After his best season, injury absence has Ryan Hartman finding best fit in Wild lineup

Ryan Hartman's career year didn't shape the expectations he had for this season.

"If we have 100 points and I score two goals, I'm perfectly OK with that," he said during training camp.

But if the veteran forward did feel he had to one-up his past production, the pressure is off.

Hartman has been back in action for only six games after missing 21 because of an injury. That lengthy absence makes it difficult for him to duplicate last season's output of 34 goals — unless he starts scoring them at a clip better than Wayne Gretzky's career average.

Regardless of where his statistics end up, Hartman can still be an impact player for the Wild.

"You know what you're going to get every night," coach Dean Evason said. "I don't care if he's played in a year or if he's played yesterday. He's going to give you that same effort. He's that type of guy, an old-school player that just plays hard every night, gritty, brings a lot to our lineup wherever he plays, if he plays center or one of the wings.

"He's a leader on our hockey club. Certainly nice to have him back in our lineup full-time."

The Wild's 5-2 win at St. Louis last Saturday was Hartman's best showing of the season.

In a mere 3 minutes, 21 seconds, the 28-year-old doubled his goal total to four with a pair of shots that saddled the Wild with a lead they'd hold onto the rest of the evening to enter a Wednesday showdown with Tampa Bay at Xcel Energy Center on an 8-2 tear.

"I feel a lot better and more confident," Hartman said.

His offense, though, wasn't the only bright spot for him or the Wild.

After teaming up briefly with Jordan Greenway and Joel Eriksson Ek, Hartman went back to being the right wing next to Matt Boldy and Frederick Gaudreau and if that trio continues to generate looks, the Wild's depth becomes markedly better because then the opposition can't solely focus on shutting down the top line.

That's where Hartman began the season, centering Kirill Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello after he reached career highs in goals, assists (31) and points (65) in 2021-22 mostly from that perch. But amid a slow start for the team and him, Hartman was demoted and then sidelined after he took a punch on the shoulder Oct. 30 at Chicago.

During Hartman's recovery, Sam Steel eventually took over at No. 1 center alongside Kaprizov and Zuccarello and the three's play hasn't warranted a change.

None of those three players, however, scored vs. the Blues, but the Wild didn't suffer because others in the lineup like Hartman delivered to reveal the balance that's key for the team; Hartman's five shots against St. Louis tied for the most on the Wild, and he trailed only Kaprizov in shot attempts by one.

Overall, Hartman has four goals and five assists through 15 games in the second season of a three-year, $5.1 million contract.

"He's a pretty easy guy to play with," Boldy said. "He's had success all over our lineup. He plays hard. He wants the puck. He goes and hunts it and gets it back. He's so smart and sees the ice really well and when he gets his chance, he puts it in the back of the net."

Not only did Hartman also skate on the power play and while the team was shorthanded against the Blues, but he avoided the penalty box for the first time in three games.

"Every now and then it's a little tweak and reminder that, yeah, we want you to play with that bite and that energy and that level of intensity and aggressiveness but don't take it over the line," Evason said.

Providing that edge while handling all situations and capitalizing on his chances might not lead to another record-breaking performance by Hartman.

These contributions, though, can still add up to an effective season.

"When my game is going and things are going well, it's when I'm defending well and have the puck more," Hartman said. "I feel like the scoring happens when I'm not thinking about scoring and I'm playing the game the right way, just playing hard and playing in the dirty areas and being physical."