Earlier this month, Carson Lambos signed a one-year two-way contract extension with the Minnesota Wild.

Lambos is one of Minnesota’s most interesting first-round picks. The Wild took him in the first round of the 2021 draft, but he has yet to break into the NHL and mostly has played in Iowa. However, Lambos turns 24 years old this season, making it seem like a make-or-break year for the blueliner.

While Lambos hasn’t established himself in the NHL, he has made progress. He played his first NHL game last season and registered a shot on goal and was a plus-one in 10 minutes of ice time. 

 

Lambos’ brief NHL appearance came in a year when he also continued to show improvement in the AHL. The defender scored a career-high 8 goals and registered a minus-4 rating. Multiple factors influence plus/minus, but Lambos stayed relatively even on an Iowa Wild team that recorded a -47 goal differential, which is encouraging. 

Those improvements were enough for the Wild to sign Lambos this offseason. They must see something in him, or they could have just not qualified him and let him enter unrestricted free agency. Despite seeing the value in Lambos, Minnesota also seems to have reservations.

When the Wild faced significant injuries to its blueline last season, they relied more on Matt Kiersted, who played six NHL games. 

It’s troubling that the team doesn’t yet trust Lambos to play, even in extremely limited circumstances. He’s still young, but of the eight defenders drafted in the 2021 draft, Lambos is one of only two who have played fewer than 10 NHL games. 

If Lambos isn’t ready this upcoming season, it may be time for him and the organization to part ways. Even if Lambos continues to improve, he may have trouble finding playing time in Minnesota.

Lambos is a left-handed defender who plays on the left side. The Wild are fairly set on the left side because they have Quinn Hughes and Jared Spurgeon. Those two players solidify the top two spots, but the competition for the final spot on the left will be fierce. 

Minnesota is bringing back Daemon Hunt, who played 32 games for the Wild last year. In addition to Hunt’s return, they traded for Olli Maatta, who has 804 games of NHL experience. It’s safe to assume they will compete to play on the left side of the third pair.

In addition to the veteran competition, Minnesota has also done a lot recently to build the depth on the left side of the blue line. The Wild signed Viking Gustafsson Nyberg and Ben Dexheimer as college free agents last season.

Gustafsson Nyberg already played two games for the Wild last season, and he and Dexheimer have qualities that make them interesting prospects. 

Gustafsson Nyberg is a towering presence at 6-foot-6, 225 lbs. He plays a physical and defense-first game that Lambos has also played in the AHL. The Wild’s left side is fairly small with Hughes and Spurgeon. If the team wanted to add size to the lineup, Gustafsson Nyberg could be the preferred option over Lambos.

Meanwhile, Dexheimer is a smaller two-way defenseman who people have compared to Jared Spurgeon. Dexheimer’s playstyle, similar to the Wild’s captain, could make him a natural fit for Minnesota’s system, which is already built to accommodate that player archetype. 

With exciting prospects in the pipeline and established veterans in the NHL, it will be a battle for Lambos to hold onto his spot in the organization, let alone advance.

Still, there are some opportunities for Lambos. Jared Spurgeon and Olli Maatta have faced some injury issues in recent years. If that happens again, there should be at least a few games available.

If Lambos plays well enough in preseason and for the Iowa Wild, he could take some of those minutes. With the current landscape, it’s highly unlikely he’ll be a full-time NHLer this season, but he needs to make some progress. 

However, progress won’t be enough for the blueliner this season. Lambos finds himself in an organization with established veterans and new competition. If he can’t force his way into the conversation this year, he risks becoming the odd man out.

 

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