Rookies?
Who needs them?
That seems to be the mindset of general manager Chuck Fletcher and head coach Bruce Boudreau, who haven't rolled out a rookie in any of the Minnesota Wild's three games this season.
Part of that statement is academic.
Defenseman Mike Reilly has played in just 29 NHL games, while Swedish center Joel Eriksson Ek immigration status has kept him stashed in the AHL to this point, but there's no denying the Wild's experience in all areas of the game.
It's a formula that's been paying off on the scoresheet so far.
| PLAYER | AGE | GAMES | GOALS | ASSISTS | POINTS | PLUS/MINUS |
| Charlie Coyle | 24 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 | -1 |
| Ryan Suter | 32 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 1 |
| Chris Stewart | 29 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| Jonas Brodin | 23 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Erik Haula | 25 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Mikko Koivu | 33 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| Jason Pominville | 34 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Jared Spurgeon | 27 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Matt Dumba | 22 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -2 |
| Teemu Pulkkinen | 25 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -1 |
| Eric Staal | 32 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -2 |
Forward Charlie Coyle is the only Wild player with multiple goals on the season, while Minnesota is one of just three teams to get goals from 11 different players through three games, joining the offensively gifted Chicago Blackhawks and the Connor McDavid-led Edmonton Oilers.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have taken a different approach.
The Maple Leafs have six rookie skaters on their roster -- more than any other team in the league -- a group that leads all rookie classes with 15 points this season.
| TEAM | POINTS |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | 15 |
| Winnipeg Jets | 7 |
| Chicago Blackhawks | 5 |
| Philadelphia Flyers | 5 |
Top pick Auston Matthews has had the biggest impact, and scored the Maple Leafs' first four goals of the season in a loss to the Ottawa Senators, but William Nylander and Nikita Zadorav are chipping in as well.
| PLAYER | AGE | GAMES | GOALS | ASSISTS | POINTS | PLUS/MINUS |
| Auston Matthews | 19 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 2 |
| Connor Brown | 23 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Mitchell Marner | 19 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -2 |
| William Nylander | 20 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 3 |
| Zach Hyman | 24 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Nikita Zaitsev | 25 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
Statistics courtesy of STATS LLC and hockey-reference.com
