the playoffs.

Even better, Öhgren will be providing his skill set on the cheap for the next two seasons, and the Wild must take advantage of that.

Minnesota has spent a premium on third-and-fourth-line players, investing heavily in the lower half of their lineup. Marcus Foligno and Ryan Hartman make $4 million per season. Yakov Trenin makes $3.5 million against the cap, with Freddy Gaudreau clocking in at $2.1 million. Foligno and Hartman (on his best behavior, anyway) bring a lot to the table. Still, even so, that’s a hefty price for a not-incredibly-skilled bottom-six.

Having Öhgren in that mix, rather than flipping him and backfilling with Marcus Johansson, should help increase the skill level and get some more goals out of that group. Öhgren on a line with Foligno and Hartman could make opponents breaking the puck out of their own zone a nightmare. Hartman thrives offensively when paired with someone who can present a little bit of flash, which makes Öhgren’s continued presence on the team important for getting the most bang out of those $4 million bucks.

Also, it’s just nice having that entry-level contract in the lineup, in general. If the Wild hold onto Öhgren, they’ll be able to have him, Yurov, and Zeev Buium under an ELC for the next two seasons. If they’re any kind of real contributors, that’s tremendous value, allowing Minnesota to make short-term upgrades on the rest of their roster.

Of course, we don’t know what Öhgren would return on the trade block. It’s fair to say that he’s retained first-round value, but whether the Wild could make him a key part of a package to upgrade elsewhere is uncertain, partly because there might not even be all that much on the trade market. Still, you can envision a move Minnesota would part with Öhgren that would make you go, Yeah, that makes sense.

However, the Wild shouldn’t underestimate his skill set or the power of having a productive player on an entry-level contract, even in an era where the team has more money to spend. Öhgren might be enticing to a team willing to give up a decent piece to the Wild, but Minnesota should think long and carefully before deciding to part with their hard-nosed, skilled, and affordable winger.