Neal: Five reasons the Minnesota Wild could be the real deal

Hopefully, there was a runway long enough to handle the Wild’s charter flight from Pennsylvania early Wednesday morning.

Because they were coming in hot.

Nine games into the season, and the Wild have just one loss in regulation.

Nine games into the season, and it’s time to look at the Wild differently. It might be an achievement if they just returned to the playoffs after missing them last season. This entertaining version of the Wild, with collaborative scoring, a developing young core and steady veterans, suggests that they can be more of a factor in the NHL Western Conference.

Nine games is not a big sample — I’ve pointed that out in baseball one month into the season. But look at it this way: A year ago, the Wild were 3-5-2 through 10 games and 5-10-4 through 19. They never recovered, did they?

So remain open-minded to where this could head, especially if the goaltending remains strong.

A month or so of viewing might be required before the Wild can be anointed as the real deal. I have five reasons why I believe they will earn that status by Turkey Day.

1. Kirill Kaprizov is set up for his best season. Duh. Kaprizov is an easy pick here. But, as of Wednesday, he was tied for the league lead in scoring. The assists are flowing, and his linemates Marco Rossi and Mats Zuccarello are thriving. There are a lot of good things happening around Kaprizov, but he’s set up to become one of the league’s top 10 players.

2. It’s safe to climb aboard the Gus Bus again. It seemed as if goalie Filip Gustavsson was destined to be traded during the offseason. And he might have been dealt if Patrick Laine hadn’t placed the Wild on his no-trade list.

Laine wound up with Montreal. Gustavsson, just 26 years old, wound up back with the Wild, and is thriving.

After posting a 3.06 goals against average and .899 save percentage last season, Gustavsson has opened the season with a 2.17 GAA and .922 save percentage while starting six of nine games. If Gustavsson keeps this up, this will be the biggest development this season.

Laine, by the way, is out because of a knee injury and hasn’t played a game for Montreal.

3. Where is this coming from, Jake Middleton? Middleton has size, is strong and gives the Wild the physical identity they need. No one is asking him to be Cale Makar. I think …

But Middleton has seven points through nine games, including five assists. He’s setting the stage for doubling his offensive output by midseason. On Oct. 22 at Florida, Middleton notched three assists, his first multi-point game since Jan. 18, 2023. He also blocked three shots in that game, as he made an impact on both ends of the ice.

Any offensive production from Middleton is a plus. Right now, it’s a plus-plus and another indication that this Wild team will exceed expectations.

4. Finally, a second quality center. Marco Rossi spent the previous offseason in Minnesota, working on his game. It paid off to the tune of 21 goals and 40 points last season. His blazing start to this season is making that one look like an appetizer. Rossi has eight points in nine games. He’s making the right decisions and looks like a high-end two-way player like teammate Joel Eriksson Ek.

Of course, it helps that he’s playing with Kaprizov, who gets more ice time than any forward in the league. If you are going to be on the same line with one of the top players in the game, take advantage of it. Rossi has, the Wild are thriving because of it.

5. Finally, a second quality line? Kaprizov, Rossi and Mats Zuccarello make for a quality top line. But the line of Matt Boldy, Eriksson Ek and Marcus Johansson has stepped up. Boldy is headed for his first 40-goal season. Eriksson Ek, who scored 30 goals last season, has four goals and one broken nose so far this season. Johansson is not filling up the scorer’s sheet like his linemates. but he’s one of the veteran players GM Bill Guerin identified that he needed to see more from. Which is happening.

The Wild landed safely following their boffo road trip. They play host to Tampa Bay on Friday. It’s their next opportunity to extend their surprising start to the season.