Wild coach Dean Evason calls out players after 7th straight loss: 'Those guys get paid a lot of money to score'

The Minnesota Wild have qualified for the playoffs in 10 of the past 11 seasons, but their current seven-game losing streak has them looking like a team that will be hitting the golf course early in 2024.

Minnesota owns a 5-10-4 record through its first 19 games and has the third-worst goal differential in the NHL. Its latest setback came in a 4-1 loss to the Detroit Red Wings on Sunday.

Wild head coach Dean Evason didn't mince words following the defeat and teased that a shakeup may be coming.

"I think the frustration is turning to anger, obviously," Evason told reporters. "Hopefully [the players] are as angry as [the coaching staff]. We've got to change something. It can't just continue to be 'Well, it's a good effort, we outshot them, we had lots of chances.' We're still losing, so we've got to find a way to win."

Evason was particularly frustrated because similar issues seem to be burning his club every night. The penalty kill has been a glaring problem, ranking dead last in the NHL with a 67.2% success rate. Minnesota coughed up two more power-play goals against the Red Wings.

"That's what pisses us off, right?" Evason said. "That's what makes you mad, that the same mistakes, same guys are not pulling their weight. Same mistakes that happen most nights and don't allow us to have a true, true chance of winning a hockey game."

One specific player Evason wants to see more from is forward Matt Boldy. The 22-year-old is coming off a 31-goal, 63-point campaign but hasn't been able to recapture that form in 2023-24. Boldy has just one goal through 11 games this season.

"There's sometimes [the coaches] will take accountability, but there are sometimes where the player's gotta step up. I don't care how old you are, and I don't care what's going on," Evason said. "Those guys get paid a lot of money to score goals and to play better and some guys aren't.

"We'll do what we can do from our end, but there's got to be some looking in the mirror as well."

The Wild's next chance to get back in the win column comes Tuesday against the St. Louis Blues.