LAST SEASON

The 2024-25 campaign had all the hallmarks of a typical Minnesota Wild season. There were periods of dominance that flattered to deceive, none longer than an excellent stretch from opening night through Dec. 14. The team won 20 of its first 30 and led the Western Conference in points %. There were nasty cold snaps like a three-win month of February when the Wild were outscored nearly two goals to one. As has so often been the case over the past decade, there was a first-round exit full of dodgy calls and bad luck.

That doesn’t really tell the whole story for the poster child of the NHL’s murky middle, though. During their excellent start, superstar winger Kirill Kaprizov had MVP momentum and was tied for second in goals. A lingering lower-body injury, an ill-advised return, and a midseason surgery crocked “the Thrill,” but he wasn’t a one-man band for the Wild.

Filip Gustavsson’s resurgence between the pipes (31-19-6, 2.56 GAA, .914 SV%) kept Minnesota afloat and earned him well-deserved Vezina consideration (sixth place); Matt Boldy (team-leading 27 G, 73 P) was a standout for club and country and continued to develop into one of the top two-way wingers in the sport; captain Jared Spurgeon bounced back from an injury-hit 2023-24 to enjoy a vintage season on the blue line (32 P, 20:27 in 66 GP); and Marco Rossi (24 G, 60P) arrived as a top-six center despite a frigid second half and inconsistent usage.

Might the Wild have escaped the ranks of the West’s pretenders if Kaprizov didn’t miss exactly half the season? They certainly looked the part of contenders by outplaying the heavily-favored Vegas Golden Knights at even-strength for large chunks of their six-game playoff stand. Still, the record of history shows a 10th consecutive season without a second-round appearance. Kaprizov is due for what will be the richest contract in NHL history, and a strong start for the Wild could help convince the Russian to sign it in the Twin Cities.

KEY ADDITIONS & DEPARTURES

Additions

Vladimir Tarasenko, RW

Nico Sturm, C

Jack Johson, D (PTO)

Brett Leason, RW (PTO)

Departures

Marc-Andre Fleury, G (Ret.)

Gustav Nyquist, RW (Win)

Justin Brazeau, RW (Pit)

Devin Shore, C (Cze.)

OFFENSE

A middling offensive outfit before Kaprizov’s initial injury (T-18th), the Wild sagged to 25th place without their talisman in the lineup. The NHL’s fifth-deadliest per-game sniper since his Calder-winning debut, Kaprizov also ranks in the top ten of shooting volume (3.54 shots-per-game) and efficiency (16.4 S%) over that period. Strong as a bull on the puck and in the corners, the attention Kaprizov draws beneath the goal line and around the circles creates plenty of opportunities for his linemates (52 A per 82 GP).

His favorite centerman is Joel Eriksson Ek, a perennial Selke contender who struggled through injuries of his own last year (15 G, 29 P in 46 GP). If the big man can get back to his 30-goal best, Minnesota’s first unit will have a pair of puckhounds that can fill up the box score. Ageless wonder Mats Zuccarello could give coach John Hynes an excuse to separate Kaprizov and Boldy at five-on-five; the Wild controlled an astounding 71.79% of expected goals when the diminutive playmaker linked up with Kaprizov and Eriksson Ek at even-strength.

Boldy and Rossi are the best second-line options the Wild have had since trading Kevin Fiala. A powerful winger who can play both sides, Boldy impressed at the Four Nations Faceoff and has an inside track to Team USA’s Olympic roster with Minnesota GM Bill Guerin at the helm. His rocket of a wrister needs to find more twine (11.8 career S%), but Boldy’s playmaking has improved immensely since his debut (46 A). That will be important for Rossi, who loves a greasy goal and plays a netfront game that belies his 5’9 frame. In the first year of a tensely negotiated extension, Rossi is eager to prove he can get it done away from Kaprizov.

The early frontrunner for the last top-six spot is Red Wings castaway Vladimir Tarasenko. Even if the big Russian’s 80-point prime is gone for good after a career-worst season (11 G in 80 GP), the Wild hope he can recapture his top-six production (23.2 G, 59.4 P per 82 GP) from 2022-24. Ryan Hartman is also an option after a big postseason (2 G, 6 P), but flip-flops between dangerous power forward (26.7 G per 82 GP from 2021-2024) and fourth-line problem child (five suspensions) with frustrating frequency.

No Wild blue liner notched more than 10 points on their 19th-ranked power play, so rookie Zeev Buium should get an extended look on that unit.

DEFENSE

Despite an eye-opening performance beside Jaccob Slavin on Team USA’s shutdown pairing at the Four Nations, Brock Faber had a bit of a sophomore slump as the leader of Minnesota’s blue line. Tough assignments and exhausting usage (25:32 ATOI, fourth in NHL) showed in Faber’s dwindling offensive returns (29 P, down from 47). His puck possession numbers also wilted, as Faber finished in the 15th percentile of scoring-chance share among full-time players (min. 1000 minutes).

Faber is in line for more tough minutes to start the season as on-and-off partner Jonas Brodin works toward a November return from offseason surgery. The silky Swede isn’t as quick as he used to be, but remains a disruptive defender with excellent timing and positioning. Health is Brodin’s biggest weakness; he’s missed 20 games or more for three seasons running. No one in the Twin Cities will complain if an unlikely Olympic snub gets him some midseason time off.

While Faber suffered from his huge minutes, Spurgeon crushed the lightest workload since his rookie season. The diminutive battler’s pairings with Brodin and the since-traded Declan Chisholm controlled 57.9% of expected goals in their five-on-five minutes. With both those partnerships off the table for the foreseeable future, could Spurgeon take the highly-touted Buium under his wing on the second pair? The duo would be undersized even by the standards of Minnesota’s already lightweight blue line.

The second unit remains a question mark, but veteran Jake Middleton brings some clarity to the first pair as the enforcer of the Wild’s back line. Middleton would be best off as a No. 4 defenseman beside his old pal Spurgeon, but there’s a reason Hynes has made him the most frequent partner of Faber’s young career. Middleton led Wild defenders in rating (+11) despite a tendency to get pinned back on his heels in the defensive zone. His toughness around the crease is invaluable when Minnesota comes under fire.

They were under fire quite a bit last season (seventh-worst team Corsi %) as the injury bug ran through the lineup. The Wild should have more offensive zone time in 2025-26 with Eriksson Ek and Kaprizov healthy and beastly forecheckers like Marcus Foligno (253 hits) and Yakov Trenin (241) scattered throughout the bottom six.

GOALTENDING

If you find yourself wondering how a team that battled injuries throughout its lineup without much success at either end of the ice ended up in the playoffs, meet Filip Gustavsson. “Gus” was outstanding in his debut season for Minnesota in 2022-23, and trailed only Linus Ullmark, that year’s Vezina winner, in GAA and SV%. After Gustavsson struggled in Year 2 for the Wild and Marc-Andre Fleury re-signed, there was legitimate speculation the “Gus Bus” would be traded to clear the way for top goalie prospect Jesper Wallstedt.

Gustavsson must have heard those whispers, because after an offseason of working on his fitness and concentration, he was one of the NHL’s true workhorses in 2024-25. He finished the year sixth in starts (58), fourth in SV% by a full-time starter, and tied for fifth in shutouts (5). On many nights, he was ostensibly the only player for the shorthanded Wild who knew a game was going on. As if he needs any extra motivation during a contract/Olympic year, Gustavsson has a legitimate beef that 34-game starter Anthony Stolarz and second-half struggler Logan Thompson finished ahead of him in Vezina voting.

It won’t be at Gustavsson’s expense, but Wallstedt is finally slated to get NHL minutes. He didn’t leave the AHL on a high note, struggling to an .879 SV% behind a bad Iowa team. It’s still far too early to worry about Wallstedt’s future in the show; he finished with a .908 mark or better in two previous seasons with Iowa, and was generally viewed as a top-two pro prospect at the position before last season. If Wallstedt can’t find his footing in sporadic game action, the Wild have ample cap space to scour the waiver wire or trade market for a stopgap option behind Gustavsson.

COACHING

John Hynes came under fire for his reluctance to use Rossi and Buium in high-leverage situations against Vegas, but it’s tough to gripe with his overall body of work with the Wild last season. There’s no shame in a 97-point finish at the helm of what was at times a skeleton crew, and his results with a full complement of players both in the early season and the playoffs imply he could help the team recapture the hard-nosed identity it achieved during predecessor Dean Evason’s tenure.

Still, Hynes could become a pariah if his distrust of Buium, Rossi, and a host of incoming young players (more on them below) continues into next season. The Wild’s future largely depends on the ability of Guerin’s draft picks to eventually seize the torch from the old guard of Spurgeon, Foligno, and Zuccarello. A great many of those picks are in the mix for the opening night roster, and they won’t learn anything in eight or ten minutes a night.

The rest of the NHL staff will remain mostly unchanged from last season; middling special teams play was not held against them, given the Wild’s injury and cap woes.

Deposed Ducks coach Greg Cronin will take over the bench in Iowa. His record of success in the AHL is significant for a farm club that’s done more harm than good to the development of its prospects over the past few seasons.

ROOKIES

Buium is the top prospect in the Wild’s fifth-ranked pipeline. The fact that Guerin hasn’t sought outside help at LHD beyond PTO flier Jack Johnson suggests the former University of Denver star has admirers at the organization’s highest levels. That’s significant given that Hynes scratched Buium for the last two playoff games. Experience with the victorious Team USA at the IIHF World Championship and a full training camp with the NHL team should prepare Buium for what will presumably be a high-leverage role out of the gates.

Two other former first-rounders will duke it out with Johnson for the final spot on defense. Former No. 6 selection David Jiricek (officially a 2023-24 rookie) should have first dibs because of his size, skill, and exorbitant price tag (MN traded Daemon Hunt and picks in each of the first four rounds to CBJ for Jiricek). Is he a good enough skater to man his offside? Veteran righty Zach Bogosian is unlikely to draw scratches in favor of a blue line with three greenhorn players, so Jiricek will have to beat out Carson Lambos, a natural lefty with a mean streak, and Johnson in camp. It’s anyone’s ball game.

Among the forwards, Danila Yurov is a sure thing to make the club. Yurov is a three-year KHL vet who helped Magnitogorsk Metallurg to the Gagarin Cup in 2024 with 27 goals in the regular season and playoffs. He took a step back on offense last season but will have every chance to stick at 3C, where Hartman can fill in should Yurov prove inadequate in the faceoff dot.

Winger Liam Ohgren is built like an action figure and could be an impact forechecker at the next level, but has a camp battle on his hands with a skilled, if frustrating, veteran in Marcus Johansson, who’s back on a one-year deal. Ohgren might already be too good for Iowa (39 P in 41 GP), but the Wild value experience to a fault and already have over 200 games of familiarity with “MoJo.”

BURNING QUESTIONS

1. Where’s the buyout money going? Wild fans have long wondered how good their playoff-bubble team would be once it stopped paying Zach Parise and Ryan Suter top-of-the-lineup money (over $14 million at its highest) to play elsewhere. Four years on from the dual buyouts, they’d be forgiven for wondering where all that cash went. Guerin has shown a ton of loyalty to the grit-and-grind guys (Hartman, Foligno, Middleton) who kept the Wild afloat during the dark ages, and it shows on the cap sheet. $7 million in cap space is certainly a nest egg, but it will evaporate long-term if and when Kaprizov and Gustavsson re-sign. Still, with nearly $9 million set to come off the books when Tarasenko and Zuccarello’s deals run out in the summer, and Boldy and Faber locked up on team-friendly deals, Guerin has some cash to play with. Could the Wild at long last become serious players in the trade market?

2. What does the Game 82 blue line look like? Minnesota’s back line will change significantly over the course of the season. Brodin’s return could make Bogosian’s veteran savvy expendable if Jiricek proves he’s ready for regular minutes. What if Buium explodes onto the scene like former collegiate stars Faber and Lane Hutson? If he’s playing well enough by November, Buium could end up on Faber’s left as Brodin and Spurgeon link up on a proven winner of a pair. Three-pairing depth is all the rage, and Middleton and Jiricek would give Hynes a bruising combination that could shine in 15-18 minutes a night. There are other, less fun possibilities like Jiricek failing to unseat “Bogo” and Buium’s ice time cratering once Brodin re-enters the fold. This is the on-ice question that will define Minnesota’s season.

3. Is any number too rich for Kaprizov? Kaprizov is the most electrifying talent to ever play in Minnesota, where fans have watched Dino Cicarelli, Neal Broten, and Marian Gaborik don their various shades of green. Those same fans will recall when Gaborik got hurt during a contract year and walked for nothing, and aren’t eager to relive that disaster with an even bigger star. Still, $16 million is a daunting number, especially after Mikko Rantanen signed for $12 million AAV after the rising cap had already been announced. Could comparables Leon Draisaitl ($14 million) and Auston Matthews ($13.25 million) help Guerin out in these negotiations? The GM is in uncharted waters, especially as Connor McDavid remains unsigned, and owner Craig Leipold’s bluster isn’t helping Guerin’s leverage.

PREDICTION

Any prediction surrounding the Wild’s upcoming season must assume a relatively painless extension with Kaprizov. Anything less would throw the entire organization into a blender. There are significant questions on the ice, too, like the ceiling of the blue line and Yurov’s transition to the North American game. Then there’s the fact that a very good hockey team out of the Central Division (there are six) will miss the playoffs. If they survive two months without Brodin, it shouldn’t be the Wild, who just notched 97 points as the league’s seventh most-injured team. Whether they’ll break that first-round curse depends on how much they get out of their promising injection of youth.

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