The wilderness has a Liam hgren conundrum – Minnesota Wild

If you play out the best case scenario for the 2024 Minnesota Wild, Liam hgren is almost certainly part of that team. Although hgren is considered part of the second tier of a loaded Wild prospect pool, he is extremely talented. EP Rinkside ranked the 2022 first-rounder 54th in their List of top 100 affiliate prospects,and all his tools scored above average. For a team that may not have above-average shooters and skaters, hgren is an asset the Wild could use – and use right away.

We know thatthe wild willwill play their kids sometime this season. The way they've constructed their roster almost requires someone to step up for a top-six role. De Wilde sent Riley Heidttheir breakout prospects from last year, return to Canadian Juniors this week after not feeling entirely comfortable with the speed and physicality of the NHL preseason, so that limits Minnesota's options.

If we consider Marat Khusnutdinov as a possibility to make the roster, we've probably narrowed it down to one player: hgren.

Is he ready for primetime?

After Friday's game, it seemed the answer was yes. In Minnesota's 8-5 romp over the Winnipeg Jets squad (mostly prospects), Hgren looked dominant at times alongside Joel Eriksson Ek and Yakov Trenin. The trio dominated the time of possession and Hgren scored a late goal by crashing over the net for a rebound in very Eriksson Ek-ian fashion.

After all “not feeling well“In his first preseason game, Hgren came back with a statement that would hopefully boost his momentum in a selection battle.

That momentum lasted until Sunday. Playing against the Dallas Stars in a mostly prospect-on-prospect tilt, Hgren went from a supporting player on Eriksson Ek's line to an offensive catalyst. Playing alongside Jakub Lauko and Ben Jones, Hgren struggled to find his footing. His only shot attempt came late in the match after John Hynes took it to Marco Rossi's line.

However, the twenty-year-old Swede still had opportunities to impress, and he did so again on Tuesday evening. Reunited with Eriksson Ek and with Marcus Johansson as the third member of the line, Hgren shone again.

Their line bullied the Chicago Blackhawks despite Connor Bedard and Tyler Bertuzzi being on a regular diet. As a unit, the trio attempted 16 shots to Chicago's three. In the nearly nine minutes that Hgren shared the ice with Bedard, the Wild defeated Chicago by a 14-6 margin. According to Natural Stat Trick, Hgren also led Minnesota with 0.36 individual expected goals on his shots.

We've seen two versions of Hgren: one who thrives alongside big players like Eriksson Ek and one who struggles when tasked with creating an attack of his own. If you're the Wild, what are you doing here? What is best for the team and what is best for its development?

The Wild remain uncommitted as of Wednesday afternoon. hgren is still on the Wild's roster anddivide time with Johanson about Eriksson Ek and Matt Boldy's sentence during training.

Whatever the decision ends up being, it could reveal what Minnesota ultimately sees as their top prospect. Are they happy if hgren becomes a high-end support player? Someone who may not be the offensive catalyst of their line, but is a viable running mate for a star player like Eriksson Ek, Boldy or Kirill Kaprizov?

If so, there are far, far worse places for him to develop than riding shotgun with Eriksson Ek. His defensive prowess and presence up front would benefit any player, especially one with a well-rounded attacking game like Hgren. It's also a bonus that by playing with Eriksson Ek, hgren can play more like Eriksson Ek. The experienced Swede's ruthless foresight often sets the tone for his line.

But perhaps the Wild sees Hgren as a catalyst of his own line. If so, they could put him in a supporting role that won't benefit his long-term development. If the Wild are looking for Hgren to run their own line, he isn't ready for that at the NHL level. To prepare for that, he needs repetitions. He will have to get in the habit of touching the puck a lot, creating his own shot and scoring in the AHL. That probably won't happen as a third wheel behind Eriksson Ek and Boldy, both of whom see a lot of 5-on-5 shots of their own.

And that's the push-and-pull Minnesota will face in making this decision. Is hgren good enough to play in the NHL? Probably, at least in the right scenario. Are the Wild a better team for it? Probably, or at least, they will have more advantage. But could hgren benefit from playing in the AHL? The answer is probably yes too.

He will likely play in the NHL this year, but finding just the right time for him in the lineup is a tricky balancing act.

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