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$49,000,000 center Matt Boldy publicly called out by HC Dean Evason after prolonged struggles
Matt Boldy's biggest critic is not any fan on social media but his Minnesota Wild head coach, Dean Evason. The 22-year-old winger has had a slow start to the season, with just 8 points in 12 games, and that has attracted the ire of Evason.
Matt Boldy signed a seven-year, $49,000,000 contract extension with the Wild in the offseason following an 81-point season. With only one goal in 12 games this season, it is safe to say the youthful winger isn't firing on all cylinders.
In the Minnesota Wild's 4-1 loss to the Detroit Red Wings, Boldy played for 19:21, had 4 shots on goal, and a +/- of -1.
Per The Athletic's Joe Smith, head coach Dean Evason called out Matt Boldy in the post-game interview for his recent slump.
“Sometimes we’ll take accountability, but sometimes it’s where a player has got to step up," Evason said. "I don’t care how old you are. I don’t care what’s going on. Those guys are paid a lot of money to score goals and 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.”
Dean Evason has himself been in hot waters owing to the Wild's recent woes, but according to reports, Wild GM Bill Guerin is not pulling the plug on him just yet.
According to Evanson, there is growing frustration in the team's camp. He expects his players to be angry but hopes that it motivates them to perform better the rest of the season.
“Frustration has turned into anger, obviously," he added. "Hopefully, they are as angry as we are. We’ve got to change something. We can’t continue to be, ‘Oh, that’s a good effort, we outshot them, we had a lot of chances.’ We’re still losing. We’ve got to find a way to win.”
Evason knows the Wild need to find ways to win. They are seventh in the Central Division and may fall prey to the NHL Thanksgiving curse if they cannot get themselves together.
Angry fans react to Evason's comments regarding Matt Boldy
Minnesota Wild fans didn't take too well to Dean Evason's comments regarding Matt Boldy. They were of the opinion that a head coach should not publicly call out his players in the way Evason has. Some even suggested the coach had lost the locker room.
A fan suggested a line change for Matt Boldy, who is currently playing alongside Patrick Gaudreau and Marcus Johansson.
The Wild must re-establish their offensive firepower, which includes Kirill Kaprizov, Matt Boldy, and others, or they will be left floundering for the majority of the season.
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