The Wild acquired Jake Middleton before the NHL trade deadline last month to strengthen its blue line, but the rugged defenseman isn't just delivering in his own end.
Middleton is also creating offense, a well-timed spark as the Wild continues to be shorthanded because of injuries.
"He's been so good," said captain Jared Spurgeon, who has worked alongside Middleton since Middleton arrived March 21 in a deal that sent goalie Kaapo Kahkonen and a fifth-round draft pick to the Sharks. "Just big, strong, breaking stuff up, and last couple of games offensively, he's showing off his skating and that instinct as well."
After scoring his first goal with the Wild last Friday at St. Louis, a slick shot that clipped the post en route to the back of the net, the 6-3, 219-pound Middleton switched to the setup role on Sunday and chipped in two assists to help the team rally from a 3-0 deficit to topple the Kings 6-3 at Xcel Energy Center.
Those three points are a third of what he tallied earlier in the season through 45 games with San Jose, but Middleton said it wasn't easy for him to embrace looking for offensive opportunities.
"We noticed that in the first eight games where I went pointless," explained Middleton, who is in his first full season in the NHL after previously splitting time in the minors. "I was a little lost. I wanted to read off my players. These guys, the forward group and the 'D' corps, you can trust them so easily. You know they're always going to be in a good spot.
"If you jump as long as you're with your guy, you can make those plays and kind of read and react to things. It took me a handful of games, but I'm feeling a lot more comfortable doing it, especially in the offensive zone here."
Playing on a high-profile pairing isn't new to Middleton, who partnered with the likes of Brent Burns and Erik Karlsson as a member of the Sharks.
