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The NHL offseason continues for the Minnesota Wild, and while the NHL Entry Draft draws closer along with free agency, there’s still nearly a month left until the draft. That means it’s time for another report card on one of the Wild’s players. We’ve already covered both goaltenders, Filip Gustavsson and Marc-André Fleury, so now it’s time to move on to the defensemen.
The Wild’s defensive core was shaken up this season, with several key players injured, and others had to step up. One of those players was Alex Goligoski, who will receive the next report card. Despite being a veteran defenseman, Goligoski found himself on the outside looking in a lot this season, and that’s where we’ll start and move on to the good before giving his overall grade.
Goligoski’s Age Became a Factor
Unfortunately for Goligoski, he’s on the tail end of his career, and even before this season, the number of games he played had started to drop. In his first season with the Wild, 2021-22, he played in 72 games. The next season, it fell to 46 games played, with a number of those being scratches, and finally, this season, it was 36 games played again with healthy scratches.
In the few games he did play, it’s clear his game has started to slow down, which is normal as he is 38 years old. He’s not playing badly, just not as quickly as his teammates, and that has caused more turnovers and mistakes than in the past. Despite the dwindling number of minutes he’s played, he did spend more time in the penalty box, with 18 minutes compared to 16 the season before.
This season, he had 12 turnovers, three takeaways, 41 blocks, and 27 hits. Those numbers were down due to his decreased play, but the turnovers were still a little high, especially for a defenseman. With most of the season watching from the sidelines, he’ll likely want to move on if another team has an interest in him because the Wild will also need to move on.
Goligoski’s Bright Spots
Every player has bright spots in their play, even the ones who’ve struggled the most. Goligoski wasn’t horrible, but he wasn’t a star either. However, he did shine in a few spots that deserve mentioning. Since he’s a defenseman, and his main priority is preventing goals, his blocked shots are the first area to point out. He had 41 this past season, which was about a block per game, and that’s what every defenseman should aim for at a minimum.
So, despite having decreased playing time, he still managed to help prevent goals as much as possible and even helped score a few. He didn’t find a way to score any goals, but he did assist on 10 of them for 10 points in 36 games and two of them were on the power play, an area the Wild struggled in all season.
While these aren’t big areas of play, they still helped his team and were ways he contributed when he was in the lineup. Unfortunately for him, the Wild have a few up-and-coming young defensemen, and with his age plus expiring contract, he likely won’t have a roster spot this next season.
Goligoski’s Grade
Again, without the postseason, Goligoski’s grade will be based on his 36 regular-season games. While he did have some bright spots, he also had quite a few struggles that led to his healthy scratches most of the season. After reviewing his numbers and play, he earned a C-. He struggled enough to be pulled from the lineup, but he also wasn’t given enough of a chance to do better.
It may seem high and although his teammate Gustavsson did get a slightly lower grade, he also had more expectations of being the starting goaltender compared to Goligoski, who was the seventh defenseman. However, he didn’t earn higher because he could’ve done slightly more when he was in the lineup.
Due to his age and minimal contract space, this was likely the last season for Goligoski in a Wild jersey. He’s been valuable for experience, but it’ll be better for both sides to move on. Hopefully, he can either find another team or have a great retirement.
More must-reads:
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Two Teams Linked to a Trade with Bruins for Pavel Zacha
The Boston Bruins are gauging trade interest in forward Pavel Zacha, according to The Fourth Period. Following a down season and a trade deadline where Zacha’s name was thrown around but was ultimately not moved, Bruins GM Don Sweeney is trying to move the 27-year-old Czech center. Zacha is playing in the final season of a contract that has a $4.75 million cap hit. Zacha, acquired from the New Jersey Devils in 2022 for Erik Haula, has been a solid pickup for Boston. He posted 21 goals and 57 points in 78 games in 2023-24, though his production dipped slightly to 47 points over a full 82-game slate last season. He can play up and down the lineup and has a strong two-way game. Who Has Shown Interest in a Zacha Trade? Two teams reportedly monitoring Zacha are the Vancouver Canucks and the Utah Hockey Club. Both teams are seeking top-six forward depth and would value Zacha’s steady offensive contributions. The Canucks have been busy all summer, signing and trading players. They have also been linked to Jack Roslovic talks in free agency, meaning they wouldn’t be adding both. Utah has been looking to make a splash this season and work their way up the standings in an attempt to compete for the playoffs. The Bruins would likely demand a notable return, but neither team is looking to send players back. The trade would likely involve a high pick or a mid-tier prospect. Zacha controls part of the process with an eight-team no-trade list. He’s owed just $3.75 million in actual salary each of the next two seasons, further boosting his trade appeal.
Why as many as 100 NFL players are facing fines and potential suspension
There is not a bigger sporting event in North America than the Super Bowl, and tickets are only getting more expensive every year. There is also a ridiculous secondary market for tickets where seats sell for well above the original face value. It is usually fans or ticket resellers going for a quick profit. But as was reported on Friday, sometimes it can be players in the NFL looking to make a profit. According to multiple reports, including the Associated Press and ESPN, more than 100 players are facing fines and potential suspensions for selling their allotment of tickets to this year's Super Bowl between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs for above face value. Players are reportedly facing fines of one-and-a-half times the face value they originally paid for the tickets, while they are also prevented from purchasing tickets to the Super Bowl for the next seasons. The Associated Press obtained a memo from the NFL detailing the violation and investigation. That memo was as follows: “Our initial investigation has determined that a number of NFL players and coaches, employed by several NFL Clubs, sold Super Bowl tickets for more than the ticket’s face value in violation of the Policy. This long-standing League Policy, which is specifically incorporated into the Collective Bargaining Agreement, prohibits League or Club employees, including players, from selling NFL game tickets acquired from their employer for more than the ticket’s face value or for an amount greater than the employee originally paid for the ticket, whichever is less. We are in the process of completing our investigation into this matter, but the investigation has revealed that club employees and players sold their tickets to a small number of ‘bundlers’ who were working with a ticket reseller to sell the Super Bowl tickets above face value.” If players are not willing to pay the fine, they could be facing suspension from the league. It seems unlikely that any of the players — none of whom have been named, or their teams — would refuse to pay such a fine. It's also one of those moments where you can say, professional athletes — they're still normal people trying to make a quick buck. The most logical answer here is perhaps some of the players caught up in this are younger players who have not yet struck it rich on a big contract or perhaps even practice squad players who are not making top dollar.
All signs point to Yankees moving on from Anthony Volpe
With the trade for Ryan McMahon now complete, it would seem New York Yankees’ general manager Brian Cashman has fulfilled one of his three priorities. He can now cross third base off the list, which leaves the rotation and bullpen as his remaining priorities. However, according to one Yankees writer, Cashman might not be done with the infield. Chris Kirschner of The Athletic reported this after the McMahon trade: “The Yankees may not be done adding to their infield. A team source said the Yankees are interested in adding a right-handed hitter who could play the infield.” Kirschner adds that the Yankees have had interest in Willi Castro and Amed Rosario. But the question now is, how would another player fit in the Yankees’ infield? Needless to say, Paul Goldschmidt and Jazz Chisholm Jr. aren’t going anywhere, and McMahon is just getting there. That leaves the low-hanging fruit. Anthony Volpe has been at the center of controversy all this season. His 13 errors, many of which had come at make-or-break moments, amount to the second-highest total in the game. In addition, his bat has not been able to compensate, hitting .214/.286/.407 with 14 home runs. There was always a lot to like about Volpe. He won a Gold Glove in his rookie year, his power has always been promising and his speed is nothing to scoff at. Unfortunately, his glove has become a liability and his speed has also produced very few results. Volpe has swiped just 10 bags in 17 attempts. His power is the one thing that still has some upside, but it hasn’t been enough to justify a spot in the lineup. Both Castro and Rosario have been far more productive at the plate this season than Volpe. Kirschner doesn’t clarify how serious the Yankees are in their pursuit of another infielder, but that most likely isn’t available information. Having just turned 24, Volpe could still become the type of player that was expected from him as a top prospect. However, his recent performance has weighed heavily on his team’s efforts and it may be buying him a ticket out of the Bronx — or at least a spot on the bench.
ESPN Predicts Mets-Twins Trade One Week Before Deadline
The New York Mets are a half-game ahead of the Philadelphia Phillies for first place in the NL East, but their pitching staff is still injury-ravaged despite the recent returns of Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas. Brandon Waddell (hip), Dedniel Nuñez (elbow), Max Kranick (flexor), Paul Blackburn (shoulder), Tylor Megill (elbow), Griffin Canning (Achilles), Drew Smith (elbow), A.J. Minter (lat), Danny Young (elbow), and Christian Scott (elbow) are alll on the Mets' IL. The MLB Trade Deadline is July 31 at 6 p.m. EST, so the front office has one week to add healthy arms from around the league this season. ESPN's David Schoenfield predicted on Thursday that New York would trade for a Minnesota Twins reliever. "One guarantee of the trade deadline: The Mets will add to the bullpen, probably with more than one trade. Though the rotation still ranks fifth in ERA, that was built off a hot start," he wrote. "More importantly, the only Mets starter to complete six innings since June 7 has been David Peterson. As a result, manager Carlos Mendoza has run relievers Reed Garrett, Huascar Brazoban, Jose Butto and Ryne Stanek into the ground. The bullpen had a 2.78 ERA through May, but that figure is over 5.00 since the beginning of June (ranking near the bottom of the majors)." "The Twins have two high-profile relievers in [Jhoan] Duran and [Griffin] Jax, both of whom are under team control through 2027, so they'll be much more expensive than your usual short-term relievers if the Twins decide to trade one or both," he continued. "Duran would be harder to deal -- but bring more in return -- so we'll say Jax will go. Don't be fooled by his 4.09 ERA: He has 68 strikeouts and 12 walks in 44 innings with a 97-mph heater. He's an elite strikeout reliever, the type you want on the mound in October." The Mets are hot despite their injuries, as they're on a four-game winning streak and just swept the Los Angeles Angels. Next up is a road trip against the San Francisco Giants and San Diego Padres. New York right-handed pitcher Clay Holmes (8-5, 3.48 ERA) will face Giants right-hander Logan Webb (9-7, 3.08 ERA) on Friday.
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