Matt Boldy signed his big, well-deserved contract extension in 2023 and when it hit last year, he managed to get even better. After taking over as the lead scorer while Kirill Kaprizov was out with an injury for a handful of games, Boldy continued on a good scoring streak. During the last 10 games of the season, starting with the same day that he signed the contract, he put up 11 points. Hopefully, Boldy can continue to use that as motivation in the next season. (As an aside, while his cap hit for this year is $7 million, his pay will be $9.7 million.)
Last Season
Matt Boldy came into last season with plenty of assists, but after scoring a goal in the second game of the season, it took him 11 more games until he put the puck in the net himself. Of course, as all Wild fans know, he wasn’t the only one struggling. But after John Hynes took over as Head Coach and eventually shuffled the lines, Boldy ended up on the top line with Kirill Kaprizov and Joel Eriksson Ek. That line went on to dominate, catching fire while the rest of the team cooled off.
Strengths
Boldy is a skilled forward who can both score and make plays because he’s got great vision while on the ice. This has come in especially handy on the top line last season. Boldy’s mix of finesse along with his physical size was a huge asset next to Ek and Kaprizov. He seems to have the ability to know when to use his flashy skills and when to fade a bit into the background a bit, not that Boldy could ever actually hide on the ice.
Weaknesses
Sometimes, Boldy’s playmaking can look a little bit more like deferring to veteran players. There are times when he passes up what seems to be a nice shot to pass instead. This was much more evident during his first season and a half with the Minnesota Wild. Boldy seems more comfortable shooting instead of passing now, but occasionally, he falls back into the habit. Based on pure speculation, perhaps this was happening more when he was alongside Marcus Johansson because Johansson is a decade older than Boldy.
Next Season
Boldy ended last season with 69 points and 29 goals. Barring injury, he should definitely be able to pass both the 70-point and 30-goal marks. This is where he needs to use his big contract as motivation and not fall into the same “change up my game” trap that Filip Gustavsson did. Hopefully having one whole year under his belt means that he doesn’t. Achieving the next level of points and goals might also depend on whether Hynes keeps him on a line with Kaprizov and Ek or tries to change things up again.
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