Calder Race Heating Up For More than One Wild Prospect
With Bedard injured the Calder eyes turn to Faber & Rossi. The two rookies will have to work hard to catch and surpass the skills of Bedard, but it is a possibility.
Welcome to the THW Minnesota Wild Substack newsletter, with all the latest from our team of Wild writers.
In today’s edition, we look at the downfall of the Wild’s season over the last two weeks that has altered this season’s goals, take a look at how Bedard’s injury opens the race for the Calder Trophy, and give Faber and Rossi a little more love because they haven’t been getting enough.
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Now on to the good stuff…
Wild’s New Season Goal Needs to Be Getting High Draft Pick
January 13, 2024 by Tyson McKay
The Wild’s overtime loss against the Philadelphia Flyers on Jan. 12 marked the halfway point of their season, and it was a fitting representation of where the team is at. With 41 games played, the Wild, coming off back-to-back seasons where they surpassed the 100-point mark, have collected a meager 39 points. That places them fourth last in the Western Conference, above only the teams that are actively rebuilding in the Anaheim Ducks, Chicago Blackhawks, and San Jose Sharks. With the losses piling up on the backs of injured stars like Kirill Kaprizov, Filip Gustavsson, and Jared Spurgeon, it may be time to accept that they are not making the playoffs this season.
Their incredibly slow start was countered with a winning streak once John Hynes came in as the new head coach, but the recent rash of injuries to their top players seems to have completely undone both their work in the standings and the team’s mentality. They are extremely susceptible to falling apart late in games, and when you are chasing the wild card position from as far back as they currently are, that is just not a recipe for success. The worst-case scenario for the Wild right now is to make another run at the playoffs and end up missing. Accept being bad for once. It is okay.
Connor Bedard’s Injury Leaves Calder Race Wide Open
January 13, 2024 by Alex Chauvancy
For a while, it seemed the Calder Trophy was Connor Bedard’s to lose. But the race got a little more wide open after he suffered a broken jaw in a loss to the New Jersey Devils on Jan. 5, keeping him out of game action for the next six to eight weeks.Â
With Bedard out for the foreseeable future, that opens the door for other rookies to make their cases for the Calder Trophy. Brock Faber may be the leading candidate to win it now, but he’s not the only rookie with a shot at strengthening his Calder case. Let’s look at whose chances just got significantly better.Â
Wild Rookies Faber & Rossi Deserve More National Attention
January 8, 2024 by Mark Scheig
The race for the Calder Trophy in 2023-24 has been a fascinating one as we approach the midway point of the season. You know who the contenders are. Connor Bedard has lived up to the hype and then some. Others such as Adam Fantilli and Luke Hughes are also making a name for themselves.
But did you know the Minnesota Wild have not just one, but two strong Calder candidates on their team? On Saturday night in Columbus against the Blue Jackets, both Brock Faber and Marco Rossi each showed why they deserve a lot more attention than they’ve received so far.