In the pantheon of Minnesota Wild trade deadline acquisitions, Marcus Johansson rates high.

Acquired for a third-round pick from Washington in 2023, the veteran forward played the last 20 regular season games and scored six goals and 18 points. The Wild went 12-4-4 in those games to solidify a postseason spot.

In the pantheon of Wild contract extensions, Johansson does not rate as high. Not yet, anyway. After signing a two-year, $4 million contract, the left wing took a step backward, scoring 11 goals among 30 points last season as the Wild missed the postseason for the second time in 12 years.

Johansson aims to change that in the second year of the extension, and his performance in the Wild’s 3-2, season-opening victory over Columbus on Thursday was a good start.

Reunited with center Joel Eriksson Ek and right wing Matt Boldy — the line on which he played after arriving in Minnesota on that deadline deal — Johansson had two first assists, one for each of his linemates, on a line that combined for six points.

Asked how he approached this season, Johansson said, “Definitely some kind of revenge in there.”

A strong skater with excellent puck skills, Johansson was never able to put it all together last season for a team that struggled out of the gate and suffered injuries at key positions before ultimately being bounced from playoff contention in early April.

He played in 78 games, but the 6-foot-1, 203-pound Swede acknowledged Thursday he was dealing with injuries, and that he has a bit of a chip on his shoulder about the way the whole season went.

“I think we all have from last year. It’s not what we wanted, and I know I’ve got a lot better (in me). I’ve shown that before,” Johansson said. “It’s a tough game. So, when you’re not feeling good … it’s tough to turn it around.”

Getting Johansson going has been a priority for coach John Hynes, who replaced Dean Evason on Nov. 28 last year. In his first 13 games as coach, the Wild went 10-3-0. Johansson had three goals and seven assists during that stretch, and 12 points in Hynes’ first 15 games.

Over his next 18 games, Johansson had four points, and the Wild were 2-0-1 when he was on the scoresheet.

“We had quite a few (conversations) at the end of the season, and then he’s come back with a fresh mindset, knows how he needs to play and what we expect him to do,” Hynes said. “I thought the last couple games of the preseason, you could see the competitive nature coming up.”

This is Johansson’s second tour in Minnesota. Acquired from Buffalo for Eric Staal in September 2020, he was limited by injuries to 36 games and just 14 points. His performance after the second trade was more of what the Wild expected, and when Johansson, 34, proved to be a good fit, general manager Bill Guerin signed him to a two-year extension through this season.

The coach has talked a lot about competitiveness during his first training camp with the Wild, the will to win individual battles

“He’s such a great skater and he has the ability to make plays,” Hynes said. “But you know, there are times in the games where you have to be in battles, win battles and stay on pucks — things like that. I think he’s making a concerted effort to do that, so that’s what we need from him.

“When he does them, then he’s a productive player, because he’s certainly smart, skilled and can make plays. But you’ve got to combine that with the hard part of the game, and he’s done a nice job with that.”

So far, so good. The Wild’s second line comprised the best skaters in Thursday’s victory at Xcel Energy Center, and Johansson was an active participant.

“It’s fun to get off to a good start, and we’ve just got to keep building off of that,” he said. “We know what we can do in here. Our line knows what we can do, we’ve shown that before, so we’ll try and build off of that.”

Related Articles

Wild practice invaded by Kraken

Matt Boldy, second line pace season-opening victory over Columbus

He didn’t like the way he left, but Dean Evason is happy to be back

On the eve of the Wild’s regular season opener, four reasons for optimism

Brock Faber leaves training camp with nothing but ‘excitement’