While it’s disappointing that the Minnesota Wild’s season is likely over, it may be for the better, especially if they had to play a physical team, because they’ll be without Marcus Foligno for sure and Ryan Hartman for the next two games. Foligno has undergone season-ending muscle core surgery. He’s been held out of the past couple of games due to the nagging injury, but once the Wild lost to the Vegas Golden Knights, they announced that Foligno would be out for the season.
On the other hand, Hartman was frustrated over a missed high-sticking call. After the Wild’s loss to the Golden Knights, he threw his stick from the bench in the direction of a referee. He had a hearing with the Department of Player Safety that resulted in a three-game suspension. After they barely snuck out the win over the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday, April 2, the Wild are clearly missing both players.
Hartman can return for their Sunday afternoon game, April 7, against the Chicago Blackhawks on the road. In this article, we’ll examine what the Wild are missing with these two players out, starting with the physicality.
Wild’s Foligno & Hartman Are Physicality
Obviously, the first thing the Wild are missing with Foligno and Hartman out of the lineup is their physical presence. Foligno alone is responsible for 179 of the Wild’s 1,509 hits and currently leads the team in 55 games played. However, those hits are a big reason he’s out of the lineup; every hit takes its toll. Yet they can change the momentum of a game and create a scoring opportunity.
Hartman’s not as high up on the hit chart as some of his teammates, but he runs hot, which accounts for the suspension and he likes to throw hits as well. He’s played in 68 games and has 72 hits. That number would likely be higher if he was on the second and third lines more. He spent a good chunk of time on the top line, and he doesn’t throw as many hits when he’s on that line.
With both of these players out of the lineup, there’s a lot of grit and physicality missing. These guys don’t know how to stop when it comes to being physical, and sometimes, it gets them into trouble penalty-wise. As the Wild try to get as many wins as possible and try to get very lucky to earn a postseason appearance, they’ll miss the physicality these two bring.
Wild’s Foligno & Hartman Bring Energy
Along with the physicality, these two players also bring a lot of energy to the game. Foligno has a very intense style of play, and when he gets fired up, he gets the whole team fired up. He’ll yell and let it be known what his thoughts are on a play if he’s upset and excited. It’s obvious a team is excited when one of their own scores, but when Foligno scores, it’s like his first time scoring a goal for how much energy he has.
Hartman is a bit more reserved in most parts of his game, but as I said before, he runs very hot, and when something upsets him, he lets everyone know. However, many times that gets him into trouble because he doesn’t think before he reacts, with his most recent suspension a prime example of that issue. When he scores a goal, he’s usually not as animated, but if it’s been a close game or one that’s been quite physical, he’ll show a bit more emotion. Every player celebrates when they score, but some more than others, and he will celebrate but is usually more reserved.
The Wild must find other ways to be motivated and energized without these two in the lineup. They have other players who can provide that energy, but not quite in the same way these two can. Hopefully, they can hold on until Hartman returns to the lineup after the next two games.
Wild’s Foligno & Hartman Provide Offense
It may not be much, but Foligno and Hartman do provide offense, and although they’ve both struggled in that department this season, they’ve scored crucial points when needed. Hartman, especially when he was part of the top line, has contributed 42 points so far this season, including 19 goals. He was also key for the Wild in their last postseason, and when the pressure is on, he finds ways to step up.
Related: Hartman Suspended 3 Games for Conduct in Wild’s OT Loss to Vegas
Foligno hasn’t been a scoring machine the past two seasons like he was during the 2021-22 season. He’s been back to his normal range of 20-26 points a season, which isn’t a bad number for the type of player he is, but more is obviously better. The Wild may not miss his direct scoring, but they will miss his ability to set other players up.
The Wild will miss Foligno and Hartman’s offense. They’ve both contributed when their team really needed them to and while they may have been in a bit of a scoring slump recently, that doesn’t mean they wouldn’t have come out of it soon.
Wild Will Miss Foligno & Hartman
Regardless of the reason, it’s plain and simple that the Wild will miss both of these players in their lineup. Each player brings their unique style to the game, and they also bring physicality, energy, and offense, all things the Wild need going into these final games. Hopefully, they can find a way to get through this and be ready for when Hartman returns, while Foligno has to wait until next season.