{"id":451221,"date":"2026-02-08T14:24:12","date_gmt":"2026-02-08T14:24:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/451221\/"},"modified":"2026-02-08T14:24:12","modified_gmt":"2026-02-08T14:24:12","slug":"matt-boldy-can-stake-his-claim-to-being-the-usas-best-winger-minnesota-wild","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/451221\/","title":{"rendered":"Matt Boldy Can Stake His Claim To Being the USA’s Best Winger – Minnesota Wild"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tMatt Boldy<\/a> put himself on the map<\/a>\u00a0last season. Sure, he scored 30 goals before, and was a reliable 60 points in the bank during his young career. Still, it was a surprise to see him make Team USA for the 4 Nations Face-Off over established stars like Tage Thompson<\/a>, Jason Robertson<\/a>, and Clayton Keller<\/a>. It was a decision that undoubtedly raised eyebrows.\n<\/p>\n

\n\tBut Bill Guerin<\/a>, Boldy’s general manager with Team USA and the Minnesota Wild, was defiant in his choice<\/a>.\u00a0“At one point, I said… ‘I’m not just doing this because he plays on my NHL team,” challenging his staff to “watch him and tell me I’m wrong.”\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tThe U.S. finished on the wrong end<\/a> of a heartbreaking 3-2 overtime final against Canada, but it wasn’t because of Boldy. His three points tied for fourth among Americans in the tournament, and Boldy led the forwards in ice time in that final. He proved<\/a> his GM right.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\n\tA year later, Boldy undoubtedly is deserving of his Olympian status. Boldy’s 32 goals have him tied with teammate Kirill Kaprizov<\/a> and fellow Americans Jason Robertson and Cole Caufield<\/a> for third in the NHL.\n<\/p>\n

\n\tOn Wednesday night, he put an exclamation point on the pre-Olympic part of the season, notching a hat trick to push him to a career-high in goals in his 54th game, while registering an overtime-winning assist.\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tBoldy has more than just the opportunity for vengeance against Canada or for taking home Olympic gold. He has the chance to establish himself as the best winger among his countrymen and make a case for himself as one of the best in the world.\n<\/p>\n

\n\tThat’s no minor achievement. We already mentioned that Robertson and Caufield weren’t able to crack the roster, despite each having 32 goals. Part of the reason for that is the sheer wealth of talent the U.S. has at the wing.\n<\/p>\n

\n\tMatthew Tkachuk<\/a> has two 40-goal, 100-point seasons and two Stanley Cups to his name. Jake Guentzel<\/a> has cracked the 40-goal mark three times and has also won the Cup. Thompson is on his way to his third 40-goal season. Brady Tkachuk<\/a> joins his brother as one of the game’s elite power forwards. Kyle Connor<\/a>, one of the game’s best pure goal-scorers, appears headed to be Team USA’s 13th or 14th forward.\n<\/p>\n

\n\tKaprizov overshadows Boldy in Minnesota, and for good reason. Kaprizov’s an established superstar, with three 40-goal campaigns and an MVP-worthy first half of the season before injuries struck<\/a>. He’s rewriting<\/a> the Wild’s all-time record books as we speak. Boldy simply doesn’t have that kind of resume.\n<\/p>\n

\n\tBut he’s always had the talent to join Kaprizov’s ranks. Boldy’s built like a steakhouse, but handles like a bistro<\/a>. His puck skills are almost impossibly good for someone with his 6-foot-2, 201-pound frame. He’s got a rare combination of being a volume shooter and a high-end playmaker, and his play on the penalty kill is proving he’s an asset in any situation.\n<\/p>\n

\n\tNow, he’s finally got the numbers to stack up with the best in the NHL. Boldy enters the Olympic break tied for 15th in scoring with 62 points, which ranks seventh among all wingers. Among Americans, he’s only surpassed by Robertson (66 points) and Connor (64). Quinn Hughes<\/a>\u00a0presence further raises his ceiling. In Boldy’s 22 games since the star defenseman’s arrival, he has 15 goals and 27 points — a 45-goal, 100-point pace. Those are Leon Draisaitl<\/a>-type stats.\n<\/p>\n

\n\tThere will undoubtedly be pressure on Boldy to be The Guy, at least on the wing. Caufield and Robertson’s absence has led to a reaction that downplays the U.S. goal-scoring prowess. Thompson and Nelson both have 29 goals this year. Auston Matthews<\/a> has 26 in 51 games and has two 60-goal campaigns on his resume. Guentzel, Connor, Dylan Larkin<\/a>, and Jack Eichel<\/a>\u00a0have between 20 and 26 goals on the season.\n<\/p>\n

\n\tBut of Team USA’s four 30-goal scorers (including another snub in Alex DeBrincat<\/a>), Boldy is the one who’s going to Milan. He, not Robertson or Caufield, will likely get a prominent role alongside Eichel or Matthews. If the U.S. finishes a goal short again, people will wonder what would have happened if Caufield or Robertson were in his place.\n<\/p>\n

\n\tBoldy’s been up to the challenge, at least judging from recent history. Not only is he in the middle of a breakout year, but he’s also shone in big games. Beyond the 4 Nations Face-Off, Boldy exploded for five goals and seven points in the playoffs last year, and led Team USA with 14 points (six goals) at the World Championships in 2024.\n<\/p>\n

\n\tHe’s been able to raise his stock significantly in the past year, and the Olympics give him a chance to further his legacy. Another strong showing from Boldy — this time against the best the entire world (minus Russia and Belarus) has to offer — could create and cement his reputation as a bona fide superstar.\n<\/p>\n

\n Think you could write a story like this? Hockey Wilderness wants you to develop your voice, find an audience, and we’ll pay you to do it. Just fill out this form<\/a>.\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Matt Boldy put himself on the map\u00a0last season. Sure, he scored 30 goals before, and was a reliable…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":451222,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5118],"tags":[5,799,161,38,5280,4,162],"class_list":{"0":"post-451221","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-minnesota-wild","8":"tag-hockey","9":"tag-matt-boldy","10":"tag-minnesota","11":"tag-minnesota-wild","12":"tag-minnesotawild","13":"tag-nhl","14":"tag-wild"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nhl\/116035470279556706","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/451221","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=451221"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/451221\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/451222"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=451221"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=451221"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=451221"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}