On today's episode of Locked on Wild, we start the show looking at the acquisition of Rem Pitlick. Could this mean that Victor Rask is either the last forward on the roster or is just put on waivers? Pitlick appears to be more of a 4th line guy, and if he's kept it could also mean a promotion for Nico Sturm to the 3rd line. The bottom line is that this move appears to be the precursor to another move to come, so stay tuned to see what Bill Guerin does next!
We start our season expectations portion of the show with the guy who arguably has the most to prove in Jordan Greenway. We look at his most recent comments after Monday's preseason game as well as Dean Evason's reaction to his performance. We look at what would be considered a successful season for Greenway, and really it comes down to him finally meeting the expectations that have been set for him. Can he finally use his size and turn his line into a defensive problem for opponents? Can Greenway also unlock his offensive potential and provide a double digit goal, 40 to 50 point season? We will have to wait and see, but there is at least some concern he just does what he has the last few years and starts hot but cools off considerably.
For Ryan Hartman, can he keep the Greenway-Foligno line flowing with Joel Eriksson Ek getting promoted to the top line? With his play against Vegas in the playoffs last year and so far in the preseason, there is no reason to suggest Hartman isn't capable of being a great center for those two. Will his increased level of play lead to more production on the ice? That might be the biggest question for Hartman this season, but if his linemates can step up he won't be under as much pressure to equal what Eriksson Ek provided last year.
We finish with season expectations for Marcus Foligno. Can Foligno equal his absolutely torrid production pace from last season? If he even comes close to that level again the Wild will be sitting great with another line providing great production other than the Kaprizov line. We really don't have any questions with Foligno, so long as he can stay on the ice for a full season and dish out justice to opponents any time they step out of line. Foligno seems primed for a big season, the only question is will he be able to do it and will he gel with a new center on his line?
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