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Somehow, the biggest lightning rod in the Minnesota Wild's abbreviated playoff run was the player with the team's third-fewest minutes. But that's what fans will focus on when a team takes Marco Rossi, their second-leading scorer in the regular season, and plays him for 11 minutes and 8 seconds per night. For context, that's less than Marat Khusnutdinov, a fourth-line center with seven points in 57 games, got during the regular season. Having seen the Wild's postseason play out, it's clear what happened. John Hynes (and possibly Bill Guerin, judging from some of his radio comments) decided that Rossi couldn't make an impact in a series against the Vegas Golden Knights. He started on the third line with Marcus Foligno and a clearly washed Gustav Nyquist, a role Rossi hadn't been in all season. After struggling in his playoff debut, the Wild demoted him to the fourth line with Yakov Trenin and Justin Brazeau. And that's where he stayed. Scoring goals in back-to-back games didn't get him out of the doghouse. Engaging physically in Game 5, where he registered three hits and three blocked shots, didn't do the trick, either. No style of play, no level of success was getting him off the fourth line. There was nothing he could do. In doing so, the Wild doomed Rossi to their self-fulfilling prophecy. By treating him as if he couldn't make an impact, they put him in a position where he was least capable of making one. Despite the three points in six games -- a 0.50 PPG average that is, mind you, tied for 19th in franchise history, between Kevin Fiala (0.53 PPG) and Mikko Koivu (0.47) -- Minnesota got a result they can point to and back up their suspicions. His detractors (including those in the Wild organization) can point to three flashpoints: Rossi being on the ice for the Game 5 overtime goal. His double minor in Game 6. And his having the worst expected goals percentage at 5-on-5 this series, as noted by The Athletic. Make of the errors what you'd like, I guess. Rossi was part of that Game 5 breakdown -- although there's a pretty good case that Zach Bogosian was more responsible. Even though Brayden McNabb lifted Rossi's stick into his own face in Game 6, Rossi still has to control his stick. But as for his expected goals percentage... what did the Wild expect? Out of 18 forwards with 150-plus minutes at 5-on-5 for the Wild during the regular season, Trenin was 10th in goals for percentage (44.4) and 11th in expected goals for percentage (47.5). Brazeau ranked dead last in both categories. Both players were in the bottom half of generating actual and expected goals per hour. That trio didn't generate offense outside of two nice passes off a Trenin forecheck. The Rossi-Trenin duo combined to get just a 28.5% share of the expected goals in their limited time on the ice. Minnesota generated expected goals at a rate of 0.99 per hour with that tandem, which is abysmal. When apart from Trenin, his expected goals share boosted up to 49.3%, and the Wild generated 2.44 expected goals per hour. If you're looking for a reason why Rossi would have disappointing numbers with Trenin and Brazeau, it's not hard to figure out. There's a reason Hynes doesn't consider playing Matt Boldy or Kirill Kaprizov on the fourth line for an entire playoff series. Maybe you're thinking something like, Look, a player isn't entitled to a spot in the lineup because they scored 60 points in the regular season. This is professional sports. It's not about fairness or being a hard-working kid with a good attitude who does everything the team asks of him. It's about results. And, hey, maybe that's right. So let's take a look at Rossi's results. In 66:47 of all-situations time, Rossi scored three points. Mind you, only 3:30 of that was on the power play, less time than the likes of Nyquist and Marcus Johansson. Despite being a power play afterthought, he put up 2.70 points per hour during his ice time. For fun, here's a list of Wild players who Rossi's career points per hour rate beats out: Zach Parise, 2.66 points per hour Kirill Kaprizov, 2.40 points per hour Marian Gaborik, 2.36 points per hour Ryan Hartman, 2.30 points per hour Jason Pominville, 2.28 points per hour Wes Walz, 2.26 points per hour Brian Rolston, 2.03 points per hour Kevin Fiala, 1.89 points per hour Pavol Demitra, 1.86 points per hour Matt Boldy, 1.86 points per hour Eric Staal, 1.86 points per hour Nino Niederreiter, 1.82 points per hour Small sample size, but damn, that sounds like someone Minnesota should've put on the ice if they wanted not to lose three games by a goal each. Only Hynes didn't do that. It's one thing for a coach to bury his team's second-leading scorer on the fourth line and win the series. They can claim they pushed the right buttons, and scoreboard. Who's gonna argue? But when they lose a series of one-goal games? There are gonna be questions to answer, especially for a coach whose playoff results aren't exactly above reproach. It was a predictable outcome for the Wild, partly because they ensured it, both for Rossi and the series as a whole. Minnesota played Rossi on the fourth line, and now they can claim he played like a fourth liner. That makes sense. The logical conclusion for Hynes turning his third-most-potent scoring threat into a fourth-liner was the one we saw. The Wild offense drying up the second Kaprizov and Boldy started running out of gas. Don't worry -- with the increasingly inevitable Rossi trade coming up, it appears that no lessons will be learned from any of this.

"Best Available Player" is a phrase that gets thrown around a ton at draft time. There's a beautiful simplicity to the philosophy. Just add talent, and get the best players you can. It's so obvious! Fans thinking, If I were the GM, I'd simply go BPA, is the basis of why, for example, the Minnesota Wild drafting Charlie Stramel in 2023 inspired backlash. It's why fans in 2024 laughed as the Philadelphia Flyers traded down one spot to not draft Zeev Buium, allowing Minnesota to pick up a talented defenseman for a third-round pick and the right to draft lower-ranked center Jett Luchanko. As for me? I'm more inclined to lean towards a "BPA" approach. It's not always that simple, of course. For example, there is rarely a clear-cut "Best Player Available." A team's scouts also might genuinely judge a prospect to have more or less talent than the consensus, muddying those waters further. However, I generally believe the purpose of the draft is to accumulate as much talent as possible, then patching up any organizational holes later. It also appears to be a philosophy that Wild director of scouting Judd Brackett buys into. He's a scout who tends to take fallers -- players with significant talent who slip through the cracks, for one reason or another. By contrast, Chuck Fletcher's regime, led by head scout Brent Flahr, loved late risers: players who were generally off the radar as first-rounders, but made massive strides in the months leading up to the draft. You can see the "fallers" throughout the Wild's recent draft history. Buium partly fell due to a loaded defensive class at the top of the draft. In 2022, Danila Yurov fell because of "The Russia Factor." In 2021, Jesper Wallstedt tumbled down the draft board, despite being widely considered the top goalie of his class. And, of course, in 2020, Marco Rossi fell to No. 9 overall. Statistically, there was an argument to make that Rossi was the best prospect in his class. Hockey Prospecting's model had him as the likeliest player to turn into a star, and the third-likeliest to play 200 NHL games. NHL scouts weren't quite as sold, but among that group, he still had a consensus ranking of seventh in his class. Faced with choosing between Rossi, a skilled winger (Cole Perfetti, who went 10th), a top goalie prospect (Yaroslav Askarov, 11th), and a bigger, lower-upside center (Anton Lundell, 12th), the Wild did what any BPA team would do: Grab the most talent at the most premium position. On paper, it worked brilliantly. This season, Rossi scored the sixth-most goals (24, tied with Tim Stützle) and points (60) of anyone in the 2020 Draft Class. He was sixth among his class in Standings Points Above Replacement (4.4, behind Stützle, Dylan Holloway, Lucas Raymond, Quinton Byfield, and JJ Peterka). He scored massive, clutch goals for a Wild team that made the playoffs by one point. Except, it seems, if you're the Wild's front office. Here, we see the potential pitfalls of Best Player Available. At the moment, Rossi was the best player Minnesota could have drafted. He's arguably still better than anyone chosen after him. But talent isn't everything. Even production isn't everything. The upcoming split between the Wild and Rossi is about more than that. On his "Fellowship of the Rink" podcast, The Athletic's Joe Smith asked his colleague, Michael Russo, where things went wrong in the relationship between team and player. Russo's response was illuminating: "I get the sense, talking to people within the organization, they just always want him to be something that he's incapable of being, because he can't just add a bunch of weight and size to him.... I think that [Bill Guerin] just doesn't feel that, if you add him to this team, that he's somebody that you can win with in the playoffs." You may be familiar with the dissenting argument, but let's take it at face value: What if Rossi isn't, and never was, a good fit for the organization? If they think that, then this is an issue they should have seen coming. Rossi was listed at 5-foot-9, 185 pounds at the 2020 Draft, and he's listed at 5-foot-9, 182 pounds today. It's not like that was a surprise. The Wild were also among the smallest teams in the NHL heading into 2020-21, and that's something that hasn't changed over time, either. How wasn't this a problem in 2020, but is a problem now? Even more frustrating is that the thing Rossi is supposedly incapable of being -- A Mikko Koivu/Joel Eriksson Ek-style power center -- was available to them at that spot! Lundell is 6-foot-1, 196 pounds, and has been a center exactly in that Koivu/JEEK mold: A touch limited offensively, but dominant in his own zone. They could have just done that! Maybe Minnesota wouldn't have made the playoffs with Lundell being thrust into a No. 1 center role instead of Rossi. But they'd at least have the fit they wanted, avoiding this awful situation they're hurtling toward. The Wild have shown their hand on Rossi. Everyone saw his coach bury him on the fourth line during the playoffs. Everyone's heard his name in trade rumors for years. We also know that the Wild don't seem prepared to pay him more than $5 million per season. That last part is perhaps most significant because teams know that if they sign Rossi to an offer sheet in the $6 to $6.8 million range, the Wild will likely take the compensation, which will be first- and third-round picks in 2026. If that route is in their back pocket, and teams know the Wild don't like him, what's the incentive to give up a top center prospect? Or a young player with upside? Or take him as the centerpiece to a blockbuster deal? Why not just get him for two picks they probably won't care much about? I suppose you can give the Wild a bit of credit for fixing this disconnect between organizational and drafting philosophy in 2023 with Stramel. Fans may still be miffed that they didn't get super-skilled winger Gabriel Perreault. However, if Rossi and his 60 points are apparently not good enough for St. Paul's brain trust, it's not likely they'd be high on a small winger with below-average speed. Still, that correction can't make up for the original sin of taking a player the front office never seemed enamored of in the first place. It's been five years since that draft. Five years of development for Rossi, and five years of the organization pouring resources into him, only to be on the verge of selling him at a discount. If that happens, it's hard to conclude anything other than the team wasted the time of everyone involved, including themselves, and the fallout of going BPA might end up setting back their Stanley Cup aspirations.

For the second time in five years, the Minnesota Wild are importing a highly-touted prospect from the KHL to the State of Hockey. The first one, of course, worked out pretty good. Now, they've finally signed forward Danila Yurov to a three-year, entry-level contract starting with the 2025-26 season. You don't have to take our word for it, either: Yurov is the Wild's second first-rounder (after Liam Öhgren) of the 2022 Draft and seemed poised to make the jump to North America last summer. He'd followed in Kirill Kaprizov's footsteps, winning the Gagarin Cup as a KHL Champion. In 2023-24, he notched 21 goals and 49 points in 62 games, surpassing Vladimir Tarasenko as the highest-scoring U-21 forward in KHL history (since tied by Ivan "Dimmadome" Demidov last year). Instead, he re-signed with Metallurg Magnitogorsk in the KHL, telling The Athletic, "I want more consistency from myself and to gain physical strength." It was a bit of a wait, though not nearly as long as the five-year odyssey with Kaprizov, but the moment is here. Now the question goes from, When does he get here? to What's next? The truth is, we don't know. Following his KHL breakout, a lower-body injury slowed Yurov's production, and he only scored 13 goals and 25 points in 46 games last season. You'd probably feel better about his prospects for next year had he stacked back-to-back stellar seasons, but injuries happen. Regardless, this probably isn't going to be a Kaprizov-type situation, where the 2020-21 Calder Trophy winner arrived fully formed. Remember, Kaprizov was 23 years old (and 263 days) when he debuted with the Wild. He came to Minnesota with 293 games of KHL experience -- 340 if you count the playoffs -- a Gagarin Cup, two goal-scoring titles in the KHL, and an Olympic Gold Medal. Alex Ovechkin and Georgy Zhukov are he only more decorated people in Russian history. Yurov has the Cup, but his resume can't touch Kaprizov's, which is understandable. He's two years younger than Kaprizov when he signed with the NHL. Yurov's 209 games played (270 counting the playoffs) in the KHL don't tell the whole story. His 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons saw him log 42 combined games, but at under five minutes a night. The following year saw him play 59 games, but at an average of just barely over eight minutes per game. So really, Yurov has two years of experience as a true regular in the KHL, as opposed to Kaprizov's five or six. There's still some development left for him, where there simply wasn't for Dolla Bill Kirill. Forget the 40-goal, 76-point 82-game pace Kaprizov was on for his rookie season -- Yurov reaching the 27 goals and 51 points Kaprizov actually scored (in the COVID-shortened season) is probably better than the best-case scenario. Looking at first-round rookies from Russia since 2010, their track record isn't fantastic. Let's look at the top 10 in terms of points per game: 1. Matvei Michkov, 2024-25 (age 20): 0.79 2. Nail Yakupov, 2012-13 (age 19): 0.65 3. Vladimir Tarasenko, 2012-13 (age 21): 0.50 4. Evgeny Kuznetsov, 2013-14 (age 22): 0.46 T-5. Andrei Svechnikov, 2018-19 (age 18): 0.45 T-5. Denis Gurianov, 2019-20 (age 22): 0.45 7. Valeri Nichushkin, 2014-15 (age 18): 0.43 8. Vladislav Namestnikov, 2014-15 (age 22): 0.37 T-9: Vasily Podkolzin, 2021-22 (age 20): 0.33 T-9: Fedor Svechkov, 2024-25 (age 21): 0.33 That's three guys out of the 15 who qualified who got a half-point or more per game. And we're talking about some fantastic KHLers who took time to get up to speed. Tarasenko was literally the best Under-21 player in league history, but it took him until his third NHL season to score 30 goals. Kuznetsov had multiple 40-point seasons in the KHL, but it also took him time to ramp up. It's an adjustment that includes, but goes beyond the jump in talent and the speed of the game. Yurov is moving halfway around the world and has to adapt to a different culture. Oh, and he has to keep learning to play the most difficult position on the ice, which he only started playing regularly two years ago. The Wild front office seems confident in his ability to adapt to the center position, intending to start him at the pivot to begin the season. Is he going to be ready for that role immediately? That's an open question, and it's possible he might never be a better fit at center than at wing. That's not to say Wild fans shouldn't be excited for Yurov next year. This is an exciting day, and Yurov is a player who could be electric in Minnesota. But is patience going to be required? Absolutely. Next year may be go-time for the Wild as an organization, but it's going to be Yurov's first step toward a long and productive career. Fans (and the front office) must keep that in mind.

"Last week, I helped my friend stay put. It's a lot easier than helping someone move. I just went over to his house and made sure he did not start to load s--- into a truck." -- State of Hockey native Mitch Hedberg. After four years of largely staying put, the Minnesota Wild are itching to move. They want to move on free agents, they want to move young players for established ones, they want to make a splash. "I like to be aggressive," said general manager Bill Guerin at the end of his team's abbreviated playoff run. "I don't want to sit on my hands at all. And I'm tired of doing that." "Christmas Morning" has been the phrase ownership has thrown around about July 1. In some sense, that was right at the time. Not only could the team sign Kirill Kaprizov (which seems likely to happen), but they'd perhaps be able to knock the socks off a superstar free agent like Mikko Rantanen or Mitch Marner. However, as we're shaking the boxes in the closet, it's sounding more like Brock Nelson and/or Brock Boeser is all that's inside. Of course, there's always the trade market, but that doesn't appear too fruitful. Elias Pettersson might -- mind you, might -- be a big fish on the trade block. However, as great as a player he can be, it's hard to see a GM who said "I don't love soft skill" pursuing the Vancouver Canucks star. Fair or not, Pettersson has a reputation. Beyond Pettersson? There are restricted free agents who may be difficult for their current teams to keep -- JJ Peterka and Matthew Knies come to mind -- but teams usually figure out how to keep young core pieces. We're not hearing about Jack Eichel/Matthew Tkachuk-type situations where a star player wants out of a losing franchise. Maybe that changes, but the Wild have committed themselves to doing a cannonball into an offseason where the available talent is roughly the equivalent of an above-ground pool. And if you listen to State of Hockey native Mitch Hedberg, you'll know there's not much you can do in an above-ground pool. If that's the case, maybe the Wild are better off staying put. Minnesota might not need to do all that much to their roster -- at least not in terms of splashy moves. After all, they just pushed the Vegas Golden Knights in a playoff series despite missing around $15 million worth of depth players. And that was without a coming youth movement that should solve many depth issues on its own. Next season will (likely) see the arrival of Danila Yurov, a two-way forward with skill and solid production in the KHL. Liam Öhgren, a physical power forward, scored 19 goals and 37 points in 41 games with the Iowa Wild and might be ready to contribute. 6-foot-5 defenseman prospect David Jiricek has a summer to gain strength. So does Zeev Buium, who got his first taste of NHL action in the playoffs and largely held his own. Goalie Jesper Wallstedt has a summer to clear his head and reset after a tough year. Minnesota spent years building up this stable of top prospects, and might have five highly-touted, first-round prospects injected into their lineup next year. Why not stay the course? Why, for example, trade Öhgren to land a scoring winger when he might be ready to fill that role in October? Where's the harm in seeing what this team can do with these young, NHL-ready players bumping out replacement-level types like Gustav Nyquist and Marcus Johansson and Jon Merrill before making a "splash" that can become an albatross? Guerin has acknowledged that risk. "You have to be careful because July 1 can be a day of mistakes," he told the media. And he's right -- even the top free agents can be potential landmines for the Wild. Nelson's projected contract might be the most reasonable, with Evolving-Hockey projecting three years and a $7.4 million cap hit. Still, that includes buying his ages-34-to-36 seasons, which are hardly a sure thing. They project Boeser's deal to run seven years at an $8.2 million cap hit. Minnesota might be committing to a one-way winger who relies on his shot to generate offense well into his 30s -- ask Dany Heatley or Thomas Vanek how well that player profile ages. Or they could give a similar deal to Sam Bennett (EH Projection: seven years, $7.5 AAV), yet another one-way player... one coming off a career-high 51 points. The more you look, the more you realize that maybe this isn't the year to throw money around wildly. It might be better for the Wild to bide their time, see what lineup holes their prospects fill, and go into the summer of 2026 with more money and information. Except, the Wild can't, and they won't. They've hyped up the summer as the year they can go off and add the final pieces to becoming a contender. Looking from their view, you can see why they sold the summer of 2025 to the fanbase. Four years is a long time for fans to have to wait. After four years of steadily getting less able to make moves, doing nothing with newfound flexibility is a bad look for a team. Still, there has to be a balance. Should the Wild go with Nelson or Bennett, they might move a 23-year-old top-six center to make room for a pivot who's significantly older and worse in their own end. They may take a cost-controlled goal-scorer in Öhgren and try to cash him in for a quick fix. In both cases, Minnesota is probably much better staying put. While the Wild have found themselves in a position with some financial flexibility, they probably should have allowed for more flexibility in their timeline. They didn't, and now it's go-time, even if the big splashes they plan to make might make for better headlines than they do for building a Stanley Cup contender.

Before the start of this past season, Minnesota Wild defensive prospect David Spacek achieved a slow, steady ascension up Minnesota’s defensive prospect ladder. After the Wild took him in the 5th round of the 2022 NHL draft, he passed older players like Ryan O’Rourke (2nd round, 2020), Jack Peart (2nd round, 2021), and Kyle Masters (4th round, 2021), who Minnesota drafted higher than him. He wasn’t far behind Daemon Hunt (3rd round, 2020) and Carson Lambos (1st round, 2021) in the organizational pecking order. But after a blunt, scathing interview his father gave to Czech media outlet iSport on Tuesday, it appears that Spacek’s days as a Wild prospect are numbered. David is from Czechia and is the son of former NHL defenseman Jaroslav Spacek. The NHL veteran of nearly 900 games has been a prominent figure in Czech hockey since his retirement in 2012. David plays a key role for the Czech national team at the IIHF World Championship, playing on the second pairing and quarterbacking the second power-play unit. His father, Jaroslav, appeared on the Zimak podcast to discuss the team’s chances. When asked about his son’s progress in professional hockey, Jaroslav decided to let loose with his opinions of David’s experiences in the Wild organization (all quotes translated with Google Translate): I’m not happy about it at all…David’s game at the World [Championship] is to push to get out of here. … David didn't get a sniff up there [in the NHL], not a game, and they didn't even call him up. While the guys who played much worse than him were taken up there. They went there for a few days at least. David hasn't received a single call-up in two years. I'm very disappointed with the entire organization. The players whom the Wild called up to the NHL ahead of Spacek included Iowa Wild captain Cameron Crotty, who appeared in one game, and Lambos, who didn’t play for the big club but spent six days with the team in early January. David Jiricek, Spacek’s former Czech junior teammate, is also included on that list. The Wild acquired Jiricek in a blockbuster trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets in November (for a package that included Hunt). Minnesota called him up twice: once in January, when he played six games, and again for three weeks in March, when he didn’t play but practiced and traveled with the team. Jiricek’s arrival pushed Spacek lower on the organizational totem pole, which irked his father. However, not as much as when Zeev Buium joined the NHL team straight out of college as a 19-year-old and played four games in the Wild’s playoff series against the Vegas Golden Knights, bumping Spacek another down another notch: The playoffs came, a young kid comes in, drafted in the first round last year, who didn't even play a game on the farm, they signed him right away, and he's going to play a game against Vegas right away. At that moment, it assures you that David has no chance at all in this organization. … There are over 30 teams in the NHL, I believe that he will get a chance somewhere. Now the biggest job will be to find a club that will care about him and give him a chance. Now, a prominent father speaking out on behalf of his son is certainly not unheard of, and there’s no guarantee that one speaks for the other. Still, it’s hard not to think that Spacek also feels his father’s blistering criticism of his experience in the Wild organization to some degree. So, where do the Wild go from here? Spacek is only 22, an age at which most defensemen are still developing as professionals. This past season, he led all Iowa Wild defensemen in scoring while mainly playing on the second pair. He also spent significant time as a power play quarterback, often on the first unit. That said, the Iowa Wild had the worst power play in the AHL, with a measly 13.8% success rate. Iowa was not a good team this year, so the special teams struggles are certainly not an indictment on Spacek alone. However, at this point, it’s fair to wonder how high Spacek’s ceiling is as a prospect. I’ve seen him play a fair amount over the years between his two appearances at the World Junior Championships, three Tom Kurvers Prospect Showcases, and two full AHL seasons. I’ve seen a player who does many things well but isn’t exemplary in any area. Spacek is a good skater with solid lateral movement and a smooth stride, but he doesn’t get a lot of power off his edges, and there’s a real possibility he’ll struggle to defend with his feet in an increasingly fast NHL. He has decent size (6 feet, 190 lbs.) and engages physically, but he’s not enough of a force to make a difference in physical play. Spacek plays with poise with and without the puck and usually displays solid positioning. Still, he often takes bad angles when backtracking, which gives attackers options and makes it harder for him to recover. He’s responsible with the puck, but sometimes to a fault, as he almost always defers to the safe, simple play rather than testing the opposition with a stretch pass or by moving to exploit a seam. He moves well across the line as a power-play quarterback and distributes the puck with simple efficiency. Still, he’s not a significant threat to break down defenses or create his own chances, and there’s no way I can see him eventually quarterbacking an NHL power play. All of this adds up to Spacek being a good professional hockey player without a defining quality that will make him stand out enough to become a full-time NHL player. I like his game a lot, and I can envision a scenario where he gets in a good situation and sticks as a sixth or seventh defenseman for a few years. Still, I think he will top out in the AHL and eventually head to Europe to continue his career. Given the Wild’s move to acquire Jiricek and immediately slot him above Spacek on the right side, it’s starting to seem like the organization views Spacek similarly. And given his father’s recent comments, it seems apparent that Spacek isn’t satisfied with being an organizational depth piece that watches more highly touted prospects zoom past him on their way to NHL careers. What should the Wild do? It’s hard to imagine Spacek has immediate trade value beyond a late-round draft pick or a similar fringe prospect looking for a change of scenery. This isn’t like the Calen Addison situation, when the Wild gave up on the enigmatic defenseman and traded him to the San Jose Sharks for fringe prospect Adam Raska (who played a total of 13 NHL games before settling in as a minor leaguer) and a 5th-round pick. Addison was a former second-round pick who played over 90 NHL games. However, after cycling through three organizations this season, he seems destined for a career in Europe. Spacek has yet to appear in the NHL. Adam Beckman might be a better recent comparable. Beckman was a forward who was once viewed as a legit NHL prospect before his growth as a player stalled. At age 23, the Wild traded him to the New Jersey Devils for forward Graeme Clarke, who was the same age and had a similar player profile as a former prospect turned NHL longshot. Beckman and Clark players have been in the AHL since the deal, and the Devils saw enough of Beckman to trade him to the New York Islanders. If the Wild move on from Spacek, they could try to swing a trade that brings back a late-round pick and hope that Judd Brackett uses it to unearth a gem. However, a return like that would probably require the Wild to part with more than Spacek alone. So, the more likely option is to trade for another prospect looking for a fresh start, hoping they can develop him into a valuable organizational piece. Either way, it’s unlikely they’d get a significant return, especially given that his displeasure with his current circumstances is now known to all. Perhaps the Wild’s best bet would be to hang on to him and tell him that his best chance for finding a new home (or earning a call-up to Minnesota) is to show up to training camp ready to go, hit the ground running next season, and showcase his abilities for any potential suitors. That seems like the best scenario for all involved. Iowa will need reliable defensemen next season, and Spacek should play a prominent role there. If he can provide solid production and demonstrate an ability to be a difference-maker in professional hockey, it would give the minor league squad a much-needed boost and Spacek the best chance to develop interest from other teams. Either way, if there’s any truth to what his father said on Tuesday. It’s probably only a matter of time before David Spacek finds a new employer.

The Minnesota Wild have an underreported problem coming up. Its name is 2026-27 cap space. It’s clear why that’s not the A-topic in Wild circles right now. There are juicier stories that will pay off much sooner: Kirill Kaprizov’s extension, Marco Rossi’s RFA status, and Danila Yurov's arrival, to name a few. More than that, Wild fans just don’t want to hear about another cap crunch in only the 2nd season after the Parise/Suter buyout penalties. As a bit of relief, note that this crunch is only projected; it isn’t yet on the books. The looming issue can be identified on the second line. Marco Rossi needs an extension or a replacement, Mats Zuccarello will need a replacement in ‘26-27, and Marcus Johansson is not an acceptable solution on the 2nd line. Even if Danila Yurov and Liam Ohgren both can produce second-line quality by 2026, that still leaves one expensive hole in the top six. So, why not make your cost-controlled second-line center part of the solution to that cap crunch? It’s no secret that Rossi is on the outs with the organization. NHL insider Michael Russo has been hinting at it for months, and now he’s putting it in print. This isn’t just rumors and opinions. The team offered Rossi a five-year, $5 million AAV contract, which is cheap enough to be borderline insulting. Even given his RFA status, I estimated Rossi’s annual market value on a four-year deal to be around $7 million. Adding his first UFA year into the deal (not to mention his age-28 season, one of his prime producing years) should only increase the AAV. To take this offer more professionally than an insult, perhaps Rossi’s agent could consider it less of an offer than a jumping-off point for negotiations. However, Russo also reported that “Rossi’s camp countered with a shorter-term bridge deal at a larger AAV, which went nowhere.” That makes $5x5 look less like a jumping-off point and more like a suggestion to jump off the team. What’s especially maddening about a shorter-term offer going “nowhere” is that it’s precisely the creative maneuver that could solve the Wild’s upcoming salary cap crunch. A two-year deal would set Rossi up for life and allow Minnesota to return to the table with him in the 2026 offseason. More importantly, that’s probably the best method of lowering Rossi’s ‘26-27 cap hit, since it only buys Rossi’s age-24 and -25 seasons. A two-year deal would schedule Rossi for another extension that starts in the middle of his prime; furthermore, he could sign it as early as July 2026. That would provide Rossi with security within a calendar year while reducing his ‘26-27 cap hit. He'd return to the table under a totally new salary cap environment. Instead, negotiations have stalled. That seems to be the nail in the coffin for a player who has never found his footing in this organization. Then again, footing is hard to find when one’s legs keep getting kicked out from underneath. It’s difficult to imagine what Rossi could have done to ingratiate himself with this organization. He’s spent offseasons away from home training with Minnesota’s coaches. That’s not required of any player, but perhaps Minnesota feels that’s part of setting a championship standard. So, he at least meets expectations in that regard. How about this for exceeding expectations: dragging an aging, injured roster through the season from hell and into the playoffs? Sure, he didn’t do it alone. Brock Faber and Matt Boldy took on huge roles before the return of Kirill Kaprizov and during Jonas Brodin and Jared Spurgeon’s absences. Even still, Rossi stepped into a top-line center role on a team with little help on either of the top two lines, and he produced significantly better than in his 2023-24 season. The only good-faith explanation to the Wild’s rumored intention to trade Rossi is that they think this season was an outlier. It actually explains five years at a $5 million AAV quite nicely. If Rossi was running unsustainably hot this season, and factoring in the team’s leverage during his next four seasons as an RFA, perhaps that offer is an acceptable starting point. If that’s their logic, selling high on Rossi in a trade makes sense. However, that’s an aggressive strategy if the goal is a Stanley Cup window. Not only are the Wild betting against their own asset, but they’re introducing the risk of an offer sheet. While they could be in line to acquire a first- and third-round pick in a Rossi offer sheet, those picks won’t align with their aspiration to open a championship window. By the time those 2026 draft picks make significant contributions, Spurgeon and Brodin will be well past their primes. Paydays will be due for Danila Yurov, Zeev Buium, and David Jiricek (if those players pan out). They’ll need replacements for Joel Eriksson Ek, Mats Zuccarello, Ryan Hartman, and Jake Middleton. An offer sheet would essentially subtract Marco Rossi from any championship window and push that value into the next GM’s tenure. In other words, if Guerin’s potential trade partners in a Rossi trade prefers to spend the offer sheet compensation, they can wait him out. If the Wild lose that game of chicken, they may have to kiss that Cup window goodbye. Still, moving on from Rossi presents an opportunity. Packaging Rossi with another roster player or a prospect such as Liam Ohgren could open a serious two- or three-year window to chase a Stanley Cup. Packaging all three could reshape the entire roster. Perhaps that’s the bottom line on Rossi’s story in Minnesota. He’s not part of a larger vision, and even the most creative short-term deals don’t leave enough cap space to realize that vision. That still raises questions about Minnesota’s management over the past several seasons. Why bring in Judd Brackett to draft undersized producers like Rossi, Buium, and Riley Heidt if that doesn’t fit into management’s vision for a championship? Credit Bill Guerin for making the pick and giving Rossi a chance, but what more could Rossi have realistically accomplished to stick around? I’m not the first person to ask these questions. If Rossi reaches new heights in his prime as a second- or first-line center, or if the Wild continue to exit the playoffs early, they’ll be raised again. On July 1, Marco Rossi will become eligible for an offer sheet. Four days before, all 32 NHL GMs will be together in Los Angeles for the 2025 draft. If Rossi isn’t extended or traded by the end of draft weekend, Guerin could find himself at the mercy of his 31 colleagues and Rossi’s agent. That would be a tangible failure. Trading Rossi could become just as great a failure, but at least it allows Guerin to realize his vision for a championship-caliber roster. It could also create enough flexibility under the ’26-27 salary cap to keep that team together for more than one year. The 2026-27 cap crunch won’t keep Minnesota from making the playoffs, but it’s the lens through which every move this offseason should be examined. It’s also the last obstacle between this franchise and a long championship window.

The Minnesota Frost are back-to-back Walter Cup Champions after a nail-biting 2-1 overtime win against the Ottawa Charge Monday night. The Frost had a home-ice advantage and already had 2 wins going into Game 4. However, it was important for Minnesota to end the series here. A loss would have shifted the momentum in the Charge’s favor, especially since Game 5 would have moved to Ottawa. As I discussed last week, Minnesota produced many goals in their first series, but often scrambled in their defensive end. The Frost allowed 14 goals in 4 games against the Toronto Sceptres. While Minnesota made up for it by scoring 18 goals in the same amount of time, that strategy didn’t look promising against the Charge. The Charge weren’t as productive offensively, but better defensively. They beat the Montréal Victoire over 4 games with just 8 goals. Goaltender Gwyneth Philips finished the playoffs with .952% SV and 1.23 GAA, keeping Ottawa competitive. Philips will routinely make the first, second, and even third save, like she does here: However, Philips has one fault: allowing rebounds. While no goalie can control every rebound, hers often land directly in front of her, giving the opposing team another opportunity to score. The Frost didn’t try to increase their scoring to compensate for poor defense. Instead, they stepped up their defensive game. As shown in the play below, Minnesota back-checked, picked up sticks, and got physical to defend their net. Ottawa’s Shiann Darkangelo entered the zone with 2 teammates. Still, Mellissa Channell-Watkins stepped up on her while Michela Cava and Sophie Jaques took away her outlet passes, forcing Darkangelo to take a shot from the blue line. Minnesota consistently followed through, which is why they only let in 1 goal. Below is their shot chart from Game 4. While the Charge still shot a few from the high-danger zone in front of the net, most came from the tops of the circles or outside of the dots. Note that the Charge is orange. Compare this with Game 1 in Minnesota’s first series, where the Frost lost 3-2 to Toronto on May 7. The shots cluster in front of the net, the highest danger area. Note that Toronto is blue. The Frost’s follow-through kept shots to the outside, effectively minimizing high-danger scoring chances. Game 4 was a 0-0 stalemate until 10:10 into the second period, when Claire Thompson picked up the puck in the corner and walked it out front. She then hit Kelly Pannek, who was waiting back door, and went top shelf on Philips. Ottawa exploited a break in Minnesota’s defense 10:09 into the third period and evened the score. Charge’s Danielle Serdachny drove the puck into the zone and was kept outside by Jaques. However, Serdachny slid the puck out front to Tereza Vanišová, who was completely uncovered and scored. The final goal was 12:00 into overtime. Katy Knoll battled against Ottawa’s Aneta Tejralová in the corner, knocked it to Klára Hymlárová, who sent it right back. Knoll then sent it out front to Liz Schepers, who batted it at Philips. Philips made the save, but the rebound went straight back out. Schepers shot it again, scoring a goal and winning the game. Defenseman Lee Stecklein was Minnesota’s unexpected point leader throughout the playoffs, with 4 goals and 4 assists. Jaques and Taylor Heise tied for runner-up, with 7 points each. The championship win was hard-fought but unsurprising because the Frost largely didn’t change last season’s roster. In the PWHL’s inaugural season, the Frost beat Toronto in the first round and battled through 5 games against the Boston Fleet to bring home the cup. Minnesota did not make many roster changes since last season because the league is so new, and there was no expansion draft. Key players Kendall Coyne Schofield, Heise, Jaques, and Cava returned for a second year. However, the Frost added rookies Klára Hymlárová and Knoll. While they only had 2 points each over the season, they were integral to the Walter Cup win with 5 points each. One major change was in management. Minnesota unexpectedly removed general manager Natalie Darwitz shortly after their first Walter Cup win and chose Melissa Caruso to replace her in September. Ken Klee remained head coach through both playoff runs. While Dartwitz’s removal was a surprise at the time, Frost has built a cohesive, winning team and is unlikely to change management going into the 2025-26 season. Management may be secure, but the roster will change due to the PWHL’s expansion into Seattle and Vancouver. The standard size for each PWHL team is 23 players, with up to 3 in reserve because there are no minor league affiliate teams. Each team will be able to protect 4 players and will have to give up 4 players. They will protect an initial 3 players, and get to protect another player once they have relinquished the first 2. The expansion teams will have an exclusive signing window from June 4 to 8, and then there will be a special expansion draft on June 9 for the new teams. Minnesota will have a chance to sign new players during the regular draft on June 24. They can also make trades and sign free agents over the summer. Unfortunately for the Frost, this draft process heavily favors the expansion teams. While the league hasn’t announced an official draft pick order, Minnesota will likely be 6-8 in the regular draft.

At the end of the Minnesota Wild's season, Bill Guerin gave the State of Hockey little reason to speculate about the team's blueline. "Our [defense] core is set, I'd like to focus on forwards," the general manager flatly declared. In a sense, the Wild's defense is indeed fairly locked in. Jon Merrill and Declan Chisholm's contracts will expire, but Minnesota is set to return Brock Faber, Jonas Brodin, Jared Spurgeon, Jake Middleton, and Zach Bogosian next season. In addition, the team has top prospects Zeev Buium and David Jiricek waiting in the wings, potentially ready to make the team next year. That's a lot of stability on the roster. Still, next season will feel like a crossroads for a Wild defense that has been as constant as it gets in the NHL. Spurgeon will be entering his 16th season in a Wild sweater, and Brodin will take the ice for his 14th. Both have been massive contributors from the start, with each averaging over 20 minutes per night in all but one season. Still, it seems like the Wild's defense is at the precipice of an enormous crossroads. Faber gave the group their first true taste of transition in a decade, displacing ten-year veteran Matt Dumba and becoming a Ryan Suter-esque minute-muncher. That's a shake-up, but Minnesota had no succession plans for Brodin and Spurgeon. Now, those succession plans are arriving imminently. Buium and Jiricek aren't just two NHL-ready prospects ready to push to take playing time from in-their-30s vets. They've each got the potential to exceed Faber in talent and importance. Of course, the latter is a tall order -- Elite Prospects ranked Faber 13th in the NHL on their Top-100 Under-23 Skaters list in March. But Buium sat at No. 20 in their list, between NHL blueliners Lane Hutson (18) and Luke Hughes (22). David St-Louis underlines the parallels further, saying, "In the offensive zone, he shares a striking resemblance to Hutson with his fast-twitch fakes and handling." Jiricek's failure to launch with the Columbus Blue Jackets has the former sixth overall pick further down the list at 66. Still, there's a ton to love about him. He's got a big shot and physicality, with both ranking a 7 on Elite Prospects' 2-to-9 scale. "Minnesota will have to continue working with him to develop his defensive awareness, risk management, and most of all, his skating," writes St-Louis. "If those facets of his play improve, he could become one of the team's best defensemen." Jiricek will be training this offseason to fully realize himself as a player. That means Minnesota could have a new Big 3 on the blueline as soon as next year: Buium, Faber, and Jiricek. But when will it happen? And what does that mean for the old guard? Buium and Jiricek are arriving at an interesting time relative to Brodin and Spurgeon's contracts. Brodin's full No-Movement Clause expires on July 1, allowing the Wild to trade him as they see fit for the last three seasons of his contract. Spurgeon's NMC turned into a modified No-Trade Clause last year (10-team no-trade list), but the odds of a team trading for a 35-year-old defenseman coming off a 16-game series were slim. There's more flexibility than ever after he proved he's back with a 66-game, 32-point season. Of course, there's a difference between flexibility and expendability. That's the question the Wild must ask with both players this summer. And that's not an easy one to answer, either. On paper, maybe, but in practice? We have no idea. Last season, the Wild played 42 games while missing Brodin, Spurgeon, or both. They went 24-16-2 during those games. That record more or less matches their 82-game pace of 97 (technically, 97.6). But those games weren't equal when you look at the following breakdown. Missing Brodin: 17-15-1, minus-18 goal differential Missing Spurgeon: 9-5-1; plus-7 goal differential Missing Brodin + Spurgeon: 2-4-0; minus-10 goal differential Losing Brodin on the left side -- where his backups were Jake Middleton, Declan Chisholm, and Jon Merrill -- was much more impactful to the Wild. True, they had a winning record without Brodin, but they tended to get buried alive against top teams. Turns out, his defensive presence still makes a big impact. You may be tempted to look at the Wild's record without Spurgeon (7-1-1 in games with Brodin, and no Spurgeon), and conclude that he's expendable. Even then, it might be one of those not-so-fast scenarios. Spurgeon's absence often took a massive toll on Faber, who wore down as the season went on. In 15 games without Spurgeon (not counting the game he left to a concussion, playing just 4:33), Faber averaged 27:28 of ice time. That's almost two more minutes of TOI than when Spurgeon was available (25:31). Remember, Faber doesn't play like Suter, who (thanks to having partners like Spurgeon) could conserve his energy on both sides of the ice and play 29 minutes a night. With the sheer amount of hard skating Faber does as-is, 25-plus minutes might already be too much to ideally use him. Even with Jiricek in a regular role next season, Spurgeon would help keep Faber's minutes in check, letting him maximize his game on both sides of the ice. Those are reasons not to think the Wild will look to trade those two. But could Buium surpass Brodin in terms of minutes on the left side of the defense? Or could Jiricek do the same to Spurgeon on the right? That'll be interesting to see. Of course, a lot will depend on those prospects and how ready they are. Buium continues to show that all the guy does is win, helping the United States win World Championship Gold for the first time since (this is not a joke) the Herbert Hoover administration. He had a goal and four points in the tournament, despite Team USA being conservative with his workload in the final. Meanwhile, Jiricek is essentially the Wild's first-round pick this season... and its third- and fourth-rounders. They paid a premium to get him because he's got the size and talent to deliver on a much faster timetable than those picks would. He might not turn 22 until August, but he's already on his second organization, so it's getting close to put-up-or-shut-up time for him to show he can be a valuable NHL regular. Jiricek has every incentive to get ready to blow the doors off at training camp. Seeing how high those two might rise in training camp -- and the ripple effects that could come from them establishing themselves -- might be the most exciting storyline surrounding Minnesota entering next season.

Very rarely do I take off my Wild Analyst Pince-Nez and put on my Wild Fan Sweatpants at Hockey Wilderness, but hey, it's the offseason. You gotta wear sweatpants sometimes, and today's that day. The NHL is down to its final four teams: The Carolina Hurricanes, Dallas Stars, Edmonton Oilers, and Florida Panthers. It's hard to tell where the allegiance of the State of Hockey generally is in this field, but it's not hard to narrow it down to three. No self-respecting Minnesota Wild fan is rooting for the Dallas South Stars. We don't need to rehash this -- they know what they did. As for me, though, one of the many things I lack is self-respect. And while I'm not super-proud of it, I'm not gonna be sad if I see the Dallas Stars lift the Cup this year. In fact, I kinda want them to. That brings up a crucial question: Why? And even I'm kinda interested to drill down to find the exact reason. The easy answer is that Wild alumni Mikael Granlund and Matt Dumba would lift the Cup, and sure, that would absolutely be rad. Dumba might be hurt this postseason, but he's an All-Time Dude for me when it comes to Wild players, and getting to see him be a Stanley Cup Champion would kick ass. It'd be a satisfying reward after a decade-long career that was unfairly derailed just as he was making a star turn. Same for Granlund, who got a bad rap from being around a lot of failed Wild playoff runs. A lot of people came to believe he was the kind of player you can't win with. 14 games, four goals, and nine points later, it sure doesn't seem like the Stars are having any issues with that. Maybe the problem wasn't with him, after all. But that doesn't explain it all. Because if you look at Carolina, they've got Brent Burns, who's like if a cartoon character was also a Hall of Fame defenseman. I'm not an NHL jersey/merch guy, but Burns is (along with Joe Thornton) the subject of one of the few shirts I own. Burns also has the "One of Us" thing going, having rocked in Minnesota, even if his full potential didn't get fully unleashed until he teamed up with Thornton, Joe Pavelski, and Patrick Marleau's power play. He's also great, and Carolina is a team that, even if they're not "fun" to "watch," they are at least good players to root for. Still, I don't have much attachment to the Canes, even if I can respect the organization. And if it's not Carolina I'd pull for at this time, who is it? Florida's had theirs. Great run, but let's see something new. It's extremely funny to me that Canada hasn't won the Stanley Cup since the early '90s, and I want that streak preserved at all costs. Sorry, Connor McDavid. So, that just leaves Dallas. Totally understand why it's a non-starter for Minnesota fans, especially those older than I am. But outside of a beef from a generation ago, I just can't harbor much ill will toward the Stars. That's not the case for other teams in the Central Division, once I put my Fan Sweatpants on. I have friends in the Colorado Avalanche fanbase, and it gives me glee to twist the knife on them when things go wrong for their team. I fiercely hate the St. Louis Blues. If you think the "No. 1 Wild Fans" banner is embarrassing (and it is), it could be worse. Just remember: the Blues retired the number of a guy who played 18 games for them and effed off. It'd be like if the Wild retired Ryan O'Reilly's number. Loser energy, get outta here. If St. Louis lost their team, I'd spike the football in their face for weeks. Maybe months. Maybe years. Try as I might, I can't summon those feels for Dallas, even after two playoff series in recent memory, which normally produces hard feelings. The worst anyone can say about the Stars is that they baited Marcus Foligno and Ryan Hartman into taking bad penalties and dived. But let's be honest: it's not like it was taking an unbelievable amount of effort to get Foligno and Hartman heated and losing their cool. They played the game within the game, and it worked. But mostly, I think it's just the fact that I really respect the teambuilding Jim Nill's done, and has for a decade-plus now. Dallas' GM raised his team's profile on the backs of two fifth-rounders (Jamie Benn and John Klingberg) and a bold trade for a former-top-10-pick, 60-point center in their early 20s (Tyler Seguin) whose team didn't want him for... reasons??? He took a boring also-ran and made them one of the most fun teams in the NHL. Getting a Draft Lottery win in 2017 to move up to third overall to take Miro Heiskanen was a great break for them, of course, but Nill has made his own luck, too. Thomas Harley (18th overall in 2019) and Wyatt Johnston (23rd overall in 2021) are both bona fide star players. So are Roope Hintz and Jason Robertson, who make up the backbone of Dallas' forward group as Benn and Seguin have aged. They successfully drafted and developed their own goalie in "One of Us," Jake Oettinger. Then, of course, they were opportunistic in doing a roundabout theft of Mikko Rantanen from a division rival. If you're not impressed by that, I'm not sure what will get you on board. Looking at all this, I think the heart of why I'm rooting for Dallas is because I look at them as something the Wild could be. Other than Heiskanen, the Stars didn't build their empire on top-three picks the way that Edmonton and Florida did. They drafted smart and developed from within, making smart deals to supplement their team (Rantanen, yes, but also Matt Duchene, Mason Marchment, Evgenii Dadonov, and Granlund) en route to becoming a juggernaut. That could be the Wild if they play their cards right. They already have Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy on board. They have Marco Rossi in the fold (if they're smart), scoring 60 points for them at center. The fruits of Minnesota's drafting and talent acquisition are about to hit the NHL -- Zeev Buium, Danila Yurov, Liam Öhgren, Jesper Wallstedt, and David Jiricek, to just name the headliners. There's no reason this team can't soon look a lot like the Stars do right now. And that's exactly what Fan Sweatpants Tony wants: a team bursting with talent that's ready to make a deep playoff run. If we have to see Dallas lift the Cup, don't fret too hard. The Wild might be poised to follow in their footsteps.

Danila Yurov’s journey to the NHL has been a long time coming, and his career in North America is only beginning. Yurov set the record for most points in a single season by a KHL skater 20 or younger with 49 points in the 2023-24 season. That’s only one of the many highlights of the young Russian’s career. He’s also a Gagarin Cup champion and a first-round draft pick. Now, the young forward will try his hand in the NHL, something he’s been dreaming about since he was a teenager. “It’s a new chapter,” Yurov said. “I’ve been working toward this goal and this dream since I was a kid. I really started believing I could make it to the NHL when I was about 13, around the time I started playing for the national team and got experience on the international stage. That’s when I realized I’d be willing to do whatever it takes to get to the NHL.” Injuries played a big part in Yurov’s lack of production last year. After setting career highs in all major categories two years ago with 21 goals, 28 assists, and 49 points, Yurov recorded just 13 goals and 25 points last year. While it hindered his development, Yurov is still ready to make a big impact for the Wild this season. https://twitter.com/ByronMBader/status/1923397445418918221 “I knew I was going to make the move about a year ago,” Yurov explained. “I felt it was time to leave my comfort zone and head somewhere where I don’t know anyone, where I’ll have to start from scratch and prove myself all over again. I wanted to be in a place where I can train with and compete against the best players in the world. I’m excited to experience all of it – not just imagine it, but live it.” Yurov has all the tools to be a great player in the NHL. He’s a 200-foot player who can skate, shoot, and pass. He’s got the Hockey IQ that gives the Wild brass confidence that he can also play center in the NHL. It would be great if he could do things like this on the Wild roster next season: https://twitter.com/Mattymar89/status/1923402241605607583 “People often talk about adapting to the defensive side of the game, but to be honest, that’s not something I’m too worried about,” Yurov noted. “I’ve had great coaches both at the club and national level who’ve helped me grow in that area. Even though I’ve always played as an offensive-minded center, I’ve never ignored my responsibilities in other zones.” That will be crucial in Yurov’s ability to stick with the NHL club immediately. John Hynes needs his forwards to be responsible on both ends of the ice. Teams often burden rookies with being more responsible on the defensive end than veterans. “The main goal is to earn a spot on the roster and stay there,” Yurov explained. “I want to improve in every area – get stronger physically, better understand the game, and develop all of my skills. My focus is just to get better every day and work on myself. We’ll see where that takes me by the end of the season. I’m taking things one day at a time.” Yurov will spend the summer between Russia and North America. Still, he’s set to put on a Wild uniform and start training at Tria Rink in St. Paul sooner rather than later. “I’m training in Magnitogorsk for a couple more weeks while I finish getting my visa,” Yurov said. “Then I’ll head to the U.S. in mid-June to keep training – on the ice and in the gym – with a personal coach. I’ll also take care of things like housing and transportation.” Yurov’s contract contains the option to loan him back to his KHL team. However, if the Wild want to give him some time in Iowa, Yurov will welcome the move. “Absolutely,” Yurov said regarding whether he’d play in the AHL. “I’m ready to face whatever challenges come my way. If I wasn’t, then there’d be no point in making the move.” Yurov will wear No. 22, last worn by former second-round pick Marat Khusnutdinov, another Russian. Coincidentally, Yurov has worn that number since he was a teenager, and it’s worked out pretty well for him. “It’s my birthday, and I’ve been wearing No. 22 since I was 12,” Yurov said. “It worked out perfectly that the number was available here, too. I wore it in Russia as well. Funny enough, they didn’t even ask me about it – it was just assigned right away.” At the conclusion of his interview, Yurov had an encouraging message all Wild fans like to hear. “Thank you for all the excitement around my signing,” Yurov said. “I’ll do my best to make you proud with my play from Day 1. Come to the arena – we’ll work hard to give you wins and some highlight-reel goals.” Putting butts in seats and getting more eyes on Wild hockey, two things that Danila Yurov can deliver now that he’s stateside. All stats and data via HockeyDB and CapWages unless otherwise noted.

As a hockey fan, there are few more depressing months than the half a year without Minnesota Wild hockey. So, seeing as the Wild are creatures of habit and got eliminated from the postseason early, it’s time to be pessimistic again. The way I look at it is that there is always a chance to win the Cup as long as you’re still playing. So, considering the Wild had occasionally looked impressive, it was safe to say I was skeptically hopeful of a deeper playoff run. However, that hope quickly rushed down the drain the second Gustav Nyquist forgot what constitutes offsides. I’m not saying the team's early exit lies solely on one player; that couldn’t be further from the truth. But mistakes like Nyquist's can cost a team a game, or worse, a series. Avoidable mistakes have cost the Wild notoriety for the last decade, but there is a chance to change that. With Minnesota finally out of cap hell, Bill Guerin can build a contending team. While one star player can make all the difference, a team's success ultimately comes from the front office. They brought Nyquist back to Minnesota after his first unimpressive stint. But it’s always easier to blame the player. In Nyquist’s case, he is to blame. However, the Wild’s problems run much deeper. The mistakes lie with Guerin’s decision-making. Guerin has made a few questionable decisions throughout his tenure as general manager, including bringing in unproductive players. However, there has been a pattern in the preferences of players that Bill Guerin chooses to sign: they’re all old. Guerin signed or traded for Patrick Maroon, Zach Bogosian, Ryan Reaves, and even Marc-Andre Fleury, who were all pick-ups, and only Fleury has done anything memorable in Minnesota. I still believe that Bill Guerin will continue to trade for age and experience over developing his highly rated prospect pool. I have had this conversation with many Wild fans, and many still believe that Guerin was simply working with the cap he had. He couldn’t afford better players, and I almost believed it. That was until I realised that Guerin is trying to phase Marco Rossi out of the lineup. What more evidence do you need? Since long before the playoffs, rumors of the Wild trading Rossi have created a lot of conversation. I will say now what I said then: They shouldn’t trade Rossi. However, players who haven’t fit Guerin’s mold haven’t developed in Minnesota. Highly anticipated prospects like Calen Addison, Kevin Fiala, and Marat Khusnutdinov have come and gone through the Wild system. The Wild finally drafted and developed a top-six center. However, when they needed something from their star players in the series against the Vegas Golden Knights, the coaching staff kept Rossi on the fourth line with grinders like Yakov Trenin and Justin Brazeau. Even though Rossi played fourth-line minutes, he still found the back of the net. If I were Rossi, I’d beg the Wild to trade me if it meant more playing time. Rossi has earned his right to be paid. However, Guerin appears unwilling to sign him long term, allowing someone who could be part of a competitive core to leave Minnesota eventually. The Wild have valued players like Trenin and Brazeau over prospects with potential like Khusnutdinov and even Lauko. It’s becoming evident that the front office doesn’t prioritize developing players, which is likely why Bill Guerin is notorious for bringing on veterans at the back end of their careers. If developing players isn’t a priority for the team, they’re unlikely to build a contending roster under this management. They knew buying Zach Parise and Ryan Suter out would put the Wild in cap hell until the 2025-26 season. That gave Bill Guerin a lot of leeway to build a team his way without expectations to win immediately. All things considered, the Wild have played some of the most exciting hockey in franchise history. However, what good is regular-season success if Guerin has still not proven himself able to assemble a playoff-caliber team? I don’t know what is happening in the Wild's front office or Guerin’s plans, but I hope I am wrong. If Guerin can turn the Wild into the team we have seen flashes of, I will support his vision. However, until he shows a clear, compelling vision, I am not sure I trust his capabilities to run this team. Many red flags have made me question whether Guerin is right for the Wild. Still, with more cap space, Guerin must build a roster that’s ready to win now. If the Wild can’t succeed in the playoffs soon, it’s hard to believe Guerin used the cap hell years effectively.

It isn’t news that Marco Rossi was “very disappointed” by how the Minnesota Wild used him in their six-game playoff series against the Vegas Golden Knights. Eleven minutes a night is barely enough to break a sweat for a player who scored two playoff goals for an offense-needy team. In his exit meetings, Rossi asked why he didn’t have a larger role in the playoffs. “It was a good talk,” Rossi said. “As a player, you don’t always have to understand some decisions, but it’s important to respect those decisions. I know it’s a huge thing.” “To me, it’s understanding each other’s side,” John Hynes said. “For sure, he’s not going to be overly excited about his minutes. … We have honest conversations. We’ve had it. We’re in a good spot. He understands. I understand where he’s coming from and how he felt. Now you just move on.” Move on is the active phrase here. Does Hynes mean the Wild are eventually moving on from Rossi, perhaps as soon as this offseason? Or is he suggesting they’ve moved past the conversation and onto next year? It seems increasingly more evident that the Wild will trade Rossi. To believe otherwise feels like wishful thinking. Hynes later cited playoff production and Ryan Hartman’s promotion to explain why he used Rossi in a fourth-line role. Hartman redeemed himself in the playoffs after his suspension earlier this season. Hartman played 17 minutes a night and had two goals and four assists. He would have had the game-winner in Game 5, but Nyquist went offside. Therein lies the rub. Historically, teams that win Game 5 in a 2-2 series advance 79% of the time. Nyquist’s mistake cost the Wild that game, and potentially the series. Did the Wild bench Nyquist for his lack of attention to detail? Of course not. He’s a 35-year-old veteran. Still, they could have demoted Nyquist, elevated Rossi, and moved Hartman to his natural position on the wing. How about Frederick Gaudreau? The 32-year-old didn’t have any points but played 14 minutes per game in the playoffs. Rossi couldn’t have taken his spot? Rossi’s role wasn’t about production. It was about size. He’s a 23-year-old, 5-foot-9, 180 lbs. center, and Minnesota’s general manager is a 6-foot-2, 220 lbs. 18-year NHL veteran who was more productive in his 30s than his 20s. "I think [Joel Eriksson Ek] needs a little help,” Guerin said at his end-of-season press conference. “He's in a battle every single night. There's no easy nights for him, you know? So I think... we could create some help, there." It’s hard to read that as anything but slighting Rossi, who served as Minnesota’s No. 1 center when Eriksson Ek was out this season. Guerin tends to prioritize players like him: Large veterans. Rossi is neither of those things. The Wild will likely trade him as soon as this year’s draft. If they do, they will be moving on from a 20-goal, 45-point player at a position of need who’s still two to three years away from his prime. Like Gaudreau, Nyquist had no points in Minnesota’s series against Vegas. It’s not about production with Rossi. It’s about size. It always has been. The Wild are letting the tail wag the dog. Size doesn’t matter, but production does. Instead, they’ve ostracized him because he doesn’t fit their preferred player prototype. The Wild are about to let a player who went from 40 to 60 points this season at a position they need because Guerin has to squint to see him from his seat in the 300 level. They will trade skill for size, which is symbolic of their ongoing mismanagement that has cemented them in the NHL’s middle class.

"Dolla Bill Kirill" is about to live up to the name. So long as Kirill Kaprizov signs in Minnesota, he's going to be an incredibly wealthy man sometime in July. Minnesota Wild owner Mr. Craig Leipold has vowed that no one will pay Kaprizov more money than Minnesota will. However, lately, it's possible that no NHL team will pay any player more than the Wild are preparing to pay their superstar. On Monday's 32 Thoughts podcast, Elliotte Friedman repeated some hot goss he got from NHL sources. "There are people in the league who believe this will end up being the NHL's highest-paid player," the insider said. "That in this next wave of contracts, with the cap going up... feel that Kaprizov's going to be No. 1 on the list. We'll see." The numbers we've seen as educated guesses for that contract figure are pretty staggering. The Athletic's Michael Russo and Joe Smith are throwing out anywhere between $14 million and $16 million for an AAV. $14 million would be notable enough, tying Leon Draisaitl (whose new deal starts next season) for the largest cap hit in the NHL. But $16 million? Damn! We're possibly talking about one of the highest cap hits for a player, ever. A $16 million AAV would represent 15.4% of the $104 million salary cap, the highest since Connor McDavid's 15.7% from his 2017 contract. That's a lot of money and a ton of responsibility. If Kaprizov is the highest-paid player -- or even "merely" the highest-paid winger -- that will come with a lot of scrutiny. McDavid (and Draisaitl) have dragged a flawed Edmonton Oilers squad to a Stanley Cup Final. Kaprizov will be expected to do the same thing: Consistently be among the league's best and lead his team to a Stanley Cup. We know Kaprizov's worth a ton of money. Is he worth that much? Kaprizov has a great case based on his production alone. Over the past four years, Kaprizov is tied with David Pastrnak for third in the NHL in goals per game (0.60), behind only Auston Matthews and Draisaitl. In terms of points, he's tied with Matthews and Mitch Marner for sixth in points per game (1.27). Of course, points aren't everything. So, to determine overall effectiveness, we can look at Evolving-Hockey's Standings Points Above Replacement metric. On there, Kaprizov is 13th in the NHL with 22.8 SPAR over the last four years, just between Roope Hintz (22.9) and Quinn Hughes (22.7). The names above Kaprizov are the usual suspects: McDavid, Matthews, Nathan MacKinnon, Pastrnak, Jason Robertson, Draisaitl, Matthew Tkachuk, Marner, Elias Pettersson, Nikita Kucherov, and Sasha Barkov. However, putting Kaprizov 13th might be a touch misleading. He's missed 64 games of a possible 324 during that time. So let's now put everyone on an even footing and see where he lands when we look at SPAR per hour (minimum 3,000 minutes): 1. McDavid, 0.337 SPAR/60 2. Matthews, 0.318 3. Pastrnak, 0.285 4. Tkachuk, 0.273 5. MacKinnon, 0.270 6. Robertson, 0.267 7. Joe Pavelski (retired), 0.259 8. Hintz, 0.255 T-9. KAPRIZOV, 0.249 T-9. Pettersson, 0.249 Either way... we see a similar placing for Kaprizov. He's the sixth-best winger in the NHL in terms of raw SPAR, and the fourth-best active winger in SPAR per hour. Does that mean he's not worth the money Minnesota's about to pay him? Well, that depends. Is there an argument for Kaprizov being the best player in the NHL? No, not really. Kaprizov was an early favorite for the Hart Trophy until he got injured around Christmas, but even so, he was only fifth in points per game last season. Even if you doubled his 4.0 SPAR to get to an 82-game pace, he'd still lag behind Draisaitl (9.6 SPAR) and Thomas Harley (8.4). Through that lens, making Kaprizov the top-paid player in the league is arguably an overpay, but in a more practical sense: Who cares? Coming into the season, Kaprizov ranked in the 2A tier on The Athletic's NHL Player Tier List. That list is generated with considerable input from NHL executives, coaches, and more. After this season, not to mention his five-goal, nine-point playoff performance, he may sneak into the 1C tier, or perhaps higher. Last season, there were just three wingers in Tier 1: Kucherov (1B), Pastrnak (1C), and Tkachuk (1C). Even if you think all three players are better than Kaprizov, the Wild have no shot at getting Kucherov or Tkachuk, for any dollar amount. The rebuilding Bruins might or might not put Pastrnak on the block, but he'd have a fair amount of suitors. The odds that Minnesota would land him are also low. Meanwhile, Minnesota does have a good shot at landing Kaprizov. They can pay him more than anyone, and are fully willing to do so. The Wild don't get chances to land even borderline top-tier guys often. They took a chance on something comparable 13 years ago with the Zach Parise and Ryan Suter contracts. Kaprizov is considerably closer to the elite than either of those guys, and for a franchise like Minnesota, any price is worth it. Stars matter in the NHL, as the Colorado Avalanche found out when they lost Mikko Rantanen, only for him to eliminate their team with a Game 7 hat trick. If you're the Wild, you pay whatever it takes to avoid that fate for yourself. The good thing is: they know it.

In 2012, the State of Hockey celebrated the Minnesota Wild signing two coveted free agents to 13-year, $98 million deals. Part of that celebration was understanding that by the time those deals wrapped up, Zach Parise and Ryan Suter would be in their 40s and not worth the $7.54 million cap hit. Who cares? Minnesota collectively said. Let's deal with that when we get to it. Those contracts wound up, predictably, becoming an albatross by the end. Was it worth it? Probably. But that's the thing with most long-term contracts to players approaching their 30s: You will likely have the deal turn bad at some point. Similarly, Wild fans are about to celebrate another long-term contract, this time for Kirill Kaprizov. After 185 goals and 386 points in 319 games during his first five years, Kaprizov's gonna have the closest thing to a blank check as we've seen in the NHL. If he wants eight years, $120 million, he's gonna get it. Heck, he might be able to get $16 million per year without the Wild blinking. His age is the one area for hesitation. Kaprizov's no ordinary sixth-year player. If he arrived in his age-19 season, the Wild would be handing this deal to a 23-year-old, and that contract wouldn't expire until his age-31 season. Instead, Kaprizov debuted at 23, and he'll be getting a contract that (likely) will take him through his age-35 season. Is it going to go badly at the end? It's not as slam-dunk a proposition as, say, Parise and Suter, but that threat is there. Even last year, you won't find a shortage of players who've gone on the decline as they entered their mid-30s. Two-time Rocket Richard Trophy winner Steven Stamkos (34) had his worst season since his rookie year, with 27 goals and 53 points in 82 games. Former Hart Trophy winner Taylor Hall (age 33) had 18 goals and 42 points last season. Chris Kreider (33) went from scoring 39 goals and 79 points in 82 games to 22 and 30, respectively, in 68 games. Six-time 30-goal-scorer Vladimir Tarasenko (33) had just 11 goals and 33 points last season -- or in Wild terms, Marcus Johansson-type numbers. But all Kaprizov needs to do to find hope that fate won't befall him is turn his head right. That's where he'll see Mats Zuccarello, who just wrapped up his age-37 season. Once upon a time, it looked like Zuccarello was headed for a mid-30s free-fall. He only scored 37 points in 65 games in his first year with the Minnesota Wild. Still, after forming his bond with Kaprizov the following year, he put any concerns to rest almost instantly. At 34, 35, and 36, he scored 79, 67, and 63 points, more than he'd ever had in a single campaign beforehand. Even last season (54 points in 69 games) was impressive, especially considering he spent half the season without his wingman. Sure, there's no doubt that Kaprizov drove that bus, but Zuccarello is the eighth-most productive player between ages 34 and 37 of the post-2004-05 lockout era. That's incredible, and you have to wonder why Zuccarello has aged so well. The hypothesis is simple: Zuccarello's longevity is partly due to a lack of wear-and-tear that comes from being a late bloomer. There are plenty of players who make the NHL by age 21. Zuccarello wasn't one of them. Instead, he made his SHL debut at 21, after dominating Norway's top league. Zuccarello finally made his NHL debut two years later, playing 42 games for the New York Rangers. He struggled to crack the NHL lineup the following season, and a lockout and injuries limited him to 15 games in 2012-13. By the time he entered his age-26 season (where he finally played 77 games), Zuccarello had a grand total of 67 NHL games under his belt. That's insane, especially compared to some of the contemporaries we've listed as starting to fall off the cliff in their mid-30s. Here are those players' games played through age-25: Stamkos: 569 Hall: 453 Tarasenko: 341 Kreider: 323 For a No. 1 overall pick like Stamkos or Hall, forget about it. They're gonna have hundreds of games more worth of wear and tear than Zuccarello did. But even Tarasenko and Kreider, who didn't debut until turning 21 and with the 2012-13 lockout depressing their early-career totals, had 150 to 200 games more miles on them than Zuccarello. Kaprizov's not entirely at Zuccarello's extreme, but debuting at age-23 and having COVID shorten his rookie year have kept his games played totals down. He had just 203 games of experience through age-25, and even at 27, has fewer career games played than Tarasenko or Kreider had at 25. We're not looking at a universal rule here. Alex Ovechkin logged more games through age-23 (324) than Kaprizov has through 27, and the dude just had 44 goals in 65 games. Meanwhile, someone like Jason Pominville had just 222 games of experience through age-25, but still saw his goal production decline hard in his mid-30s. So, games played aren't everything, but Kaprizov has another quality that's helped Zuccarello age beautifully. His playmaking skills. Players not named Ovechkin tend to age out of having an elite shot. Beating the best goalies in the world requires elite reaction time and some extra oomph, to use a scientific term, when shooting the puck. Those two things fade as you get older. Meanwhile, passing requires a much different skill set -- the vision to see plays develop and the ability to manipulate space being the primary ones. Sure, you have to get the puck from your stick to someone else's, but that requires a lot less top-tier physical gifts than beating a goalie one-on-one. Kaprizov won't score 40 goals forever, but it's hard to see him losing his playmaking chops at 34. He's got an Old Man Skill to fall back on as his career goes on, and he's always been as crafty as he is talented. Nothing is a slam-dunk when it comes to long-term contracts, but the players who age best tend to have a strong answer to the following question: What are you when you're not at your physical peak? Kaprizov's fastball is a 50-goal/100-point type MVP-caliber player. But if that slows down, you can bet he'll find a way to create offense. He can play Zuccarello's game and has been similarly shielded from early-career wear-and-tear. Those parallels to his best friend are primed to keep him productive through whatever length of contract he'd sign in Minnesota.

Golf season for the Minnesota Frost will have to wait a little longer. After an exciting overtime win, the Frost will move on to the final round of playoffs to battle the Ottawa Charge for the Walter Cup. Minnesota went into last Wednesday’s game up 2-1 in the series against the Toronto Sceptres. The Frost were down 2 goals by 10:33 into the second period, but Kendall Coyne Schofield answered with a goal 14 seconds later. 2 Minnesota goals and another from the Sceptres put the game into overtime. With 4 minutes left in the first OT, Sophie Jaques sent the puck low to Grace Zumwinkle. Zumwinkle took a look and sent the puck to Taylor Heise, who was cutting across the blue line. Heise sniped the top shelf from the top of the circle to win the series against Toronto. Frost’s early win allowed them to get a week of rest before the next series. They can go in confidently, knowing they beat Toronto handily. Going into the Toronto Series, FanDuel listed the odds as Frost -142, Toronto +116. The Sceptres won 3-2 to open the series, but Minnesota answered, winning 5-3, 7-5, and 4-3 to advance. As exciting as high-scoring games are, letting in 5 goals in one game highlights Minnesota’s defensive weakness. They managed to make up for it with offensive firepower, but they may need to strategize to win another series. Last Wednesday, the Sceptre’s first goal in Game 4 exploited Minnesota’s defensive mistakes. Toronto’s Emma Woods received a pass and skated the puck towards Minnesota’s net. Katy Knoll and Maggie Flaherty were on her, but they could not stop her pass to Sceptres forward Julia Gosling. Klára Hymlárová was the third player on Woods instead of trying to cover Gosling. Minnesota defender Dominique Petrie tried to backcheck and stop Gosling. However, she stopped moving her feet, allowing Gosling to slide the puck past Nicole Hensley. This goal was disappointing to watch because it took a mistake or apparent lack of effort from nearly every player on the ice for it to happen. Minnesota made an impressive effort to dig in and make up for it, but they wouldn’t have had to press to score if they had made an extra effort on defense. All the PWHL teams have similar talent levels, but Ottawa and Minnesota are evenly matched. The Charge met the Frost 6 times this season, and both teams have 3 wins. Ottawa and the Frost ended the season with 44 points, but the Charge had more regulation wins, and Minnesota had more OT wins. The Charge has had one significant roster change since the regular season. Ottawa placed top defenseman Jincy Roese on Long-Term Injured Reserve due to an upper-body injury on May 13. Roese was Ottawa’s regular-season defensive point leader with 3 goals and 11 assists. The Charge called up Sam Ibsell from Ottawa’s Reserve Player List on a 10-day contract and has played in 2 games, with 0 points. Despite Roese’s injury, Ottawa maintained a strong defense. However, they couldn’t create a comfortable scoring margin against the Montréal Victoire. Ottawa’s series against the Victoire was the opposite of Minnesota’s. They didn’t score much and won as an underdog. Dom Luszczyszyn’s model predicted that Montréal had a 63% chance of winning the series, and the Victoire were also the regular-season points leader. Instead, the Charge took down Montréal in four low-scoring games. They won each game by one point and never scored more than 3 goals in one game. Ottawa also got a chance to rest before heading into the second series. Goaltender Gwyneth Philips played a crucial role in Ottawa’s defensive success in Round 1. The Frost have been able to score up to 4 goals on her before, but she has also shut Minnesota out. During the regular season, Philips split time in net with Emerance Maschmeyer. However, the Charge kept her in net for all 4 games against the Victoire, likely because she has the best save percentage for the playoffs at .956%. She also has impressive highlights, including this one of her saving 4 shots in a row from Minnesota earlier this season: FanDuel lists the Frost at +180 and Charge at +125 for tonight's game. Throughout the regular season, the Frost had 85 goals for and 76 against, while the Charge had 71 for and 80 against. While the odds favor Minnesota, Philips has been a brick wall in the net. Unlike against Toronto, the Frost will need to step up their defense to beat Ottawa.

The Minnesota Wild are entering one of their most exciting offseasons in franchise history. Freed from the shackles of a $14.7 million dead cap hit in each of the past three seasons and fueled by eight straight first-round exits in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, big moves could be coming, and a notable free agent or two could call Minnesota home by the time next season rolls around. With that in mind, Bill Guerin has a hole burning in his pocket. That is, unless that money is reserved for Marco Rossi. Rossi is at the center of one of the biggest offseason storylines for the Wild. He’s coming off a career season, posting 60 points on 24 goals and 36 assists. At 23 years old, he’s the type of player a franchise would want to build around as a top-six forward. However, his future with the Wild is uncertain because he's poised to be a restricted free agent. Most teams don’t want to be in a situation with a player who was the ninth overall pick in 2020. However, Guerin also created the situation because he could have prevented the Rossi dilemma last summer. Guerin hasn’t been shy about locking up the core of his team with lucrative contract extensions. Ryan Hartman, Marcus Foligno, and Mats Zuccarello signed within days of each other before the 2023-24 season began. Jake Middleton got another contract extension last summer. Each of these deals contains a no-movement clause. Long story short? If Guerin likes you, you’re going to be rewarded. And that’s why the situation with Rossi has gotten weird. Rossi looked like an NHL-ready prospect but had a slow start to his career. He battled a heart condition during the COVID-19 pandemic. He spent most of his age-20 and age-21 seasons with the AHL’s Iowa Wild but finally became a regular player in 2023-24 with a career-high 40 points. At that point, Rossi’s play had greatly improved, and he could have been a player who received a sizeable commitment. According to The Athletic's Michael Russo, the Wild offered a five-year contract to keep him in Minnesota last winter, but Rossi declined. That happens frequently in the NHL, where players try to put one more good year on their resume before getting a bigger contract the following offseason. Even then, it’s more likely that a player signs a two- or three-year bridge deal than an offer sheet with another team because they must give up draft pick compensation. But two important things happened in the past calendar year. The first was the St. Louis Blues raiding the Edmonton Oilers using offer sheets. Defenseman Philip Broberg and forward Dylan Holloway signed two-year offer sheets to leave Edmonton last August. When the Oilers declined, they became the first players to switch teams via offer sheets since Dustin Penner jumped from the Anaheim Ducks to Edmonton in 2007. Holloway became one of the Blues' top offensive players last season, finishing third with 63 points. Broberg also became St. Louis’s top defenseman with a 21 plus/minus rating. The total cost for these players was $13.74 million, along with second- and third-round selections in a weak 2025 draft class. It’s not a free license to start signing restricted free agents. Still, other general managers must pay attention to this, especially if the Wild are making Rossi available. That brings us to the other development. While we’ve learned that the Wild like Rossi, they don’t love him. He’s done everything the organization has asked him to do, and when it’s time to reward him, they move the goalposts and ask for something else. The defining moment came in last year’s playoffs. Rossi struggled to open the series against the Vegas Golden Knights, and John Hynes responded by demoting him to the fourth line. The Wild did their best to spin it as a positive to try to awaken Yakov Trenin and Justin Brazeau on the checking line. But it was a jarring sight to see a player who finished third on the team in goals scored (24) drop to the fourth line, especially on a team that was looking for offense. With that information, Guerin is walking to the poker table wearing reflective glasses. The Wild could get a haul trading Rossi. Guerin has made the best out of similar situations, including dealing Kevin Fiala to the Los Angeles Kings for Brock Faber and Liam Ohgren in 2022. However, teams may not be willing to give up much for a player that they know Minnesota would let walk if an offer sheet exceeds their price. AFP Analytics projects Rossi to get a $4.54 million AAV if a team decides to sign him to a two-year bridge deal next season. While that would require giving up first- and third-round picks in the 2026 draft, it could be worth it if Rossi becomes a top-six center that leads them to the playoffs. Most general managers would like to avoid this situation, and Guerin could have dodged it if he had committed to Rossi last summer.

The Minnesota Wild have made it no secret that they were interested in pending free agent Brock Nelson. People have identified the Warroad native as someone the Wild would love to give a homecoming to for some time. On some level, you get it. Nelson's a big, fast center who's scored 25 goals or more in every season (except for the 56-game COVID season) since 2017-18. Now that we're T-minus-8 weeks until free agency -- the State of Hockey's promised Christmas Morning -- the rumors of the Wild and Nelson will continue to intensify unless Nelson re-signs with the Colorado Avalanche, or a team that trades for his rights. While fans may have been disappointed that the Avs swooped in to swipe Nelson while the Wild stood still at the deadline, it wound up being a best-case scenario. Instead of Minnesota paying through the nose for a Nelson rental, their biggest rival gave up top prospect Calum Ritchie and a first-round pick for his services. The Wild also avoided the Avs in Round 1 of the playoffs, so Colorado's deadline splash didn't affect them. Instead, Bill Guerin and Co. got to watch from afar as Nelson got thrust into a tough playoff matchup with the Dallas Stars. And you know they were watching closely, because Guerin declared his intentions to find centers at his end-of-season press conference. "I think [Joel Eriksson Ek] needs a little help. He's in a battle every single night; there's no easy nights for him, you know? So I think... we could create some help, there." It's hard to develop a better scenario for another team to test-drive Nelson. Dallas is here to stay as a force in the Central Division. Roope Hintz, Mikko Rantanen, Thomas Harley, and Wyatt Johnston are under 29 and still in their prime. So is Jake Oettinger, 26, who is a top goalie in the NHL. And of course, that doesn't even mention 25-year-olds Miro Heiskanen and Jason Robertson, who were both absent in Round 1. So, how did Nelson do? Not great. The vaunted goal-scorer finished his series with zero goals and four assists on 12 shots on goal. Relative to his teammates, his possession numbers were negative at 5-on-5. And in big, big moments, he came up empty. He failed to block Mikko Rantanen's first goal, which sparked a comeback from down 2-0, and was rated as the Avs' worst player in Game 7. If you care about faceoffs (and you shouldn't), he went 44.1% in the dot for the series. You must be careful not to judge a player's worth by a single playoff series. Nelson has 27 goals and 54 points in 85 career playoff games, which basically matches his regular-season output on a per-game basis. He's scored two series-winning goals, a striking feather in his cap. He's no choke artist and has helped multiple New York Islanders teams make deep playoff runs. Still, Guerin's job now is to ensure the Wild get past the Stars, and the Colorado Avalanche, and the Winnipeg Jets, and the Vegas Golden Knights, and whatever Eastern Conference juggernaut shows up in the Stanley Cup Final. Targeting Nelson would be declaring that he's part of the secret sauce the Wild need to achieve that goal. Well, Nelson just showed he wasn't part of that secret sauce for Colorado. And that's on a team with Nathan MacKinnon, one of the best playoff performers of all time, Cale Makar, and more. Why would it be better on the Wild, especially as Nelson (who turns 34 in October) enters his mid-30s? One way it might be is if Minnesota used Nelson as a third-line center. He had the third-most 5-on-5 ice time with the Avs in the playoffs, behind only MacKinnon and Martin Necas. It stands to reason that he'd be more effective lower in the lineup, slotting behind Eriksson Ek and Marco Rossi. But that's a huge part of the problem: If Nelson arrives in Minnesota, it's almost definitely not going to be a move that bolsters their center depth. Signing Nelson won't be additive; it'll be part of (potentially) the worst move in franchise history. You may have noticed: The Wild look fairly done with Rossi for... reasons? With Rossi an RFA and needing a new contract, and the Wild showing no faith in him during the playoffs, it feels inevitable that the two sides will move on this offseason. If Nelson is a replacement for Rossi at center, it's a big downgrade, plain and simple. Is Nelson bigger and faster than Rossi? Absolutely. Does it translate to a greater on-ice impact? It does not. That's no knock on Nelson, who is a solid offense-driving player. But Rossi's impact is simply too big to ignore... or at least, it should be. There are just five centers (500-plus faceoffs) who rate higher in Offensive and Defensive Goals Above Replacement (GAR) this season, per Evolving-Hockey. Here's the list: Pierre-Luc Dubois Sean Monahan Quinton Byfield Sam Reinhart Anthony Cirelli Meanwhile, Nelson doesn't replicate what Rossi does on either side of the ice. The same is also true for pending Florida Panthers UFA Sam Bennett, the other top center who's likely to change teams. If the Wild have indeed burned their bridges with Rossi and need to replace him, the bar to do so is much, much higher than Nelson. That center replacement will have to be at the level of an Elias Pettersson, or another center who no one can argue isn't a legitimate No. 1. If the Wild donate Rossi to Goodwill, all they have to open on Christmas Morning is Nelson, that's a massive step back from the organization, whether the front office believes it or not.

The Minnesota Wild curbed some issues that cost them in previous postseasons. Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy broke through, scoring five goals on the top line. Ryan Hartman and Marcus Foligno (mostly) stayed out of the penalty box and provided vital secondary scoring. Filip Gustavsson was reliable in net, despite battling illness in Game 4. Still, Minnesota’s season ended with a first-round exit again. The Wild have made the playoffs in eight of the past ten years. However, they have lost in the first round every single time, a record in the four major North American sports leagues. “We hear the noise of getting by the first round,” Foligno acknowledged. “We understand it. We really felt like we could have done it this year, and that’s the disappointing part.” Puck luck is always a factor, but fortune alone hasn’t determined their fate. The Wild last reached the second round in 2014-15, where they lost to the old Chicago Blackhawks dynasty for the second year. Minnesota has established a pattern of mediocrity. It predates Bill Guerin, who the Wild hired in 2019, but he’s only extended it. Guerin has been on scholarship since he arrived in Minnesota. His new-GM smell hadn’t worn off before COVID hit and shortened the NHL season. Then, the Wild suffered another first-round exit before Guerin bought out Zach Parise and Ryan Suter out, sending the team into four years of severe cap penalties. The Wild were in a no-win situation. In 2012, they signed Parise and Suter to matching 13-year, $98 million contracts to inject life into the organization. A year later, the NHL collective-bargaining agreement outlawed contracts where teams paid players up front and wouldn’t carry a cap hold if the player retired early. Guerin bought out Parise and Suter, who were aging and grouchy. In doing so, he likely improved the culture and bought himself time on the job. The Wild lost in the first round in 2021-22 and 2022-23, but the Wild promoted Guerin in the offseason. After losing in the first round for the fourth straight year, Guerin highlighted the cap restraints as the reason the Wild couldn’t win in the playoffs. "I rarely bring this up, but I'm going to bring it up today because it's real and it's important," Guerin said. "I think our players and our coaches deserve a lot of credit because they're fighting with one hand tied between their back because of these cap restraints. We don't apologize for it. We're fine with it." Guerin said that in the middle of one of his many media feuds. He got upset with the fourth estate after the trade deadline in March. The Dallas Stars, Colorado Avalanche, and Winnipeg Jets loaded up at the trade deadline; Minnesota’s most significant move was trading a second-round pick for 35-year-old Gustav Nyquist. “We’ll have our day, but it was the same thing this summer when you’re watching other teams load up. For some reason, we still have to play the games,” he said. “If we’re going by that, we might as well just pack our s— and go home. But I think we’ll show up and play the games and see how it checks out.” The Wild were 35-22-4 on March 3, the trade deadline, with a 97% chance of making the playoffs. They went 10-8-3 after the deadline, nearly missed the postseason, and the Vegas Golden Knights beat them in a gentleman’s sweep. Nyquist went offside on Hartman’s late goal in a crucial Game 5. Few general managers survive failing to advance in the postseason for a fifth time after missing the playoffs the year before. Furthermore, Guerin “mutually parted ways” with his cap expert in 2023. Later that year, Guerin was investigated for verbally abusing an employee, but upper management determined he had not committed a fireable offense. He has feuded with the media and a former goalie. He lashed out at a referee. Marco Rossi was an NHL-ready prospect but spent most of 2022-23 in Iowa. He’s a 20-goal per 82-game player, and the Wild need two viable top-6 centers. However, the organization will likely shop him this summer. Will Zeev Buium’s size concern Guerin? Jesper Wallstedt’s development already seems off-track. Guerin says he has a long-term plan but traded a second-round pick for the declining Nyquist. He could have used cap hell to invest in Minnesota’s young players. Instead, he prioritized large, aging players, likely because he wants players who look and play like him. Guerin was a 6-foot-2 forward who bucked the odds and was more productive in his 20s than his 30s. He created a crisis by buying out Parise and Suter. After five first-round exits in six years, the Wild don’t appear close to contending. Nothing Guerin has done assures the Wild will effectively leverage their prospect pool. Kirill Kaprizov is a free agent in 2026-27, and there’s no guarantee he’ll buy into Guerin’s plan. He hasn’t given Kaprizov much reason to believe he has created a pathway to contention. After four years of cap hell, Guerin may have wasted a good crisis.

As a trader, Bill Guerin is all about fair value. While other general managers might seek to fleece their brethren, Guerin believes conducting business that way is bad for a team in the long term. Back when he first got the gig, the Minnesota Wild GM said, "One of the great lessons I learned from [longtime GM] Jim [Rutherford] was... ‘Billy, never try to win a trade. Don’t try to screw the other guy over. Make a fair trade and you’ll get more deals done.’ That stuck with me." Now in 2025, the pressure is on for Guerin to fuel his team's rise to being a Cup contender. Most believe his primary asset is center Marco Rossi. Typically, Rossi would be an untouchable player -- a 23-year-old center coming off a 20-goal, 60-point season. Only 41 centers in the last 20 years have done that, and just three were traded before turning 24 after putting up those numbers: Columbus Blue Jackets malcontents Ryan Johansen and Pierre-Luc Dubois, and Dylan Cozens, who had struggled for two consecutive seasons. One wouldn't say any of those instances saw the team giving up the center "winning" the trade, but they got fair value. Johansen brought Columbus a top young defenseman in Seth Jones, a former fourth-overall pick. The Jackets also swapped Dubois for Patrik Laine, a No. 2 overall pick with a 40-goal season on his resume. The Buffalo Sabres probably got the worst deal for a young, productive center. Still, they got Josh Norris, who averages 31 goals per 82 games when healthy. So, what kind of goodies should the Wild expect for Rossi? Don't get your hopes up. The rumor machine has heated up, and it's believed the Wild are asking for what would look like a lowball offer, had it come the other way... and are still getting rejected. To recap Anthony SanFilippo's tweet: Guerin is asking for either winger Tyson Foerster or one (not both, one) of the Philadelphia Flyers' late first-round picks, situated at 22nd overall and somewhere between 29th and 32nd overall. Philadelphia is, for now at least, saying no. It's always tricky to deal with negotiations through the media, but let's take the report -- backed up by Daily Faceoff's Anthony Di Marco -- at face value. That's incredibly concerning. It not only shows that Guerin is willing to offload a young player at a valuable position for somewhere between 60 and 75 cents on the dollar (which would be bad enough!), but that teams don't feel they need to meet even these meager demands. And why would they? The Wild has spent over a year putting a FOR SALE sign on their player. The Flyers have reportedly known about their interest in offloading Rossi since the Cutter Gauthier trade. Guerin and John Hynes have only done more to show their lack of confidence in Rossi, reportedly lowballing him with a five-year, $25 million offer, and burying him on the fourth line in the playoffs. It also didn't help that the GM went on the radio before the playoffs and, by omission, implied his center had "soft skill." That has sent a clear signal to the rest of the league: We don't think we can win with this guy, and he's not a part of our core. Whether Minnesota is right or wrong with this assessment is beside the point. If the Wild are not valuing Rossi like a top asset, why on earth would anyone expect to pay for him as a top asset? There's a reason why the Flyers aren't parting with Foerster or a late-first-round pick, and it's not because they're more valuable than Rossi. Foerster's a solid winger, offering size, goal-scoring, and high-end defense. In Minnesota, he'd be this generation's Nino Niederreiter. Still, that can't compare to the value a No. 2 center like Rossi brings to the table. As for the 22nd pick in a "mid" draft class? Please. Philly would win a one-for-one swap by giving up any of those assets. No, the reason they're not taking those deals is because they don't have to. The Flyers can bet that the Wild burned their bridges with Rossi, and given that Rossi just spent the playoffs trapped on the fourth line, the center has no incentive to accept a bridge deal. A team like Philly has the option to either force Minnesota's hand with an offer sheet -- where they wouldn't surrender picks until 2026 -- or simply wait out Guerin and hope the price drops to, say, two second-rounders. Or, at any time, Philly could say, Sure, Rossi for 31st overall, here you go. If such a favorable price is in your back pocket on May 29, why make it now, when the draft isn't for another month? However, from a Wild perspective, if Guerin accepts this price, how can the team hope to come away with a "fair" trade for Rossi? If someone like Foerster -- a strong but unspectacular middle-six option -- is off the table in a Rossi trade, then any big swing for top-line winger JJ Peterka would seem impossible. From Buffalo's point of view, why give up a player you don't want to surrender for a player the Wild don't want to keep? Minnesota was always highly likely to lose a Rossi trade. Young, top-six centers are difficult to find, which the Wild should understand better than anyone. Those kinds of players are some of the most valuable assets in the game. As such, getting "fair value" back for one under any circumstances is challenging. But the Wild might have had a chance had they not made a series of blunders that failed to help them win in the playoffs. Because of that, they've severely driven down the value of what should have been their best trade chip. If these indications of Rossi's value prove close to true, the Wild aren't only going to fail to make a "fair" trade. They're about to give us a disasterclass in asset management.

The Minnesota Wild look like they're in a bit of a jam. They want to upgrade the center position this offseason and will set out to do so in a market where centers aren't exactly plentiful. Listening to insiders, Brock Nelson is the odds-on favorite to land in Minnesota, with potential fits like Sam Bennett perhaps pricing himself out of Minnesota's range, and few trade targets in sight. In their recent mailbag, The Athletic's Michael Russo and Joe Smith summarily shut down virtually every trade option. Dylan Larkin? It's a call that's likely to get Bill Guerin laughed off the phone. Sidney Crosby? Not unless the Wild can somehow trade for Nathan MacKinnon, too. Elias Pettersson? As much as it makes sense to Hockey Wilderness, nope. So, where's the opportunity to avoid a weak free agent class? Russo offers the State of Hockey one nugget of hope: If I’m the Wild and planning to trade [Marco] Rossi, I’d go hard after Buffalo’s JJ Peterka or Tage Thompson. ... Other than a Nelson pursuit, I just really believe trying to trade for an impact center like Peterka or Thompson makes sense. That sounds good. Those are two impact players. Peterka is 23 and is coming off a 27-goal, 68-point season, tied for second on the team. Thompson, in particular, could be Bill Guerin's biggest fantasy. And "biggest" is literal. A 6-foot-6 power center with two 40-goal seasons? That'd solve a lot of what the Wild's front office feels they lack. Should we expect Guerin to dust off that red telephone with a direct line to Buffalo? The one Chuck Fletcher once used to bring in Jason Pominville, Matt Moulson, and Chris Stewart? It's hard to be optimistic that the fix at center lies there. Don't get us wrong, Peterka is a solid player who'd offer a strong shot at the wing. But that's the rub, there: at the wing. Peterka is 23, has played in 238 NHL games, and he's simply not a center. Matt Boldy won more faceoffs last year (58) than Peterka has taken during his entire career (36). He's slower than Rossi, for example, which likely won't help if adding team speed is the goal. So, let's take out Peterka as a solution at center. On the other hand, Thompson would be a strong addition for Minnesota. He brings elite size and strong speed for that size (his top speed was in the top 25% of the league, per NHL Edge). He also may have a claim for the best shot in the NHL -- it's both fast (topping out at 106 miles per hour) and he fires it often (242 shots on goal last season, 18th in the NHL). Assuming Rossi is gone, Thompson and Joel Eriksson Ek would form an imposing 1-2 punch down the middle. Opponents won't be able to move Thompson and Eriksson Ek off the puck, and they're a force at the net-front, even though Thompson has more long-range shooting ability than Eriksson Ek. Unfortunately, it's also time to dismiss this option. It's simply too difficult to see a path that leads Thompson to Minnesota. For one, Thompson doesn't fit the mold of a player who gets traded, even from perpetually bad teams like the Sabres. He doesn't turn 28 until October, so he's still reasonably in his prime for the foreseeable future. Thompson also has four years remaining on his contract, which has him locked in on a bargain $7.14 million AAV. The length of the contract is a huge factor. When a struggling team has a pending UFA, sure, they're on the block. However, a team has to be preparing for a full-on rebuild to consider moving a 27-year-old star with four years remaining. Especially in Buffalo, which not only historically struggles to attract free agent talent, but also finished second in a recent players' poll as the first team NHLers slap on a no-trade list. Besides, it's not like Buffalo's contention window is so far out of reach that they'd want to stomach another rebuild. They've complemented Thompson with a stacked blueline that includes Rasmus Dahlin, Owen Power, and Bowen Byram. They've got a wealth of former first-round picks in Jack Quinn, Zach Benson, and Jiri Kulich, who should all expect to see grow. Under ordinary circumstances -- as in, unless Thompson makes a ton of noise about not wanting to be in Buffalo -- the Sabres have no real incentive to trade him. However, none of those things is the biggest hurdle to getting Thompson to Minnesota. That would be Kevyn Adams. Or specifically, his job security. The Sabres installed Adams as general manager in 2020, and he hasn't made the playoffs in five seasons. Buffalo brought him back for next season, but GMs don't usually get much more rope than that without seeing results. It's go-time for Adams to show that the team he's built for a half-decade can make the postseason. Moving Thompson is a rebuilding move, even if it means getting a player like Rossi and more back for him. Adams can't sell rebuilding to Sabres fans, who've gone 14 years without a playoff appearance. It's possible that going to ownership with the idea to trade Buffalo's 27-year-old, 40-goal-scoring unicorn of a center might as well be a resignation letter. It's hard enough to imagine a new GM in Buffalo wanting to trade Thompson. But with Adams likely GM-ing for his job, those odds drop from "low" to "near-zero." Unless there's something major brewing behind the scenes we don't know about, the Wild will probably have to look elsewhere for their center help.

Even though the Minnesota Wild’s season is over, the organization still has prospects gaining valuable postseason experience this spring. College prospects like Charlie Stramel (Michigan State), Rieger Lorenz (Denver), and Jimmy Clark (Minnesota) played in the NCAA tournament. The Wild organization also has nine prospects who have played postseason hockey for their junior or professional clubs. Postseason statistics for Wild prospects, via Elite Prospects Of the nine, Ryder Ritchie is the last one standing. The Medicine Hat Tigers won the Western Hockey League (WHL) championship last week and advanced to the Memorial Cup to compete for the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) championship. The tournament begins this Friday. Ritchie, the Wild’s 2nd round selection in last summer’s draft, has played a key role this season for a dominant Tigers team. He’s bounced between the top two lines and finished third on the team, scoring 29 goals and 32 assists in 53 games. data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw== The son of former NHL player Byron Ritchie is playing in his third WHL season. He spent the first two years with the Prince Albert Raiders before Medicine Hat acquired him in an offseason trade. It’s been a roller coaster of a year for the Calgary native. He attended his first NHL training camp with the Wild last fall and appeared in one preseason game against the Winnipeg Jets, recording one assist in just under 14 minutes of ice time. As you’d expect from an 18-year-old (Ritchie doesn’t turn 19 until August), he struggled to process the game at a professional pace and looked overmatched physically. Still, Ritchie also showed glimpses of the skill, quickness, and hockey sense that make him a legitimate prospect. The Wild sent him back to juniors the day after his lone preseason appearance. Still, the invaluable experience he gained practicing and playing against professional players should pay dividends for the player and organization. After joining Medicine Hat to start the season, Ritchie suffered a scary injury when he took a skate blade to the face in a game on October 9. A story from the Medicine Hat News details the incident: [Ritchie] raced off the ice, ditching helmet and gloves before retreating down the tunnel. The freak play missed his eye, a breath of relief, but was met with intense swelling and eventually surgery before he was able to return. Ritchie, donning a bubble for the next while, says he’s just happy to be back on the ice following the injury. “Obviously it’s a scary moment like that, stuff can happen,” Ritchie said. “I’m just so happy it didn’t get my eye and I’m able to still play the game I love. So it was such an unfortunate scary injury, but I’m happy to be back.” Ritchie missed 14 games as a result of the incident. However, he returned to the lineup on November 15 and recorded at least a point in his first seven games. Ritchie and his Medicine Hat teammates haven’t looked back since. They dominated the WHL’s Eastern Conference, cruising to a division title with a 47-17-3-1 record. The Tigers continued to dominate in the playoffs, winning four best-of-seven series in only 18 games, posting a 16-2 record. In 18 postseason games, Ritchie has scored at a point-per-game pace. He finished the WHL championship series playing right wing on the top line alongside all-world prospect Gavin McKenna, who will likely be the first overall pick in the 2026 draft. Ritchie scored two game-winning goals, one of which was the series winner against the Swift Current Broncos in the first round. data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw== His performance throughout the season indicates he’s on a solid trajectory toward a professional career. Seeing the Wild sign Ritchie to an entry-level deal after this season wouldn't be surprising. He could play a leading role in the Tom Kurvers Prospect Showcase in September, and Minnesota could bring him to training camp and give him a handful of games. Odds are that he’ll return to the WHL for a fourth season, but all signs are pointing toward a player who will be ready to turn pro for the 2026-27 season. Where things go from there will hinge on his development and the Wild’s depth chart. Minnesota is gearing up to contend, so Ritchie will probably need to spend a season or two in Iowa before he’s ready to be a meaningful contributor. Still, that should give him plenty of time to build strength onto his 6-foot-1, 185-pound frame and round out his all-around game. Look for Ritchie to push for a full-time roster spot by the 2028-29 season, if not a bit sooner. At that time, he’d be a 22-year-old with a couple of seasons of professional experience under his belt in a (hopefully) rejuvenated development system and well-versed in the organizational style of play. Wild fans hoping to get a glimpse of Ritchie in the Memorial Cup will be able to watch on the NHL Network or stream for free on Victory+. Medicine Hat’s round-robin games take place on Friday, May 23, Monday, May 26, and Tuesday, May 27. 2025 Memorial Cup Schedule Round-Robin – Game 1: Friday, May 23 – Medicine Hat vs. Rimouski (7 p.m. ET) Round-Robin – Game 2: Saturday, May 24 – Moncton vs. London (6 p.m. ET) Round-Robin – Game 3: Sunday, May 25 – Rimouski vs. London (6 p.m. ET) Round-Robin – Game 4: Monday, May 26 – Moncton vs. Medicine Hat (7 p.m. ET) Round-Robin – Game 5: Tuesday, May 27 – London vs. Medicine Hat (7 p.m. ET) Round-Robin – Game 6: Wednesday, May 28 – Rimouski vs. Moncton (7 p.m. ET) Tie-Breaker (*if necessary): Thursday, May 29 (7 p.m. ET) Semi-Final: Friday, May 30 (7 p.m. ET) Championship Final: Sunday, June 1 (7 p.m. ET)

The Minnesota Wild are looking to upgrade talent in their top-six. The Wild have Kirill Kaprizov, Matt Boldy, and Joel Eriksson Ek as their top line. However, their top-six is incomplete. Fans would love to bring Matthew Knies back to Minnesota. He dominated with the Gophers, scoring 36 goals in 73 games (75 points overall). The Toronto Maple Leafs are going to face a tough decision this summer. Mitch Marner is expected to get a big raise after registering his first 100-point season. He's also continuing his hot surge in the playoffs, scoring 13 points in 12 games. Rossi scored 24 goals this season, but they will likely trade him this summer. Whatever the return might be, the Wild aren't making roster improvement easy by trading a 23-year-old center coming off back-to-back 20-goal seasons and a 60-point season. Rossi is a foundational player, even at his size. Mats Zuccarello will turn 38 in September and isn't getting any younger. Still, he enjoyed a productive 2024-25 season, registering 54 points in 69 games (19 goals and 35 assists). However, he regressed in the playoffs, producing 3 points (1 goal and 2 assists) in 6 games against the Vegas Golden Knights. Zuccarello will either be playing with Kaprizov or remain on the 2nd line. 2022 first-rounder Danila Yurov signed a 3-year Entry-Level Contract (ELC) on Friday, and the Wild expect the converted winger to play center. He will either play on the 2nd or 3rd line or start as the 3rd-line center. Yurov is a Swiss Army knife. He brings a combination of skills and defensive discipline. Don't be surprised if head coach John Hynes gives him a look on the penalty kill. Liam Ohgren struggled to stay on the roster. While he was nearly a point-per-game producer in Iowa, he's still having difficulty adapting in the NHL. Ohgren’s likely going to fight for a spot in the middle-six. Ohgren will play on Yurov’s wing if he becomes more consistent. If anything, Ryan Hartman is the last forward on the third line. Still, who's going to be playing on the 2nd line? Knies is coming off his ELC, and he'll get at least $7 million on his next contract. Marner is Toronto’s top priority. If Knies becomes too expensive for the Leafs to extend, teams will likely offer him a contract. Dylan Holloway is a prime example. Last summer, the St. Louis Blues offered him a 2-year, $4,580,914 contract. The Edmonton Oilers couldn't match what the Blues gave him, so St. Louis traded for him. Holloway showed promise in his first season with the Blues, scoring 63 points in 77 games. Knies is this year's Holloway, and general manager Bill Guerin could aggressively pursue him. However, the Gustav Nyquist trade will affect this process! Like many fans, I want Knies badly. However, Guerin traded his 2026 2nd-round pick to the Nashville Predators for Nyquist, who had seven points in 22 regular-season games and none in the playoffs. Guerin fumbled on an excellent opportunity to land a goal-scoring power forward. The Wild can't offer sheet high-end forwards, such as Winnipeg Jets’ Gabe Vilardi or Anaheim Ducks’ Mason McTavish. The requirement for an offer sheet is that teams must possess their own draft picks for the matching salary tiers when submitting an offer sheet. These picks must be available in the upcoming drafts, and teams cannot use picks from other teams unless they've reacquired their original selections. It's fair to assume Nashville won't do Minnesota any favors. Here are the tiers of the offer sheet: $1,511,701 or less: No picks $1,5111,701 - $2,290,457: 3rd-round pick $2,290,457 - $4,580,917: 2nd-round pick $4,580,917 - $6,871,374: 1st-round pick and 3rd-round pick $6,871,374 - $9,161,834: 1st-round pick, 2nd-round pick, and 3rd-round pick $9,161,834 - $11,452,294: 2 1st-round picks, 2nd-round pick, and 3rd-round pick $11,452,294 or more: 4 1st-round picks Is it possible that the Wild can offer up to 6,871,374? Absolutely, but the Leafs can match that offer since Knies is a future core piece. The Leafs will have over $24 million in cap space this summer. Marner will likely take at least $14 million. Now they're down to $10 million. The Leafs will be left with 3,128,626 if they choose to match. The rest of their free agents are John Tavares (UFA), Marner, Max Pacioretty (UFA), Steven Lorentz (UFA), Nicholas Robertson (RFA), and Pontus Holmberg (RFA). Tavares is likely to test free agency since the Leafs will prioritize keeping Knies, whose glass is half full, whereas Tavares’ glass is half empty. Pacioretty is injury-prone and likely won't return with the Leafs. Lorentz and Holmberg will likely sign team-friendly salaries so they can sign Robertson. Nicholas isn't like his brother, Jason Robertson, but he scored 15 goals this season and could end up scoring 20 goals next season. Should the Wild consider offering Robertson a contract instead? They can, but that comes with a risk as well. Either they can offer Robertson $2,290,457 or offer over $4,580,917 for one year. The catch is that the Leafs can match $2,290,457 and let Lorentz and Holmberg walk. Then, the Wild would have to overpay by trading their 2026 first-round pick if they offer $4,580,917, and the Wild already traded their 2025 first-round pick for David Jiricek. The chances of the Wild landing Robertson are slim. The Wild must strategically find free agents who fit their need for top-six talent or trade for one using Rossi. The Wild will likely pursue Brock Nelson this summer. Guerin will probably overpay for him and miss out on more young talent to bring on the roster. In his exit press conference, Guerin mentioned that he's interested in bringing back his free agents, meaning Marcus Johansson, Nyquist, and Justin Brazeau. If Guerin signs at least one of them, they will block a roster spot from someone more deserving. Vinnie Hinostroza is also on the roster. Will the Wild trade him, put him on waivers, or make him the 13th forward? Seeing that the Wild can't pursue Knies is a bummer and outrageous. Are they willing to trade four 1st round picks for him because they can’t offer him less money? The Wild would have to overpay Knies $11,452,294 or more to sign him. As much as I want Knies back in Minnesota, he hasn't proven to earn that salary. Knies regularly plays with Auston Matthews and Marner on Toronto’s top line, and didn't break 30 goals nor score at a point-per-game pace. Rossi scored 2 more points than Knies, but Rossi didn't play with Kaprizov all season. Knocking on wood because Rossi scored most of his goals without Kaprizov’s help. The Wild must make a different impact move because they can’t offer Kneis less money. Now, if Leafs’ general manager Brad Treliving chooses to keep Tavares and sign him to a big extension, then Guerin could capitalize. However, he would still need to trade at least his 2026 first-round pick to make it happen. Guerin needs to stop overcommitting to older players past their prime, and Nelson is one of those players. It's time for the Wild to get younger and faster to continue building a championship-caliber roster. If Guerin can't break his old habits, expect them to continue making the playoffs and suffering more first-round eliminations.

The Minnesota Frost is up 2-1 against the Toronto Sceptres in the first series of the PWHL playoffs. The Frost have allowed at least 3 goals per game, but make up for it by repeatedly finding the back of the net. An unlikely point leader has emerged in this series. Defenseman Lee Stecklein. The 6-foot, 170-lb. Minnesota native is no rookie. She got her start in Roseville, played at the University of Minnesota, and the 2024-25 season is her second with the Frost. However, she has previous professional experience playing for the Minnesota Whitecaps, which was part of the NWHL, the former pro women’s league. Stecklein has also donned the USA jersey 3 times for the Olympics and 9 times for the World Championships, and has 8 golds and 4 silver medals to show for it. Historically, Minnesota has been able to depend on Stecklein defensively, but she hasn’t produced many points. During the PWHL’s 2024 inaugural season, she played in all 24 games and produced 8 points. She ended the season with a 0 plus/minus, and added another 3 assists in Minnesota’s 10 playoff games. In 2024-25, Stecklein had 9 points and had a 23:02 average TOI over 30 games. Comparatively, Sophie Jaques got 22 points and ended the season as the point leader among the defensemen. However, Stecklein has scored 3 goals and had 3 assists in only 3 games. During Game 1 on May 7, she started her point streak by assisting Britta Curl-Salemme’s goal, but Minnesota couldn’t pull off the win. Stecklein’s biggest contribution was to Minnesota’s Game 2 win last Friday, where she scored two goals and got an assist. Kelly Pannek had the puck along the boards and sent it to Claire Thompson, who passed it back. Pannek took a look and sent it down to Stecklein, who managed to tip it in, tying the game 1-1. In the image below, Stecklein is the right defenseman near the bottom of the screen, and made an excellent read and risk. All 5 Sceptres were facing away from her, so she waited until Thompson and Pannek had it under control and darted behind Toronto Forward Daryl Watts to go for a tip. Stecklein takes the path along the red arrow, and Pannek’s pass follows the green arrow. Stecklein is also on her backhand, making the tip a much more difficult play to execute. The play above shows the kind of risk Minnesota needs to take in the playoffs, and the faith Stecklein has in Thompson, Pannek, and goaltender Maddie Rooney. If her teammates had fumbled the puck, Watts would’ve had a breakaway, and Stecklein would have had to scramble back. 6 minutes later, Stecklein got back on the score sheet by assisting Michela Cava’s goal. She took a slapshot from the point 2 minutes later, scoring Frost's 3rd goal of the night. After the game, head coach Ken Klee said that Stecklein is “known as a world-class defensive defenseman, who always has a good stick, good gap, [and is] hard to play against.” Klee is happy with Stecklein’s defensive skills. Despite her low point production, she has 690:53 minutes this season, more TOI than any other defenseman. However, the postseason requires the entire team to make an extra effort. Klee continued that it’s “playoffs, [so] we know we have to find different ways to score goals and different people have to contribute, and [Stecklein] knows that and she exemplifies that.” In a regular-season game, Stecklein might’ve stayed back to cover Watts and let the forwards crash the net, but she went for the tip-in, which paid off. “We have a lot of offensive threats and people they have to be worried about, which opens up some stuff,” Stecklein said, reflecting on her offensive success during the game. “You just have to be ready to take advantage of it, luckily it’s gone my way so far.” The Frost’s depth opens up offensive opportunities and gives Stecklein room to take risks. Stecklein continued her point streak to help Minnesota win Game 3 last Sunday. She joined Taylor Heise and Kendall Coyne Schofield on the rush. Heise brought the puck into the zone, and Sceptres defenseman Anna Kjellbin forced her outside. She saw that Coyne was also covered, so she sent the pass up to Stecklein in the high slot, who went top shelf on Toronto goalie Kristen Campbell. Her final point was a backdoor pass to Cava, who tapped in Minnesota’s 7th goal of the game. Stecklein has been a defensive stalwart for the Frost for 2 seasons. However, she has stepped up during the playoffs to help Minnesota take control of the series. Stecklein remarked in her post-game interview that Frost's depth has been instrumental. Cava, Coyne, Thompson, and others have shut down Toronto, which gives Stecklein room to join rushes and go deep in the offensive zone.

Just like relationships, some losses in sports are just harder to move on from than others. It’s why, over a week later, we are still here dissecting the Minnesota Wild's most recent first-round collapse. You can try to sugarcoat it, as many have done all week, but the truth is staring this team in the face. They haven’t learned how to close out a series. I won’t dive into a soliloquy about the past five years. If you have the stomach for it, just read for yourself. It’s been eight days since the Vegas Golden Knights eliminated the Wild from the playoffs. But I still can’t wrap my head around the coaching staff's missed opportunity to set a new standard for future Wild teams. They should have benched Gustav Nyquist. Not for the reasons you might think. Well, maybe that. Nyquist was nearly invisible all series, except for the time the spotlight of the entire hockey world was firmly placed upon him following Game 5. You know the story. Ryan Hartman scored with just over a minute remaining in the third period of Game 5. However, after review, the league waived the goal because Nyquist was a few inches offside. Nyquist’s teammates came to his defense, attempting to remind the media and fans that Nyquist’s error was an error everyone commits throughout a season. Multiple times, too. “It happens 50 times a game,” said Hartman. “Just happened to be it was on a goal.” Although Nyquist’s teammates aren’t entirely wrong, head coach John Hynes missed an opportunity to set a new standard for future Minnesota Wild teams entering the playoffs. Plain and simple, it was a completely avoidable mental mistake. “Mental mistake” is the key term here. Nyquist inexplicably made very little attempt to ensure he was onside before entering the zone at such a pivotal moment of the game and series. The time was ripe for Hynes and the Wild to make an example out of Nyquist’s error by sitting him for Game 6. Often, a few bounces decide a tightly contested playoff series. The need for attention to detail ramps up in the playoffs, never more so than in the final minutes of a period, let alone a game. Sitting Nyquist would have sent a message to the returning players that “close” is not the same as winning. Placing Nyquist in the press box would have sent shock waves through the dressing room. There is no margin for mental errors in the pursuit of Lord Stanley. Nyquist was the perfect scapegoat for the coaching staff. Since they traded for Nyquist immediately before the deadline, he has been a shell of the player who nearly produced at a point-per-game clip last season. His skating had fallen off, and his inability to drive offense was maddening. On top of his poor play, Nyquist will likely not be a part of the Wild's future. His continued poor play through the first five games of the series made that abundantly clear. He’ll undoubtedly walk out of Minnesota when free agency begins on July 1. So why protect him? Why go to such lengths to protect a player who was not making any sort of impact on the ice on the Wild’s second line? Why protect a player with no chance of remaining on your team? Replacing his spot in the lineup with, say, Liam Ohgren couldn’t have possibly been a step down in production, right? It’s hard to imagine any of the Wild’s reserve forwards providing less to the lineup than what Nyquist showed. But it was less about what the Wild could have gained in Game 6 and potentially a Game 7. It's about what the Wild could have gained in the next handful of years as they aim to truly compete for a Stanley Cup. Sitting Nyquist would have put every player on notice: Winning the Stanley Cup requires an extra level of physical effort and the attention to detail needed to win in April, May, and, hopefully, June. Instead, they gave Nyquist a pass. The teaching moment for Hynes was right there, gift-wrapped. The right player, contract situation, and moment. And yet he let it slip right through his fingers. I guess the Wild will need to wait another calendar year for their core to learn what it takes to win in the playoffs. But you don’t always learn that lesson through victory. Sometimes, agonizing defeat can be just as valuable a learning tool. But to the Wild’s staff, that moment, inexplicably, was not now.

Another Minnesota Wild season has come and gone, and the team still can’t get over the hump. No matter what pieces they move around or how much they tinker with the roster, when the regular season shifts to the postseason, the Wild still wake up on Groundhog Day and lose in the first round. The Wild have lost eight straight first rounds, leaving only one conclusion. Minnesota is not built for postseason success. Cap penalties have hampered Bill Guerin, but he still has made several moves that reveal his vision for the team. Guerin re-signed Jacob Middleton last summer after signing free agent Yakov Trenin. Then, at the trade deadline, the Wild acquired Justin Brazeau. All three transactions are attempts to make the team bigger, more physical, and “playoff-ready.” Ironically, that trio did little to contribute to the Wild’s postseason run. Of players who played more than 20 minutes in the series, Trenin, Brazeau, and Middleton were three of the bottom four on the team in expected goals percentage. (Source: Moneypuck.com) While Trenin and Brazeau didn’t perform well in the series, they were playing on the fourth line, and arguably didn’t significantly impact the series. The same can not be said for Jacob Middleton. Middleton is an integral part of the Wild’s lineup as a top-four defender. He plays significant minutes and, with his physical and defense-first approach, is a player who should be built for traditional “playoff hockey.” While Middleton is a serviceable defender and has contributed to the team, his performance in the playoffs left a lot to be desired. The most notable moment of Middleton’s postseason came in Game 4. With a 2-1 series lead, the Wild could have put Vegas on the brink of elimination had they won in overtime. Middleton fanned on a breakout pass to commit a defensive-zone turnover, which ended up in the back of the net for a Golden Knights victory. The giveaway was one of Middleton’s eight in the series, including four defensive zone giveaways for the second-most on the team. Middleton led the team in blocked shots, which can be interpreted in several ways. While blocking shots is a valuable contribution, it can also mean that a player is always playing defense because they’re being outplayed. Unfortunately, that interpretation seems to be the case for the Wild defender. Middleton posted poor possession numbers, which gave him plenty of opportunities to score blocked shots, but that doesn’t help the team if he rarely has the puck in the offensive zone. When Middleton contributed on offense, it was with two secondary assists in six games. It would have been nice to see the defender score a goal after his career-high eight tallies in the regular season. Middleton has never scored a goal in the playoffs for Minnesota, going scoreless in 18 games with five assists. However, Middleton is more of a defensive player. His offensive shortcomings would be completely acceptable if he were strangling the Golden Knights' offense in this series. That didn’t materialize, either. According to naturalstattrick.com, Middleton gave up 2.82 expected goals against per 60, which was sixth-worst on the team. By all accounts, Middleton is well-liked in the locker room and has one of the most prominent personalities on the team. That’s valuable, but players like him are supposed to make the team hard to play against and be better suited for the playoffs. He didn’t contribute offensively, possess the puck, or play particularly well defensively. That isn’t to say that Middleton is the sole reason the Wild lost or even the worst offender on the team. Still, his playoff performance is a microcosm of the issue with Minnesota’s roster construction under Guerin’s vision. Players like Brazeau, Trenin, Middleton, and more fit the mold of big, physical, and supposedly difficult to play against. However, the term “difficult to play against” doesn’t seem to fit here, because it can’t be that difficult if they’re all being outperformed by the other team. Bill Guerin must reconsider what he values in a player. Is being bigger than average valuable if you can’t chip in offensively? Is playing physically vital if you’re caved in with poor possession and a share of scoring chances? That isn’t to say being physical doesn’t matter in the playoffs. Matt Boldy, Marcus Foligno, and Ryan Hartman all had strong playoffs, largely using their size (in the case of Boldy and Foligno) and tenacity (Hartman) combined with skill to get those playoff-style goals and productive chances. The Wild need more of that and less of what players like Middleton gave them. This point will become particularly crucial to the Wild’s future this offseason. The first order of business will undoubtedly be re-signing Kirill Kaprizov and trying to figure out what to do with Marco Rossi. Once that order of business is complete, Guerin must decide the best way to surround his top talent with a team that can go further than the first round of the playoffs. Will the Wild double down with more expensive veterans that fit the same mold Guerin has brought in before? Minnesota’s current roster construction has proven good enough to make the playoffs, but they should have bigger aspirations than just making it. After eight first-round exits, the Wild seem to have outgrown the need for that type of player.

As a human with a father, I was chatting with my dad about the Minnesota Wild's series between Games 5 and 6. We both lamented the back-to-back overtime losses that turned a 2-1 series lead into a 3-2 deficit. Was it a bummer? Sure was. But it wasn't until he said something that I figured out why the series' outcome was so frustrating. "It'd be nice to get into the second round," he said, "but looking at the roster, they're not going much further than that, right?" I didn't agree. I'm not gonna lie -- I've got a contrarian streak in me -- but I think there was good reason to push back on that idea. The path for Minnesota to follow in the footsteps of their 2002-03 team was there for the taking. Both squads were plucky underdogs with a fundamental disadvantage. The salary cap crunch was that for this year's squad. The 2002-03 team's was being fresh off a non-sweetheart expansion draft. However, when the favored Vegas Golden Knights surged back with three straight wins to bounce the Wild from Round 1, the comparisons ended there. Still... what if? What if Minnesota had put its skates on the Knights' throats in Game 4? What if Gustav Nyquist stayed onside in Game 5, giving the Wild the chance to smell blood at home for a Game 6 closeout? What if they did the damn thing against a Western Conference favorite, the way Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves did against LeBron, Luka, and the Lakers? The Wild are reeling today, feeling like they had a real shot to get through Vegas. That's not the full tragedy, though. It's that they had a real shot at getting through Vegas would have led to a wide-open West. Had the Wild played the Winnipeg Jets in the first round, I probably wouldn't be saying this. One, it's hard to see Winnipeg's streak of owning Minnesota ending in the playoffs, but more importantly, is what would await them in the second round. The Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars are headed to a Game 7, and the winner of either would be heavy favorites against the Wild in Round 2. Especially Dallas, who smoked Minnesota in six games two postseasons ago and has incredible center depth. But the Wild would have side-stepped that Round 2 buzzsaw, playing the Edmonton Oilers, who advanced after winning four straight to defeat the Los Angeles Kings in Round 1 for the fourth-straight season. Of course, the defending Western Conference Finalists aren't a pushover. Minnesota would have to contend with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, two incredibly productive playoff performers. Still... the hard part might have been over for the Wild. The Golden Knights are a deeper team than Edmonton, and much more sound defensively and in net. Moreover, Vegas has always been difficult for the Wild to topple in the regular season, while Minnesota usually plays the Oilers tough. Since the Kirill Kaprizov Era began, the Wild and Oilers have squared off in 12 games. Minnesota is 8-4-0 against Edmonton, with a plus-9 goal differential. Compare that to their record against, well, any other Western Conference contender during that time: Dallas: 6-9-0 (8-13-0 inc. playoffs); minus-22 goal differential Colorado: 8-13-2; minus-21 goal differential Vegas: 7-9-4 (12-17-4 inc. playoffs); minus-20 goal differential Winnipeg: 5-9-1; minus-7 goal differential That's such a rare advantage for Minnesota in the playoffs, even if Edmonton is pretty damn scary. But there might have been someone scarier for Edmonton. Jonas Brodin. McDavid and Draisaitl are always going to get theirs. During these past four seasons (the Wild and Oilers were in separate bubbles in 2020-21), McDavid has five goals and 16 points in 11 games against the Wild, while Draisaitl has seven goals and 18 points in 12 games. At first glance, it doesn't look like the Wild are putting a lid on either guy. But Brodin is one of the smoothest, fastest backwards skaters in the NHL, and he probably comes the closest. The Wild's defensive ace missed three games against McDavid and Draisaitl, and they went off without Brodin there to smother them. McDavid had three goals and seven points during those three contests, while Draisaitl had two goals and seven points of his own. Remove those Brodin-less games, and their track record looks much more pedestrian (for them, anyway). McDavid: two goals, nine points in eight games Draisaitl: five goals, 11 points in nine games Obviously, that's still great, but Brodin has been making players who are averaging 126 points per 82 games over the last half-decade and turning them into point-per-game-ish guys. The playoffs are a different beast, sure, and Edmonton has only allowed one goal (and 13 assists, to be fair) to Kaprizov in 11 career head-to-head games. But the Wild probably had a strong path to the Western Conference Finals, even with their salary cap constraints. That would have been a great case to make to Kaprizov that the future is bright when trying to extend him this summer. Instead, Kaprizov and the Wild will be wondering "What If" after yet another first-round loss.

The Minnesota Wild need to win – for one reason. Clickbait? Maybe, die-hard hockey fan. Trust me, your labour (spelled that way for a reason, foreshadowing for ya) will not be in vain. The State of Hockey. A rabid fan base. Next to utter futility in the playoffs. All valid but superficial reasons for this serious-as-a-heart-attack necessity to win. You should be ashamed of yourself. The reason: Marc-Andre Fleury. It's for the Flower, stupid. Longevity. Moreover, greatness over longevity. What a concept in this Kardashian Age of TikTok. Heck, my grandma is an “influencer” with 10,000 followers. I guess the concept isn't that new, given the Warholian 15 minutes of fame concept. Flower is the oldest player in the league. He's been performing at the highest level since 2003, when the Pittsburgh Penguins chose him first overall. I won't go into all his achievements – Wikipedia exists – but here are the ratified highlights: He is the third goaltender to ever reach 500 victories and the fourth goaltender to reach 1,000 games played. Oh yeah, there's the 2009, 2016, and 2017 Stanley Cups. His list of accomplishments and accolades would even humble Caesar, he of the “I came, I saw, I conquered” hubris. So, why must the Wild win? (Are you still with me?). Legacy. So this man will be remembered longer, even for a few more days or weeks, by heaven's grace. Of course, his achievements are indelible. They will be around as long as there is recorded history. But they won't be remembered, Pollyanna, for two reasons. First: time, births, and generations. Hardly anything is passed down generationally, except your Dad's big nose and receding hairline. Certainly not the memories of sports stars. Heck, when I tell youngsters (i.e., anyone under 35) how great Young Frankenstein is or how REM invented alt rock, they either stare blankly or wrinkle their noses as if they've smelled a used sweat sock. How much more, then, will the Flower be forgotten? Second: the man himself. He is one humble character. He makes Mr. Rogers look like a braggart. There's something to be said about putting your head down, working hard, and excelling at your craft without fanfare. But it won't gain you the recognition or notoriety, say, of throwing a drunkard through a plate glass window, Barkley-style. In that vein, I remember seeing Flower years ago on a show called “Count's Kustoms” (sic). Flower wanted an American muscle car, but customized such that it would be an everyday driver. It was painful watching the extroverted host trying to extract the details, such as simply what model of car he wanted in the first place. When it was finished, Flower was appreciative and all smiles, even asking permission to sit in it. Yet, in his last year, there is seemingly little appreciation and certainly no fanfare. There is no “farewell tour,” where visiting cities give him hokey gifts like rocking chairs with a large screen backdrop of highlights. But there should've been. The list of his peers in hockey history can be counted on one hand – even if that hand was missing a few digits from a fireworks accident. Yes, hockey fan, Flower is the reason why the Wild must win and continue to win. So the unicorn can be duly honored. Not for your selfish reasons. (P.S. “Labor” had French origins, and Marc-Andre Fleury is, well, you get it.) (P.P.S. Let's give the Wild an “A” for “effort” in last night's overtime loss: Our beloved Flower indeed had ice time. But he will go out on a higher note, given his storied career.)

The State of Hockey woke up on Wednesday morning, hungover from the realization that all this has happened before, and is happening again. The plucky Minnesota Wild built a 2-1 lead, only to find themselves unable to put away their opponent and fall behind in the series 3-2. Nothing is different than their previous two playoff series, and while the Wild still have Games 6 and 7 to prove those feelings are dead wrong, their track record isn't encouraging. Minnesota has a nasty habit of getting pummeled in elimination games. As Twitter user Derek (@stateofstats) noted, the Wild are 0-5 in their last five elimination games, losing by a combined score of 20-8. As for this year, it already feels like the underdog Wild threw their best shot at the Vegas Golden Knights, who are 11-11 lifetime in closeout games. All the Knights have to do now is keep going .500, and it's over. We also have an idea of what we might hear if the Wild lose their ninth-straight playoff series. When they lost their eighth against the Dallas Stars -- just days removed from an elimination-game stinker at the Xcel Energy Center -- general manager Bill Guerin's messaging was firmly in moral victory territory. “I rarely bring this up, but I’m going to bring this up today because it’s real and it’s important,” Guerin said at his year-end press conference. “I think our players and our coaches deserve a lot of credit because they are fighting with one hand tied behind their back because of these cap restraints." The GM then doubled down on the sentiment. "I think our players and our team have done a fantastic job in just ignoring that and moving on and playing hockey. [Is this playoff loss] disappointing in the end? 100 percent. I’m very disappointed, but I don’t view this season as a failure. Our team played well. Back-to-back 100-point seasons. We have two of the best seasons that this franchise has ever had. Winning is hard, it’s hard and we’re working towards it." If the Wild lose, it's not going to be hard to spin this series and season as a moral victory. Guerin did have $14.7 million less in cap space than almost every other team. Minnesota did have Kirill Kaprizov out for half a season, with Joel Eriksson Ek out for nearly half a season, and a pile-up of injuries. The Wild were the underdog, and that didn't stop when they took a 2-1 series lead. Had it not been for a ticky-tack offside call, Ryan Hartman did score a go-ahead goal that would have delivered them Game 5. All of these things are true. But so is this: They had the Golden Knights on the ropes, but were too gassed to put them away in Game 4. Then, in Game 5, with the chance to set up a closeout game at home in Game 6, they fell flat again. Talk about the overturned goal all you'd like. That doesn't change the fact that you can list several things leading up to that moment, which put Minnesota in that position to begin with. For starters, the Wild power play put themselves behind early by surrendering a shorthanded goal on their first chance of the night. And this was no breakaway. Matt Boldy was back to defend, and Kaprizov and Zuccarello were in position to backcheck. But instead of having a chance to go up 1-0 in a huge spot, the power play was forced to merely break even. In the second period, Hartman triggered an automatic delay of game call by putting a puck into the stands. You can't do that. Of course, he could have redeemed himself in the third period, if it wasn't for another You can't do that moment, this time from Gustav Nyquist. Look, offsides happen, and Nyquist is probably feeling sick about this today. It's not really helpful to partake in the pile-on, but that is a spot where you simply have to make sure you're onside. But let's take some heat off Nyquist and show what made this loss a true team effort. Minnesota tied the game up on Boldy's incredible effort (on an equally brilliant pass from Joel Eriksson Ek) at 3:31 into the third period. Between that point and the end of the game, there were 20 minutes and 34 seconds. The Wild had four shots on goal in that time. One every five minutes. That's not enough to beat a team like the Golden Knights on the road. Did Minnesota get a bad break last night? Sure. Have they shown they can hang with Vegas? Absolutely. Is this anything to feel good about? No. Most in the State of Hockey agree that next year is the time to drop any room for excuses. Minnesota's dead cap will go from nearly $15 million to under $2 million. They'll finally be able to spend like a normal team. We will judge the Wild by wins and losses, particularly in the playoffs. But even now, there's no reason to keep treating the Wild as The Little Engine Who Couldn't -- a scrappy team with just one too many disadvantages to make real noise in the playoffs. Despite everything that happened before, Minnesota had a chance to advance to the second round. The dead cap didn't stop that from happening, nor did all their regular-season injuries. But with two overtime games that could've put them in prime position to close out the series -- or even shock the Knights with a gentleman's sweep -- they didn't get it done. Not couldn't have gotten it done. Didn't. It's a small distinction, but it matters. That's not a moral victory, it's a missed opportunity. And if Minnesota's missed opportunities result in a(nother) missed second round, this series should be treated as such.

After Filip Gustavsson’s stellar performance this season, the Minnesota Wild will enter next season with an entrenched starting goaltender, a luxury the team has not enjoyed since 2021-22. While that’s comforting for management and the coaching staff, there will be some reshuffling of the organizational depth this summer as Marc-Andre Fleury bids adieu to the NHL after a storied career. Who will take his place as Gustavsson’s backup next season? Is Jesper Wallstedt ready for the role? Will the Wild need to sign a veteran as insurance? Who will be the AHL and ECHL starters in net? The answers to these questions probably won’t crystallize until training camp next season. Still, the Wild have taken steps to address their organizational depth in net and currently seem well-positioned to populate each level with quality players. The Wild have five netminders signed to contracts at various levels of the organization for next season: Gustavsson, Wallstedt, Samuel Hlavaj, Riley Mercer, and William Rousseau. Chase Wutzke, a 2024 draft pick, will likely spend another year or two in the WHL. They also have several goaltenders currently coming off the books, and it is unclear if any of them will re-sign. How did the organization’s goaltending depth perform this year? What can fans expect for next season? Let’s dig into it below: Jesper Wallstedt 6-foot-3, 214 pounds Age: 22 Acquired: 1st round, 2021 2024-25 Stats: .879 SV%, 3.59 GAA in 27gp for Iowa Wild (AHL) Wallstedt’s struggles this season have been well-documented here and elsewhere. They have the Wild concerned enough about his readiness to step into an NHL backup role next season that it looks like they’ll sign a veteran netminder to be a reliable third-stringer. Wallstedt had a trying season mentally after the Wild initally tabbed him to spend most of the season in Minnesota. Although the organization told him to get an apartment here, they summarily sent him down to Iowa due to salary cap constraints, and he has said that he struggled with that disappointment. It clearly affected his play, and the Wild gave him several stretches of rest during the season to recalibrate. They called him up in December, and he played two games, both losses. He struggled against the Winnipeg Jets but rebounded with a solid performance against the Vegas Golden Knights before he was returned to Iowa. For a while in February, it seemed like Wallstedt had turned a corner when he produced a number of solid starts in January and February. However, he wasn’t able to maintain that level of play and ultimately lost the starting job to Hlavaj down the stretch. Despite his difficult season, many pundits still consider Wallstedt a high-level prospect, and the organization has stated that they expect him to begin next season as Filip Gustavsson’s backup in Minnesota. The Wild called him up again at the end of the season, and he was around the team during the stretch run and in the playoffs. Hopefully, some time spent learning from Fleury will pay dividends next season and beyond. Samuel Hlavaj 6-foot-4, 218 pounds Age: 24 Acquired: Free agent 2024-25 Stats: .904 SV%, 2.85 GAA in 36gp for Iowa Wild (AHL) Hlavaj emerged as a legitimate prospect this season after the Wild signed the undrafted free agent last spring. John Hynes had an early look at him when he led Slovakia to a victory over the United States in the 2024 World Championships with the Wild coach behind the bench. Hlavaj started the season in the ECHL, but he was called up to the Iowa Wild when Wallstedt went to the NHL for his brief stint. Once there, Hlavaj quickly supplanted Ferguson as the organization’s No. 4 goaltender and ended up starting most games the rest of the way. Iowa struggled this season. Despite that, Hlavaj managed to produce solid numbers, posting a .904 save percentage and providing stability in the crease for a team that desperately needed it. After the AHL season ended, he played in his third consecutive World Championships for Slovakia. He began as the backup netminder but finished the tournament as the starter. Hlavaj has good size and a solid track record, and he seems to read plays well. It will be interesting to see if Hlavaj can develop to a level where he can push Wallstedt and potentially secure an NHL job at some point. It wouldn’t be surprising to see him earn a call-up next season. Overall, Hlavaj’s emergence as a reliable professional netminder was a real bright spot for the Wild this season. Chase Wutzke 6-foot-2, 161 pounds Age: 18 Acquired: 5th round, 2024 2024-25 Stats: .895 SV%, 3.38 GAA in 50gp for Red Deer (WHL) Wutzke’s stats took a dip this year, but that can probably be chalked up to the fact that a 5th-round pick from 2024 was the starting goaltender for a weak Red Deer Rebels team that didn’t have many NHL prospects and ultimately missed the playoffs with a record of 26-34-6-2. Red Deer scored the second-fewest goals in the league, and only four goalies faced more shots than Wutzke. Still, starting 50 games and getting a lot of work is probably a good thing from a developmental standpoint. Historically, goalies on elite Canadian junior teams have their stats bolstered by their strong support, and NHL franchises tend to overvalue them despite their lack of development. On the other hand, Wutzke got a full year as a starter while playing a pro-style schedule, a season after taking the starting job from an older goaltender and getting valuable playoff experience as an under-ager. Ultimately, it looks like it was a solid year for Wutzke, and he’s tracking to be in professional hockey after juniors. Whether that happens in the 2026-27 season or the 2027-28 season remains to be seen, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see him get a handful of AHL games at the end of next season or the one after. The fact that the Iowa Wild signed him to an Amateur Tryout Agreement and had him travel and practice with the team for the end of the season bodes well for the organization’s faith in his future within the organization. Riley Mercer 6-foot-2, 203 pounds Age: 21 Acquired: Free Agent 2024-25 Stats: .925 SV%, 2.53 GAA in 46gp for Drummondville (QMJHL) Mercer will be a new name for a lot of Wild fans. The club signed him to his three-year, entry-level contract after the 21-year-old undrafted free agent finished his career with the Drummondville Voltigeurs of the QMJHL. Mercer’s older brother, Dawson, is a forward for the New Jersey Devils. Riley Mercer capped off five strong seasons for the Voltiguers with his best season yet, leading the league with a .925 save percentage and five shutouts. Unfortunately, he was injured in the first game of the playoffs and his team was unable to advance without him in net, but that didn’t deter the Wild from taking a flyer on the 6-foot-2, 205-pound netminder. He was already on their radar after attending development camp last summer. The Wild reportedly offered him a professional contract but chose to return to Drummondville for another season. It seems like Mercer will have a legitimate chance to make the Iowa Wild out of camp next season. Still, if the Wild sign a veteran netminder, it’s more likely that he’d start the season for the Iowa Heartlanders in the ECHL, where he can play a lot of games. Either way, undrafted free agents are like lottery tickets. Mercer represents the potential for a significant payoff if he can translate his success in juniors to professional hockey. William Rousseau 6-foot-1, 187 pounds Age: 22 Acquired: Free Agent 2024-25 Stats: .911 SV%, 2.69 GAA in 29gp for Iowa Heartlanders (ECHL) Rousseau had a solid season in the ECHL after the Iowa Heartlanders signed him to a deal last summer after he completed a strong career in the QMJHL. He started the season as a backup to Kyle McClellan but ultimately supplanted him as the starter for the Heartlanders. Rousseau also played three games for the Iowa Wild. When Wallstedt was injured, Rousseau was inked to an AHL contract that runs through the 2025-26 season. That means he’ll have a real chance to serve as a backup in Des Moines next season and push Mercer for playing time, whether there or in the ECHL. At the very least, Mercer will be a part of the organization next year and has proven to be a reliable depth goaltender who can play a lot of games and be trusted with AHL starts. Dylan Ferguson 6-foot-2, 194 pounds Age: 26 Acquired: Free Agent 2024-25 Stats: .878 SV%, 3.81 GAA in 12gp for Iowa Wild (AHL) Iowa signed Ferguson during training camp after the Vancouver Canucks released him from his tryout. He deserves a lot of credit for being an organizational soldier last season, mostly serving as depth in Iowa to bolster the goaltending as insurance for the struggling Wallstedt after Hlavaj passed him on the depth chart. He was also an emergency call-up to Minnesota in January when Gustavsson was ill and Wallstedt was injured. However, he did not see any action, and they returned him to Iowa the next day. The Wild called him up again in February to serve as a practice goalie during the 4 Nations Face-Off break, but they returned him to Iowa again without playing any games. That’s pretty much been the story of Ferguson’s career. He’s a veteran professional netminder who has bounced around professional hockey without playing many games. However, he won a Kelly Cup in the ECHL in 2021. He spent last season in the KHL and is now an unrestricted free agent. While his track record suggests he is a capable netminder, the fact that the Wild signed Mercer and Rousseau probably means they probably won’t bring Ferguson back. Kyle McClellan 6-foot-1, 185 pounds Age: 26 Acquired: Free Agent 2024-25 Stats: .898 SV%, 2.62 GAA in 35gp for Iowa Heartlanders (ECHL) The Wild signed the undrafted former University of Wisconsin netminder to a one-year AHL contract last spring, but he ended up spending the entire season in the ECHL due to Hlavaj’s emergence. McClellan performed adequately, but given that Rousseau passed him and is without a contract for next season, it’s doubtful that he’ll be back in the fold next season. Troy Grosenick 6-foot-1, 181 pounds Age: 35 Acquired: Free Agent 2024-25 Stats: Did not play due to injury Unlike Ferguson, Grosenick has a long track record of AHL success, and the Wild actually signed him to be the starter in Iowa if Wallstedt had stuck in the NHL. Instead, he tore his ACL before training camp and didn’t play at all this season (Ferguson was actually his replacement). It’s hard not to wonder how his presence in Iowa could have helped Wallstedt this season. Assuming he fully recovers, the 35-year-old journeyman will almost certainly be offered an AHL deal somewhere, but it probably won’t be in Iowa. — Ultimately, aside from Wallstedt’s struggles, it was a year of positive developments in net for the Minnesota Wild. It appears the position is becoming one of strength that can further solidify the organization’s already strong prospect pool.

Liz Schepers scored the game-winning goal in 2024 to help Minnesota win the Walter Cup Championship. Rinse and repeat in 2025. Schepers, a Mound, Minn. native, scored the overtime, championship-clinching goal 12 minutes into overtime of Game 4 on Monday in front of 11,024 fans at Xcel Energy Center. The goal secured the fourth 2-1 overtime victory of the series against the Ottawa Charge. After linemates Klára Hymlárová and Katy Knoll brought the puck into Ottawa’s zone, Knoll fed Schepers for the goal. “Just tried to get lost and then made a great play to the front of the net, and I was able to get a couple whacks at it,” Schepers told reporters postgame. “Saw the puck go in, and then I was on my back. Yeah, the celebration was on.” Unlike last year, when the series went five games, Minnesota enjoyed winning the clinching game on its home ice in downtown St. Paul. The Frost players celebrated back-to-back championships in front of their family, friends, and fans. After dropping Game 1 in Ottawa, the Frost won three consecutive games to win the best-of-five series 3-1. Frost goaltender Maddie Rooney made 33 saves in the final game for her fifth postseason win in a row. At the other end, Ottawa rookie goaltender Gwyneth Philips was voted the Ilana Kloss Playoff MVP. She made 33 saves in Game 4 and led all goaltenders with a 1.23 goals-against average and .952 save percentage in eight playoff games. She did not lose a playoff game in regulation. Knoll was teammates with Philips at Northeastern University, and Knoll was happy and proud of her friend, who deserves all the accolades she received. “People shouldn’t even be surprised, but she continues to blow everyone’s expectations out of the water,” Knoll said. Though goaltending was a bright spot for both teams in the series, the depth on Minnesota’s roster predictably was a key factor in getting the victory. The Frost’s fourth line – or Blue Line, as they’re called – of Hymlárová, Schepers, and Knoll scored a combined 13 points in the Walter Cup Finals. That included the series-winning goal. “To have a coaching staff that has confidence in their fourth line,” Schepers said, “to play us in big moments in overtimes, it gives us a ton of confidence to go out there and to make plays and to contribute to this team.” Contribute they did. Knoll was the hero in Game 3, a contest that took three overtimes to decide a winner. Knoll, a rookie, scored her second goal of the playoffs at 109:57 to give Minnesota a commanding 2-1 series lead. Hymlárová, who scored a goal and four assists in the playoffs, assisted on both of their overtime winners. Knoll and Hymlárová each finished with five points in the postseason. “You look at our Blue Line and how many goals they scored these last few games,” said Minnesota coach Ken Klee. “It just shows, they don’t play the most minutes, but the minutes they do play are super important and super important for our group. “They play hard. They practice hard every day. They know, ‘Hey, we have a job to do just like everyone else. I’m so happy for them.” Schepers is back for her second year with Minnesota, centering two rookies in Hymlárová and Knoll on the right wing. Hymlárová, 26, played for St. Cloud State University and is from Czechia. The Frost drafted her in the third round last summer. She scored one goal and one assist in 29 regular-season games before her productive eight playoff games. Knoll, an Amherst, N.Y. native, was the team's seventh-round pick (39th overall) after a college career at Northeastern University. Like Hymlárová, Knoll scored a goal and an assist in the regular season. The trio came into the finals having scored 10 points in the semifinals against the Toronto Sceptres, which matched their combined regular-season offensive production. “My linemates were phenomenal all playoffs long,” Schepers said on May 28, during the Frost’s Walter Cup celebration. “You need that in the postseason. Every team is too good. Every top line is going to almost cancel out every other top line, and you need that depth to be successful and take on some of that production responsibility.” Schepers, 26, shouldered some of that responsibility last season when she scored the first goal in the team’s 3-0 Game 5 victory in Boston to clinch the championship. Just how clutch has she been? Schepers has five career PWHL goals, and three of them are in the playoffs. Two of those, of course, clinched the championships. Schepers tallied three assists in 19 regular-season games last year before adding a goal and four assists in 10 playoff games. She scored two goals and six points in the regular season this year in 27 games before her two goals and an assist in the postseason. Rooney noted how solid Schepers has been for Minnesota these two seasons. “For her to come up big in those moments… the game-winning goals, it just says so much about her,” Rooney said. “She’s just a big-moment, big-game player.” Before the PWHL, Schepers played with the Minnesota Whitecaps in the PHF, the women’s professional league before the PWHL. She scored 14 points with the Whitecaps in 2022-23 when the team lost the championship to Toronto. Schepers played college hockey for Ohio State, helping lead the program to its first national championship in 2022. In her five seasons with the Buckeyes, she graduated in the top-10 of all-time scorers in the program with 63 goals and 137 points. Schepers also scored six game-winning goals in 2019-20, good enough for the single-season record in that category. She’s at the top of the Buckeye list with 12 career postseason assists, 18 points, and 170 career games played. But her roots are in Minnesota, where she played high school hockey with Mound-Westonka. She made two trips to the Class 1A state tournament, scoring two goals and an assist in 2013 and four goals and two assists in a consolation semifinal loss in 2017. Her teams went 0-2 in state quarterfinal games at Xcel Energy Center. Even at the celebration, winning back-to-back championships as a professional hockey player hadn’t quite sunk in yet. She said some of her most memorable hockey from preps to college and WCHA tournaments were played in Minnesota, adding that she’s always had a lot of support from Minnesota and college teammates. “It’s been such a huge part of my career being from here,” Schepers said. “It’s a really full-circle moment coming back and being able to finish this thing on home ice.” Knoll also had a “full-circle” moment in a bit of a different way. She came off five seasons at Northeastern going into the PWHL Draft last June, held at Roy Wilkins Auditorium in St. Paul. She said during the Cup celebration that draft night was “pretty stressful” since she was picked so late, in the seventh round. She attended the Draft in person, and nearly a year later, she was at the same location celebrating a championship as a pro hockey player. “I was sitting there thinking, ‘oh wow, who would’ve thought that however many months later that I’d be standing here a Walter Cup Champion?’” Knoll said. “So that was pretty cool.” Knoll, 24, scored 61 goals and 131 points in 177 games with Northeastern. The 177 games played ranked second all-time in school history. She said on Wednesday that it was an honor to be drafted by the league's reigning champion. “I think that also instilled a lot of belief in me,” Knoll said. “That they trusted me to come into this organization and fight for a place. I took that as a little bit of a challenge, and it ended up working out in the end.” Along with her linemate Hymlárová, the Frost’s rookie class included Britta Curl-Salemme, who scored the late tying goal and overtime winner in Game 2 of the Finals, defenders Claire Thompson and Mae Batherson, and forwards Brooke McQuigge and Dominique Petrie. Those players also celebrated their first PWHL title alongside plenty of experienced teammates who won the Cup with Minnesota a year ago. Knoll said the combination of young energy and experienced energy was “exactly what we needed. " “I think that was a lot of what contributed to that great depth that we showed,” Knoll said. “You look at my line in particular… Liz had a lot of that experience from last year, and she was able to help guide us. And I think Klara and I really brought that new, that excited fresh energy.” Schepers had energy, too, Knoll added. However, it was that leadership sense that helped stabilize the line and give them the confidence to work together as a cohesive line. Recently, someone asked Knoll to identify her “I made it moment” in the PWHL. She had two answers. The first was when she put on the Frost jersey and secured her spot in the league by playing in a game. Her other moment didn’t happen until Game 3 of the PWHL Finals, when she saw a bunch of signs made by fans with her name on them. “It just emphasized to me that every single person on this team, regardless of where you’re at in the lineup, everyone’s a role model for the young kids growing up looking to play hockey and to play professionally,” Knoll said. “That kind of resonated with me. It was a really cool moment.”

That's Wild While the Minnesota Frost were able to celebrate lifting the Walter Cup for the second consecutive season, it was short lived as the upcoming PWHL expansion is heavy on everyone's minds. The team won't be the same after Vancouver and Seattle get their pick of players, and some players know it. [The Hockey News] Marco Rossi comes in at third on Frank Seravalli's first trade target board of the offseason. [Daily Faceoff] With the young players that can make an impact, next season will feel like a crossroads for the Minnesota Wild's blue line. [Hockey Wilderness] Off the trail... How the Carolina Hurricanes stayed alive in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Final, and what lies ahead for the Florida Panthers. [ESPN] Zach Hyman sustained an injury in the middle of Game 4 of the Western Conference and did not return. A big blow to the Edmonton Oilers no matter what. [NHL.com] What if Brendan Shanahan was able to mold an entire NHL franchise to his liking? What if he was put in charge of one of the next NHL expansion team? [The Hockey News] Eight NHL players that could be bought out this summer. [Bleacher Report]

The Minnesota Frost have secured their second consecutive Walter Cup championship, defeating the Ottawa Charge 2-1 in overtime in Game 4 of the PWHL Finals. Liz Schepers played the hero, scoring the Cup-clinching overtime goal 12 minutes into the extra frame. The series was a battle of endurance, with every game going to overtime and Game 3 even stretching into triple overtime. Minnesota struck first in Game 4, with Kelly Pannek netting her second playoff goal midway through the second period. Ottawa responded in the third, as Tereza Vanisova found the back of the net to tie the game. But in overtime, Schepers buried her own rebound, sealing the victory and ensuring the Frost remain the only team to have won the Walter Cup since the league’s inception. This marks a historic moment for the Frost, as they successfully defend their title and cement their legacy in modern women’s professional hockey. That's Wild There are some Minnesota Wild fans that might want the Dallas Stars to win the Stanley Cup out of the teams that are left. It feels weird. [Hockey Wilderness] For the Iowa Wild, winning is not a mandated goal. So, how does that affect development? And how has that gone so far? [The Athletic] Off the trail... Six deals in recent trade deadlines that caused a whole lot of regret. [The Hockey News] Oilers took control of the Western Conference Final with a very solid win in Game 3 to take a 2-1 series lead. [ESPN]

This spring is starting to look a lot like the end of last season for Minnesota in the PWHL playoffs. A year ago, the team had a five-game skid to end the regular season, barely made the playoffs, and then won in a reverse-sweep against Toronto to reach the championship series on the way to the inaugural Walter Cup Championship. “We really battled, and we showed that once we play our game, we’re a really hard team to beat,” said Minnesota defender Mellissa Channell-Watkins. “I think that’s where our focus is moving forward, just play our game, do your job, and we’ll be successful in the end.” This season, the team now known as the Minnesota Frost was out of the playoff picture before a dominating pair of must-win games to end the regular season and again get the final and No. 4 slot in the playoffs. Again, Minnesota defeated the higher-seed Toronto Sceptres in three consecutive games to win the semifinals and earn a shot to defend its Walter Cup title. The Frost open the PWHL Finals on the road against No. 3 Ottawa Charge on Tuesday night. Minnesota has made it this far thanks to clutch goal-scoring performances from its forward lines, but the blue line has also driven winning. In the Frost’s 5-3 Game 2 win in Toronto, four of the team’s five tallies came from defenders, including two from red-hot Lee Stecklein (three goals, three assists in four playoff games) and a pair of third-period goals from the second defensive pair, Sophie Jaques and Channell-Watkins. The pair started playing together at the end of last season and celebrated a championship together. Ken Klee tweaked the lines early this season, but they were reunited and have played together for a good chunk of the season. Channell-Watkins said the pair finishes a shift, puts it behind them no matter what happens, and prepares for the next one. They don’t necessarily say a lot to each other, but their play is in sync. “I know other D pairings are always chit-chatting on the ice, but I think everyone’s different, and I think that’s why we mesh so well together, because we kind of just take it shift by shift,” Channell-Watkins said. “Honestly, she’s probably one of the best defenseman I’ve ever played with. I love her to death. We always just joke around, we’re just here to have fun, but when it comes down to it, we put our head down, we get to work, and I think we have really great chemistry on and off the ice.” Jaques is a 24-year-old from Toronto and is third on the Frost in scoring across the first four playoff games, with two goals and four assists. She scored seven goals in the regular season, and her 15 assists led the Frost and were one off the league lead. The offensive defender is one of three finalists (along with rookie teammate Claire Thompson) for the PWHL Defender of the Year award. Following Game 4 against Toronto, Frost coach Ken Klee mentioned Jaques, along with Taylor Heise and Thompson, when addressing what it says about this team that it could make it to the finals in back-to-back years. “Sophie Jaques is an up-and-comer,” Klee said. “We have a young group, but we also have a veteran group. They’ve been in these situations a lot.” Jaques is part of a younger group of players who went right from college hockey to getting drafted into the PWHL. But Boston selected Jaques 10th overall in the inaugural PWHL Draft in 2023. She didn’t record a point in seven games played with Boston before she was part of the first trade in PWHL history in February 2024, arriving in Minnesota last season in exchange for Susanna Tapani. “I was very fortunate to have the transition out of college,” Jaques said. “That makes it a lot easier when you get to come right into a team environment. “I think that then being around the girls who have been out of college for a while helped make that transition seamless. I think just what this league’s been able to do and to provide a sustainable way to play hockey is really cool to be a part of.” Early indications were that the trade worked well for both teams, and Jaques fit in well in Minnesota. She scored two goals and 10 points in 15 regular-season games last season before adding two goals and three assists in the playoffs. “I’ve really enjoyed my time in Minnesota,” Jaques said. “They welcomed me with open arms when I got here. I was thrown into a position to play to my strength and be successful, and I think it’s just been a lot of fun here.” Jaques bumped her production to seven goals and 22 points in 25 games this season, ranking third on the team in points. She scored a goal and an assist in Games 2 and 3 versus Toronto before adding two assists in the series-clinching game. She describes herself as an offensive defenseman who likes to speed up the game as much as she can “by transitioning pucks quickly, moving them up the ice and just getting shots on net while also having a good stick in the D zone.”. Particularly in the playoffs, Jaques isn’t shy about shooting the puck. She had 75 shots in the regular season this year, plus 11 in the playoffs for an 18.2% shooting percentage. Jaques grew up playing on outdoor rinks in Toronto, so returning to play professional hockey games now feels like a home game, even though she plays for Minnesota. She also has many childhood memories of playing shinny outside or in backyard rinks. “Just like a community game that brought people together,” Jaques said. “Just all the friendships and relationships that developed along the way. I think when I look back on hockey, that’s what I’ll remember the most.” She’ll also have a lot of tangible accolades to look back on. Jaques is the second all-time defender in scoring at Ohio State with 61 goals and 172 points in five seasons with the Buckeyes, including a national championship in 2022 and a runner-up finish in 2023, when she also won the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award. Also in 2022, Jaques was the WCHA Defender of the Year and tied Emma Maltais (now playing for Toronto) for Ohio State’s single-season scoring record with 59 points (21 goals, 38 assists). Channell-Watkins played four seasons at the University of Wisconsin (11 goals, 64 points in 147 games), who has developed a heated rivalry with Ohio State. But Channell-Watkins, 30, didn’t overlap playing against Jaques in college, and Ohio State wasn’t relishing in the success it’s seen recently. There’s always some joking among Frost teammates about the rivalries between the Badgers, Gophers, and Buckeyes. Often, when the schools play each other during the season, Channell-Watkins said there might be a simple coffee wager on the game. “You’ll never catch me betting to wear a jersey,” she added, with a laugh. Never mind the age gap, Jaques and Channell-Watkins work well together as a D pair and have helped produce offense for their team. Channell-Watkins came off a season with just two assists in 24 games before adding four helpers in 10 playoff games last year. In 2024-25, she scored her first PWHL goal and added six assists in the regular season before, just like Jaques, a three-game point streak in the playoffs with a goal and three assists. Jaques said Channell-Watkins is a shut-down, consistent, and very reliable player. “I always know where she’s going to be and is always there to support me or cover for me if I do make any mistakes,” Jaques said. “So, I think just having trust and confidence in your D partner, I think we both trust each other, so that’s what allows us to be most successful.” Channell-Watkins, born in Seattle but a dual citizen of Canada because of her dad, hockey scout Craig Channell, spent most of her childhood playing boys’ hockey in Seattle and then the Detroit area. Playing full-contact with the boys also helped her learn to use her body more as a smaller player; she’s listed at 5-foot-4-inches tall. “I’m a smaller girl, so I need to be able to stick up for myself,” Channell-Watkins said. “But then once I moved back to Michigan, then girls’ hockey was a little bit more known out in the Midwest than it is out west. So, I played both but mostly girls’ hockey.” After college, she played in the CWHL (Canadian Women’s Hockey League) before it folded and then the PWHPA (Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association) before the PWHL formed. She lived in Utah with her husband and played beer-league hockey until the new women’s professional league came along. She hadn’t had regular practices since college, so adjusting to the new league took a while. “But then once I kind of got back into the swing of things, I found my groove again,” Channell-Watkins said. “So, it was good.” The Frost have also found their groove again at an optimal time in the season. The team’s depth – from the forward lines to rolling six defenders to rotating two solid goaltenders – is a key to what’s gone right for Minnesota in each of its playoff runs. With a core group of players who won the championship last year, Minnesota can draw on its Finals experience to hopefully bring home another title. They need three more victories in a best-of-five series to do it. “I think our biggest strength is our depth, and every single player on our team is valued and contributes,” Jaques said. “I think with these longer series, we’re able to wear down other teams, and I think that’s what’s going to make us successful.”

The Minnesota Wild are entering what could be their most consequential summer since they signed Zach Parise and Ryan Suter in 2012. With a superstar to re-sign and money to spend, what happens this offseason will shape the next era of Wild hockey. The team could look significantly different when they take the ice next year. However, according to The Athletic’s Joe Smith, Ryan Hartman is still likely to be a part of it. It wasn’t always guaranteed that Hartman would have a spot on the team. He’s a scrappy forward who sometimes can provide scoring depth. While he has upside, there’s also the part of his game that led him to his suspension for 10 games (later reduced to eight) after the Tim Stutzle incident. That incident was the latest in a string of events for Hartman, who the league has suspended five times and fined seven times. Hartman’s disciplinary history seemed to test the NHL and the Wild brass’s patience. Bill Guerin said there would be “no more wiggle room” after Hartman returned from suspension. Those comments led to speculation that the Wild would trade the forward at the deadline or after the season. Given Joe Smith’s assertion that Hartman will likely be on the team next season, much has changed between that moment and now. In just a few short months, Hartman was able to flip the script on his Wild tenure and save his spot on the team. One of the main aspects of Hartman’s redemption arc was his performance in the playoffs. Most people recognized the forward’s gritty performance, giving Guerin a more positive view of his play. The Wild GM spoke about his performance after the playoffs, showing a marked change in stance from his comments after his suspension. “That is the Ryan Hartman that we need,” Guerin said. “He played incredibly well. Stayed composed and did not give in to the other team trying to push his buttons. “He has that ability. We need him to be more like that than the guy that flies off the hammer. He has that ability, and I think sometimes he is frustrated with himself, and he just blows a gasket, which I get. But we need the playoff Ryan Hartman, then the other guy.” Hartman’s composure was a staple of his game in the playoffs. He played his usual style while only committing one penalty and drawing three. While Hartman drew praise for his composure, he was also a positive contributor offensively. The forward produced the second-most expected goals per 60 minutes and peppered the Vegas net with shots. (Source: Moneypuck.com) While Hartman’s playoff performance provided cause for celebration, it is just a six-game sample. The refs also call fewer penalties in the playoffs. Can Hartman replicate his performance over a long stretch and within the confines of the regular season? There are signs to indicate that he can. After his suspension, Hartman played much like he did in the playoffs at the end of the regular season. Here are some of Hartman’s stats from the last 20 games of the regular season. (Source: Moneypuck.com) Hartman was already playing productive hockey in his minutes, but wasn’t as productive as usual. He also drew 29 penalty minutes while only sitting 15 minutes in the box. When you compare those numbers to his overall season, it’s evident he had much more positive results in the last 20 games. (Source: Moneypuck.com) Hartman’s penalty differential before the last 20 games also had a far less favorable ratio of 35 PIMs drawn to 40 PIMs served. Hartman earned praise with his playoff performance but was just as productive at the end of the regular season. In the 20-game sample, Hartman accrued an expected goals-for percentage of 53.6% and had relatively positive possession numbers with a 52% Fenwick rating. He even played solid defensively, allowing the fewest high-danger shot attempts against per 60 minutes among forwards (2.56). All that indicates Hartman can replicate his playoff performance in the regular season. Another piece of this puzzle is that trading Hartman wouldn’t make sense on a team that needs as much center depth as possible. With constant speculation about trading Marco Rossi, the Wild will need every bit of help down the middle. Hartman is a versatile forward who plays a lot on the wing but can also play center. He is by no means a faceoff wizard, but he has improved significantly throughout his Minnesota tenure. He won 41.5% of his draws in 2020-21, the first season he took over 200 faceoffs for the Wild. Hartman had his best year in the faceoff dot last season, winning 47.8% of his faceoffs. That doesn’t make him a tremendous asset in the faceoff circle, but for a team that averaged 46.7%, Hartman is better than most of their team members. There’s a healthy amount of hypothesizing that the Wild are looking to bring in Brock Nelson, which would strengthen the center corps. Even with that boon, the team wouldn’t be able to get rid of any centers. At one point, Hartman’s departure seemed inevitable. With his play in the back half of the season and his even better performance in the playoffs, that feeling is now a distant memory. If Hartman can continue playing his brand of tenacious hockey without going over the edge, he’ll be a valuable asset for Minnesota.

The NHL has officially unveiled the updated draft pick compensation for any offer sheets sent to restricted free agents this summer. With such a large bump in the salary cap, the thresholds for the compensation had to be updated as well and it looks just about where we would all expect. Offer sheet AAV Compensation $1,544,424 or less None $1,544,425 to $2,340,037 Third-round pick $2,340,038 to $4,680,076 Second-round pick $4,680,077 to $7,020,113 First- and third-round picks $7,020,114 to $9,360,153 First-, second-, and third-round picks $9,360,154 to $11,700,192 Two firsts, one second, and one third Over $11,700,192 Four first-round picks Lots of millions and lots of draft picks potentially switching teams. It is important to note that the draft picks sent as compensation must be the team’s own draft pick. Any offer sheet being sent out this summer is not a certainty, but there are some reasons why it could be more likely in the next few months than previous offseasons. Obviously, the elephant in the room is the entire hockey world witnessing St. Louis Blues general manager sending two over to Edmonton to snatch away two very good young players in defenseman Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway. Both players, in increased roles compared to their time with the Oilers, excelled and were just a couple of the several reasons why the Blues were a playoff team. Some teams might want to just do the same to other unfortunately cap-strapped teams and take their promising young players because they can’t adequately pay them. Essentially, what the entire system is built to do. Will we see more of these and are the Minnesota Wild willing to part with upcoming draft picks to target a young restricted free agent? That's Wild One move that could happen is the Wild not feeling comfortable with Jesper Wallstedt automatically getting the backup position, and signing a veteran netminder. David Rittich is one that comes to mind. [Hockey Wilderness] While we all love to boast about drafting the best player over specific need, the Marco Rossi saga is showing the slight downside to that mentality. [Hockey Wilderness] Off the trail... Trends and shocking takeaways from the second round so far. [ESPN] Auston Matthews is not scoring goals. That's a problem for the Toronto Maple Leafs. The captain should be putting the puck in the back of the net if this whole thing is going to work for them. [TheScore] Miro Heiskanen has made his return for the Dallas Stars. [NHL.com]

The Minnesota Wild are looking for a center to back up Joel Eriksson Ek. Sam Bennett fits the description of what they need to take the load off Eriksson Ek, so he can stay healthy and contribute offensively throughout the playoffs. Bennett is a proven winner and a playoff performer. Bennett has 43 points in 61 playoff games played with the Florida Panthers, the kind of secondary scoring the Wild need to make a deeper playoff run. Bennett provides the perfect play style suited for the playoffs. However, Bennett's regular-season stats aren't impressive. While he's a three-time 20-goal scorer, he isn't the best playmaker, nor does he have an elite shot at being a 30-goal scorer, so his offense is limited. Still, Bennett would be a great middle-six contributor for the Wild. Danila Yurov is expected to come in and replace Marco Rossi, who the Wild will likely deal this summer. However, he can't play Eriksson Ek's role to play shutdown grinding minutes. Bennett's better suited for that role. The Wild will likely slot Yurov on the second line in a scoring role with Mats Zuccarello. Florida paid Bennett $4.43 million on his previous contract. He’ll expect a raise, but not that much, so not much that he'll be unaffordable. Can Guerin get Bennett to agree to at least $5 to $5.5 million? The Anaheim Ducks signed Adam Henrique to a $5.83 million contract from 2019-20 to 2023-24, which is a good comparable. Bennett can settle for this role because he'll be playing in all situations, but he will be playing a defensive role at even strength. Yakov Trenin made a great physical impact against the Vegas Golden Knights in the playoffs. He notched two assists. Trenin even stole the puck from Hill, where he almost assisted Justin Brazeau on a potential empty-net goal, but Brazeau doesn't have the foot speed for playoff hockey. However, Guerin and head coach John Hynes played Brazeau over Vinnie Hinostroza during the playoffs. Therefore, Guerin is likely looking to extend him to be at least a 12th or 13th forward next season, now that the Wild have the cap space to carry 13 forwards. While Brazeau can still become a reliable fourth-liner, he doesn't play special teams. Bennett's a faster version of Trenin with more offense. Everyone wants Trenin to have more speed and offense, but he doesn't have that skill level. But Bennett does. If the Wild had Bennett playing against Vegas, they could've likely beaten them. Bennett would've taken the Jack Eichel and Mark Stone matchup. Bennett would have broken them mentally. Ryan Hartman has shown he can be a playoff performer, and he and Bennett could coax more offense out of Marcus Foligno. Hartman has 11 points in the last 11 playoff games for the Wild. He's becoming this team's version of Blake Coleman and Andrew Shaw; Hartman isn't going anywhere. Foligno can continue his surge to show the NHL why the Wild extended him. Suddenly, his $4 million contract isn't a burden anymore. While his No-Movement Clause (NMC) still may present an issue for the team to make moves when he's in a scoring slump, Foligno will bring physical consistency. Bennett gives him more fuel for his engine. The Western Conference isn't ready for this shutdown line, which will strike fear into teams simply by forechecking. There will be a lot of finishing checks, open-ice hits, and net crashing, which will bring fans out of their seats. They are talented enough to score clutch goals off energy bursts. While Bennett will likely get a no-trade clause in his contract, this contract will be worth keeping. It will give them much-needed secondary scoring, and Bennett will play the crease on the second power play. Players like Yurov and David Jiricek are expected to be on the second power play, and they have someone who has no problem initiating contact to score on rebounds. Now that the Wild have a shutdown line, Eriksson Ek can focus on scoring and have a more productive season. Matt Boldy took another step in the playoffs, and he'll be ready for a true breakout season. That will take the burden off Kaprizov to dominate since they have a line that can bully top lines. In adding Bennett, Guerin would frustrate division rivals like the Dallas Stars, Colorado Avalanche, St. Louis Blues, and Winnipeg Jets. The Wild can start next season strong. They have their top and third lines set. Now it's time for them to complete their second line.

When the Vegas Golden Knights eliminated the Minnesota Wild from the Stanley Cup playoffs, everyone's attention immediately turned to this summer. Wild players said the usual things you would hear at the end of another first-round defeat, and fans wondered what the next level could be for a team with a young core, with Kirill Kaprizov, Matt Boldy, Zeev Buium, and some gritty veterans. But while everyone can speculate who will take a step forward next year, the real spotlight shone on Bill Guerin. Guerin’s tenure has been relatively successful but polarizing. He’s navigated the bulk of the Zach Parise and Ryan Suter buyout penalties. However, his real test will come this summer, and it’s an opportunity for him to get everyone to buy in. A large group of Wild fans has already bought into Guerin’s plan. The Parise and Suter penalties were supposed to be a death sentence for the Wild, with $14.7 million in dead money added to their payroll in each of the past three seasons. With limited cap space, it may have been time to bottom out, get some players, and be ready to add the missing pieces in free agency. But Guerin was able to take a different approach. The Wild made the playoffs in two of the three years they faced a giant cap penalty, and they did it by finding talent. His decision to extend Ryan Hartman and Marcus Foligno looked rocky at this time a year ago, but they were key reasons why the Wild took Vegas to six games. A Mats Zuccarello extension also looks wise as he ages into his late 30s. The Wild also found a key piece in Jake Middleton, acquiring him from the San Jose Sharks and extending him to a four-year deal last summer. Guerin’s biggest move was making the most out of the Kevin Fiala situation, getting a franchise cornerstone in Brock Faber and a top prospect (Liam Ohgren) for a player he would never sign. It should also be noted how Guerin has installed his culture in St. Paul. Dean Evason was the first to install a “gritty” culture, but he fell on the sword when the Wild got off to a slow start in the 2023-24 season. John Hynes took over and was a calming force, focusing his group and producing a fast start that helped them make the playoffs this season. The Wild’s business-like approach in the playoffs has many excited about the future. Guerin’s young finds have also contributed to that optimism with Buium joining the lineup late this season and other prospects, including Ohgren, Danila Yurov, and David Jiricek, likely to gain regular playing time next season. But while Wild fans can highlight the positives of the Guerin era, there are also some negatives. While Guerin had one hand tied behind his back with the cap penalties, he was fully aware of the consequences when he bought out Parise and Suter. Making the playoffs feels a little easier when half the league makes the field. The real miracle would have been bringing this team to the second round for the first time since 2015. There’s also some pushback as to how Guerin has constructed this roster. While Foligno was a wrecking ball during the playoffs, he was one year removed from comparing himself to a rusted-out Chevrolet. Hartman also may be a case of fool’s gold based on his history of competent play followed by a rage-fueled lack of discipline. Guerin hasn’t fared well with the money he’s had, either. Yakov Trenin was a free-agent bust after signing a four-year, $14 million contract last summer. Guerin's tendency to hand out no-movement clauses like Halloween candy turned him into Harry Houdini diving into a shark tank with a straightjacket when he tried to improve the roster. Like Houdini, Guerin survived. But the question is how long he can pull it off. The summer should help Guerin’s case. While the Wild will have more money, Faber and Middleton's extensions will kick in. Puckpedia estimates Minnesota could have $20.5 million in cap space. The $49 million in cap space for the 2026-27 season also looks enticing, but is watered down when you realize a Kaprizov extension could take $12-$15 million of that space. That leaves plenty of room to improve, but Guerin must find the right guys. Brock Nelson has been a popular target, but he could be looking for a long-term deal after turning down a three-year contract with a $7.5 AAV with the New York Islanders last spring. Adding Matt Duchene and John Tavares also carries name recognition, but both players are 34. While younger players such as Mitch Marner, Nikolaj Ehlers, and Sam Bennett are on the market, all three have lemon potential. There’s also the Marco Rossi situation. The Wild may feel like they’re heading toward a divorce, but opposing teams know they can wait to sign him to an offer sheet rather than offer a haul in a trade. Guerin could always choose to keep Rossi, but it could be at the price of a player he really wants. It creates plenty of landmines in an offseason he has to nail. But if he’s successful, it could be the chance to make everyone buy in and believe that he can build a true Stanley Cup contender.

That's it. The Minnesota Wild had their season ending by the hands of the Vegas Golden Knights and all it took was a 3-2 in Game 6 Thursday night. While the Wild were able to come alive for the majority of this series and surprised most by how competitive they were going to be for a Wild Card team that almost had their playoff spot slip away from them in the late regular season, it still leaves a sour taste. A lingering feeling that might not go away until the next time the Wild make the playoffs, and we can be filled with some more hope and praying that they would show something more. But on an individual game basis? What can we truly take away from 60 minutes we wish to forget almost immediately? Do we dare think of their performance that led us to think about what might happen at the 2025 NHL Draft or some offseason moves, already? Wild finally had underlying upper hand -- didn't matter As this series carried on, a whole lot of digital ink was spilled over which team was truly controlling the play. Sure, Minnesota got to the 2-1 series lead earlier, and Vegas came storming back in the next three games, but underneath the hood of each game was where some indicators truly lay. For the first five games, the Wild let the Golden Knights have the advantage in shot attempts and shots on goal at 5-on-5. The typical indicators of success generally tilted towards Vegas, but the Wild were more than comfortable taking their opportunities when they get them. On Thursday night, in the loss that sent Minnesota home very early, the Wild actually had the advantage when it came to underlying offensive statistics. A sizeable 55-34 advantage in shot attempts at 5-on-5, and won the shot battle at that game state 24-15 as well. You can continue just scrolling down through the single-game sample size of how the Wild were able to have plenty of control during Game 6, but it would become the same old story. The Wild played well but still ended up as the team that got knocked out. It was the first time where they walked away from the game this series with more scoring chances than their opponent, but sometimes it doesn't even matter. It could come down to some single-player performances. Came down to the big plays from big players When the Wild had the advantage in this series, both Mark Stone and Jack Eichel had not scored yet, and Minnesota was taking advantage of a quiet start. Both of those star players for the Golden Knights ended up putting pucks in the back of the net during Game 6. Sometimes it's not control or possession or any underlying metric you can think of. It's players that have been there before and know exactly what they need to do to get that greasy and nasty goal in the playoffs. Whether it was Stone batting a puck out of mid-air to just push through the Wild, or Stone connecting with Eichel to shoot him off for an odd-man rush and to score a series-killing goal; it proved to be the difference. Maybe the Wild were just lulled into some sense of safety as those two were held without a goal to start. And then they just pounce on the team that thinks they have this all figured out. The Golden Knights' stars came to play and showed up when it mattered the most. Maybe they were just the sleeping giant -- the series did end as most expected. Fleury send-off Thursday night's Game 6 loss meant no more games for the Wild, and that means no more games for Marc-Andre Fleury. The legendary netminder has now played in his final NHL game. It will be the last time he was able to sit on a bench wearing a team's colors over some equipment. Naturally, he got a heck of a send-off after the final whistle, and as the handshake line began. It is a terrible way for his career to end, before it eventually gets enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame. Standing on the loser's side of a first-round exit after experiencing the highs of this league for several years. But, at least the farewell was done right and the Wild got the rare chance to be the footnote on the career of one of the best to do it at their position. Now, where do the Wild go from here? Can they recover from yet another time they weren't able to move on in the playoffs? Will there be major changes to this roster? Will they keep the same players and just hope for a different result, and blame their underperformance on injuries? This summer, anything feels possible for this team that feels desperate to show that they can be something more.

Coming into the Minnesota Wild's series against the Vegas Golden Knights, Zeev Buium was a great choice to slot into the Wild defense. He'd never played a minute of NHL hockey, but the former Denver Pioneer offered the team badly-needed upside to keep up with Vegas' talent. John Hynes clearly agreed, as Buium started the series' first four games. However, the Wild have left Buium out of the lineup for Game 5, with veteran Jon Merrill drawing in. The timing is a bit unfortunate because it can read like a reaction to Buium's high-sticking double-minor on Mark Stone, which arguably cost Minnesota Game 4. Still, other than that, Buium's showing in Game 4 felt like his best performance of the series, and he seemed to be gaining confidence. So why eschew his upside and sit him now? Maybe you're scratching your head over the decision, but putting in Merrill makes sense for tonight's game. Here's why. It's pretty rare for a 33-year-old third-pairing defenseman to be a popular player, especially when they have just six points in 70 games. It's not Merrill's fault. He's been in Minnesota for four years and has been a reliable defensive option for most of that time. However, fans get bored with low-upside veterans. They want to see the shiny new thing. Prospect heads are waiting for the likes of David Jiricek, Carson Lambos, and now Buium, to take those spots. Sometimes, that urge is more than justified. Coaches love to lean on veteran options, even when they're not strictly helping the team win. But Merrill isn't going in the lineup just for his perceived reliability. He's been a solid defenseman all season. He's a limited player, but limited doesn't always equal bad. It just means there are things they can and can't do. You don't want Merrill carrying the puck and leading the rush regularly. There's a simple solution for that problem: Don't ask him to do that. The Wild don't, and instead ask Merrill to play to his strengths, which is keeping opponents away from the net. Among Wild defensemen, Merrill was fourth (behind Declan Chisholm, Jonas Brodin, and Jared Spurgeon) in Goals Above Replacement's measurement of even-strength defense. Among the 214 defensemen who've logged 500-plus 5-on-5 minutes this season, Merrill ranks 24th in expected goals allowed per hour (2.24). He can (and does) thrive in Minnesota's structure, keeping attackers to the outside. There are two things that (rightfully) gave Merrill the inside track with the series going back to Vegas. In Games 1 and 2, Buium was something of an unknown quantity to Bruce Cassidy and the Golden Knights. As such, Cassidy didn't seem to have a plan of attack against Buium for those first two games, and Hynes capitalized on that by ensuring that all but two of his shifts started on the fly. Now, there are 54 minutes of tape on Buium, and Cassidy has a feel for Hynes' tendencies. With the ability to set matchups at home, Cassidy can find ways to try to punish the Wild for putting a rookie on the ice. Merrill offers much more of a safety net against unfavorable matchups, without the need for Hynes to be as careful in rotating his defensive pairs. The second thing is the flow of the series. There were indeed more penalties called in Minnesota than there were in Vegas, but even so, the Wild have drawn just two power plays per game. If Minnesota was going on the power play four or five times per evening, maybe it's a big advantage to have Buium in the lineup. Still, if they can only count on four minutes of time with the man advantage, how big is the drop-off from Buium to Spurgeon? That's also got to be part of the calculation. None of this is a critique of Buium. He's a 19-year-old holding his own in a situation that would be impossible for 99% of defensemen. It's just that different times in the series will call for different things. If the Wild were at home and able to set their matchups the way they wanted, Buium might easily stick in the lineup. If the team anticipates a bump in power plays, he might return for Game 6. But the needs are different for tonight's game, which is a must-win in a hostile environment against a Vegas team with new life. Merrill is probably less exploitable for Cassidy. Hynes is likelier to count on the veteran in all situations, leaving more time for Jonas Brodin and Jake Middleton to take a breather. It's not as fun, for sure, but there's a very reasonable case that Merrill gives the Wild the best chance to win Game 5.

This season, the Minnesota Wild implemented a successful tactic to lower their shorthanded goals against. Don’t take penalties. The Wild ended this season ranked 30th overall for penalty kill, with a 72.4% success rate. However, they only have 612 penalties in minutes (PIM), compared to the Florida Panthers, who have the most with 843. Minnesota doesn't have the same experience playing short a man as other teams, nor are they as physical. Considering Ryan Hartman and Marcus Foligno have 75 PIM each, it might be their teammates’ personality or a conscious effort that keeps Minnesota out of the box. The Vegas Golden Knights are only slightly better at the PK, with 75.7% overall in the regular season. Unfortunately, they're one of the few teams even better at staying out of the box, with only 463 minutes this season. They also rank 2nd in power plays, with 28.3%. Both teams have maintained their discipline in the postseason and only took 24 and 18 penalties, respectively. Unfortunately, there is no award for the most well-behaved. Whichever team moves on to the next round will definitely have to be more physical, and hope they don't face the Winnipeg Jets or the St. Louis Blues. Both Central Division teams are looking to draw blood, with 140 and 108 minutes, respectively, in the past 4 games. If the Wild had a better penalty kill, I’d recommend they spend a few more minutes in the sin bin to match other teams. Penalties are usually a strong indicator of physicality. While physicality makes a team much more difficult to play against, it doesn’t necessarily equate to success. In the 2023-24 season, the Anaheim Ducks and the Florida Panthers had over 1100 minutes. The Ducks ranked 30th by the end of the season, and the Panthers took home the Cup. As it stands, roughing up the other team is not a strategy Minnesota can adopt anytime soon. If they make it further, it’ll be a whole new battle. The Knights’ skill level makes them a formidable opponent, but they aren’t as physical as other playoff teams. However, the Wild have wisely been disciplined in the Vegas series. In Game 1, Matt Boldy couldn’t catch William Karlsson, who had the puck going towards Minnesota’s empty net. Boldly purposefully tripped Karlsson, and drew the penalty, but almost certainly stopped a goal. There’s only one penalty the Wild shouldn’t have gotten: having too many men on Saturday. Brock Faber was the third defenseman on the ice and quickly noticed and got back off, but since Minnesota made a pass in the seconds he was on, they got whistled for it. Line changes can be more complicated than they look. Teams have set lines, but the bench is loud and busy, and the changes happen very fast. Lines can quickly get jumbled if a player comes off early or the coach decides to switch players at the last second. Still, they’re professionals who can count to 5. However, this mistake wasn’t necessarily on Faber since it could’ve been another player who wasn’t supposed to be out. In any case, too many men should be an easily avoidable mistake. Minnesota can be less physical and play a perfect game, but it could still draw penalties. Professional refs can be biased and make mistakes. While the Wild have committed their alleged crimes, there has been a lack of calls on Vegas. Nick Hague fully cross-checked Ryan Hartman in the face, and there was no call. Hartman tripped Hague and pushed him, but with the intent to get the puck. Hague’s cross-check was blatant and unsportsmanlike. Call me biased, but there is a difference. Minnesota, and specifically Hartman, showed discipline and did not retaliate further. Robert Hagg tripping Freddy Gaudreau off the faceoff, immediately followed by a Vegas goal, was definitely more egregious. The Wild has controlled what they could, despite imperfect circumstances. The only place to improve is the penalty kill itself. Minnesota is 63.6% on the kill so far, but has been inconsistent game to game. In Game 1, the Knights scored on both their power plays, but the Wild didn’t show a massive weakness in their kill. During the Knights' first power play, Shea Theodore faked a shot on net but passed to Pavel Dorofeyev. Dorofeyev took a one-timer and slapped the puck in before Foligno or Filip Gustavsson had time to move over. Vegas’s skills, rather than Minnesota’s mistakes, made this goal happen. However, the Wild should take note of this play for future PKs. Minnesota didn’t take a single penalty in Game 2, and they successfully killed all 4 of their penalties in Game 3. However, the Wild were off their game in Game 3. Before the Knights’ first PPG, they were already peppering Gustavsson with shots. There was a loose puck, and Foligno had his stick on it, but Riley Smith outmuscled him and took it. Smith then passes to Theodore, who scored. On the penalty kill, Minnesota must summon the superhuman strength usually reserved for life-threatening situations, not get outmuscled. Las Vegas’s second PPG was equally disappointing. Again, the Knights already had several shots on net before they scored. The puck popped out from a rebound, and Boldy swung at it but never made contact. Nicolas Roy picked it up and scored. Even pros whiff occasionally, but they shouldn’t in the playoffs. Minnesota’s strategy of staying out of the box worked well in the regular season, despite its struggles on the penalty kill. However, Las Vegas is even more disciplined at staying out of the box and far more lethal on the power play. The Wild can’t avoid every penalty, so they’ll have to make the extra effort on the penalty kill to gain an edge over the Knights. However, if Minnesota makes it past the first round, they will likely be up against much more physical teams and may need to change strategies again.

Back in 2017, when a (stop me if you've heard this before) capped-out Minnesota Wild team traded Jason Pominville for Marcus Foligno, Chuck Fletcher was hoping to get a playoff performer. Someone who could lay huge, crunching hits. Someone who could score dirty rebound goals, and who could fit in perfectly as the games increased in physicality and intensity. Despite being created in a coaching lab to be a playoff guy, Foligno hasn't quite been what Minnesota envisioned. Not in the postseason. "Moose" would always play the body, of course, never shying away from the physical aspect of the game. But even after Foligno discovered his regular-season scoring touch, he would leave the offense behind as soon as the first round started. In his first five trips to the postseason, Foligno had only two goals and seven points in 28 games. That's an 82-game pace of six goals and 21 points. Why the sudden drop-off? A big reason is the wear and tear from being a hockey player who perfectly fits the "Moose" nickname. He tends to miss a chunk of games throughout the regular season. Even when he's in the lineup down the stretch, he's usually managing some nagging issue by playoff time. But not this year. Now fully healthy at the perfect time, Foligno is having the kind of impact everyone imagined he could during a playoff series. There were plenty of reasons to cheer throughout Games 3 and 4 at the Xcel Energy Center. Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy starred in Game 3. Marco Rossi has a goal in each home game. Still, no name has been shouted as frequently or as intensely as "MOOOOOOOSE." Foligno was already coming off (arguably) his best NHL season, and he's still kicked up the intensity at least two notches. He's laid 35 hits on Vegas through four games, almost triple his rate of 3.29 hits per game in 2024-25. The Golden Knights have a massive size disparity on the Wild, and Foligno's been a big part of evening the playing field when it comes to physicality. The hard-forechecking Foligno has gotten a lick in on every Vegas defenseman, all of whom measure in at 6-foot-2 or taller. He's made contact with Noah Hanifin and Tomas Hertl three times each, Brett Howden four times, and 6-foot-6 Nicolas Hague five times. Zach Whitecloud has been Foligno's personal piñata, taking nine hits from Foligno so far this series. Any playoff series becomes a war of attrition. Someone like Foligno running around and delivering nearly nine hits per game will put on some wear and tear on a team during a seven-game series. Destruction for its own sake has some value, but Foligno's game hasn't just been about devastation. It's been about disruption. As much as Foligno's taken the body, he's also making great use of his stick. He's winning board battles and breaking up zone entries at 5-on-5 and on the penalty kill. And of course, there are the goals. Foligno's never been any sort of volume shooter, and he's not pumping a bunch of shots at the net now (that's been Ryan Hartman's territory). Instead, Foligno almost exclusively shoots on high-danger opportunities around the net, which fuels his very high (17.7) shooting percentage over the past five years. He's gotten those opportunities, and he hasn't missed. Or well, he's only missed once. Three of his four shots have turned into goals, with two coming off Hartman rebounds and the third an empty-netter coming off a strong effort to chase down a puck. Thanks largely to his health, Foligno is playing what any old-school fan would call Playoff Hockey, putting it all together for the first postseason in his career. His three goals already give him a career-high in points during a single playoff series, and he's scored more this year than the rest of his playoff career, combined. It's exactly the kind of series Wild fans have envisioned for nearly a decade, and it might just be enough to make the difference between another first-round exit and a playoff run.

Bill Guerin and 27 other NHL GMs are probably golfing a lot (like me) right now. After someone wins the Stanley Cup in a few weeks, that number will rise to Guerin plus-31. Most of them will enjoy it. Guerin won’t. He has a lot to do before the NHL draft. While the Wild have only four picks in this draft, and none until Day 2, they need to line up a bidding war for Marco Rossi. If they trade Rossi, Minnesota doesn’t just need a fair return for the productive 23-year-old Austrian. They need a return that keeps their Cup window alive. So when the GM says, “Our [defense] core is set, I'd like to focus on forwards,” he may not get to be picky. There are two interesting notes about the Wild’s playoff showing: they didn’t need Marco Rossi to be competitive, and defensive depth was as much a liability as the forward depth. While it’s debatable whether the Wild used Rossi optimally in the playoffs, it’s hard to argue that they used him in great volume. Ultimately, it seems that John Hynes doesn’t trust Rossi to drive a scoring line in the playoffs. Whether that’s correct on Hynes’s part, it’s hard to imagine that changing. Taking that as a given, the optimal move is to swap Rossi for a player of a different flavor whom the Wild will use better. And if the defensive depth was as much a liability as the forward depth, that means the team has more potential trade partners in a Rossi deal. If they’re going to be picky about when they want to win, they may not have the luxury of doing it by improving specifically at forward. Another wrinkle in the plan to open a multiple-year competitive window is the 2026-27 salary cap situation. Extending Kirill Kaprizov and replacing Mats Zuccarello’s production will come at a hefty cost, and it’s necessary to remain competitive. It’s pretty tricky timing to replace a top-six forward, because the upcoming cap increases smell very lucrative for those players’ agents. That means Rossi’s replacement needs to be cost-controlled until the 2027 offseason. Minnesota's core will be cost-controlled once the cap is clean in 2026-27. Kaprizov, Joel Eriksson Ek, Matt Boldy, Brock Faber, Jonas Brodin, and Jacob Middleton will be locked up alongside this mystery second-line replacement for Zuccarello. Zeev Buium, David Jiricek, and Danila Yurov provide projectable young talent that can fill out the middle of the lineup. Add in the Rossi trade return, though, and the 2026-27 cap space gets tight. The solution: find a player who’s interested in a short-term, cost-controlled deal with upside for an explosive payday on July 1, 2027. A recent column in The Athletic mentioned Bowen Byram and K’Andre Miller as two interesting assets that may fit that description. Both are left-handed defensemen on struggling teams who have strong second-pair results in spite of the challenges presented by their teammates. Miller spent last season on a Rangers team that’s hard not to describe as a let-down. After taking the Florida Panthers to six games in the 2024 Eastern Conference Finals, the Rangers spiraled throughout the 2024-25 season and missed the playoffs by six points. Stanley Cup aspirations turned into trade deadline sales. As Miller watched his teammates leave, perhaps he wondered how much money this season cost him in a contract year. Byram was a phenom for the Colorado Avalanche in their 2022 Stanley Cup win before his 21st birthday. He’s in line for his first payday, but Evolving-Hockey.com projects him for only $8 million AAV on an eight-year deal. During his tenure with Colorado, The Athletic projected Byram for a plus-five rating in his prime -- top-pair quality and valued around $6.5 million in 2024-25 cap dollars. Based on the future cap increases and a three-percent cap inflation after that, his average value would be around $9.7 million between his age 26 through age 32 seasons. However, his time in Buffalo hasn’t always been so impressive. In 2023-24, Byram’s minus-four rating smelled more like bottom-pair than top-pair production. If he comes to Minnesota for two years and joins a roster that competes for a Cup, perhaps he’ll rediscover his Colorado form and get paid in his prime when his market value will never be higher. Byram could maximize the timing of his largest contract with the peak of the cap explosion, and leverage that against that encouraging age curve he was on with the Avalanche. Byram is 23, and Miller is 25. Both are entering their primes on a perfect timeline to meet Minnesota’s Cup window, with good reason to take a short contract in hopes of a payday in the 2027 offseason. I hear the protests now: But the Wild already have Middleton and Brodin! This will block Buium’s development! Let’s not forget about Brodin’s superpower, though: His uncanny edgework allows him to play his off-hand when needed. He allows one of Byram or Miller to play top-four minutes, while potentially easing Brodin’s workload. Alternatively, Brodin can shift into Spurgeon’s role, softening the grind for the 35-year-old righty. The bottom line is that Minnesota out-scored the Las Vegas Golden Knights in six games this April with Marco Rossi riding the fourth line. Take him out and supercharge the bottom defense pair with Middleton, Byram, Miller, or Spurgeon (pick your favorite), and tell me that’s not a contender. This trade also has room to add pieces or combine with another trade. If management wants to move on from one of Spurgeon, Brodin, or Middleton. One of those players could be added to clear cap space and improve the forward group with another piece coming back. If the Wild want a real blockbuster, they could include a package of Rossi, a defenseman, and a prospect such as Liam Ohgren. That would allow the team to get younger, add a top-six forward, and go all-in for the next few years while potentially improving cap flexibility in the immediate future. Trading Rossi for a young, top-four defenseman would require some creativity -- either in the lineup or in the adjacent roster moves. Still, trading a cost-controlled, productive 23-year-old center is a pretty creative decision in itself.