Wild vet Freddy Gaudreau staying course to get back on track
CHICAGO — Hot or cold, Freddy Gaudreau’s approach remains the same.
“I try to play the right way,” the veteran Wild forward said after scoring his first goal of the season in a 3-1 victory over the St. Louis Blues back on Nov. 28. “That’s my only mindset.”
For some reason, though, Gaudreau is having his least productive year since he joined the Wild before the 2021-22 season — three goals and 10 points in 37 games in the first season of five-year extension he signed last April after going 19-19–38 in 82 regular season games.
It’s Gaudreau’s lowest point total since he had two goals and 10 points in just 19 games with Pittsburgh in 2020-21.
“I’m aware of that. I know,” he said after the Wild’s morning skate Wednesday at United Center. “But, again, just as much as when things are going well, you have to keep focusing on the process and doing things day to day. It becomes even more important when things are not going well.”
Heading into a late puck drop against the Blackhawks, Gaudreau had one goal in his past 18 games. Gaudreau had missed 11 games because of an upper-body injury but otherwise has skated as a forward and center and part of the power play and penalty kill for both Dean Evason and John Hynes.
“Freddy’s a guy, there’s a little bit more there; he would admit to that, too,” Hynes said Wednesday. “I’ve seen flashes of it since we’ve been together, but I have a lot of respect for him as a player. He’s smart, he’s competitive, he has the ability to score.”
Hynes said it’s his job to get Gaudreau back on track.
“I do think the (all-star) break has helped him, just mentally, to get away from it a little bit,” Hynes said. “Sometimes when players struggle, people can get on them, depending on the player. But Freddy himself, his care level is really high — for the team (and) his own game. Sometimes it’s that added personal pressure that you try to free the guy from a little bit.”
Surgery for Pat Maroon
Veteran wing Pat Maroon had surgery Wednesday to repair a back injury and will miss approximately four to six weeks, the team said.
That would mean Maroon, whose contract expires at the end of this season, will be out until at least early to mid-March. The trade deadline is set for March 8.
The Wild on Monday placed Maroon on injured reserve and added rookie Adam Beckman as an emergency call-up, but the forward was a healthy scratch on Wednesday night. Vinni Lettieri, out since Dec. 30 with a lower-0body injury, returned to the lineup instead.
“We weren’t sure until, really, today how (Lettieri) would respond to everything,” Hynes said of Beckman’s return.
A top-six forward at Iowa, Beckman, 22, has nine goals and 19 points, and is a minus-11, in 37 games this season. Hynes was asked whether he would get that kind of opportunity with the big league club.
“Whether you’re healthy or not, I think, usually determines where guys would be able to fit in,” Hynes said.
Briefly
Jonas Brodin participated in the morning skate but was withheld from the game. Upon returning from the break, the veteran defenseman missed the team’s two practices because of illness.
