The Minnesota Wild made some moves at the trade deadline, but ultimately didn’t produce the home run move many were forecasting or hoping for. However, Minnesota’s move to swap a second-round pick for bottom-six forward Michael McCarron has garnered a lot of attention. Unfortunately, that attention hasn’t been positive. A second-round pick is a steep price for McCaron, especially in what some considered to be a “buyer’s market.”
While the price for McCarron has already been analyzed, the deal is done. McCarron is on the team, and it’s clear the team intends to use him regularly based on the value they gave up to acquire him. Therefore, they must try to get the most out of what he brings to the team.
Let’s start with what McCarron does well. First, he’s 6’6, 232 lbs. Every time he steps on the ice, his size is a clear factor. He uses that size to make solid plays in some of the detail-oriented parts of the game.
McCaron doesn’t score much. He had a career high of 22 points in 70 games during the 2023-24 season. However, he wins faceoffs (career 52.8% win percentage), plays defense (third-best 10.08 high-danger chances against/60 on the Predators this season), and plays a physical, grinding style. Hits are always a subjective stat, but he currently ranks 19th in the league with 170 hits.
Minnesota can always use some help in the faceoff dot. They currently sit second-last in the league in faceoff percentage (46.2%). McCarron was also a trusted penalty killer in Nashville, ranking third on the team in PK time on ice per game (2:28).
To his credit, McCarron knows his role. After the Wild traded for him, the centerman outlined what he brings to a team in an Athletic article.
“I’m bringing energy, I’m physical, big body, I like to go to the net,” McCarron said. “I’m not too flashy, might not always see me on the scoresheet, but I like to do all the little things really well. That’s where it’s got me here in this league, and just happy to do anything I can to help the team win.”
Fortunately for the Wild, that mentality fits perfectly with what the team is trying to build in their lineup. People tend to focus on Minnesota’s high-end talent, and they should, but the team is also starting to look like a club that isn’t fun to play against.
Yakov Trenin is fitting into his role better this season and leading the league in hits. Ryan Hartman and Joel Eriksson Ek are difficult to play against. Marcus Foligno and newly-acquired brother Nick Foligno also use physicality to create space.
That play style isn’t always as meaningful during the regular season when you play a different team every night. However, it can pay dividends in the playoffs. The Wild can chip away at opponents over a seven-game series more than they did in past years.
It’s difficult to quantify grit, but it’s evident that the Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Boston Bruins, and St. Louis Blues have successfully built physical, championship-caliber teams recently. They’ve featured skill at the top of the lineup and a noticeable punishing presence in depth.
Minnesota is excited to have McCarron, another player who can fulfill that role. When the Wild traded for him, Mats Zuccarello highlighted it as an area of team need that has now been fulfilled.
“So you know he’s a piece of s— on the ice, that’s what we need,” Zuccarello said, “He’s really good here in the locker room. We all chatted with him today. We need that piss and vinegar on the ice down the stretch. It’s better having him here than playing against him, that’s for sure.”
For Minnesota to get the most out of McCarron’s deployment, it’s critical to put him in the right position to succeed and find the right people to play with him. When McCarron played in Nashville, he centered two lines for more than 100 minutes this season. One was the Predators’ second-best line by expected goals percentage, while the other was the second-worst.
(Source: Moneypuck.com)
McCarron formed a dynamic trio with Reilly Smith and Ozzy Wiesblatt. The latter is a slightly undersized forward (5-foot-10, 183 lbs.) who makes up for it with tenacity and underrated skill. He’s a bit of an energizer with depth scoring upside.
An interesting comparison for Wiesblatt could be a younger Robby Fabbri, a player the Wild also recently acquired. In McCarron’s first game with Minnesota, he centered a line winged by Fabbri and Nico Sturm. In 5:38 of 5-on-5 play, the line produced a goal, 70% Corsi-for rating, and a .12 expected goals differential. McCarron produced a goal and an assist in the game, making an immediate impact on the lineup.
Michael McCarron may also be a fit with Yakov Trenin. The forwards previously played together in Nashville and have spent time on the same line, though only briefly. For example, McCarron and Trenin played on a line with Tanner Jeannot in 2021-22, who posted a 55.3% expected goal share in 35 minutes together.
Of course, McCarron isn’t a perfect player. Despite his two-point debut, he provides little offensively and is limited to a fourth-line role. There’s a reason paying a second-round pick for the forward is widely considered an overpay, especially with teams getting players like Scott Laughton, who can provide a much more versatile experience, for a third-round pick.
Still, the Wild should be able to get something out of Michael McCarron if they use him correctly. He’ll shore up some team deficiencies in the faceoff dot and penalty kill, while adding some snarl to a lineup that’s trying to become more difficult to play against. If Minnesota ends up lifting the Stanley Cup, no one will remember how much they paid for any of these assets.