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With no first-round pick and a play-it-safe mentality from the Minnesota Wild at the 2025 Draft, it felt like fans had to look hard for any hype to cling to. Those hopes for a secret star have coalesced around Adam Benák, a fourth-round winger who profiled as shifty, skilled, and smart. Was he intriguing? Sure. But even as he made Hockey Wilderness' recent Top-11 prospects series, it was tough not to harbor some skepticism. Benák weighed into the combine at 5-foot-7.25, 164 pounds, which sent him into the fourth round, but it wasn't just the size. Despite loving his energy and pace of play, Elite Prospects graded his skating at a 4.5 on their 1-to-9 scale, or below-average. His production with the USHL's Youngstown Phantoms (59 points in 56 games) was solid, but not head-turning. It's essential to note that Benák had his fans at the time of the draft, but the odds are also fantastically stacked against a player with his profile. Benák can't make it to the NHL by being merely a good junior player, then a good AHL player. Lots of good junior players and good AHL players at his size simply never get a crack at the NHL. He has to be undeniable. This weekend, Benák looked pretty damn undeniable. Benák took the ice at the Tom Kurvers Prospect Showcase on Friday night while facing a battery of St. Louis Blues first-rounders in Justin Carbonneau, Adam Jiříček, Dalibor Dvorský, and Otto Stenberg. He had Zeev Buium and Danila Yurov on his side, but 60 minutes and three assists later, Benák came away looking like the top player on the ice. Then on Sunday against the Chicago Blackhawks, Benák again stole the show, making a steal on the forecheck to set up Rasmus Kumpulainen's game-winning goal with 61 seconds remaining. "That goal was all [Benák]," Kumpulainen said after the game, marveling at his teammate's game. "He's really shifty out there, his hands are unreal, and he's so small [that] no one can get to him." Benák got the points this weekend, but his weekend was about more than the assists. He was all around the puck for the entirety of Friday, in particular. Once he had the puck, he seemed in complete control of the pace of the game, weaving around players and finding seams to dish to teammates. Not only did Benák thrive against players with a higher pedigree than a fourth-round pick, but he was also facing an age gap between most of his competition. An April 2007 birthdate, Benák was one of the five youngest players in the tournament. Jiříček is a year older, entering his age-19 season. Dvorský and Stenberg are age-20. The Blackhawks drafted prospects Martin Misiak and Nick Lardis three years ago. It's important to keep things in perspective. This was an opening statement for Benák in his career, and a player passed over for three rounds might have come into the weekend with a bigger chip on his shoulder than the top prospects, whose sights are set on making NHL rosters. One prospect tournament doesn't make a career. But this isn't the first time Benák has balled out in a prospect tournament, either. In last year's Hlinka-Gretzky Cup, he led Team Czechia to a Silver Medal, tied for the tournament lead in goals (4) and second in points (11), cementing the all-time lead in points for the tournament. At this spring's U-18 World Championship, Benák registered 2 goals and 7 points in just four games. Put him against his best peers in these showcases, and Benák's money. He'll play this year in the OHL for the Brantford Bulldogs, but you can tell that Greg Cronin -- Benák's bench boss for the weekend -- can't wait to get his hands on him with the Iowa Wild. "He was a dog on a bone, he was fearless, he goes to the net. For me, he was our best forward," the coach praised. "He's a quiet kid, but he listens intently to everything you tell him. He tries to apply it... and that's what coachability is." It's going to be a long climb to the NHL, still. Benák is going to need to keep impressing at the OHL level, where he could spend the next two years. After that, he's going to have to show that he can thrive in the AHL, and that could take two or three years. But Benák can only prove himself with the challenges he's given, and he aced this first test. Doing so against professional players means that it's time to put away skepticism and get excited about his potential as a prospect.

After taking care of Kirill Kaprizov to the tune of eight years and $136 million, the Minnesota Wild decided they weren't quite done with their offseason checklist. Instead of resting on their laurels, they worked quickly to lock down their starting goalie, Filip Gustavsson, with a five-year, $34 million deal. It's perhaps an acknowledgement that if their superstar scores 50 or even 60 goals, it just takes a little instability in net to thwart a team. Look at the 2023-34 New Jersey Devils. They had 112 points the previous season, but their revolving door of Vitek Vanecek, Nico Daws, Akira Schmid, Jake Allen, and Kaapo Kähkönen kept them in seventh place in their division. It didn't matter that they had Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, and Jesper Bratt as part of a loaded roster. Looking at the Wild's steadfast defense, it's fair to say that Gustavsson's .914 save percentage -- sixth in the NHL last year -- isn't entirely reflective of his talent level. Still, he proved last year that he's capable of being a workhorse, starting-caliber goalie. Gustavsson started 58 games, turning in 40 "Quality Starts," which turned out to be the fifth-highest percentage in the league. That's a level of reliability the Wild simply couldn't walk from. Especially when you look at the alternatives. Minnesota drafted Jesper Wallstedt in 2021 to be the team's "Goalie of the Future." Turns out, the future isn't ready yet. The Wild were hoping to get Wallstedt games last season, but a combination of salary cap issues and his AHL struggles meant he only drew in for two starts. With Gustavsson set to become a free agent next summer, the Wild didn't have time to properly evaluate Wallstedt's readiness to take over starting next year. Normally, Wallstedt would be out of time. We've seen two of his highly-touted goalie prospect contemporaries -- Spencer Knight (2020 Draft) and Yaroslav Askarov (2021) -- get squeezed out of their team's future after their teams committed long-term to another goalie. Three days after the Florida Panthers drafted Knight, they signed Sergei Bobrovsky to eight years and $80 million. Askarov asked for a trade from the Nashville Predators after they locked in Juuse Saros to an eight-year extension. That may still be Wallstedt's fate. After all, the Panthers weren't forced to move on from Knight; they traded him as a major piece of the Seth Jones trade, helping them win a Stanley Cup last year. The Wild could choose to leverage Wallstedt in a similar fashion. However, the beauty of Gustavsson's extension is that Minnesota secured long-term stability in net while retaining options. Minnesota can simply have Gustavsson take the reins as the starting goaltender for the foreseeable future, and that's not a bad spot to be in. His career save percentage is .913, putting him even with former Wild players Marc-Andre Fleury and Devan Dubnyk through age 26. Once you adjust to the league average save percentage, as Stathead does with their Goals Allowed Percentage- which sets 100 as league average, Gustavsson fares very well. GA%- through Age-26, Since 2007-08, minimum 90 starts: Igor Shesterkin, 78 Tuukka Rask, 82 Juuse Saros, 90 Jaroslav Halák, 91 Andrei Vasilevskiy, 91 FILIP GUSTAVSSON, 91 Braden Holtby, 92 Jake Oettinger, 92 Logan Thompson, 93 Josh Gibson, 94 Even if you suspect his numbers make him look better than he is, he still is an above-average workhorse. The hockey equivalent of an innings-eating pitcher, if you will. Again, looking at the Devils, this time in 2024-25, that type of "innings-eater" was all they needed to get back into the playoff picture. The five-year term also comes in handy here. Gustavsson's extension will only take him through his age-32 season. Wild fans saw Devan Dubnyk start to fall off a cliff in his age-33 year, and Niklas Bäckström become unusable at age-34. If Gustavsson winds up taking a similar path on the aging curve, Minnesota should be getting out of this deal just in time. The term also means they don't have to hard-commit to Gustavsson at the expense of Wallstedt. Wallstedt's contract takes him through the summer of 2027, at which point he'll become a Restricted Free Agent. However, once that ends, the Wild still have him under team control through 2030, another three years after that. By comparison, that's only one year of team control less than they have with Gustavsson. When Wallstedt's contract is up, he'll most likely be in position to get a bridge deal. Barring injury, Gustavsson is a safe bet to take the majority of starts this season, and unless Wallstedt is markedly better, it's hard to see him forcing anything more than a 50/50 split in 2026-27. If the Wild can lock Wallstedt into an affordable rate through 2029, they're in a great spot beyond that. By 2029, Minnesota should have more than enough information on whether they want to have Wallstedt be The Guy going forward. If they do, they have two big advantages to avoid having Gustavsson squeeze Wallstedt out prematurely. The first is Gustavsson's trade clauses. He'll have a No-Move Clause through the summer of 2028, which turns into a 15-team no-trade clause afterward. That's a fair bit of flexibility to move on if the Wild feel the need to. The other advantage is the sheer affordability of Gustavsson's deal. That doesn't appear to be the case right away, but with the cap rising, we have to recalibrate what "$6.8 million" means. Gustavsson is set to be the 10th-highest-paid goalie next season, and his contract will only represent 6.5% of the salary cap -- roughly the equivalent of $5.8 million last year. If there's a time when Minnesota has to pay Wallstedt like a 1B goalie, they can do that without spending too much of their resources on the goalie position. The most important thing that the Wild could do was guarantee themselves a decent floor in net for the long term, and Gustavsson's contract does exactly that. That makes the extension worth it by itself. But the real value add for Minnesota was that they were able to do that without sacrificing their flexibility at the goalie position. They can either commit to Gustavsson long-term or establish a succession plan for Wallstedt, and they should be able to make that decision on their own terms. As important as the AAV and term are to evaluating contracts, it's hidden benefits like this that can turn a deal into a home run.

If you've ever exclaimed, "Pay that man his money!" after watching Kirill Kaprizov score a brilliant goal, then good news: You got your wish. After turning down a would-be record-breaking contract of eight years and $128 million earlier this month, Kaprizov finally signed his extension with the Minnesota Wild. His deal goes from record-breaking to record-shattering, an eight-year, $136 million pact that will carry a $17 million AAV. No one can blame you for calling that insane. The Wild are paying him $3 million more than Leon Draisaitl, the current highest-paid player in the NHL, is making. It will probably be even more than Connor McDavid will make whenever he signs his next deal. There are several compelling reasons why Minnesota shouldn't have offered that contract to Kaprizov. $17 million is a ton of money, and it's going to be a lot even as the salary cap continues to rise. Kaprizov's extension kicks in at age 29, which means that it will take him through his age-36 season. There's also the fact that Kaprizov has missed 63 games in the last three years, including 41 last season. It's a significant risk. However, none of those reasons stack up compared to the best reason to keep him: The Wild aren't anything without Kaprizov. It's not to say that the Wild don't have good, compelling players: Matt Boldy, Brock Faber, Marco Rossi, and Joel Eriksson Ek are a few. But Kaprizov affects the fortunes of a franchise in ways that very good, and even great players can't. We saw it when he arrived. The Wild made the playoffs in four of five seasons with Kaprizov in the fold, and that's a big deal. But overnight, Minnesota went from an also-ran team to one that demands attention. Hockey fans who would never give the Wild a second glance otherwise tune in to watch Kaprizov play. Locally, Kaprizov gives the Wild star power to compete with the Vikings and Justin Jefferson, as well as the Timberwolves and Anthony Edwards. That might not be on-the-ice value, but it matters. Where is fan morale at if Kaprizov spends the season as a Lame Duck Superstar, with one foot out the door? Even if Minnesota made the playoffs afterward, how could fans buy into a product that couldn't hold onto their franchise player? But then, of course, there's the on-ice value, and that is also astronomical. Is Kaprizov the best player in the NHL? No. He might not even be Top-5. But he's damn close. Since entering the league, Kaprizov ranks 13th among skaters with 25.9 Standings Points Above Replacement, per Evolving-Hockey. That puts him in a tier with the likes of Matthew Tkachuk (28.1), Elias Pettersson (27.4), and Aleksander Barkov (27.0) in terms of impact. His reputation is even better than that. The Athletic's Player Tiers ranked Kaprizov as the 10th-best player in the NHL, one of 11 dubbed MVP-level. And in terms of Wild history? Forget it. Five years of Kaprizov is almost lapping the field with everyone else. For context, here are the Wild's top-10 in SPAR. (NOTE: This data only dates back to the 2007-08 season.) Minnesota Wild Franchise Leaders, SPAR, since 2007-08: Jared Spurgeon, 53.9 Mikko Koivu, 35.4 Jonas Brodin, 32.9 Ryan Suter, 30.3 Joel Eriksson Ek, 26.4 KIRILL KAPRIZOV, 25.9 Jason Zucker, 25.8 Nino Niederreiter, 25.6 Zach Parise, 22.7 Mikael Granlund, 22.0 That's just nutty. At that pace, even a 60-game season from Kaprizov should move him up to fourth place on the list. Over nine years of Ryan Suter!!! And if goals rule everything -- as they should, they're the NHL's most valuable currency -- then Kaprizov is deserving of one of the top contracts in the league. Since his debut, Kaprizov is tied with Sam Reinhart for eighth in goals, behind only Auston Matthews, Draisaitl, David Pastrnak, McDavid, Mikko Rantanen, Alex Ovechkin, and Brayden Point. The next-best Wild player on that list? It's Eriksson Ek, at 112. If you want to expand it to anyone who wore a Minnesota sweater during that time, it's Kevin Fiala (140), and Kaprizov still has him beat by 45. Wild owner Craig Leipold understood the assignment: You keep that player, no matter what it takes. Is it a lot of money? Absolutely. Is it a lot of years? Sure is. Can you replace a player like Kaprizov for that money? No way. Not in Minnesota. That last part bears emphasizing: Minnesota has spent a quarter of a decade being decidedly not a destination for players. There's no doubt that some of those $136 million functions as a tax for Kaprizov to stay in St. Paul rather than bolt to a more traditionally attractive market like New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, and others. The hope isn't just that Kaprizov continues to play like an MVP for the foreseeable future -- though that is a big part of it. It's that Kaprizov's presence keeps changing the Wild's fortunes, turning a place that was formerly a no-go zone for the NHL's elite into an attractive destination. We'll see what happens from here. But don't kid yourself, whether you're reading this immediately after the fact, or in 2034: The Wild had no choice but to do exactly the thing they did on September 30, 2025. Minnesota may move forward or backward from here, but without Kaprizov, there was just one direction to go: Back to square one to repeat their quarter-decade of irrelevance.

For the third season in a row, Marco Rossi enters training camp with something to prove. Two seasons ago, it was that he could hang in the NHL after a disappointing 19-game stutter-step. He did, posting 21 goals and 40 points in Take 2 of his rookie year. Last year, had to prove that he could be a legitimate top-six center. He did again, with a 24-goal, 60-point campaign. When he went to cash in coming off his entry-level contract, the Minnesota Wild didn't treat him like Matt Boldy or Brock Faber, franchise pillars worthy of a long-term deal. Instead, he got a "prove-it" deal: three years and $15 million. Rossi's commitment to improving hasn't been questioned, but if there was ever a reason to have extra motivation after a breakout campaign, this is it. Rossi spent his summer training, working on faceoffs with Coolest Player of All Time Joe Thornton and generally working on getting stronger and faster. John Hynes reportedly called his center "thicker," and Rossi claims to weigh in at 196 pounds -- up from his official listing of 182. "I feel much better now and much faster," he told the media last week. It's one preseason game, but we saw that work pay off on Thursday night. Rossi logged 21 minutes, 14 seconds, the most of any forward on the ice that night, but it took just 12 seconds to do the bulk of his damage. The first goal is nothing that we haven't seen from Rossi over these last two years. He sneaks his 5-foot-9 frame into a soft spot of space around the net, collects a nice feed from Matt Boldy, and cashes in. That net-front game has been his bread-and-butter, and getting stronger and faster certainly didn't hurt his ability to score from that area. It's the second goal that Wild fans might want to take more notice of. When you watch Rossi's goals from last season, you'll find that only seven can be categorized as scoring on the rush. But on his second goal of the night, he follows Boldy on the breakout and deposits a Royal Road pass into the net. The best players continually add to their toolbox, and if Rossi is incorporating a rush game into his, that's a significant step forward for the center. He'll have the opportunities, at least the way things are currently set up. Rossi centering a dynamic player like Boldy would be reason enough to take notice, but he's also stapled to Kirill Kaprizov, one of the most electric puck-carriers in the game. Boldy's a solid puck-carrier in his own right, and an elite forechecker. There are going to be a lot of offensive chances coming in a variety of ways. Rossi needs to be prepared for all of them. Again, he has little issue generating offense on the forecheck, where his hockey sense can take over and find those pockets of open space in the defense. However, the rush is largely about speed. While Rossi improved his skating last offseason -- he went from the 50th percentile in top speed in 2023-24 to the 75th percentile in 2024-25, per NHL EDGE -- he clearly felt there was another level to get to. Looking at the numbers, he was right. Rossi got a lot of shot quality last season, but his shot quantity has been lacking early in his career. He averaged just 4.42 shots on net last season, which is mind-bogglingly low. We're talking fewer than Marcus Johansson (5.76), Yakov Trenin (5.46), Freddy Gaudreau (5.12), and even a defenseman like Jared Spurgeon (4.70). Playing with volume shooters like Kaprizov and Boldy is a factor, but there is room for him to carve out a greater share of the offensive load. Being able to threaten offense in more ways than cleaning up the trash around the net will only help with that. Last night was an example. Rossi had four shots on goal, a mark that he only got to in 10 games in 2024-25. Not surprisingly, he was over a point per game (six goals, 12 points) in games he had four or more shots. Rossi needs to do more than prove himself for his next contract in three years. He might be starting his year between the Wild's two best wingers, but he's not guaranteed to stick there. Joel Eriksson Ek has always worked well with both Kaprizov and Boldy, and the Wild sees Danila Yurov as a top-six center eventually. Rossi will have to justify his spot and hold it amid intense competition. It's hard to draw a ton of conclusions from one preseason game. However, given our experience with Rossi's year-to-year improvement, his strong performance suggests that he has taken his offseason seriously and is well-prepared for the task ahead.

The Minnesota Wild are celebrating their 25th anniversary this season. In most circumstances, that's a huge milestone and cause to celebrate. Fans get a chance to remember their past while looking toward a bright future. Unfortunately, that might be all the State of Hockey gets to celebrate on this anniversary. The "25" patch on their sweaters will, to many, represent a quarter-century of irrelevance. That's definitely not charitable. Minnesota has had moments in the sun. Their 2003 Western Conference Finals run, the blockbuster signings of Zach Parise and Ryan Suter in 2012 being the biggest. But even the rosiest view of the Wild's history has to admit that they've often been afterthoughts to the national media, free agents, and most disappointingly, in the playoffs. That's what hurts the Wild faithful so much about this week's news that Kirill Kaprizov rejected a would-be record-shattering eight-year, $128 million contract from Minnesota. From Day 1, the superstar winger made the franchise relevant in a way no one else has. Not Marian Gaborik, Mikko Koivu, Zach Parise, Ryan Suter, or anyone else. His Calder Trophy win is the only major player hardware the franchise has ever taken home. For lack of a better term, Kaprizov just has that 'it' factor, giving Minnesota rare and desperately needed pizazz. When he's on, the Wild become appointment viewing. If this week's news is truly the beginning of the end for Kaprizov, Minnesota will return to irrelevance. That's a fate too terrible for the Wild, and everyone involved knows it. It's why owner Craig Leipold got out ahead of any rumors that Kaprizov might want to go elsewhere and declared, "Nobody will offer more money than us." Putting $128 million on the table showed Mr. Leipold was serious. But Kaprizov rejecting that offer plays into the worst fears of Minnesota sports fans: The offer might be serious, but the players don't take the Wild seriously. There aren't a lot of winning scenarios from here. The possibility that Minnesota trades the only superstar in their history is impossible to swallow for most Wild fans. But having it go public that Kaprizov rejected a max deal at $16 million per season, and eventually signing him for, say, $18 million, doesn't send a great message to the rest of the league, either. $16 million is already $2 million more than the next-highest-paid player in the NHL. Someone will eventually get more than that number, of course, but $128 million is $128 million. It's mind-blowing that an NHL player, even one who was looking to hit a home run and cash in, would turn it down. Just this offseason, superstars like Mitch Marner and Mikko Rantanen took discounts to be on teams they felt would win. Sam Bennett, the reigning Conn Smythe winner, did the same to stay with the Stanley Cup Champion Florida Panthers. Intentionally or not, refusing a $16 million AAV but accepting $17 to $18 million sends a signal that Kaprizov isn't impressed with the direction the team is taking. If that's the route he goes, it suggests that all Bill Guerin and Mr. Leipold could offer him -- after four years to prepare the conditions that would entice him to stay -- was money. Unfortunately, it'd be hard to blame Kaprizov if that's his thought process. He's spent five years in the organization, playing at an MVP level, and hasn't been able to advance past the first round. It wasn't for a lack of effort, either. Kaprizov has 15 goals and 21 points in 25 playoff games with the Wild. That 0.60 goals per game mark is the highest among any player in the Salary Cap Era with 25 games or more. Hell, reduce that threshold to 10 games, and Kaprizov's still at the top of the heap! But even with historic goal production, even with dominant playoff series against the St. Louis Blues in 2022 and the Vegas Golden Knights this spring, it wasn't enough to get them out of the first round. Now, are there mitigating circumstances here? You'd better believe it. The Zach Parise and Ryan Suter contracts bit the franchise at the exact worst moment, hobbling a franchise that should have been in win-now mode with their superstar in tow. It's a tough break, and it is impressive that the Wild have continued to make the playoffs despite their dead cap space woes. That doesn't erase the fact that, as much as the team noted that a hand was tied behind their back, as much as they tried to downplay their inability to get past the first round, that lack of success plays into their reputation. They're not serious contenders, not in the eyes of the NHL. We saw it on July 1 -- a day that might go down in infamy among Wild fans as "Christmas Morning." With all of Minnesota's new cap space, they were never seriously in the hunt for big fish like Marner, Bennett, Nikolaj Ehlers, or anyone else. Home-grown players like Brock Boeser and Brock Nelson -- historically, reliable targets for the franchise -- elected to stay put rather than join forces with the Wild. We know what Minnesota wanted their pitch to be. That they had the roster, personalities, and culture to play winning hockey. That their prospects -- including blue-chippers like Zeev Buium, Danila Yurov, and David Jiříček -- were NHL-ready and primed to take them to the next level. That even after coming up empty this summer, they'd kept their powder dry for the next big superstar to come up on the market. It doesn't look like that pitch was attractive to Kaprizov, just as it wasn't alluring for Nelson, Boeser, or any other big fish this summer. Without a buy-in to the pitch, all the Wild had was money, and Kaprizov just said no to that. How do you fix that problem? How does Mr. Leipold, the front office, and the organization convince Kaprizov -- or any other top player in the NHL -- that they're an organization to be taken seriously, and not the perpetual also-rans of the league? That's the issue at the root of their biggest crisis in the Wild's 25-year history, and unless they can find a solution, it also threatens to define their next quarter-century.

The Minnesota Wild's plan for re-signing Kirill Kaprizov was simple: Wait until he got back to the United States and knock him over with a massive deal. Rumors circled that the Wild were willing to give Kaprizov eight years at a $16 million Average Annual Value, a contract that would make the franchise's first mega star the highest-paid in the NHL. It sounds like they did just that, and struck out. A fan base that has been nervously awaiting the news that the Wild locked up their guy is not going to receive this news well. Kaprizov hits unrestricted free agency next July 1, which kicks up the urgency to make a decision with Kaprizov. Can the Wild find a way to sign him, or do they have to start going another way? No one in the State of Hockey is looking for optimism at this time, but it is worth mentioning that rejecting this mega offer isn't confirmation that Kaprizov's days in Minnesota are numbered at 300 or fewer. Turning down a deal that makes you the highest paid in the NHL is admittedly a pretty big red flag, but even from a purely financial standpoint, there are reasons to reject an eight-year offer. Kaprizov spent his last four years (and will spend this one) as underpaid on his contract from essentially Day 1. He signed a five-year, $45 million deal ($9 million AAV), averaging 48 goals and 99 points per 82 games ever since. That could very well be a motivating factor in these negotiations. While most NHL players tend to opt for the security of a long-term contract -- and often, for a lot less money than $128 million -- seven- and eight-year deals tend to be extremely team-friendly for anyone in or around their prime. The cap goes up, new records get broken, and a $9 million deal in 2020 goes from being market-setting at the time to a bargain in 2025. Sixteen million dollars is a ton of money, and it's going to be a lot of money in the future. There's no disputing that. It'd be about 15.4% of the salary cap in 2026-27, which would be Year 1 of the deal. In Year 2, when the cap rises from $104 million to $113.5 million in 2027-28, that percentage dips to 14.1%. Let's assume the cap rises to $120 million in 2028-29. $16 million is now "just" 13.3% of the cap, the equivalent of someone making $12.7 million this season. Again, that's a lot of money. But assuming that Kaprizov is a player worth 15.4% of the cap today, by the time we get to Year 3, he could be an $18.5 million player on the open market. And that's just by Year 3, while making a pretty modest guess as to how the cap will rise. You have to bet on the cap continuing to rise, leaving Kaprizov a total bargain over the following five years. Putting $16 million dollars in front of Kaprizov suggests the Wild believe money is a motivating factor. Why wouldn't it be? But if money is a motivator, $16 million is going to start looking underwhelming as we creep toward 2030 and beyond, at least for a player of his stature. The best-case scenario for the Wild here is that Kaprizov isn't willing to go eight years, but he is willing to stay in Minnesota for three-to-five years. That's exactly what happened last time, if you'll recall. But even on a shorter deal, we shouldn't expect Kaprizov to come cheap. Auston Matthews did this exact thing in Toronto, inking a four-year deal with the Maple Leafs that kicked in last year at $13.25 million AAV, or 15.06% of the cap. If that's the framework for a shorter-term deal for Kaprizov, that would land at around $15.6 million of a $104 million salary cap. That's a great illustration of why eight years might not be appealing to Kaprizov. Why lock yourself in for eight years at $16 million if you can get $14 million over four? Or even $15 million? We can see potential for a contract standoff to happen over this. Bill Guerin and the Wild might think, why pay top-dollar for Kaprizov for a short-term deal? It's a fair question, but if that's what it takes to keep Kaprizov in Minnesota... they kind of have to suck it up and do it. There's no way Kaprizov doesn't know the leverage he has over Minnesota. They've been a superstar-starved team for two decades, and their whole plan for contention revolves around keeping him in St. Paul. Kaprizov has the ability to max out his earnings for the next three, four, or five years, while still getting to cash in again in his early 30s. If he wants to. That's going to be the question now. Is he amenable to stay in Minnesota, or not? If Kaprizov does, it's clear that it's going to be entirely on his terms, and the Wild front office and ownership will have to smile and thank him for doing so. If not... well, let's hope that's not the case.

When the Minnesota Wild made their final training camp roster moves on Sunday, more notable than the players they cut were the players they didn’t. Rookies Danila Yurov, Liam Ohgren, and Zeev Buium all made the opening night roster. Hunter Haight will be on it as well, with Nico Sturm and Mats Zuccarello out due to injuries. Ohgren and Haight have the most professional experience and have a chance to be important depth pieces. Still, of the three forwards, I think that Yurov’s game is the best suited to be a consistent contributor this season due to his versatility. He may not start fast out of the gates and will probably be a healthy scratch at times. However, Yurov is a player whose style can complement a wide range of linemates, as he is dependable and predictable, which is what is needed to round out a deep Wild roster. Yurov improved immensely as training camp progressed, looking like a player who was starting to grasp the NHL game and adjusting to the smaller North American ice after transitioning from Russia. He isn’t ready to be a point-producer just yet. Still, Yurov joins the Minnesota Wild as a player with professional habits and an understanding of the diligence required each shift, something that separates him from most 21-year-olds. The Wild were hoping to be able to use him at center, but it looks like he’ll be starting at wing. That’s common for a young player with little experience in North America. Having a little less responsibility will give him a chance to learn how to make an impact at an NHL pace. Some Wild fans may not want to hear this, but at this stage of his career, Yurov reminds me a lot of Marcus Johansson. He’s an efficient transporter of the puck through all three zones and a supremely responsible player who will not cheat for offense. Yurov is effective when driving into the zone down the wall and either swinging the puck around the boards to an incoming teammate or pulling up to allow the play to set up around him. He’s capable of getting separation, not with speed or on straight lines, but in how he creates space for himself to operate with the puck. He scans around him and finds soft spots that he can work into without skating into trouble. I expect Yurov to be a positive possession player by the end of this season. He’s capable of turning in quality, responsible shifts on a regular basis, like the one in the clip below, taken from a preseason game against the Dallas Stars. Yurov is capable of providing about 15 such shifts per game, which will endear him to the coaching staff as the season progresses and land him in the NHL lineup on many nights. One issue to monitor with Yurov will be his confidence with the puck and willingness to take calculated risks. Responsible puck play goes a long way, but he’ll need to be willing to challenge defensemen with net drives and one-on-one moves. His tendency to curl back once and look for support after crossing the offensive blue line is something that opposing teams will eventually identify and try to exploit. Once they begin to anticipate it, they’ll jump on him with pressure and force turnovers. Yurov’s physical play will also be a work in progress. He doesn’t have to throw body checks, but he needs to be stronger on his stick in puck battles and be willing to engage in contact on the wall to establish position in puck battles. When he gets the puck on his stick, he’s excellent at protecting it. However, he needs to win more 50-50 puck battles and be more aggressive on the wall. Consistency will be crucial for Yurov this season, as it is for most rookies. On nights where his game is a little off, it’s important that he still brings a level of intensity that will allow him to compete against the best players in the world. If his intensity level starts to slip, it may be worth having him spend some time in Iowa to help him grow his confidence. I’m guessing that Yurov will spend most of the year in the NHL and get better as the season goes on. He’s a more complete player than Ohgren right now, and while he doesn’t have the same scoring ability, I think the Wild coaching staff will trust him more. Between his first game at the Tom Kurvers Prospect Showcase and the close of training camp, Yurov looked like a player who was finding his legs a bit more each day. His intelligence as a player is evident, and I believe it will outweigh the areas where he has room for improvement. I think a season output of around 8 to 10 goals and 12 to 16 assists, with quality possession numbers and the ability to play some middle six minutes, is within reach. That would be a successful rookie season for the 21-year-old.

Heading into the 2025-26 season, it feels like we have a good understanding of who Matt Boldy is. In every season he's played so far, his 82-game paces have been between 26 and 32 goals and 64 and 75 points. Those numbers are very good, but in comparison to Kirill Kaprizov? It's clear that he's Cleft, the Boy Chin Wonder, to Kaprizov's Crimson Chin. While it feels like Boldy's been around for a long time -- nearly 300 games now -- it's important to realize that he's 24 years old. Boldy's production appears to have plateaued over the past few seasons, particularly in comparison to Bill Guerin's proclamation that he has 50-goal, 50-assist potential. Don't let that disappointment fool you. The possibility for a breakout season is very much still on the table. Remember that even in a relatively down year, Boldy still did a lot right. The headliner here is his amazing shot volume. Boldy finished the season seventh in shots on goal (272) and fifth in unblocked shot attempts (426). And while he experienced a significant slump in the middle of the season, he started and ended the season strong. His first and final 20 games (including playoffs) saw him score 22 goals and 46 points in 40 contests. Obviously, the middle of the season also counts, but it's worth noting that those times line up roughly with Kaprizov's availability. So long as Kaprizov re-signs in Minnesota, we should see close to a full season with that duo being together. With Mats Zuccarello out, the two star wingers started training camp together on the top line. It's not just Kaprizov that's on Boldy's side; it's also age. In 2023, we identified 12 forwards who had similar numbers to Boldy from their age 20 and 21 seasons. Let's list those players out, as well as the age they were when they first hit 90 points: David Pastrnak: 22 Tim Stützle: 22 Aleksander Barkov: 23 Jack Eichel: 23 (94-point pace; COVID-shortened season) Matthew Tkachuk: 24 Elias Pettersson: 24 Taylor Hall: 26 Anze Kopitar: 30 Sebastian Aho: Never (Career-high: 89 at age-26) John Tavares: Never (Career-high: 88 at age-28) Jonathan Toews: Never (Career-high: 81 at age-30) Brock Boeser: Never (Career-high: 73 at age-26) For players who achieve true superstar status, their breakouts tend to occur between ages 22 and 24, the tail end of Boldy's window. For those age-24 breakout players, Tkachuk and Pettersson, their careers followed a similar path to Boldy's so far: Fairly stable production, and then... Points Per 82 Games By Season, Tkachuk: Age-20: 59 Age-21: 79 Age-22: 72 Age-23: 63 Age-24: 104 Points Per 82 Games, By Season, Pettersson: Age-20: 75 Age-21: 80 Age-22: 66 Age-23: 70 Age-24: 105 Points Per 82 Games, By Season, Boldy: Age-20: 68 Age-21: 64 Age-22: 75 Age-23: 73 Age-24: ??? That's not to say that Boldy is destined to make that same leap Tkachuk and Pettersson did. But the stage is set for it, and if Boldy can't make that jump this year, he's much more likely to stay plateaued than ever getting to the level of a star player. It's also worth noting that Kaprizov was also in his age-24 season when he made the leap from Calder Trophy winner (51 points in 55 games) to MVP candidate (108 points in 81 games). Kaprizov's birthdate (April 26) makes him only three weeks younger than Boldy (April 5), relative to each other. And when you look at their trajectories, they also look incredibly similar. It's not the cleanest comparison, given Boldy was in the NHL at 20, while Kaprizov was in the KHL until he was 23. Fortunately, we have the NHL Equivalency (or NHLe) to help translate point totals between leagues. So, year by year, let's see how the two wingers stack up. Age 18: Kaprizov (KHL): 34 points Boldy (Hockey East): 25 points Age 19: Kaprizov (KHL): 57 points Boldy (AHL): 51 points Age 20: Kaprizov (KHL): 57 points Boldy (NHL): 68 points Age 21: Kaprizov (KHL): 59 points Boldy (NHL): 64 points Age 22: Kaprizov (KHL): 72 points Boldy (NHL): 76 points Age 23: Kaprizov (NHL): 76 points Boldy (NHL): 73 points Age 24: Kaprizov (NHL): 109 points Boldy (NHL): ??? Again, that's not to say "Boldy is Kaprizov." Last season left no doubt that Kaprizov was a top-10 player in the NHL at the height of his powers. However, Boldy's numbers, which are tracking similarly alongside Kaprizov, suggest he can reach the level of, say, Mikko Rantanen, another player famous for being a Barnacle Boy to Nathan MacKinnon's Mermaid Man. It's far from too late for Boldy to join those ranks. The foundation is there, and his skills are immense. He just needs to put it all together. This year is his best bet to do just that.

When the Minnesota Wild take the ice for their season opener tonight, they’ll do so with something that they’ve never truly had: an elite offensive defenseman. That Zeev Buium is a highly-touted prospect is no secret. He’s considered a leading candidate for the Calder Trophy, and the consensus is that he’s one of the most promising prospects in all of hockey. But once the puck drops on Thursday, the hype ends and reality begins. What type of impact will Buium make this season? Will the 19-year-old phenom be able to hang with the best players in the world on a nightly basis? By season’s end, Buium will have answered that question with a resounding yes. Wild fans can expect instant offense from Buium at all times. He’s always looking to turn the puck up ice or join the play to exploit any weakness in the opposition’s structure. His skills are such that he’ll be able to create offense on his own immediately. Buium’s ability to combine body fakes and deception with elite skating to create opportunities for himself and teammates is already high-end for an NHL defenseman. Buium can beat defenders one-on-one at the blue line or when moving down the wall. He can create passing lanes and execute crisp, accurate passes in all three zones, and he understands how to exploit open ice with or without the puck. He's indicative of the trend that’s becoming more common in the NHL. Defensemen are becoming more like rovers, capable of playing effectively in all areas of the ice. On any given shift, Buium will circle with the puck, press down below the goal line in the offensive zone, and roam the neutral zone. He will anticipate when he might be able to break into space and receive a pass, or cut across opposing defenses at any angle. He’ll pinch in to hold the zone and range back to anticipate passes like a safety in football. Even his defense is offensive-minded. That’s not to say Buium is an irresponsible player. Not in the least. He’s just a unique, offensive-minded defenseman who plays the game differently than anyone else in the NHL right now. There really is no one else like him in the league. Buium has already taken the reins of the first power-play unit. As the preseason progressed, it became clear that Kaprizov and Boldy understand the element he adds with the man advantage. Kaprizov has started looking for Buium, and there seems to be some chemistry developing between the two. All of the Wild’s skilled forwards seem to be getting used to seeing Buium moving all around the ice, and are learning how to play off his movements, to dangerous effect. I think Buium could turn the Wild's power play into one of the league’s best. He’ll have some adjustments to make to learn to make quick decisions with the puck when defenders close in on him. His tendency to try to find the perfect play will also put Buium at risk for some bad turnovers. He’s a 19-year-old rookie, after all. There will be growing pains. The soundness of Buium’s defensive game will hinge on positioning and awareness. He has grown accustomed to being dominant and sometimes is too dependent on his skating, particularly when defending the rush. He is prone to the occasional ill-timed pinch or poke check, and he’ll get burned from time to time as a result. He can be overly reliant on his ability to recover and sometimes takes bad or sloppy lines, giving opposing attackers more ice than he should. Buium can also puck-watch sometimes and drift out of position, especially in the neutral zone. NHL forwards will be able to exploit this extra ice, and there will be some ugly moments as a result. Still, Buium knows how to defend with his feet and should be adequate in most situations as long as he remains diligent with his positioning. He has superb hockey sense and can read plays, recognize attacks, and disrupt them before they become dangerous. Like Victor Hedman, he often defends the rush by turning and skating forward rather than backward. I expect Buium to have a monster rookie season from an offensive standpoint. I’m not sure if he’ll match reigning Caler Trophy winner Lane Hutson’s 66 points from last season, but I think Buium is capable of producing 10-plus goals and over 50 points. Doing so would put him squarely in the running for Rookie of the Year and make him one of the five or ten highest scoring defensemen in the NHL. He will bring an element that the Wild have never had before. Buium will have some really tough nights on the defensive side, but his hockey sense and the supreme confidence he plays with will give him enough resiliency to overcome any struggles and be a net positive player on the Wild's back end.

The State of Hockey has spent this week in jubilation over Kirill Kaprizov staying with the Minnesota Wild for the next nine years. The last time Wild fans had so much to celebrate from a signing was back in July 2012, when the team inked the infamous Ryan Suter and Zach Parise contracts. Note how they're "infamous" now. On Day 1, those contracts carried a poison pill: Their absurdly long term. By the end of the deal, Suter was 40 and playing a depth role with the St. Louis Blues, Parise was retired from hockey, and both had been bought out for four years. All of this was entirely predictable, even to the parties involved in signing the contract at the time. It was just a problem for a different general manager and a different decade of fans. That's the NHL's version of The Winner's Curse. You're signing on to most free agents with the understanding that you're paying for production in the first few years, and the deal is probably going to look a lot worse in their final years. As Minnesotan philosopher Mitch Hedberg once said, "I'm not gonna stop doing something because of what happens at the end." By the time Kaprizov's contract is over, it'll be the year 2034, and he will have just finished his age-36 season, turning 37 years old. Wild fans have seen old-timers produce, of course. Mats Zuccarello posted 54 points in his age-37 season last year, and Andrew Brunette even had a bit left in the tank at that age. However, we can point to numerous examples of things going wrong long before a player reaches that age. Dany Heatley might be the ultimate example. The Wild traded for the two-time 50-goal scorer before his age-31 season, and he stepped into Minnesota's lineup and immediately scored... 24 goals and 53 points. It got worse from there, dropping to 21 points in just 36 games at 32, then a paltry 12 goals and 21 points in 76 games at 33. When the bottom falls out on players, their production can collapse instantly. Jason Pominville went from 30 goals in his age-31 season to 18, then 11 over the following two years. Thomas Vanek was still productive on the power play during his age-31-and-32 campaigns in St. Paul, but was utterly unplayable in almost every other situation. Wild fans have been burned by long-term (and even not-so-long-term, in the case of Heatley and Vanek) deals to aging stars going sour. Even so, it seems misguided to buy into fears that the Kaprizov deal will fall off so dramatically. Why is that? For one, when you look at most of these players -- Parise, Suter, Vanek, and Pominville -- you'll see that they didn't have nearly as much room to fall as Kaprizov does. Kaprizov stands out as a cut above the rest in terms of sheer production and is among the elite of the elite when it comes to players over the last 20 seasons. Points Per Game, Ages 23-27, Since 2005-06: Connor McDavid, 1.70 Leon Draisaitl, 1.46 Nathan MacKinnon, 1.36 (1.361) Sidney Crosby, 1.36 (1.355) Nikita Kucherov, 1.31 Auston Matthews, 1.27 Mitch Marner, 1.26 David Pastrňák, 1.25 Mikko Rantanen, 1.23 Kirill Kaprizov, 1.21 All due respect to someone like Zach Parise, his output was "only" 0.93 points per game in that age span. When his play started dipping, he went from being a 62-point player (over an 82-game pace) in his first four years in Minnesota to being a 52-point player over his last five. Kaprizov is starting out as a 99-point player. It'd be nice to see how these elite producers aged, but other than Sidney Crosby, none of the top-10 have really entered their mid-30s. Kucherov is the oldest of the remaining nine, and he's just 32 and still putting up MVP-type numbers. The list being dominated so much by younger players reflects a bit of an offensive explosion in recent years. So let's take a look at the top-scoring players of Crosby's generation, and maybe a half-step behind them, looking at this same category from 2000-01 to 2015-16: Points Per Game, Ages 23-27, 2000-01 to 2015-16: Sidney Crosby, 1.36 Joe Thornton, 1.30 Alex Ovechkin, 1.19 (1.194) Evgeni Malkin, 1.19 (1.188) Dany Heatley, 1.18 Marián Gáborík, 1.11 Patrick Kane, 1.06 Jason Spezza, 1.05 (1.054) Vincent Lecavalier, 1.05 (1.052) Henrik Zetterberg, 1.04 Those were, more or less, the equivalents of Kaprizov and his peers from that generation. We know how all of their careers have played out through their age-36 seasons. So now let's look at how those players aged, looking at ages 28 through 32 (correlating to Kaprizov's final year of his deal, plus the first half of his extension), and ages 33 through 36 (correlating to the final half of Kaprizov's extension). We see a few different paths, with Kane and Malkin having little-to-no dropoff, and Heatley and Gaborik falling off by almost a third. On the whole, however, the combined total of these ten players suggests an expected decrease of about 15.6% in points per game. If we apply that to Kaprizov, we can expect his 82-game pace to go from being a 99-point player to falling into the 84-point range. Perhaps not Hart Trophy-worthy, but over a point-per-game. It's also interesting that most players on this list were often healthier in that age bracket than they had been before, though that might be a reflection of a small sample size. As expected, the ages when Kaprizov will be in the back half of his deal are much rougher for these star players. We can see massive drop-offs from four players on the list: Heatley, Gaborík, Spezza, and Lecavalier. Among those four, only Spezza remained in the league by age-36, and Heatley didn't even make it to his age-35 season. Those are the worst-case scenarios, but when you look at the overall picture, the decline isn't quite as stark. The group's overall points per game only drops around 15.5%, nearly identical to the drop between their ages 23-27 production to 28-32. If we want to apply that to Kaprizov's 84-point expectation from ages 28 to 32, that translates to being a 71-point player. You can probably account for the injury risk by assuming Kaprizov only plays 74% of the games (the average of everyone here), except that this really seems to be an all-or-nothing affair. Your body seems to either hold up or not. The only player on this list to play between 55 and 80% of their possible games from ages 33-to-36 is Malkin. It's also worth noting that the players who've aged best throughout this time tend to be the ones with multiple ways of creating offense. You may have already suspected that, seeing as the biggest drops in offense from the prime years to ages 28-to-32 came from Heatley and Gaborík, two elite, but fairly one-dimensional goal-scorers. But look at the 10 most productive players from ages 33-to-36, and that trend becomes even clearer. Points Per Game, Ages 33-to-36, since 2000-01: Daniel Alfredsson, 1.17 Sidney Crosby, 1.16 Martin St. Louis, 1.07 Alex Ovechkin, 1.06 Patrice Bergeron, 0.98 Ray Whitney, 0.95 Mats Zuccarello, 0.94 Patrick Kane, 0.93 Joe Thornton, 0.91 Brad Marchand, 0.90 How many of those players would anyone say were one-dimensional? Ovechkin and his ageless one-timer? Granted, but he's a freak. Thornton with his vision? Maybe, although that feels like selling him short, given his exemplary defensive game. Everyone else on the list had multiple ways to generate offense in their primes (even Whitney and Zuccarello, whose numbers are probably influenced by being in the right place at the right time). Kaprizov is an elite goal scorer, there's no doubt about that. His quick-twitch reflexes might slow down once he gets to his mid-30s, and he might not be a perennial 40-goal player anymore. But Kaprizov also has elite vision and hockey sense, and those don't age nearly as much. In fact, you can argue that they only get better with experience. There is absolutely a risk in signing a player to a $17 million cap hit through their age-36 season. Nobody can deny that. However, there is a significant difference between watching a Hall of Very Good-type player like Parise, or a one-dimensional goal scorer like Heatley age, versus a truly elite, multifaceted offensive creator. If the Wild are going to make that big of a bet with anyone, Kaprizov feels like a very strong choice to bank on.

The Kirill Kaprizov contract is a major news story, which means everybody needs to fire off their takes. On one side, you have normal, level-headed folks ecstatic that the best player in franchise history is locked up for his entire prime. On the other side are the joyless pocket-watchers who can’t believe Kaprizov will make over $150 million to play a game. If you’re quoting Drew Doughty and calling perhaps the best Russian-born player in the world “overpaid,” I can’t help you. Then again, he would know, since Doughty once topped The Athletic’s list of worst contracts in the NHL less than a year after firing that shot. Kaprizov will need to age gracefully or play under a rapidly expanding salary cap to live up to the value of his contract. According to Dom Luszczyszyn’s analytical model, Kaprizov’s annual cap hit is about $2 million per year higher than his on-ice value. However, I can’t make a blog post out of just ripping Drew Doughty and re-posting tweets. So let’s go deeper. What kind of team can the Wild build around Kaprizov, now that the salary cap picture clarifies around the superstar’s mega-deal? First, the good news: Kaprizov’s raise doesn’t kick in until the 2026-27 season. That means that as of this moment, Minnesota is projected to have around $16 million in salary cap space at the trade deadline. That only includes the top 12 forwards, 6 defensemen, and 2 goaltenders, so some of that $16 million will be allocated to press box players or injury call-ups, such as Vinnie Hinistroza or Jack Johnson. However, the Wild should still have enough space at the deadline to bring in a serious addition at the trade deadline, barring another avalanche of injuries like they saw in each of the past two seasons. Concerns that the team is “injury prone” are likely overblown -- while some injuries can be recurrent, many are simply bad luck. To name some of the hottest deadline ideas floated lately, Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin’s cap hit is only $6.1 million. New York Rangers winger Artemi Panarin would cost just under $11.7 million. If the Wild can successfully accrue cap space, the sky is the limit in March 2026. But what about the years that the Wild have to pay out those NHL-record cap hits to Kaprizov? For that, we need to break out the spreadsheets. Salary data courtesy of PuckPedia.com Minnesota has a long to-do list in 2026. Expiring free agents include Vladimir Tarasenko, Mats Zuccarello, Marcus Johansson, Vinnie Hinistroza, Zach Bogosian, Jack Johnson, Filip Gustavsson, and Cal Petersen. David Jiricek is also a pending restricted free agent. Some of those are easy replacements, but the list includes both second-line wingers, the starting goaltender, and probably the opening-night fifth, sixth, and eighth defensemen. For this exercise, assume Gustavsson is extended for just over $7 million per year. That leaves around $15.9 million to find two left wings, a Johansson replacement, and fill out their third defensive pair. It’s almost impossible to project a Jiricek extension, given that his 2025-26 play will have a crucial impact on his contract. However, given how few games he’s played over the past few seasons, an affordable bridge contract seems likely. Copy-pasting the Jamie Drysdale contract with an adjustment for cap inflation, a three-year contract with an average annual value (AAV) of $2.86 million seems appropriate. The most expensive and most important item is replacing Tarasenko and Zuccarello. The team could re-sign them, but it’s unlikely they could keep up second-line play in ‘26-27 at ages 34 and 39, respectively. A free agent replacement is more likely if the team is truly chasing a Stanley Cup. Without knowing which wingers will hit the open market on June 1, 2026, it's difficult to be sure of what term and cap hits would make sense. However, accounting for 4% annual salary cap inflation over the next several seasons, and using The Athletic’s analytical model, we can project some phantom second-liner contracts. An average second-liner would be worth an $8.9 million AAV on a three-year deal, and $9.4 million on a five-year deal. If you talk yourself into a lower-end second-line forward, those numbers turn into $7.7 million and $8.2 million, respectively. If you’re keeping score at home, you’ll notice that we’ve run out of money before we could even afford the second free-agent forward. We still haven’t replaced Bogosian, and we barely have enough cap space for a 13th forward or injury call-ups. That raises several questions about the choices we made earlier. The biggest of these is the Gustavsson extension. Should the Wild let Gustavsson walk, and hope to ride a more affordable tandem of rookie Jesper Wallstedt and an affordable free agent? Before hitting the panic button, however, remember that cap dollars are not the only currency a team has to acquire new talent. In other words, free agency is not the only way to fill roster spots. To replace Tarasenko, Zuccarello, Bogosian, and Johansson, Minnesota has three options. In order from least to most expensive, those options are: Backfill from their prospect pool. For example, promote somebody from Iowa directly to the second line. Promote a prospect and replace their previous role. Example: Liam Ohgren fills Tarasenko’s second-line role, and Minnesota pays a free agent fourth-liner. Extend the player to remain in his current role, or replace him with a free agent. Of course, the cap space ran dry before all the roles were filled, because there is a better plan in place. The Wild front office isn’t praying that $23 million in projected 2026-27 cap space can replace two second-line forwards, a starting goaltender, a fourth liner, and a third-pair defenseman. At least, not without some internal improvements. That’s the answer to the type of team Minnesota can put around Kaprizov. If there is hope, it rides on their prospects. If two of Danila Yurov, Liam Ohgren, Charlie Stramel, Hunter Haight, and Riley Heidt can make a jump into a second-line role, they negate one of those needs. Even if they can step into a third-line role and make one of the Wild veterans expendable, that can open up space elsewhere. On the other hand, however, this team relies on prospects Zeev Buium and David Jiricek to provide at least third-pair quality defense. While they could meet that standard, the third pair in the NHL is more challenging than the first pair in college hockey or the AHL. If either of those defensemen doesn’t develop to replace the declining top-three defensemen, Jared Spurgeon, Jonas Brodin, and Jake Middleton, that also becomes a major liability. On the other hand, if Buium, Jiricek, and Faber hit their ceiling, they could be better than the current core. You get the picture. The Wild’s cap situation isn’t perfect with Kaprizov under contract. Assembling a championship roster won’t be as easy as a few strokes of the pen each offseason. On the other hand, many teams would envy Minnesota’s position. They have few holes on this year’s roster, plenty of cap space to add at the trade deadline, and a superstar under contract. They didn’t need to mortgage their future to do it either -- their prospect pool is reaching maturity, and they still hold first-round picks in each of the next three years. It’s hard to assemble a better championship plan than Minnesota’s current roster. They’ve already succeeded at the hardest part: finding a superstar and keeping him in town. The final phase of the plan hinges on executing prospect development effectively. It’s a frustrating conclusion as a fan, but it’s also exactly what sports are all about. Minnesota has the opportunity to field an exceptional team over the next several years. If they succeed, it won’t be because the guys in suits did everything better than the other teams’ guys in suits. Instead, it will be a reflection of what sports are all about: hours in the gym, a dedication to craft, and the discipline to become the very best hockey player possible. Combine that with the talent that the Wild’s top prospects have shown at the lower levels of hockey, and the roster is in exactly the right place to go all the way.

The annual Tom Kurvers Prospect Showcase took place last weekend at Tria Rink in Saint Paul, bringing together many of the Minnesota Wild, St. Louis Blues, and Chicago Blackhawks’ best prospects. I broke down the Wild’s forward prospects at the showcase in my previous piece, and this one will focus on the defensemen and goalies. College players and those playing in Europe are unable to attend this event, and some of the Wild’s top defensive prospects fall into that category. Still, there was an interesting mix of prospects at the Kurvers Showcase that included players in various stages of development. Defensemen Zeev Buium – Age: 19 – Shoots: L – 6-foot, 185 pounds Plenty has already been written about the Wild’s top prospect, and Buium backed up the hype by being heads and shoulders above most of the players at the event. He made several jaw-dropping passes and defended well with his feet and positioning. He also scored on a hard, accurate shot from the high slot. Buium is still guilty of taking unnecessary chances with poke checks and on the offensive blue line, just like he was in April when I wrote about his immediate NHL readiness. He’ll need to learn to pick his spots. Still, he showed everything he needed to on Friday and got the day off on Sunday as a reward. Buium is already an NHL-caliber defenseman, and quite possibly a very good one. He’ll be fun to watch this year. Jack Peart – Age: 22 – Shoots: L – 5-foot-11, 185 pounds Peart is a tough player to figure out. On the offensive half of the ice, he’s a stellar puck mover who can make crafty moves to shake defenders on the blue line and create space, passing lanes, and shooting opportunities. He can quarterback a power play with enough deception to get the opposition scrambling, leading to good scoring chances. He displayed all of that this weekend and is looking like he’ll have an opportunity to run the first or second power play in Iowa this season. But then, there’s Peart on the defensive side. He has the tools to defend and often does so effectively. He has good feet, and while he’s not a powerful or fast skater, he’s fairly smooth and efficient in all directions. However, it’s hard to trust him as a puck mover from his own end and even through the neutral zone. He has a tendency to make bad reads that lead to bad passes. Numerous times each game, Peart will throw a pass into coverage or put a teammate in a bad spot. He can make bad decisions sometimes with the puck on the wall or when carrying it, and skate into trouble. On the offensive blue line, he makes some questionable decisions about when to pinch. And he’ll randomly have bad gaps when defending a rush, allowing opponents to penetrate the zone dangerously. Peart had a tough game on Friday but rebounded with an excellent performance on Sunday. All told, it was the type of uneven performance that I’ve seen from him for a while. He’s young, and it’s hard for defensemen to adapt to the pro game. It’s just more the erratic nature of his play that is perplexing for a player with his toolkit. At this point, I’m wondering if it’s either that he has lapses in focus or that he doesn’t have strong hockey sense. Given his offensive instincts, I’m wondering if it’s more a lack of focus and attention to detail when the puck is on the defensive half of the ice. I’m really curious to see what he does in Iowa this year. There will be a lot of competition for minutes and power play time. Peart shows a lot of good things, but too often he makes plays that just can’t happen from a player with his pedigree. Hopefully, he takes a nice step this year and finds some consistency. Stevie Leskovar – Age: 21 – Shoots: L – 6-foot-3, 213 pounds I watched Leskovar very closely this weekend. It’s clear that he is going to be a project, but also that there’s potential payoff. There will need to be growth in his footwork because he has heavy feet at times when defending from a stationary position, and then has to quickly get to a spot. Leskovar’s first steps are a bit plodding, and he’ll need to develop quicker first steps in all directions. He also must ensure that he maintains good gaps when defending the rush; if not, opposing skaters can exploit him wide, and he’ll have trouble recovering. Lastly, he got caught puck-watching numerous times this weekend and lost coverage. But there’s also plenty to like. Leskovar is a fairly skilled skater on open ice for a player of his size. He understands how to use his size and length in puck battles and when defending in tight. He has a hard, heavy shot that he doesn’t force and is able to get through. Leskovar’s offensive instincts from the blue line in are pretty good, even if he’s not an overly skilled player. He reads plays and looks for chances to jump into space and become an option. Leskovar also isn’t afraid to join the rush when there’s a chance, and he can make a lot of the plays he needs to make. However, he passes can be too hard sometimes, but they’re usually accurate. And lastly, Leskovar is a physical force. He threw heavy body checks all weekend, especially during Friday’s game against the Blues, where things got pretty chippy as the game wore on. He found himself in an ongoing battle with Blues first-rounder Justin Carbonneau, one he eventually lost when he made a bad hit on Carbonneau behind the net and found himself in the penalty box. However, it was a reaction to being the victim of a cheap takedown that went uncalled earlier in the period. Leskovar also had a fight on Sunday. He’ll need to learn to rein it in at times, but he also understands the impact he can have with his physical play. He might have a hard time cracking the Iowa Wild lineup this season, at least initially. However, if Leskovar spends some time in the ECHL, that won’t be a bad place for him. He can play a lot of minutes there and learn to be a pro. There’s a wide range of outcomes in terms of his ceiling. Still, the Wild don’t have another prospect like him, and he’s worth the gamble for that reason alone. Kyle Masters – Age: 22 – Shoots: R – 6-foot, 176 pounds I have been a Masters fan since the Wild drafted him in 2021, and I mostly liked his game this past weekend. Still, a player with two full years of professional experience should be good at an event like this. It’s a question of ceiling for Masters, and I’m no longer sure that his ceiling involves playing NHL games. The 22-year-old has split time between the AHL and ECHL the past two seasons. It’s looking like he’ll be in a battle with Leskovar, Mike Koster, and Will Zmolek for depth minutes for the Iowa Wild this year. He’s right-handed, and that should also give him a leg up, but there’s a good chance he'll spend time in the ECHL once again. Masters moves the puck up ice well and understands how plays develop. He makes a handful of nice passes every game to jump-start attacks up ice. However, he hasn’t grown a lot as a skater in the past couple of seasons, and I don’t think he has quick enough feet to defend top players. I’m not sure if he has the offensive instincts and the skill necessary to be a threat on that end. I’m starting to wonder if Masters will top out in the AHL and eventually end up in Europe. Mike Koster – Age: 24 – Shoots: Left – 5-foot-10, 190 pounds Koster, the former Gopher, was one of the older players here, so he was expected to perform well, and he did, especially on Sunday. He showed his solid puck-moving and ability to transport the puck up ice. He’s a smart play reader and can defend with his feet and a good stick. His lengthy college experience should have prepared him to handle the physical play of pro hockey. I’ve seen Koster play in high school, juniors, and college, and I’m not sure how much better he can get at this point. It seems he’s maxed out a lot of his physical tools, but it looks like he can be a solid AHL defenseman, and he’ll have a chance to become that for the Iowa Wild this year. Eventually, I could see him becoming a guy who can get called up for a couple of NHL games a year as an organization’s ninth or tenth defenseman. Goalies Riley Mercer – Age: 21 – Catches: L – 6-foot-2, 203 pounds I’m certainly no expert on goalies, but I back Mercer as a potential good find by the Wild. He played two periods on Friday and was the victim of a couple of early defensive breakdowns, and never really seemed to find his rhythm. Still, he showed good poise and positioning, and looks pretty calm in his net. I’m excited to see what he does this year, likely in the ECHL with the Heartlanders, and potentially in some AHL action. Goalie development takes time, but a strong first year to follow up on an excellent junior career could elevate Mercer into a legitimate prospect status. William Rousseau – Age: 22 – Catches: L – 6-foot-1, 187 pounds Like Mercer, Rousseau was a free agent signing after completing a solid junior career and had a nice season for the Heartlanders last year. He was given the tough task of coming in cold for the third period in both games last weekend (each goalie got two periods of work) and performed very well. Rousseau has solid rebound control from what I’ve seen and looks pretty athletic. He and Mercer will probably be competing for starts in the ECHL, as well as for potential call-ups to the AHL. Chase Wutzke – Age: 19 – Catches: L – 6-foot-2, 161 pounds The Wild’s youngest goalie prospect turned in a solid performance on Sunday, showcasing his athleticism with several solid saves, including the save of the weekend, shown in the first highlight below. I was impressed by Wutzke’s quick, powerful lateral movement and ability to play big in his net. While he’s young, it was easy to see the potential that led the Wild to select him in the 2024 draft. He’ll be a fun one to track as he heads back to the WHL for another season. Other notable invitees With so many of their prospects playing in college or Europe, the Wild had more invitees on their Kurvers Showcase roster than normal. Of the nine players that were invited to participate in the camp, there were three in particular that caught my eye as players to monitor for potential depth signings down the road: Cash Koch, a gritty, undrafted 18-year-old forward, brought some real intensity and made an impact on several occasions. Koch is set to play his third season in the WHL. Rowan Topp, a 6-foot-2, 203-pound right-shot defenseman who moves fairly well and isn’t afraid to mix it up physically. There’s no flash to Topp’s game, but he plays an honest style and was a fun player to watch. Jordan Tourigny is a four-year vet of the QMJH. The 20-year-old is a mobile 6-foot, 185-pound right-shot defenseman who makes some outstanding plays with the puck. I enjoyed watching him get up and down the ice.

Everyone knows that the Florida Panthers absolutely stole Matthew Tkachuk from the Calgary Flames. The Panthers have been to the Stanley Cup Final in each of the three years since, and lifted it in the last two. The Flames lost a superstar power forward who has put up 88 goals and 254 points in his ages 25-to-27 seasons. And all they got for their troubles was Jonathan Huberdeau and MacKenzie Weegar. Huberdeau bounced back in 2024-25 after a disappointing two seasons, but "bouncing back" meant "scoring 28 goals and 62 points instead of 15 and 55." Weegar has been the Flames' top defenseman, but if a blueliner logs 24 minutes a night on a team that hasn't made the playoffs in the past three years, does he make a sound? Nope, this trade is a laugher for Calgary. They got pantsed. At least, in 2025. In 2022, the Flames took an awful situation and got way more out of the deal than anyone ever thought. Tkachuk made it clear that he was not going to sign in Calgary. Money wasn't going to do it, nothing would. He was gone. In most cases, a superstar player who leaves town brings a standard package of an NHL player, a pick, and a prospect. That's a rebuilding move, which wouldn't have worked for a team that had just advanced to the second round of the playoffs. At the time, what the Flames got blew everyone's mind. Huberdeau had just scored 30 goals, 115 points, and finished in the top-five in Hart Trophy voting. Weegar gained national attention -- in Florida, no less! -- for being a top defenseman. He finished eighth and 14th in Norris Trophy voting over his past two seasons. ESPN gave the Flames an A grade for the trade. A five-person panel at The Athletic gave Calgary an A-plus, A-minus, A, A-plus, and an A. You couldn't have made a trade more well-received. And that's got to be something the Minnesota Wild have in mind as they (perhaps) approach doomsday. Kirill Kaprizov reportedly turned down a contract worth $128 million from the Wild. It's essential to note that it's not the same as wanting out of Minnesota, but it's not a great sign when a player says No thanks to being the highest-paid in the league. Until we find out more, the State of Hockey has to at least think about what Life After Kaprizov looks like. One thing's for sure: It can't look like the Tkachuk Trade. The Flames, weirdly enough, made a similar mistake to what the Wild did in 2012: They locked themselves into two aging players who raised the talent level of their team, but didn't quite elevate them into contenders. There's obviously some hindsight with both. Like Huberdeau, Zach Parise also had a season where he finished fifth in Hart voting. Like Weegar, Ryan Suter was also an elite two-way defenseman. It's hard to fault either team for making the moves they did, even if they were wrong about their ultimate ceiling. But in hindsight, the Flames would want more for Tkachuk, and the Wild would still buy out Parise and Suter. And the Wild will have regrets if Kaprizov leaves in free agency. It might be tempting to stick to the Wild's five-year plan for contention. Matt Boldy, Marco Rossi, Zeev Buium, Danila Yurov, and Brock Faber make for a ready-made Under-25 core of players. Meanwhile, veteran core pieces like Joel Eriksson Ek, Jared Spurgeon, and Jonas Brodin aren't getting any younger. It'd be tempting for Guerin to grab a life raft and bring in a solid veteran player or two to help fill the Kaprizov hole. We already know what the problem is. Let's say the hated Vegas Golden Knights want Kaprizov and hypnotize Tomas Hertl and Shea Theodore (as they do with all their unmovable players) to waive their No-Move Clauses to make it happen. Suddenly, the Wild have a big center and a top-flight power play quarterback. What does that mean, without Kaprizov to elevate the rest of the roster? That's a team that's definitely making the playoffs, and definitely not making the Conference Finals. At the same time, we also know the Player/Pick/Prospect model isn't likely to work, either. You have to nail the pick, or uncover another Faber -- a prospect an organization knows pretty well, but ultimately underestimates. Without that, you're the Buffalo Sabers after trading Jack Eichel: With no superstar, and on Year 3 of hoping that this will be the year for Peyton Krebs and Noah Östlund (SPOILER: it won't be). So, what then? Bill Guerin and the Wild can't fool themselves: There's no winning a Kaprizov trade. The Flames did their damn best and couldn't win the Tkachuk trade. If you're giving up a consistent MVP-level force, you automatically are getting less value. But what the Wild can do is try to turn Kaprizov into a player who can help build around the Boldy/Rossi/Buium/Faber/Yurov core. "A" is the keyword. Not a collection of lottery tickets. They need to identify the best Under-25 player or prospect they can possibly get for Kaprizov and get them. Teams aren't going to hand over their best players and prospects, even for Kaprizov. If Kaprizov wants to go to Chicago, you can bet that their tippy-top tier of Connor Bedard or Artyom Levshunov is untouchable, and probably even 2025 third-overall pick Anton Frondell. But if Frank Nazar III is the price of admission to give Bedard a superstar teammate, are the Chicago Blackhawks going to say no? That's the line of thinking the Wild are going to have to pursue. They aren't getting someone else's Kaprizov, whether for right now or in the future. But they can perhaps target someone's Matt Boldy -- a high-end player with youth and upside. Continuing to use the Blackhawks and Nazar as an example, one of them is going to be more valuable than a package of B/B-plus-tier prospects like Sam Rinzel and Oliver Moore. The Wild's history, and the Kaprizov years especially, prove that winning is about having high-end talent. If they can't have Kaprizov, they have to target the highest-end talent they can land. Granted, it's a lot to ask of a player to be Adam Larsson -- the one guy a team got back for a superstar. Whether it's Nazar, or to spitball, Matthew Knies of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Cutter Gauthier/Mason McTavish in Anaheim, or William Eklund/Will Smith in San Jose, whoever fills Kaprizov's shoes is going to have a ton of pressure on them. Still, that's the best chance the Wild would have of not letting Kaprizov's departure doom them to eternal mediocrity. We've seen what doesn't work with the Tkachuk trade, and we've seen what rarely works with countless Player/Pick/Prospect deals. For Guerin to keep his core on track, he'd have to break out of that thinking and identify the best single player he can get.

Zeev Buium made history when he stepped on the ice for the Minnesota Wild’s first game against the Vegas Golden Knights in Round 1 last season. He became the first Wild player to debut during the playoffs. Buium had a strong start to his career and assisted Kirill Kaprizov on a power-play goal. Bill Guerin highlighted Buium’s “ability to generate offense” when Dan Barreiro asked him what Buium brought to the team in a KFAN interview. Buium had 48 points in 41 games in the 2024-25 season at the University of Denver, and almost immediately started generating offensive opportunities for Minnesota. Buium will be a great addition to the power play, but still has room to grow. Buium showed confidence with the puck and made an impact during his 4 playoff games last season. However, he occasionally made defensive mistakes and averaged 13:36 of ice time (TOI). During Game 3, Reilly Smith picked up the puck off a weird bounce and sent it to William Karlsson. Buium got back to defend. Still, Karlsson walked into the zone, passed around Buium back to Smith, and Smith scored. Buium is high in the offensive zone when the play starts, so it would’ve been dangerous for him to pinch on this play. However, he doesn’t gap up correctly, and Karlsson is able to pass around him. Through the preseason, Buium has played a similar game. He had great offensive plays, but has not consistently made the defensive play. During the Wild’s September 25 game against the Dallas Stars, Buium was on the ice for 4 of their 5 goals against. While every goal for and against is a collective team effort (or lack thereof), there were a couple of moments that an extra effort from Buium would’ve stopped the goal. For Dallas’s second goal, Buium has the puck in the offensive zone and loses it, which Mavrik Bourque picks up and passes to Wyatt Johnston. Buium manages to poke check it away from Johnston, but then leaves too much space, so Johnston is able to pick it up again. Buium has a moment of hesitation, followed by a poorly angled attack that Dallas capitalizes on and scores. I’m not pointing out Buium’s mistakes to suggest he’s a bad player. Defensemen get beat, it’s part of the game. However, his job is to defend, and he has room to grow defensively, especially considering these were pre-season games, and he can expect tougher opponents in the regular season. Something else holding Buium back defensively is his age. At only 19 years old, he stands at 6-foot-0, 183 lbs., and has spent far less time in the weight room than most NHL players. While he’s technically bigger than Jared Spurgeon already, he’s probably not as strong. He’ll likely fill out and gain weight, making him physically harder to get by later on in his career. Even if these mistakes make him a defensive liability, the Wild should still give him ice time. While Buium had a tough game against the Stars, he showed the kind of impact he can make on September 28 against the Chicago Blackhawks. Minnesota doesn’t score on the following play, but they get shots on net and dominate the zone because Buium chases down the puck instead of circling back into a defensive position. A more timid defenseman would’ve gotten back into position, but Buium has the confidence and ability to pick the puck back up and make a play with it. By the Wild’s September 30 game against the Winnipeg Jets, Buium had found his stride. He looks natural at the top of Minnesota’s umbrella power play. He confidently and quickly moves it around the zone before firing from the blue line on net. Kirill Kaprizov tips the puck in. Still, the movement between Buium, Matt Boldy, and Vladimir Tarasenko is critical to this goal. Buium continued to generate offense during Minnesota’s October 3 game against the Blackhawks. Kaprizov entered the zone on the power play and sent it to Buium as he crossed the blue line. Buium held the puck and went behind the net instead of shooting. He got a clear pass to Boldy, who passed it over to Tarasenko, who scored. Buium doesn’t take the shot or the pass when he doesn’t have it on the power play. While getting a shot off and going for the rebound is typically the safe play, on the power play, it allows the other team to pick up the loose puck and ice it. Buium’s long stick doesn’t hurt his ability to keep the puck out of Artyom Levshunov’s reach here, either. He’s also able to generate scoring opportunities outside of the power play. Buium consistently drives to the net when given an opportunity, like he does in this clip. Later in the game, Buium cements his position on the power play by giving Boldy an outlet. Tarasenko moves up top as a decoy outlet, and Buium sends it back to Boldy, who shoots and scores. Minnesota needed a confident player with strong offensive ability on the power play, and they definitely got one. While Buium has some work to do defensively, he’ll be able to close that gap as he adapts to the NHL, and his ability to produce on the power play makes up for it.

The Minnesota Wild locked up a significant piece of their future when they signed Filip Gustavsson to a contract extension that will pay him $34 million ($6.8 million average annual value) for the next five seasons. The move comes on the heels of a recent slew of deals that solidify the team’s future, but it could also have a significant impact on decisions further down the line. In the case of Filip Gustavsson’s extension, the biggest question will naturally be how it affects the trajectory of our No. 3 Wild prospect Jesper Wallstedt. When the Wild drafted Wallstedt 20th overall in 2021, he was considered one of the top goaltending prospects in the world. Since then, he’s had two strong seasons in the AHL, followed by a disastrous campaign last year. Even with his struggles in Iowa last year, Wallstedt is still one of Minnesota’s most valuable prospects. It became clear the Wild see him as their backup for this year when they put veteran Cal Petersen on waivers. It will be exciting to see how Wallstedt performs in his first full NHL season, but Gustavsson’s extension could put his long-term future with the team in doubt. By signing Gustavsson to the 13th-richest goaltender contract in the league by AAV, Minnesota has shown it believes the team has its starting goalie of at least the next few years locked up. It’s challenging to imagine supplanting Gustavsson unless his play is disastrous in the near future. That seems to put a damper on Wallstedt’s career aspirations. The goaltender is competitive and looked like Minnesota’s goalie of the future until last season. In a profile last year, he talked about his ambitions of building a long-term career in the NHL. “But also knowing that I don't wanna come to the NHL to just be an NHL goalie,” he told NHL.com. “I want to get there and succeed and build a career that is going to be successful in the long run for many years.” If both Wallstedt and Gustavsson play well, this is bound to become a conflict. When the rubber meets the road, several potential outcomes are possible. First, one of either Wallstedt or Gustavsson gets traded. Theoretically, Gustavsson’s new deal doesn’t fully preclude him from being moved. The cap hit is reasonable for a bona fide NHL starter. His no-trade clause is a full no-trade for three seasons, which becomes a 15-team no-trade list in the final years. While trading Gustavsson is possible, few teams would trade a goalie of his caliber. Goalie trades in the NHL are relatively rare, especially involving starters. The Anaheim Ducks traded John Gibson to the Detroit Red Wings over the offseason, but only after Lukas Dostal separated himself as the clear starter in Anaheim. That was also a years-long saga, during which the Ducks had difficulty trading Gibson’s $6.4 million AAV contract. That trade is the only goalie trade in the last 10 years that included an active netminder with an average annual value of more than $6 million. So, while trading Gustavsson is possible based on his cap hit, history suggests it's unlikely that a goalie of his caliber will be traded. A situation with far more precedence is one where a young goaltender forces their way out of an organization where it's difficult for them to become a starter. The Nashville Predators drafted Yaroslav Askarov 11th overall in 2020 as the presumed heir to the Pekka Rinne throne. Unfortunately for Askarov, Juuse Saros emerged as a top-level goaltender and signed an eight-year contract extension on July 1, 2024. Askarov requested a trade just a month later, and the Predators traded him to the San Jose Sharks, putting him in a situation where he had a more straightforward path to becoming an NHL starter. In a similar occurrence, the Florida Panthers took Spencer Knight in the first round of the 2019 draft. Sergei Bobrovsky struggled early in his contract, but solidified himself as the obvious starter in Florida. Spencer Knight became expendable and the Panthers traded him to the Chicago Blackhawks last season, where he is now Chicago's No. 1 goaltender after signing a three-year deal. Could Wallstedt be the latest first-round pick goalie who gets their path blocked by a more senior backstop? Both the Askarov and Knight trades fetched their original teams' conditional first-round picks, so if Wallstedt follows in their footsteps, Minnesota could get good assets for him. There is another option that is preferable to everyone involved. The Wild could go all in on being a goaltending-heavy team. If Wallstedt proves to be an NHL-starter-level goalie, Minnesota could give him and Gustavsson a relatively equal workload. The traditional workhorse goaltender is going out in style in the NHL. Only five goalies made 60 or more starts last season, while 12 reached that mark 10 years ago. Minnesota could take it even further and adopt a division of labor similar to the one used by the Toronto Maple Leafs last season. While some may recoil at being compared to the Maple Leafs, they have a competitive situation in net. The team has Joseph Woll and Anthony Stolarz in net, both of whom were great last year. Anthony Stolarz started 33 games for Toronto and led the league in save percentage with a .926 rating. Joseph Woll started 41 games and logged a .909 save percentage, which is still significantly better than the .900 league average. Toronto essentially has no starting goalie, and this allows them to ride the hot hand at any given time. Wallstedt and Gustavsson could be Minnesota’s version of Woll and Stolarz if Wallstedt develops the way Minnesota hopes he will. An even greater outcome is that a true tandem may also help bring out the best in Gustavsson. Gustavsson had a monster workload last season before he got hurt. Even with an injury, he still started 58 games and was worse down the stretch than he was at the start of the season. He’s likely in line for similar responsibilities this season as Wallstedt gets acclimated to the NHL. Still, when the Wall catches up, Minnesota could get the absolute best out of Gustavsson for 45 games. Minnesota would have to convince both to take on such a role, but it would be beneficial for both of their performances. If that doesn’t happen, it’s possible Jesper Wallstedt could see his name in trade rumors in the near future if he aspires to be more than Gustavsson’s backup.

Last year was supposed to be a breakout year for Liam Ohgren. Entering the season, many thought he had a great chance at cracking the Minnesota Wild’s lineup, with some even believing he had the opportunity to play top-six minutes. However, that never really materialized for Ohgren. Still, he did make some significant steps in his development. The winger had 19 goals in 41 games with the Iowa Wild. He showed enough promise between his late-season NHL play and his dominance in Iowa that he is once again a player to watch this upcoming season. While it’s just training camp and preseason, Ohgren has made a great first impression in his second attempt to break through as an NHL player. Ohgren started camp by showcasing the work he’s put into his body for the season. The NHL’s official Twitter account even took notice. He’s made significant gains in the weight room, weighing in at 202 pounds at the beginning of camp. That’s a stark increase from the 187 he was listed at last season. Ohgren’s physical growth may be vital for the young forward. When the Wild drafted him in the first round of the 2022 draft, the Swede was vaunted for his shot, play-driving ability, and potentially having a physical presence. There were times last season when Ohgren seemed to have difficulty adjusting to the NHL’s size and speed. That shouldn’t be an issue this season, given Ohgren’s physical transformation. While getting his body more ready for the NHL season is a significant first step for Ohgren, it wouldn’t really matter if he wasn’t showing strides of development on the ice. Michael Russo mentioned him as a standout of early camp practices. Even more importantly, Ohgren is earning rave reviews from John Hynes. Minnesota’s coach has highlighted Ohgren as a player who’s been impressive in camp and is pushing hard to make the roster out of camp. “His speed is a factor, he’s tenacious on pucks, and he’s got a great shot,” said Hynes. “He’s in fantastic shape. He has a better idea of how we want to do things. And he’s playing with that tenacity and the mindset that he wants to come in and earn a job. “He’s using his greatest assets. Like, he’s shooting to score. He’s bearing down. He’s got a second effort on pucks. His speed is a factor.” Ohgren has shown promise while building chemistry with two veteran players who should be vital to the Wild’s success this season. Ohgren has primarily played and practiced alongside Joel Eriksson Ek and Vladimir Tarasenko. The trio has dominated Minnesota’s camp, with Tarasenko scoring four goals and two assists in two scrimmage wins. While Eriksson Ek and Tarasenko are undoubtedly the two more experienced components of the line, Ohgren isn’t a passenger. He has shown a willingness to use his impressive shot and drive play for the line, which is an encouraging development, given that there were times last season when he deferred to his more experienced teammates. The Wild wants Ohgren to be a bit more assertive with the puck. He’s fast, physical, and has a great shot with the potential to score like a top-six forward for the organization. When Ohgren is using his best assets, good things happen on the ice. Settling in with Eriksson Ek and Tarasenko has also been a crucial experience for Ohgren. Tarasenko expressed that he has taken advantage of the opportunity to learn from his veteran linemates. “He’s a great kid,” Tarasenko said. “It’s nice to know the new younger guys who are willing to listen, and we’ve had a chance to communicate a little. He’ll catch it up right away. I would say it’s always a pleasure — I was young once, too — to see the younger guys who come and are willing to work hard and also learn.” Ohgren is well on his way to having an impressive camp. Still, he’ll need to find a place on the roster if he hopes to make an impact on the team in his rookie year. He should have every opportunity to do so with a key injury in the team’s top six. Bill Guerin recently announced Mats Zuccarello would be out “a little while” and could miss the start of the season. While it is unfortunate to see Zuccarello dealing with injury issues, it could give Ohgren just the opportunity he needs to play a significant role from the start of the season. Zuccarello usually plays opposite Kirill Kaprizov. However, with Zuccarello out, Kaprizov will probably play with Matt Boldy on the first line. If the Wild enter the season with a first line that pairs Kaprizov and Boldy, they may want to see if the line of Eriksson Ek, Tarasenko, and Ohgren can carry their training camp chemistry into the regular season. That would leave Minnesota with a top six of Kaprizov-Rossi-Boldy and Ohgren-Eriksson Ek-Tarasenko. That would be a massive opportunity for Ohgren to prove that his eventful training camp is more than just a good preseason. Minnesota is counting on Ohgren to be an impact player. Many thought he might take significant steps last season. While he did develop, it probably didn’t go the way most had hoped. This season will be a crucial year for his path in the organization. If the start of training camp is any indication, he’s doing all the right things to make the most of his opportunity.

Adam Benak showed up to the Minnesota Wild's prospect showcase this weekend and completely showed out. The 2025 fourth-round pick was going to potentially be overshadowed by the likes of Danila Yurov and Zeev Buium at this pre-season exhibition, but should be considered closer to that tier of future members of this team than before. The 5-foot-8 forward was motoring all over the ice. Breaking up plays, having his own scoring chances, and of course setting up a whole lot for his teammates. Benak is heading to the OHL's Brantford Bulldogs this upcoming season after playing last year with the USHL's Youngstown Phantoms. He is slowly climbing the ladder to potentially be one of those players where his size doesn't hold him back. And the Wild got him in the fourth round. Nuts. More on Benak and how both the Wild and the player are confident that he will prove a whole lot of people wrong. [The Athletic] We might have to start thinking about this world. What would a post-Kaprizov Wild team look like? [Hockey Wilderness] Off the trail... After losing his job with the Dallas Stars, Peter Deboer regrets singling out Jake Oettinger as a reason why they lost in the playoffs. Yeah, duh. [TheScore] A trade and we haven't even started training camps. The Philadelphia Flyers have sent 6-foot-8 netminder Ivan Fedotov to the Columbus Blue Jackets for a sixth-round pick. Flyers clear up some of their goaltending depth chart and Blue Jackets get a goalie. [NHL.com]

In the aftermath of Kirill Kaprizov turning down the largest contract in NHL history from the Minnesota Wild, fans in the State of Hockey are now facing the unthinkable: A Wild team without their franchise's only superstar. With this news cycle being raw, the big questions are, Will this get done? or What do the Wild do with Kaprizov? But lost in that discourse is a bigger question. What even ARE the Wild without Kaprizov? The easiest answer is that they go back to where the franchise was before: Irrelevant to the NHL landscape. We got a sneak preview of it for half of last season. The Wild were 21-17-3 in games without Kaprizov, which would have put them on a 90-point pace that would have kept them out of the playoff bubble. If that repeated itself next year, the Wild would not just not make the playoffs, but finish well out of the Draft Lottery range. In that case, re-loading with Gavin McKenna would be a long shot. The timing of losing Kaprizov would be devastating. The Wild are finally entering their contention window and are built to win in the next three years. Past that time, veterans like Jonas Brodin, Jared Spurgeon, Marcus Foligno, and perhaps even Joel Eriksson Ek may age out of being real pieces of a contending team. Meanwhile, players currently on cheap contracts -- Zeev Buium, Danila Yurov, David Jiříček, and Liam Öhgren -- should see their salaries skyrocket. We can be pretty sure that Minnesota's ambitions to win won't slow down, even with Kaprizov gone. General manager Bill Guerin spent four years taking a step back to try moving forward with the Zach Parise and Ryan Suter buyouts. He won't want to keep going backwards, and maybe can't afford to do so. So, assuming the Wild forge ahead, Guerin will build this team around their next-best player. For now, Matt Boldy is the favorite to hold that title, who is at an interesting crossroads in his career. On The Athletic's recent NHL Player Tiers list -- a ranking heavily influenced by members of NHL coaching staffs and front offices -- Boldy landed at the top of Tier 3. He's at the exact dividing line between "NHL All-Star" and "Franchise Player." To give some context to what that actually means, the three forwards above him in Tier 2C are William Nylander, Artemi Panarin, and Sam Reinhart, and the three below him in 3A are Jake Guentzel, Brandon Hagel, and Seth Jarvis. You can build an offense around the 2C guys, probably not so much with the 3A. Whether Boldy can move up into that Franchise tier, we'll save for another day. But if he does, he's on par with Panarin and Sebastian Aho, who are the best forwards on the New York Rangers and Carolina Hurricanes, respectively. Zeev Buium is the only other major contender for the Wild's top player. The rookie defenseman is a consensus top-10 prospect and enters the season as a leading candidate for the Calder Trophy. Should he win it, he'd join Kaprizov as the only two in Wild history to win a major player award. That'd only be the beginning of overtaking Boldy as the focal point of a Kaprizov-less team, though. When we look at the top defensemen in the league -- Cale Makar (Tier 1A), Quinn Hughes (1B), Rasmus Dahlin (2A), Miro Heiskanen (2A), Zach Werenski (2B), Evan Bouchard (2C), and Adam Fox (2C) -- all but Werenski were putting up 70-plus point seasons by their third full season. If that's Buium by Year 3, then we're talking about him being in a similar tier. Unfortunately, if either Boldy or Buium takes that leap without the other, it's not a great recipe for success. The Wild spent the past five seasons being a team built around a better winger than Boldy, and it's only given them four playoff appearances, all lost in the first round. The Ottawa Senators had the best defenseman on the planet in 2016-17 with Erik Karlsson, and he and Mark Stone (a decent analogue for current-day Boldy) could only drag a ho-hum to the Eastern Conference Finals, losing to Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin's Pittsburgh Penguins. But the two of them hitting that franchise player-type level? We can see some examples of consistent success. The New York Rangers have spent the past four seasons with Panarin and Fox, and those two, being their best players (along with elite goalie Igor Shesterkin), were able to reach the Eastern Conference Finals twice in three years before falling off last season. If Filip Gustavsson can continue to deliver the kind of numbers he did last year (.914 in the regular season), Boldy and Buium could give Minnesota a similar team dynamic. But the ideal scenario for the Wild would be duplicating something like what the Dallas Stars have going on. They have two franchise players, at both forward (Mikko Rantanen, Tier 2B) and defense (Heiskanen, 2A), backed up by a young, gifted supporting cast. Thomas Harley (3A), Jason Robertson (3A), Jake Oettinger (3C), Wyatt Johnston (4A), and Roope Hintz (4B) are all between the ages of 22 and 28. Minnesota can do this if a lot of things go right. Brock Faber (4B) is a player who can be part of a core like Dallas has, but players like Marco Rossi, Jesper Wallstedt, Yurov, Jiříček, and Öhgren have work to do before getting to that level. And still, the team has no chance of replicating Dallas' model if Boldy and Buium can't get to being franchise-type players. But without that Tier 1 player in Kaprizov's, what's that team's ceiling? The Stars have had a lot of success in the past two seasons. They made the Conference Finals both years, which beats the Wild for their franchise's history. However, they were thwarted in six games both times. Maybe the Stars will break through. Still, until that happens, it's hard to ignore the fact that they don't have an MVP-type player at the top of their lineup. Until the Wild trade him, Minnesota does. And all of the things we laid out about the team are true if Kaprizov stays in Minnesota. A lot would have to go right for the Wild to hit that championship level, of course. However, Kaprizov's presence gives them a hell of a head start, and losing him means the team's margin for error drops to zero. There may be life without Kaprizov, but losing him will be devastating to the team's ceiling, no matter what else breaks Minnesota's way.

Liam Ohgren’s ready to battle for a full-time spot for the Minnesota Wild. He’s prepared to show general manager Bill Guerin that he’s ready to make an impact in the NHL. However, Ohgren will compete with Marcus Johansson for ice time, and Guerin and head coach John Hynes love Johansson’s game. Guerin recently signed Brett Leason to a Professional Tryout (PTO), and he brings a little more to the table than Justin Brazeau. If Leason makes the team, he’ll slot in as the 12th forward, but where will Ohgren fit? If the Wild prioritize Johansson’s veteran play over Ohgren’s development, then the Wild are in danger of Ohgren becoming the next Dylan Holloway. The Athletic’s Joe Smith wrote the projected lines for the 2025-26 season, and Ohgren is the 13th forward behind Johansson, whom Guerin and Hynes need to stop obsessing over. The Wild have always wanted large, skilled players. Johannson brings elite skating, but he’s not in his 20s anymore. Johansson is 34 years old and isn’t expected to be a better producer. So, why do Guerin and Hynes still obsess over him? It’s not like Johansson is like Mats Zuccarello or Eric Staal. Those veterans made a true top-six impact. Johansson has been a polarizing player who was never a top-six player in the NHL like Zuccarello and Staal. Johansson is approaching his 1,000th game with only 17 games left to play. Is it really that important for them to showcase Johansson? The Wild owe him absolutely nothing. The Wild need to develop Ohgren into their version of Holloway. The Edmonton Oilers took Holloway 14th overall in the 2020 draft. Below is The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler’s scouting report on Holloway: He’s a unique athlete in this class, an outstanding skater, a physical presence, and a talented scorer with a hard wrist shot. I’d expect a breakout season as a sophomore. It wouldn’t surprise me, either, if he quickly becomes an NHL player in the next couple of years, given his A-level skating and advanced physical maturity. The Wild drafted Ohgren 19th overall in the 2022 draft. Here is Wheeler’s scouting report on him: His offensive arsenal is multi-faceted, and he’s got some really sneaky craftiness and evasiveness to his game to complement the tools of strength over the puck/through his shot that are obvious. There are parallels between Holloway and Ohgren. While Holloway’s skating is significantly better than Ohgren’s, Ohgren’s game revolves around asserting his physicality and a heavy shot. Holloway only played 89 games with the Oilers, producing 18 points (9 goals and 9 assists) before they traded him to the St. Louis Blues after he signed an offer sheet in August 2024. The Oilers decided not to match their offer sheet. Holloway later came out and said that he’s disappointed that he couldn’t stay in Edmonton, but he’s moving on to show why the Oilers made a mistake in trading him. Guerin needs to avoid making this mistake. In Holloway’s first season with the Blues, he showed everyone why he was a first-round prospect. He had a breakout season, scoring 63 points in 77 games played. He finished 3rd in scoring behind Jordan Kyrou (70) and Robert Thomas (81). Holloway quickly became a top-three scorer. I expect Holloway to be a vital piece in St. Louis’ top-six who can play in all situations and be a pain to play against for the Wild. Here’s the rest of Holloway’s stats during the 2024-25 season: Team rankings T-2nd in primary assists 5th in hits T-6th in blocked shots 1st in takeaways 3rd in Goals Above Expected (GAE) 3rd in Goals Per 60 (G/60) 2nd in Assists Per 60 (A/60) 3rd in Points Per 60 (P/60) League rankings Primary assists: T-71st Ahead of Kyrou, Dylan Cozens, Alex Ovechkin, Elias Pettersson, Gabriel Vilardi, Tage Thompson, Macklin Celebrini, Brad Marchand, Andrei Svechnikov, JJ Peterka, Matthew Knies, and Kevin Fiala Hits: T-49th Ahead of Trent Federic, Sam Bennett, Adam Lowry, Matt Rempe, Jamie Benn, Ovechkin, and Matthew Tkachuk Blocked shots: T-97th Ahead of Marcus Foligno, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Mika Zibanejad, Sean Couturier, Bennett, Brayden Point, Jordan Staal, Mark Stone, Bo Horvat, and William Karlsson Takeaways: T-18th Ahead of Vincent Trochek, Kyle Connor, Seth Jarvis, Connor McDavid, Nick Suzuki, Ryan O’Reilly, Anze Kopitar, Auston Matthews, Sidney Crosby, Nugent-Hopkins, Mats Zuccarello, Lucas Raymond, and Bennett. GAE: 36th Ahead of Kopitar, John Tavares, Adrian Kempe, Peterka, Kirill Kaprizov, Nikolaj Ehlers, Alex Tuch, Sebastian Aho, Thomas, Martin Necas, Connor Bedard, Tim Stutzle, Mitch Marner, and Nathan MacKinnon G/60: T-64th Ahead of Matevi Michkov, Clayton Keller, Peterka, Bennett, Mikko Rantanen, Aho, Suzuki, Dylan Larkin, Timo Meier, Necas, Celebrini, MacKinnon, Jack Eichel, Marchand, McDavid, and Raymond A/60: 46th Ahead of Aho, Evgeni Malkin, Michkov, Dylan Guenther, Matt Boldy, Celebrini, Benn, Point, Bedard, Tavares, Vilardi, Sam Reinhart, Zuccarello, Pavel Buchnevich, Ovechkin, Pettersson, Seth Jarvis, Jake Guentzel, Larkin, and William Nylander P/60: T-48th Ahead of Peterka, Alex DeBrincat, Jarvis, Vilardi, Cole Caufield, Michkov, Aho, Celebrini, Boldy, Kopitar, Larkin, Tuch, Brady Tkachuk, Malkin, Marco Rossi, and Fiala Holloway appears to be trending toward becoming a high-end, two-way top-six forward. Maybe even a star if his production continues to improve. His combination of scoring, playmaking ability, defensive awareness, and physical presence suggests he has the potential to be a core player. If the Blues keep him in a bigger role, he could break out into a Selke-candidate type of player as soon as this season. Right now, the Oilers would rather have Holloway than Vasily Podkolzin, Trent Frederic, or Evander Kane (who they later traded to the Vancouver Canucks). Perhaps McDavid would've loved to play with Holloway because he would become Zach Hyman 2.0. Now the Oilers are still looking for secondary scoring to back up McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and Nugent-Hopkins. The Wild would love a player like Holloway on their team, but they already have Ohgren. Ohgren has the opportunity to produce similarly to Holloway, and he should be placed in a scoring role. Playing him with Zuccarello and Joel Eriksson Ek will help kick-start his breakout season. Giving the Wild three scoring lines. It's time for Guerin to start investing in Ohgren’s growth and stop deferring to Johansson.

Since Kirill Kaprizov put his pen to paper last week, the hockey world has turned its sole attention to Connor McDavid. If Kaprizov was going to get a record-shattering eight-year, $136 million deal, then what did the best player in the world deserve? $18 million? $20 million? When you've won three Hart Trophies, five Art Ross Trophies, and racked up over 1,000 points before your 29th birthday, you get exactly what you want. If you thought Kaprizov had leverage over the Minnesota Wild, McDavid might even have had more over the Edmonton Oilers. So it was strange when we found out, apparently, exactly what he wanted. McDavid signed a laughably below-market deal on Monday, going very short-term with a two-year, $25 million contract. That's not per year. His $12.5 million AAV won't be the highest on the Edmonton Oilers when it kicks in -- that'll be Leon Draisaitl's $14 million AAV. After signing his deal, McDavid is set to be just the fifth-highest-paid player in the league, behind Kaprizov, Draisaitl, Auston Matthews ($13.25M AAV), and Nathan MacKinnon ($15.6M). With Jack Eichel, Cale Makar, Artemi Panarin, and Kyle Connor slated for UFA status next year, he might fall to ninth by the time the season starts. The contrast comes ready-made. The Good Canadian Boy stayed in his country, with the team that drafted him, and even gave them a huge break. The Greedy European Guy stayed with the team that drafted him, but turned down a giant, record-setting contract to squeeze another million bucks a year out of them. Kaprizov making $4.5 million more than McDavid and $3 million more than anyone else will surely put a bullseye on him for criticism, perhaps even in the local market. However, McDavid's deal doesn't sour Kaprizov's. It probably doesn't mean we should view Kaprizov's contract any differently than we did last week. Yes, McDavid forgoed a raise to free up dollars for the Oilers, and that's not nothing. His making $12.5 million instead of $18 million-plus for the next three years maximizes his team's odds of getting a third, fourth, and fifth whack at the Stanley Cup. It's a move that's absolutely motivated by winning. Still, that's not an act of charity, or what's best for the Oilers. It's got Edmonton in a place where Minnesota didn't want to be. Their superstar has a foot out the door. Instead of being in limbo with McDavid for one year, their superstar delayed doomsday by only two years. If the team wins a Cup in those seasons, then great. Flags fly forever. But if not, or if they win, and McDavid doesn't feel like Edmonton can build a dynasty, then McDavid has built himself the most golden of parachutes. In the final year of McDavid's contract, the salary cap is slated to be $113.5 million. Presumably, it will increase the following year. Still, even if it stays stagnant, McDavid is set to hit the free agent market with the ability to make a maximum of $22.7 million. We've seen McDavid enough to know that he's not likely to max out his cap hit. Still, all he would need to do is sign a six-year, $112 million deal ($18.67M AAV) to exceed Kaprizov's $136 million over the next eight seasons. Even while taking less, he will be made whole. The only question is, where will he get that payday? Did any Wild fan really want to sign up for two more years of limbo, of the wolves known as NHL Insiders circling the State of Hockey, playing matchmaker with Kaprizov and other big markets? Is a $4.5 million discount for two seasons worth that? Probably not! It might have been a hefty price, but Kaprizov bought in, and did so with less reason than McDavid has to buy into the Oilers' long-term outlook. Say what you want about Edmonton, but they've won more playoff series in the past two seasons (six) than the Wild have in 25 (four). The Oilers have a Hart Trophy winner locked up for eight seasons (Draisaitl), a former 100-point center (Ryan Nugent-Hopkins), and a 26-year-old defenseman with an 80-point season (Evan Bouchard) as teammates. All due respect to Matt Boldy, Marco Rossi, Zeev Buium, or any other Wild player, but no one else in Minnesota has anything approaching those credentials. It must also be noted that Minnesota isn't in as dire need of an extra $4.5 million in the short term as the Oilers are. Even after signing Kaprizov and Filip Gustavsson to a combined $23.8 million, Minnesota is set to enter next summer with over $16 million of cap space to fill just six roster spots. The Wild have just over $70 million committed for the 2027-28 season, which is slightly more than 60% of the $113.5 million salary cap. While Edmonton's cap situation might look better now -- they have $22.7 million to fill nine roster spots -- they don't have a goalie under contract for 2026-27. Assuming that takes somewhere in the $7 million range, then McDavid's discount becomes the difference between the Oilers having to fill eight roster spots with $15.7 million or $11.2 million. Those dollars are simply going further in Edmonton. Really, though, it shouldn't take much math to show that Kaprizov staying in Minnesota for the next nine seasons has value that supercedes a short-term discount. This wasn't just the Wild needing to retain a star player. It's not even as big a deal as what Edmonton's facing with their franchise player. Losing McDavid would be devastating, but Draisaitl is a decent backup plan if McDavid moves on in three years. Retaining Kaprizov for the long haul was an existential problem for the Wild. If they couldn't keep their only star player, they'd have lost all credibility with the fanbase. What's the point of paying attention if the players can't buy in? The Wild had to pay top-dollar to keep Kaprizov in Minnesota, a disadvantage that Edmonton doesn't have to worry about for the next three years. But when stacked against the possibility of staring down another doomsday scenario in 2028, the Wild should be glad to take the eight years, regardless of the cost.

When the Minnesota Wild held a press conference to announce Kirill Kaprizov’s new contract, the Russian superstar was grinning from ear to ear. But if there were a close second for the happiest man in the room, it would be Wild general manager Bill Guerin. Guerin walked into the press conference looking like the guy who just nailed his fantasy hockey draft. When Kaprizov was asked whether he was excited about his new contract, Guerin replied, “He f---ingg better be.” Odds are, when the press conference was over, he was greeted by some in the room with nicknames like “Big Dog” and “Chief.” And why not? Guerin had just navigated an impasse and tampering rumors to keep the Wild’s main attraction in Minnesota for the next eight years. The price was $136 million, but it was worth the cost to avoid the weight of Kaprizov’s negotiations hovering over the team this season. With that, Guerin may have had a celebratory moment. But in reality, it’s already time to get back to work because the pressure on him may be even greater now that Kaprizov has signed his contract. Let’s get back to that price. The Wild gave Kaprizov an annual average value of $17 million in his new contract. While the price is staggering, it’s slightly more than the $14.7 million cap penalty the Wild were dealing with during the Zach Parise and Ryan Suter buyouts. Having that money go toward an elite player opens things up to add other players. With the salary cap increasing over the next three years, $17 million could be on the back end of what teams are paying elite-tier players by the time Kaprizov heads into his 30s. Those are all things that Guerin can take credit for after extending Kaprizov. But the pressure comes with what happens next. The Wild are still a team that hasn’t gotten out of the first round of the playoffs since the 2014-15 season. While some may argue they were a Gustav Nyquist offside penalty away from ending that drought last spring, they still appear to be a wild-card team that needs some things to go their way for a deep playoff run. The questions are quite similar to Wild fans. Will Ryan Hartman’s good behavior continue? Is Jonas Brodin’s lower-body injury less severe than we all feared? Can guys like Marcus Foligno and Jared Spurgeon hold off Father Time? And can Matt Boldy make the jump from an All-Star caliber player to an elite/franchise one? These are storylines that will play out throughout the upcoming season. But then there are bigger ones that fall into the context of Guerin’s five-year plan to win a Stanley Cup. Can Liam Öhgren take advantage of a top-six opportunity now that Mats Zuccarello will miss the first two months with a lower-body injury? Will Zeev Buium make the same leap that Brock Faber did in his first full season in the NHL? Are guys like Liam Öhgren, Danila Yurov, and David Jiricek long-term pieces or trade fodder? And can Jesper Wallstedt recover from a rough season in Iowa to take a step toward becoming an NHL goaltender? Also consider Marco Rossi's pending status. He signed a three-year, $15 million contract, but will be playing for his next one. Some of the Wild’s young players are also coming toward the back end of entry-level contracts, which will take more of the cap space that Guerin is gaining over the next three years. If this were a team that had made a deep run or established some of these young players, there would be reason to be optimistic. But with a $17 million contract on the books, Guerin can’t afford to miss much if he wants his plan to come to fruition. That could mean a quick trigger on a young player that leads to the blockbuster deal at the trade deadline the Wild couldn’t pull off in recent years. It also means that Guerin and head coach John Hynes may have to get out of their comfort zones, playing young players instead of investing in the 30-year-olds they’ve targeted in free agency the past few seasons. Kaprizov is dealing with his own pressure from the new deal, meaning his Hart Trophy-caliber play at the beginning of the season has now become the standard he must maintain. However, Guerin knows that he must make the right moves to contend after extending Kaprizov. You could say this is no different than any GM knowing how hair triggers are the weapon of choice for NHL owners. But while Guerin has made some great moves during his tenure, it’s his misfires that have left the Wild in the NHL’s middle class. If he can do that, his five-year plan could be more than just a dream. But Kaprizov’s contract adds another layer of pressure to get the job done.

After an anxious summer, the Minnesota Wild finally signed Kirill Kaprizov to a contract extension on Tuesday morning. St. Paul renamed West 7th Street “West 97th Street” in honor of their franchise player. Wild owner Craig Leopold presented him with a $136 million contract, the largest in NHL history, validating his word that nobody would offer him more money on his next deal. It’s the type of celebration you would expect for a player who has become one of the greatest in the history of the franchise. He's as big an attraction as the Yak Man at your county fair. But when all of the celebration settles down, the next step is to take a look at the fine print. Few will question the average annual value of $17 million. The Wild needed to sign this player. Even with the large price tag, the increase of the salary cap and a young core that should come of age could help Bill Guerin and the rest of the front office work around it. However, another concern for Wild fans may be the length of the deal, which presents a unique risk-reward case. To start, nobody is questioning the decision to re-sign Kaprizov. Since the NHL implemented several rule changes following the lockout that canceled the 2004-05 season, only Alex Ovechkin (269), Steven Stamkos (208), and Auston Matthews (199) have scored more goals within the first five years of a player’s career than Kaprizov’s 185. Kaprizov’s 386 points during his first five seasons are sixth during that timeframe, trailing Ovechkin (529), Sidney Crosby (506), Connor McDavid (469), Evgeni Malkin (418), and Artemi Panarin (415). Kaprizov is an elite player. You already knew that based on the size of his contract. Even the money is probably worth it, considering that he makes every player around him better, and the NHL’s salary cap is expected to increase over the next several years. But this is a conversation about the length of the contract. When Kaprizov turned down an eight-year, $128 million contract, one theory was that he was seeking a shorter-term deal. That would have benefitted Kaprizov, who could have signed a four- or five-year deal to attempt to maximize his value in a future that includes more money to go around. However, it could also have benefited the Wild as they look to build their roster. The Wild has some advantageous contracts on the books at the moment. Joel Eriksson Ek and Brock Faber have signed eight-year deals that will secure them through their 20s. Matt Boldy’s seven-year contract is an even better value that locks him into his prime. Looking around the league, eight-year deals are also the norm for teams trying to keep their stars. Players such as Nikita Kucherov, Nathan MacKinnon, and David Pastrnak have all signed eight-year deals in recent years. McDavid will likely follow suit whenever (or if) he re-signs with the Edmonton Oilers. Each of these situations has given its teams few regrets, but Kaprizov carries some hidden risk. Although he’s a dynamic player when healthy, Kaprizov has played in 70 games just twice in his first five seasons. That number would likely include a third season if his rookie year hadn’t been a 56-game shortened schedule due to the COVID-19 pandemic (he played 55 games that year). Still, the recent years are the biggest concern. Kaprizov was limited to 67 games during the 2022-23 season with an upper-body injury. While he still managed to score 40 goals and put up 75 points, he wasn’t the same player when he returned for the playoffs, sending the Wild to a first-round loss to the Dallas Stars. Last year was an even bigger concern for Kaprizov, missing 41 games due to a lower-body injury. While Kaprizov was an MVP-level player on the ice, scoring five goals with nine points in the playoff series against the Vegas Golden Knights, a healthy Kaprizov would have put them in a better position and perhaps an easier matchup. These feel like champagne problems, but it could become an issue if his durability becomes a concern heading into his 30s. It’s a similar problem to when the Wild signed Zach Parise and Ryan Suter to 13-year deals. While the Wild tried to mitigate that risk by front-loading the contract, this practice became illegal under the collective bargaining agreement that took effect after the 2012-13 lockout. Relating to Kaprizov, Parise, and Suter were all entering their age-28 season when signing those contracts. Some behind-the-scenes reasons were at play when the Wild bought out their contracts following the 2020-21 season. But while Suter played into his 40s, Parise began to tail off as he went into his mid-30s. So what does all mean? It likely puts more pressure on the Wild as they head into the second year of Guerin’s five-year plan. While Kaprizov is ready to pick up on his Hart-level form from a year ago, the Wild may only have a few years before he begins to decline. If Minnesota wins a Stanley Cup, no one will care if Kaprizov is on his final skates in his mid-30s. However, it’s still a risk that the Wild hopes will work out in their favor.

Kirill Kaprizov shocked many fans and pundits around the league when he turned down what would be a record-breaking contract. Kaprizov says he enjoys Minnesota. The organization clearly wants to retain his services. If they’re willing to give him more money to play hockey than any human ever, then what’s the holdup? The answer may be more complicated than just wanting more money. The negotiation saga got a new wrinkle recently when Elliotte Friedman appeared on The FAN. The NHL insider said contract tampering played at least some part in Kaprizov turning down his record contract extension. “I do believe there has been tampering/whispering going on,” he said. “I'll never be able to prove it, but I believe it.” The notion of contract tampering is a big accusation, but not one Friedman is alone in expressing concern about. Michael Russo backed up the idea on The Sheet with Jeff Marek. “I know that the Wild are definitely worried about it, and if it’s going on, they’ll try to deal with it,” Russo said. “It’s very clear that Kirill Kaprizov is going to be a wanted man if he ever gets to market. And there’s definitely teams out there that would put out the Brink’s truck for him.” There’s no use in speculating about what teams may or may not be involved. Still, tampering would have huge ramifications league-wide, not just in Minnesota. While it isn’t a major story yet, the issue of tampering in the NHL has gained significant momentum over the last 12 months. The Toronto Maple Leafs faced a similar situation when star winger Mitch Marner required a new contract. Just as Friedman suspects teams tampered with Kaprizov, he raised concerns about the Vegas Golden Knights tampering with Marner. “There has been some talk that if Marner goes to Vegas, the Leafs are going after the Golden Knights for tampering,” Friedman said. “The NHL is itching to make an example out of someone.” Tampering charges were never filed because Toronto traded Marner’s negotiating rights to the Golden Knights instead of allowing the winger to sign with Vegas in free agency. The Maple Leafs received Nicholas Roy in the trade. While Roy for Marner is hardly equal value, the Leafs got a solid NHL player in return for a pending free agent. Trading a pending free agent’s rights usually nets something much more modest. Friedman suggested that the lingering threat of a tampering charge could persuade Vegas to give Toronto more than expected, which ultimately came to pass. “If they make a deal with Toronto and send a good player or two to Toronto, I’m betting any chance the Maple Leafs file for tampering goes away.” The situations aren’t one-to-one comparisons. Mitch Marner’s relationship with the Maple Leafs was more acrimonious than Kaprizov’s seems to be with the Wild. Another significant difference is that the Maple Leafs have other stars on their roster. There’s no other star like Kirill Kaprizov in Minnesota. Kaprizov is a massive superstar for the team, both statistically and in terms of national relevance. These negotiations are the most relevant the Wild have been since they signed Ryan Suter and Zach Parise. If the team loses Kaprizov, it won’t just be losing a great player; it will also be losing a key component of its franchise. The Wild will face questions about their ability to attract and retain top talent. What happens with Kaprizov is a watershed moment for the organization. The vital nature of the situation leaves Bill Guerin and Co. in a tough spot. The worst-case scenario is that Kaprizov plays out his contract and becomes a free agent. The star Russian forward will become an unrestricted free agent next July, so the Wild could get nothing for the most valuable player they’ve ever had. There’s also a situation in which the Wild trades Kaprizov. Minnesota isn’t looking to do that yet, but the longer this goes, the more likely a trade becomes. If the Wild are wary of tampering with Kaprizov as Friedman and Russo suggest, a trade negotiation could get interesting. If tampering whispers persist, the Wild could find themselves in a situation similar to Toronto, where even unproven concerns influenced how negotiations unfolded. The Wild don’t want to trade their star. Still, they could get interested teams to pay more if Minnesota can build a strong enough case to make a tampering allegation credible. Any potential tampering allegation would be difficult to prove. However, if the league is looking to make an example of a team, as Friedman reported during the Marner situation, then opposing GMs will tread lightly if there’s even a hint of it. Those concerns are especially warranted because of the potential steep penalties that could be incurred if a team is involved in tampering. Of course, the most desirable outcome is that Kaprizov re-signs with the Wild, and these whispers prove much ado about nothing. A Kaprizov extension in Minnesota makes the most sense for every party. The Wild keep their star and are in a position to pay him as well as anyone else. The league would also prefer it to avoid any drama surrounding possible contract tampering. The NHL has tiptoed around tampering concerns for years, but Kaprizov’s situation highlights why the issue won’t stay quiet forever. If other teams are whispering, it raises questions about competitive balance and how smaller-market franchises can realistically protect their stars. The Wild’s negotiations with Kaprizov might be the most transparent test case yet. What happens in Minnesota will determine the direction of the franchise, but it could also force the NHL to reckon with its own rules and culture.

That's Wild You always want to see your favorite team's prospect making some viral clips that spread around social media and make every other fan base jealous at the potential impact of the player. Well, Minnesota Wild's very own 2025 fourth-round pick Adam Benak debuted in the OHL for the Brantford Bulldogs over the weekend and he put on a show. The speedy centerman was on the Bulldogs' top line (yes, even over eighth-overall pick Jake O'Brien) and not only did he have three assists in his debut, but he also scored a highlight-reel goal that is as must-see a clip that any Wild prospect will have this season. That's nasty. Disgusting. I'm throwing up. Between the legs on a shorthanded breakaway? That's something only the most confident of players will even think of pulling off and in his debut in one of the best developmental leagues in the world, Benak just went ahead and did it. The guy might be good. The Wild's anniversary jerseys honor the very first sweater, and it's just enough. [Hockey Wilderness] David Jiricek is making up for lost time at Wild training camp. [StarTribune] The preseason isn't about wins or losses, but about figuring out the team. Wild head coach John Hynes says that he is seeing more of the team identity he wants, despite losing to the lowly Blackhawks on Sunday. [Pioneer Press] Off the trail... The Toronto Maple Leafs locked up the present and future of their crease by locking up Anthony Stolarz on a four-year contract extension.[NHL.com] Stanley Cup contender rankings: Who will dethrone the Panthers? [ESPN]

It looked like Kirill Kaprizov cancelled the Minnesota Wild’s offseason “Christmas” when he reportedly rejected what would’ve been a record-breaking contract. Still, the front office may have delivered depth for a team in need of it instead. The Wild have played well in two preseason games with a bench full of young players. Minnesota came back from a 2-0 deficit against the Winnipeg Jets last Sunday to win 3-2 in overtime, and narrowly lost to the Dallas Stars’ mostly NHL-level roster on Tuesday night, 3-2. In both games, the Wild capitalized on the power play, which they struggled with last season, finishing the season with a 20.9% success rate on the power play. On Sunday against the Jets, both rosters were predominantly made up of players who aren’t on one-way NHL contracts. The speed was a little slower, and there were more mistakes from both sides, which is typical of a preseason game. Minnesota had a couple of moments where they seemed to lack communication and awareness. With 17:36 to go in the second period, David Spacek overskated a dumped puck in the defensive zone, which Danil Zhilkin quickly picked up and passed around Spacek to a wide-open Samuel Fagemo out front. Kevin He was also able to walk in, pick up the rebound uncontested, and get a shot off. Defensively, they had issues filling the gaps. However, it felt like the newer players were still adjusting to the time and communication needed at the NHL level, rather than lacking in talent. The Wild overall played with confidence and looked cohesive. 4:20 into the second period, Vinnie Hinostroza picked up the puck behind the net and almost immediately backhanded it out front to Yakov Trenin, who one-timed it into the net to score the Wild’s first goal. Hinostroza doesn’t appear to fully look at Trenin. At most, Hinostroza may have seen Trenin in his peripheral vision, yet he pulls off a tape-to-tape pass. They either practice this play deliberately or have a strong sense of how each other moves and good hockey sense. Minnesota’s power play goal also showed strong control of the puck and clean, deliberate passes. Spacek was carrying the puck and felt pressure from Brayden Yager. Instead of panicking and sending it up to Tyler Pitlick, who Walker Duehr likely would have stepped up on, he sends it back to Caedan Bankier. Bankier and Hunter Haight pass it back and forth through the neutral zone, and Bankier makes a precise saucer pass over three Winnipeg sticks to Haight for the final pass. Haight picks up the pass, drives in, and goes top shelf. The decision-making was smart and quick, and every move had strong execution. Minnesota’s depth players arguably looked better because they were playing Winnipeg’s depth players. On Tuesday, Minnesota mostly played against the Dallas Stars’ NHL roster, who reached the Western Conference Finals last year. Bankier, Hinostroza, and other bottom-6 players faced off against Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin, and Jake Oettinger through a close, competitive game. On the power play, David Jiricek, Danila Yurov, and Hinostroza passed the puck in an umbrella formation in the offensive zone while patiently waiting for a strong opening. Eventually, Jiricek saw an opportunity and one-timed the puck into the net from near the blue line, against defenders Matt Duchene and Benn. Patience on a power play is crucial because if you shoot into an opposing player, it can bounce out in front of them, and they can get a breakaway or just ice it. Jiricek, Yurov, and Hinostroza showed the confidence and patience needed to be a strong addition to the regular-season secondary power play unit. Later in the game, Bankier won the faceoff and kicked the puck back to Ben Gleason, who picked it up and scored from the top of the circles. Carson Lambos picked up the puck and walked it deeper into the zone, moving around Esa Lindell and getting a shot off, again exhibiting confidence and skill. The Wild made mistakes, but they did not feel devastating. Jiricek and Ben Jones both dived to stop Benn, yet the net post was the only successful defender. Jones and Jiricek don’t communicate in the clip above, nor did they approach at the right angle for the speed Benn was moving on the play. Matt Kiersted also throws himself on the ice to block a pass and fails, but Cal Petersen blocked the shot. The effort is there in both moments, but they need to adjust their angles and approach to match NHL speed. The Wild was notably missing Zeev Buium for these games due to an upper-body injury he sustained during training camp. Buium, who had 48 points for the University of Denver in the 2024-25 season, debuted for the Wild during the 2025 playoffs and also looks to be a promising part of the lineup. Minnesota’s preseason goals haven’t been the result of luck or scrappy play; they are a result of smart positioning, clean passes, and quick shots on net. Contributions came from multiple non-rostered players. While the Wild's lineup still needs to improve its communication and adjust to NHL speed, they have demonstrated that Minnesota has players beyond their top line who are capable of scoring and being effective on the power play.

Of all the teams that need to think long and hard about their future cap situation, the Minnesota Wild probably tops the list right now. With news that Kirill Kaprizov rejected an eight-year contract offer at the highest annual price in NHL history, the rest of the roster needs to squeeze every dollar of value available. Next in line for an extension is goaltender Filip Gustavsson. The Athletic’s Joe Smith reported recently that the Wild are “expected to start talks” with Gustavsson. With Kaprizov’s extension looming, can they afford to extend both players? With contributions from Shayna Goldman, Smith’s report also included a list of comparable contracts that Minnesota might use to build its offer. Based on that list, they concluded that Gustavsson’s AAV will likely fall between $6.5 million and $8 million. They also reported the estimate from the contract model at Evolving-Hockey.com, which was five years at $7.605 million. That gives us the bones of a contract projection. However, Smith and Goldman’s estimate leaves considerable room for negotiation. The difference between $6.5 million and $8 million per year would be nearly $10 million over the course of a six-year deal. Furthermore, that Evolving-Hockey projection smells funny to me. If you look into the comparables identified by The Athletic, no five-year deal has come close to that $7.605 AAV, even if converted into a percentage of the salary cap. In fact, separating these contracts by term reveals a significant divide between the middle class of NHL starters and the superstars: namely, only an elite goaltender can negotiate an eight-year term. That’s even more evident after filtering to only the comparables whose deals started in 2024 or 2025. Another interesting note: these comparables have a higher AAV as term increases, which is the opposite of standard practice in the NHL. On the other hand, it makes intuitive sense that teams would only commit long-term contracts to the goaltenders worth a large AAV. Goaltending can be extremely volatile. Once you’ve found a solution in net, make sure the problem is solved for a long time -- whatever the price. This reinforces the idea that only the NHL’s best goaltenders can acquire a maximum term, and also that Smith and Goldman pulled an extremely wide range of comparables. Diving into the performance of these 13 goaltenders in the three NHL seasons before their contracts were signed, it’s clear that the list of comparables should be narrowed. This list is sorted by MoneyPuck’s five-on-five Goals Saved Above Expected metric (GSAx). MoneyPuck estimates the probability of every shot attempt a goaltender faces. Using that probability, they estimate the number of goals an average goaltender would allow, then subtract the number of goals scored. The difference between those two numbers is GSAx. It’s fair to say that Blackwood, Merzlikins, and Vejmelka should be thrown out in this case. Saros’s numbers are so exceptional that they should be ignored as well. Daccord is perhaps in the correct ballpark, but Gustavsson is a step ahead. With a long list of comparables available, it’s probably best to filter out John Gibson and Elvis Merzlikins, since they were signed several years ago. Swayman and Oettinger are difficult to use because they signed as Restricted Free Agents (RFA), which drastically reduces their negotiating leverage. That leaves two reasonable comparables: Logan Thompson and Joey Daccord, with the important note that Gustavsson seems notably better than Daccord. Between these two data points, it feels clear that Gustavsson seems primed for a six-year contract, given the trend about term and performance noted above. Could Gustavsson’s camp make the case that he belongs in that upper tier of goaltenders? It may be easier than you think. Gustavsson struggled mightily in 2023-24, but the seasons before and after that were exceptional. His name was whispered in Vezina conversations for the 2023 Vezina Trophy, and he used the 2024 offseason to identify weaknesses in his game. That led to another solid season in 2024-25. Gustavsson picked up some bad habits amid the Wild’s horrific, injury-riddled 2023-24 season, which were compounded by an ineffective, injured defense. What does his recent performance look like if we ignore that ‘23-24 season? Oh, so that’s why The Athletic included Swayman and Saros. That opens the door to talking about seven or eight years, and perhaps pushing for 8% of the salary cap. However, that door isn’t swinging wide open. It’s only open a crack. To get here, you have to throw out Filip Gustavsson’s worst season over the past 3 years. If you draw lines around any of those comparable goaltender’s worst season, their numbers probably get better too. On the other hand, Gustavsson’s agent has a reasonable excuse to throw out that ‘23-24 season: he was playing behind something which barely resembled an NHL roster. Is it really fair to use data trained on NHL games against him if the team he played for was so different from a typical NHL team? Ultimately, Guerin should have a pretty good idea how true that is from his coaches and medical staff. However, it doesn’t matter if Guerin thinks Gus’s bad year was a fluke. Gus’s team has to convince one of the 31 other GMs that it was a fluke. If nobody else buys that, the door shuts quickly on any kind of long-term, $8 million AAV contract. Without input from Minnesota’s staff, it would be a leap of faith for any other GM to make that kind of offer. In the meantime, Gustavsson is under contract, and he has games to play. That gives Minnesota leverage, because Gustavsson has no security past this season. If he’s hurt, it could drastically affect his career earnings. Is it really worth that risk to hit free agency and try to convince somebody that Gustavsson can be a franchise goaltender? The answer could be yes -- it only takes two teams to start a bidding war. On the other hand, that seems like the only route to a long-term, high-value contract. If Gustavsson’s camp is motivated to get an extension done sooner, it will likely come in around six or seven years at around 6.5% to 7.5% of the salary cap -- an AAV around $6.76 to $7.8 million. The same is true if Gustavsson strikes out in free agency. Think of it this way: there are three potential outcomes for Gustavsson’s negotiation. He pushes to sign in-season, giving away upside for long-term security He bets on himself, waits until free agency, but is disappointed with the market and ultimately signs a shorter, cheaper deal He bets on himself, waits until free agency, and finds the market he’s hoping for In two of those three scenarios, Minnesota gets a chance to sign Gustavsson on a team-friendly deal. 1100 words, and still no X years by $X Million from the author? What a ripoff. Well then, let’s put them on the table. According to PuckPedia, Filip Gustavsson’s career earnings are just below $10 million. In the final year of this deal, that will climb to about $13 million. A six-year, $7 million AAV extension sure sounds good, even in a rapidly inflating cap environment. The $42 million on that deal quadruples his lifetime earnings, and it keeps him in the league through his age-33 season. It’s not nearly as much as a $64 million eight-year contract that could be out there for him if he stays healthy this year, but it’s no guarantee that anybody would pay that much even if he does stay healthy. That’s a lot of leverage for the Wild, and still a fair market rate for their franchise goaltender.

The Minnesota Wild were searching for offense last year. They were 21st in goals scored during the 2023-24 season, and they needed a player who could turn their second line into a formidable threat. As with any need over the past couple of seasons, the Wild needed to address it on a budget due to the $14.7 million cap penalty they incurred after buying out Ryan Suter and Zach Parise. The Wild had to get creative to find offense, and rumors centered around winger Patrik Laine. Laine was a polarizing player who flashed a high ceiling early in his career, but injuries and a stint in the NHL’s Players' Assistance Program made acquiring him a risk. His eventual $8.7 million salary made him too pricy for the Wild, and the Columbus Blue Jackets traded him to the Montreal Canadiens. The Wild went on to have a rotating crew at wing, and none of them provided the scoring punch that Bill Guerin believed Laine would provide. Fast forward to today, and the Wild are placing a similar bet on Vladimir Tarasenko, who could become Minnesota’s mulligan for missing out on Laine one year ago. It’s interesting to think what would have happened if the Wild had the cap space to acquire Laine. A knee injury suffered in the preseason limited Laine to 52 games. Still, he scored 20 goals and recorded 33 points to lead Montreal to the playoffs. Had he played in a full season, Laine would have had 31.5 goals and 52 points, which is the kind of scoring punch the Wild were missing on their second line last season. The Wild had a pair of top wings. Matt Boldy finished with 73 points, and Kirill Kaprizov finished with 56 despite missing half the season with a lower-body injury. But outside of Mats Zuccarello (19 goals, 54 points), the Wild didn’t have a scoring threat on the second line. The next-highest scoring winger was Marcus Foligno, who finished with 14 goals and 29 points. His physicality and occasional offensive ability are a fit on the third line. Still, like many of the Wild’s players during the buyout era in recent seasons, they elevated Foligno one line higher than he should have been playing. Foligno played with Ryan Hartman and Zuccarello on the second line in the playoffs, and Minnesota didn’t have the firepower to keep up in a six-game series loss to the Vegas Golden Knights. Placing Laine in that role could have made things different. He's not the offensive threat he was when he scored 44 goals and recorded 70 points as a teenager during the 2017-18 season. Still, he showed he could put the puck in the net at least, netting 20-plus goals in three of the past four years while also playing an average of 54 games in those seasons. Laine has some shortcomings defensively, but Zuccarello, Hartman, and Laine would have provided a legitimate second scoring line. Meanwhile, Foligno could be in a more suitable role on the third line. But the Wild never traded for Laine, leaving them with the same issue they had a year ago. Here's where Tarasenko comes into play. Like with Laine, fans are reasonably skeptical about Tarasenko. He’s scored 20 or more goals twice over the past seven seasons. His last 30-goal campaign came during the 2021-22 season, when he scored 34 times for the St. Louis Blues. Tarasenko will turn 34 in December, making him seven years older than Laine. Still, the Wild are hoping he can serve the same role that they were trying to fill at this time last year. Minnesota's top line seems to be set early in camp with Kaprizov teaming with Marco Rossi and Matt Boldy. But Zuccarello's injury has already shaken up the second line. Zuccarello's injury has allowed Liam Ohgren to step in on the second line, and Tarasenko a chance to play with Joel Eriksson Ek. The line has already drawn rave reviews and had head coach John Hynes complimenting Tarasenko’s game during the early days of training camp. “Vladdy, from what I see…I think he’s tracking both sides of the puck,” Hynes said via The Athletic’s Michael Russo. “I see him getting in on the forecheck. I see him tracking. But I think that his ability to make some plays has been impressive to me, as well. I think he’s a guy that seems like he knows what he’s going to do with the puck before he gets it.” Tarasenko may not have been the big, flashy acquisition many were hoping for this offseason. The Wild may also find themselves in the same position next summer, because Tarasenko will be a free agent after this season. However, his skill set is similar to the one Laine would have brought to the Wild one year ago, and could be an important piece in helping Minnesota score more goals.

The Minnesota Wild played their first preseason game against the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday, and they made their first training camp roster cuts on Monday. While most of the moves were expected, there were still a few interesting nuggets that offered insight into the organization’s thinking. The expected moves included sending Adam Benak and Lirim Amidovski, two standouts at the recent Tom Kurvers Prospect Showcase, back to their junior squads. Benak, Amidovski, and fellow 2025 fourth-round pick Carter Klippenstein, who the Wild also returned to juniors, were never going to last long in camp. Still, the three forwards had the opportunity to practice and scrimmage with NHL players for a few days and also suited up for the game against Winnipeg on Sunday. Klippenstein had a good game against the Jets, showcasing his straight-line speed and willingness to hound pucks. The Wild hope that their first summer and training camp with the organization can springboard them into strong post-draft seasons. The most notable moves the Wild made on Monday were at goaltender, providing some clarity into how the team views its depth chart at that position. They assigned William Rousseau to the Iowa Wild, which, while expected, is notable because he was cut before fellow goalie prospect Riley Mercer. The 22-year-old Rousseau spent last season playing professional hockey, mostly for the Iowa Heartlanders of the ECHL, while also appearing in three games for the Iowa Wild. Rousseau performed well and even earned another contract, but he has been passed by the 21-year-old Mercer, who will be entering his first professional season. Mercer has an entry-level contract after signing as a free agent by the Wild last spring, whereas Rousseau is strictly on a minor league deal. While both goalies played at the Kurvers Showcase, Minnesota started Mercer. Meanwhile, Rousseau came on in relief for both games. Ultimately, the Wild’s depth chart in goal is now clear: Depth charts are always subject to change, and you can bet that there will be battles for starts on both minor league squads. Mercer and Rousseau will also be battling to be first in line for an AHL promotion in the event of injury or other unforeseen circumstances. You can bet that the call-up will go to the most deserving goalie, especially if the Iowa Wild are more competitive this year. Therefore, Mercer will have to fend off the more experienced Rousseau. Another notable move from Monday involved another goalie. The Wild also returned Chase Wutzke, a fifth-round pick in 2024, to his junior squad. However, not before inking him to a three-year entry-level deal that signals the organization’s intentions to make him part of its plans. Wutzke played a significant number of games for the struggling Red Deer Rebels team in the WHL last season and earned a tryout contract with the Iowa Wild at the end of the season, allowing him to travel and practice with the team. The 6-foot-2 netminder followed that up with a standout performance at the Kurvers Showcase last weekend and has a chance to become a full-time pro next season. In other moves on Monday, the Wild released forwards Matthew Sop and Ryan McGuire from their professional tryouts and assigned them to the Iowa Wild, where they’ll have to work to earn a roster spot. It’s an example of the reality that is professional sports, where your contract often defines your destination. Sop and McGuire are on minor-league deals as opposed to entry-level or two-way contracts and would have had to do something spectacular in camp to earn an extended look. Instead, they’ll have to fight to stay in the AHL and possibly compete against each other to do so. Sop split time between the AHL and ECHL last season, and McGuire is a good bet to do the same in his first full professional season. Finally, defensemen Rowan Topp and Jordan Tourigny were released from their amateur tryout agreements after their performances at the Kurvers Showcase earned them invitations to NHL training camp. Both should have plenty of eyes on them as they complete their junior careers this season with hopes of earning a professional contract. The Wild have three preseason games between now and Sunday, and fans can expect that they’ll make another, larger round of cuts by this time next week. Each round of cuts becomes a little more telling. Last year, Sammy Walker was surprisingly among the second round of cuts and ended up being shuttled out of the organization and traded for nothing by midseason. It will be interesting to see who moves their way up or down the depth chart as training camp goes on.

On July 2, 2025, the Minnesota Wild signed Nicolas Aube-Kubel to a one-year, two-way contract worth $775,000 in the NHL and $500,000 in the AHL. The gritty right winger has played in the NHL for seven seasons, but has not been able to find a long-term role as a high producer or as an enforcer. However, he’s a seasoned player who will be able to bring depth and grit to Iowa and Minnesota’s lower lines. The Philadelphia Flyers drafted Aube-Kubel 48th overall in 2014 and started him at their AHL affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Aube-Kubel spent 3 seasons developing on the Phantoms before making his NHL debut for the Flyers in the 2018-19 season, where he played 9 games. He stayed in Philadelphia for 3 full seasons and had an average early career run. In 2019-20, he produced 15 points in 36 games and found success as a gritty player with an aggressive forecheck. However, Aube-Kubel was less successful as a menace on the ice the following season, even though he spent 44 minutes in the box. The NHL fined him for roughing against Rasmus Dahlin, and he was less productive than in his previous season, gaining 12 points over 50 games. Still, Aube-Kubel was only a healthy scratch for 3 games during the shortened, 56-game pandemic season. Teams want a physical player, making them harder to play against, and naturally, physical players tend to get more penalties. However, racking up penalties for hooking, slashing, and tripping, all while still getting scored on, makes a player a problem rather than a solution. Given Aube-Kubel’s inconsistent point production and playing style, it’s difficult to determine if he’s additive or subtractive. The Flyers protected him from the Seattle Kraken during the 2021 expansion draft, which was surprising considering he was on a 2-year, $1,075,000 AAV contract and not considered an impact player. It seemed Philadelphia believed in his potential, despite his lower production levels and penalty minutes. On October 23, 2021, Aube-Kubel kneed Mason Marchment in the head. The NHL announced he would be fined $2,687.50, the maximum penalty under the CBA. On November 12, 2021, just weeks after this incident, Philadelphia placed him on waivers. They may have decided his gritty playing style was more of a liability than an upside. Still, his lack of production and Kevin Hayes’ return from IR likely also contributed to the decision. The Colorado Avalanche claimed Aube-Kubel off waivers, and he had his best career season of 11 goals and 11 assists over 67 games. Aube-Kubel played in 14 games during the Avalanche’s 2022 playoff run and Stanley Cup win, but did not gain any points. Aube-Kubel had another 41 minutes in the box during this season. It's possible Colorado wanted a cleaner player, or a more productive one, because they didn’t offer a qualifying offer at the end of the 2021-22 season. Aube-Kubel signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs in free agency. Toronto played Aube-Kubel in 6 games and then placed him on waivers in November, which would have allowed them to send him to the Toronto Marlies, their AHL affiliate. However, the Washington Capitals claimed him off waivers on November 5, 2022. It was quickly apparent that Aube-Kubel’s playing style had not changed. During a game on November 12 against the Tampa Bay Lightning, Aube-Kubel illegally checked Cal Foote in the head. The NHL suspended him without pay for three games. Aube-Kubel played 47 games and gained 12 points during his 2022-23 season in D.C., and finished with a career high of 46 penalty minutes. The Capitals did not seem to mind his physical, but occasionally undisciplined, style and signed him on for another year. He gained 16 points and landed 158 hits in the 2023-24 season over 60 games, the fifth-most checks on the Capitals. Last year, Aube-Kubel signed with the Buffalo Sabres and played in 19 games. He missed games as a healthy scratch, as well as due to illness and an injury. He played 12 games for the Rochester Americans, their AHL affiliate. Buffalo traded him to the New York Rangers at the trade deadline. The Rangers played him in a few games and also sent him to the Hartford Wolf Pack for 3 AHL games. He scored 1 goal and recorded 1 assist over the season, and accumulated 19 penalty minutes across 22 NHL games. One of his highlights this year was a goal for the Sabres during their December 9 match-up against the Detroit Red Wings. He was positioned backdoor and snapped the puck in off a rebound. In the offseason, Aube-Kubel signed as a free agent with Minnesota. After a season of injuries, waivers, and trades, he still needs to earn a roster spot on the Wild. Iowa could benefit from his gritty playing style and his experience. He’s one of the oldest on the team and has much more NHL experience than most AHL players. Minnesota could also add physicality to its game, so Aube-Kubel will make a strong addition to their bottom line, as long as he can stay out of the box. If he’s able to get back to his previous production levels, he could potentially find a regular spot in Minnesota.

As training camp opens this week, the Minnesota Wild are on edge. The Wild thought a face-to-face meeting with Kirill Kaprizov would result in the agreement of the richest contract in NHL history. Instead, it came with one big question: What does Kaprizov want? Increasingly, it appears to be all about the money, especially with the NHL’s salary cap expected to skyrocket over the next several years. Some believe it’s a term issue where Kaprizov can cash in again as he heads into his early 30s. Then, there’s the issue of building a winning roster, and that’s where things get complicated. After a lackluster “Christmas,” the Wild looks a lot like the team that suffered its seventh straight first-round playoff loss last May. But even if they’re planning on a Vladimir Tarasenko resurgence or a group of young players coming of age, that may not be appealing to a player who is entering his prime at 28 years old. They need something more that they can sell to Kaprizov. And that pitch could be Matt Boldy’s potential. While everyone focuses on Kaprizov, Boldy is a central player in the Wild’s future. At age 24, he’s on the cusp of becoming a franchise star. However, he also has areas to improve in his game, including finding the consistency to allow him to be Minnesota’s No. 2 scoring threat. Even if the latter is the case, he’s the closest thing to a game-changer that the Wild has and the player with the most information on the table. The Wild have flaunted their young core for a long time. Former general manager Paul Fenton drafted Boldy in the first round, but Bill Guerin has reaped the benefits after arriving in Minnesota a few months later. Boldy’s career started with a 15-goal, 39-point rookie season in 2021-22, and his growth continued. He scored 27 goals and a career-high 73 points during the 2024-25 season. The stats are one thing, and Boldy has been a 30-goal threat. But anybody watching him can see there’s room for more. Boldy’s start to last season made many believe a breakout was coming. Although he slowed down in the middle of the year, his playoff performance against the Vegas Golden Knights, with five goals and seven points in six games, has many believing he's due for a star turn. If that happens, the Wild will be a dramatically different team. Kaprizov has been the focal point that teams look to take away when they play Minnesota. While Kaprizov has still found a way to stuff the score sheet, his impact could become even greater if he has a second threat to go with him. Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman suggested Kaprizov could be seeking $19 to $20 million, and some teams would pay him that in free agency. Still, many of those places can’t offer the complete team that the Wild could field if Boldy realizes his potential. Let’s say Boldy takes the next step and reaches 80 points next season. That’s a plateau that only 26 players reached last season. If Boldy takes a massive leap and has 90 points, he’ll come close to joining the league's elite players. Only 12 players reached that mark last season. If Boldy reaches the latter, he’ll probably join a group of eight players that scored 40 or more goals last season, which would be a tremendous development for the Wild. The best part is that this is a realistic scenario. Prospects like Zeev Buium, Liam Ohgren, and Danila Yurov are still developing, and none of them has shown the upside that Boldy has shown over his first four seasons. It’s why Boldy could become the face of the franchise if he improves his deficiencies and they trade Kaprizov. Obviously, the Wild are hoping it doesn’t get to that. Instead, they’re thinking of a future with Boldy and Kaprizov. With Boldy making $7 million per year through the 2029-30 season, the Wild could work in a big-money deal, especially if it’s a shorter term of four to five years. By that time, Minnesota could have to dish out two big-money deals if they have two stars. However, that’s a problem Guerin will happily deal with if the Wild can capitalize on this window. It’s all something the Wild can remind Kaprizov when he considers whether to sign on the dotted line or haggle for a few extra million. Kaprizov has seen Boldy grow over the past four years and would have a better idea of whether he’s capable of making the leap than anyone outside the building. If he believes in Boldy, he’ll be more inclined to sign. And if that’s the case, Kaprizov could be signed to an extension sooner rather than later.

Everything sounded fine. From the Minnesota Wild’s front office to the players and fans, everything surrounding the Kirill Kaprizov contract extension discussions looked straightforward. Owner Craig Leipold made it sound imminent. And then Wednesday happened this week. And the entire state of hockey went into full-fledged panic mode. NHL Insider Frank Seravelli reported early that day that Kaprizov and his agent had turned down an 8-year contract offer that would have made him the highest-paid NHL player in history, both in terms of total value and AAV. Leipold proudly stated this summer he would have no hesitation in making Kaprizov the highest-paid player in the league. His mouth was writing checks he wanted to cash. Ultimately, it doesn’t seem as though it was enough. Is this the end of Kaprizov’s time in Minnesota? Is the best player in the history of the franchise about to be traded? Or are these just typical negotiations with a superstar in a rapidly growing salary cap world? Those answers will likely come soon. Kaprizov may sign an hour after you read this, and the whole exercise will have been for nothing. But let’s assume this stalemate is real and Minnesota trades him. The Wild wouldn’t be just losing a superstar. They’d be losing any little aura this franchise has left around it. Losing Kaprizov because he doesn’t wish to re-sign in the Land of 10,000 Lakes would signal to the rest of the big-name players in the league that Minnesota is not a desirable destination for a player looking to win. You don’t believe me? The Minnesota “Mild” (as many in the NHL social media world outside Minnesota dub them) haven’t won a playoff series in a decade. They haven’t made it to the Western Conference Finals in over 20 years. The doubt has never left. The only sort of aura the Wild had remaining, truly, was the fact that they had Kaprizov. Sure, there are the promising young players the Wild have been bringing along for this moment. Brock Faber and Matt Boldy look like capable Robins to Kaprizov’s Batman. Zeev Buium, Liam Ohgren, Danila Yurov, and a few other prospects look capable of making an impact. This was supposed to be their first true contention window in franchise history. A superstar in place, with an up-and-coming one in Boldy, surrounded by impactful young players. These next few years were supposed to be the years where Minnesota Wild fans could stand up and claim their arrival as a true Stanley Cup threat in the NHL, and shed the reputation of a middling, losing franchise. But without Kaprizov… that all goes away. The optics are that grim in such a scenario. Kaprizov was supposed to be the piece to entice another superstar here. Instead, he could become the second superstar in franchise history to bolt for greener pastures after Marian Gaborik. They’ll always have the allure of playing in a hockey-crazed market. Players genuinely appreciate playing in front of packed arenas at home. It’s still a great place for NHL players to raise a family and see their kids grow up around and play in a hockey-dominant community. But the best players in the world? Players like Kaprizov, Connor McDavid, and Sidney Crosby want that for their families, but winning trumps it all. And the Wild have proven over the past 25 years that they can’t provide that. There are plenty of markets that have had an even worse reputation than Minnesota since their inception into the league. Their expansion twin, the Columbus Blue Jackets, is the perfect example. Many of the Canadian markets are completely off the table for many players who didn’t grow up in Canada -- perhaps leading directly to their collective 32-year Stanley Cup drought. If the Wild lose Kaprizov, they will find themselves sliding dangerously close back to the levels of those franchises. Is that the glummest outlook imaginable here? Perhaps. But it’s a real consequence if they prove again they can’t be a desirable market for star players.

The Minnesota Wild’s offseason has been filled with disappointments. The pain started last May when the Vegas Golden Knights bounced them in the first round of the playoffs. It continued when Craig Leipold’s Christmas promise turned into a bad Christmas story. Some may have felt better when Marco Rossi signed a contract extension to return to the team, but what Wild fans really want is Kirill Kaprizov to sign a new contract of his own. Kaprizov’s status entering the final year of his contract is enough to give Wild fans PTSD. Marian Gaborik left Minnesota in 2009, sealing the fate of former GM Doug Risebrough and sentencing the franchise to a few years of irrelevancy until they signed Zach Parise and Ryan Suter in 2012. Negotiations are still ongoing, but it may not be about the bank-breaking deal the Russian star could sign in the near future. Instead, it could be about Kaprizov's desire to win that could make a potential delay worth it if he signs in the weeks leading up to the season. Leipold is getting out in front of the anxiety by saying that no team will outbid the Wild for Kaprizov’s services. He recently doubled down by declaring that Kaprizov’s contract is likely to be the biggest in franchise history. It could end up somewhere in the neighborhood of $16 million. Most people reading this would wonder where they should sign if offered this type of money. But Kaprizov wants to win and even said it during a May press conference where the main headline was that he loves “everything” about Minnesota. If that comment is true, Kaprizov would be wise to take a step back and wonder if he really can win a Stanley Cup in Minnesota. The Wild haven’t been out of the first round of the playoffs since 2015. They’ve blown a 2-1 lead in each of the past three playoff series. Many are bullish on Minnesota's chances thanks to their young core, headlined by Kaprizov and Matt Boldy and complemented by Liam Ohgren, Zeev Buium, and Jesper Wallstedt. But you have to ask yourself, did the Wild get better? General manager Bill Guerin has plenty of excuses at his disposal. The free agent market evaporated with teams keeping their pending UFAs, and the ones that did required a bidding war where Guerin chose not to participate. He also couldn’t get another team to overpay for Rossi, leading him to sign him to a bridge deal and keep the avenue for a trade open down the road. None of these was the “wrong” move. But where Guerin chose to pivot could have Kaprizov and his camp second-guessing Guerin’s offseason approach. The Wild dismissed the free agent wing market and chose to buy low on Vladimir Tarasenko. A ghost that haunted Minnesota during its failed playoff runs in the late 2010s, Tarasenko notched over 20 goals just twice in the past eight seasons. However, last year’s campaign with the Detroit Red Wings may have been one of the worst. His 80 games played were the most since the 2017-18 season, but he only managed 11 goals and 33 points. Minnesota is also dealing with its usual injury issues. Jonas Brodin will miss the start of the season with a lower-body injury, and nobody seems to know when he’ll return. Jared Spurgeon is a good bet to miss 15 to 20 games annually as he climbs into his late 30s. Even Kaprizov’s friend Mats Zuccarello turned 38 on September 1, raising the question of how old is too old? This puts the spotlight on the Wild’s prospects. Buium is the most anticipated rookie since Brock Faber laced up the skates a few years ago, and Wild fans are waiting for Boldy to go from a very good player to an elite one. But a fan base that watched Charlie Coyle, Nino Niederreiter, and Jason Zucker never reach their potential knows that prospects don’t always pan out. Can Ohgren dispatch Marcus Johansson for a third-line role? Will David Jiricek break out his seventh defenseman cocoon and validate the massive price Guerin paid to acquire him last season? Can Wallstedt recover from his year from hell? Can Danila Yurov be closer to Kirill Kaprizov than Marat Khusnutdinov in his first season transitioning from the KHL? If the answer is no to some of these questions, it could force Guerin to get aggressive at the trade deadline and hope that a Mikko Rantanen-level player is available. But that doesn’t always happen, and if Rossi doesn’t turn into Guerin’s best trade chip, he may not be able to reel in the big fish that can turn the Wild from a perennial wild card team to a Stanley Cup contender. Kaprizov has already spent five years waiting for the Wild to make the big move, and if they can’t do it in Year 6, hitting the free agent market at age 29 might sound more appealing. But he could also feel good where the Wild are at and sign a medium-term deal to see how things shake out, allowing him to maximize his value and take a little less money to allocate it to other areas of need. We won’t know until Kaprizov’s next deal is finalized. But if he’s truly assessing the situation before signing on the dotted line, it will be worth the wait for Wild fans.

There has been a lot of talk about eras recently, but in the case of the Minnesota Wild, they kind of blur together. The Wild will begin their 25th season when they travel to take on the St. Louis Blues on Thursday night. While the sting of seven straight first-round playoff exits is still fresh in everyone’s mind, this team feels different as the season begins. Part of that is the typical practices that accompany a milestone season. The Athletic’s Michael Russo and Joe Smith joined in the fun by constructing a 25th anniversary team compiled through fan voting. While fans voted for former Wild players like Andrew Brunette, Wes Walz, and Brent Burns, seven current players also made the cut. Some of this may be recency bias. However, it could also be a sign. Could the Wild, a franchise that has gotten out of the first round three times during its existence and hasn’t been to a Western Conference Final since 2003, be approaching its golden era? The answer requires a history lesson. Just a few years ago, the Wild were the most vanilla team in the NHL. There were some big moments, such as signing Zach Parise and Ryan Suter, as well as memorable playoff goals by Brunette and former fan favorite Nino Niederreiter. But there has never been a meaningful run of success outside of 10 playoff appearances in the past 13 seasons and 11 in the past 13 if you include the Wild’s qualifying round loss to the Vancouver Canucks in 2019. The biggest problem is that the Wild didn’t have a superstar fans could cling to. Parise and Suter were good but not great players. Wild fans were praying for a star who was on the same level as Marian Gaborik, who came to Minnesota with the franchise’s inception in 2000. For many years, the Wild were mostly an irrelevant team. That is, until Kirill Kaprizov showed up. Kaprizov’s arrival in the 2020-21 season sent a shockwave through the fan base. If you’re wondering why he’s making $17 million in his latest contract, it’s because he ultimately drives winning for the Wild. He’s the player that people put money down to see and the one that national broadcasts put on the marquee. In some ways, Kaprizov’s success is similar to the run Gaborik had in the early years of the franchise. But when you think about recent teams that won big, they’ve had a second player help lead the charge. Think Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane in Chicago. Or Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby in Pittsburgh. Even the Edmonton Oilers have Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, while the Florida Panthers have Matthew Tkachuk and Aleksander Barkov. The Wild have barely had one star, let alone two at the same time. But that’s why people are excited about Matt Boldy. After having his rookie season cut in half by a fractured ankle suffered during the preseason, Boldy's game has slowly risen through each of his four seasons. Last year was arguably Boldy’s best, logging three points in four games for Team USA during the 4 Nations Tournament and scoring five goals with seven points in the Wild’s playoff series with the Vegas Golden Knights. If that performance is a prelude to what’s to come, things will get interesting, and the focus shifts to the supporting cast. Joel Eriksson Ek, Marcus Foligno, Jared Spurgeon, and Jonas Brodin are among the players in the current core and are now being complemented by players who made up one of the most hyped prospect pools in the NHL. Russo pointed out that nine players age 24 or younger are on the team’s opening night roster this season. Some of those players, such as Boldy, Faber, and Marco Rossi, have already gained NHL experience. Others, such as Zeev Buium, Liam Ohgren, Danila Yurov, David Jiricek, and Jesper Wallstedt, could be household names at the end of the year. In the past, these players would have had to step into top roles immediately, like Boldy, Faber, and Rossi. Now, these players have a wave of veterans that allow them to ease in and take the steps forward when the time comes. Some of this excitement may be projecting what’s to come. For example, Faber had a higher “voting score” than future Hall of Famer Brent Burns and Matt Dumba, who spent 10 years with the franchise. But even The Athletic’s piece suggested he could become the best defenseman in franchise history when his career is over. Wild fans also aren’t projecting the future because they may have already seen it. The Wild were the best in the NHL until Christmas, when Kaprizov’s lower-body injury and a wave of other ailments forced them to fight for their playoff lives until the final night of the regular season. That and the team that showed up in last year’s playoffs is the optimism that many are holding onto, and it opens a gateway of possibilities. The Wild has already established itself as a perennial playoff team. But everything checks out; Minnesota could be making deep runs into the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. It’s a wave of hype that the franchise has rarely seen before and could open the door to the Wild’s golden era. Editor's Note: An earlier version of this article said "Keith Tkachuk" instead of "Matthew Tkachuk." We regret the error.

Minnesota Wild fans can finally rejoice and revel in the amazing contracts the team signed this week and put a few not-so-great contracts of the past to rest. Let’s all exhale our collective “will he sign or won’t he” anxiety and get a little silly with it. Remember when you were a kid and someone would ask a ‘what if’ question that was so ridiculous? As adults, it can be hard to flex our imagination, but we’re going to give it a try today. What if NHL contracts were based on something other than skill, and what would that look like for the Wild? Here are a few of the weirdest I could come up with. Short Kings Get Paid So many people have a big problem with what they deem a “size problem” with the Wild. Yes, there are undersized players. What if the Wild paid them more to make up for the ribbing they constantly take from fans and commentators alike? Going by their listed heights, Jared Spurgeon and Marco Rossi, at 5-foot-9, and currently injured Mats Zuccarello, at 5-foot-8, would be hitting the jackpot. Paying players by height wouldn’t even disadvantage our Russian superstar, who is listed at 5-foot-10; it would just put him down the contract list a little bit. (Side note, Zuccarello needs to figure out why Google hates him. If you look up his height, the info box at the top puts him at 5-foot-7.) Players With the Good Hair Now that the NHL is starting to operate in a post-dress code era, players should be compensated for looking good. We don’t have enough data to figure out who will actually put their sense of style to work in the pregame walk-ins, but we do have one very specific area to judge by: hair. Hockey players are well known for developing noticeable hair loss as they age. Something about wearing that specific type of helmet, combined with what is probably a terrible hair care routine, results in some unfortunate hairstyles. But every once in a while, a player manages to sidestep the hockey hair curse and come through their career with a luxurious flow. Marcus Foligno deserves all of the contract money for his hair. In both the fluffy walk-in style and the slick back he rocks for warmies, he manages to look like a male model. The only downside to this would be the rift that this would cause between Marcus and his brother Nick. Sorry in advance to Chicago’s captain. Legible Signatures Last week, I attended the Rinkside Rally and collected signatures from four different players. I’ve gotten a few others before, and it’s always a crapshoot about the quality of the signature. Basing a contract on a signature would be challenging because there are several different criteria to consider. How legible is the signature? If you showed me, would I know right away who it was, given my knowledge of the lineup? Could I figure it out if I were given a roster alongside it? Does it resemble the player’s actual name in any way? Zeev Buium’s signature would absolutely fail this test because, without the No. 8 next to it, it looks like scribbles. (Sorry, Buium, but thank you for complimenting my hat!) How cool is the signature? Zach Bogosian’s signature might not look like his name, but the Z at the beginning is a statement that would earn him a little more. On the same wavelength, Nico Sturm’s signature is incredible. Somehow both legible and illegible, yet awesome-looking all the same. Based on that, he’d make the most money according to my rubric. Bonus Money Based On Vibes Some of the best moments in hockey are the unexpected ones. Imagine if Filip Gustavsson received a bonus for this goalie goal last year. Or what if Marc-Andre Fleury had been able to get a sly bonus on the side for attempting to fight Jordan Binnington a few years ago? Kirill Kaprizov could’ve received a friendship bonus for helping collect Joel Eriksson Ek’s teeth off the ice that one time. Looking outside of the Wild, I personally would’ve awarded money to William Nylander for not being able to keep it together during the electric guitar version of the National Anthem and to Sebastian Aho for mocking Brandon Hagel so hard that Hagel couldn’t keep it together. Other Creative Ideas That Require More Information There isn’t enough information to actually rank players for these ideas, but what if each player had to perform a 30-second dance on which his contract was based? Or perhaps a general talent show where the contract would be based on the uniqueness of the act and its execution? Sudden death dodgeball game? How long a player lasts at Mall of America before leaving? The possibilities are endless! And thankfully for Wild fans, we don't have to worry about the actual contracts for a little while now.

It's finally done. Superstar Kirill Kaprizov is reportedly re-signing with the Minnesota Wild, keeping him in the State of Hockey beyond this upcoming season. First reported by ESPN's Kevin Weekes and then later confirmed by The Athletic's Michael Russo, the Wild and Kaprizov have agreed to a contract. There was no official word on the dollar amount or the length, until Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman quickly reported that it is an eight-year extension that will come in with a cap hit over $16 million AAV. Then, just in time to not let the rumors fester, the Wild officially announced the new deal that keeps the best player in franchise history, in St. Paul for potentially the rest of his career. This contract will keep him with the Wild through the 2033-34 season and will kick in starting next season, the 2026-27 campaign. Kaprizov was a pending unrestricted free agent and was set to hit the open market next summer, with all 31 other teams licking their lips at the thought of being able to bring in one of the best players in the world. As Friedman posted, this is the biggest contract in NHL history. Kaprizov now has the highest cap hit in the league, a record previously held by Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews and his $13.25-million AAV, and the Wild star will also have the largest contract in terms of total dollars, with $136 million committed to the 28-year-old winger. Previously, Alex Ovechkin's 13-year, $124-million contract held that title. This deal now comes after Kaprizov reportedly rejected a deal that was also eight years but exactly $16-million per year. One would have to assume that this slight increase in dollars is something that pushed the deal over the finish line and got the Russian superstar's signature on the dotted line. Now, the Wild will thankfully be heading into a very crucial 2025-26 season without the noise surrounding their best player. The contract is done and finalized, and now everyone knows where Kaprizov will be playing for several more years. Last year, Kaprizov scored 25 goals and 56 points in just 41 games and was on pace to finish as a Hart Trophy finalist before an injury derailed his MVP-level season. He already owns the Wild franchise record for most points in a season when he scored 47 goals and 108 points during the 2021-22 campaign, and with some boring contract talks behind him, maybe he'll break his own record once again. The Wild knew that this would essentially be life or death for the franchise. Either sign him for anything at all and keep your playoff dreams alive and possible contention hopes fruitful, or be a bubble playoff team for eternity. Thank goodness that's done.

That's Wild The Minnesota Wild have made some first cuts for training camp this year. It's nothing unexpected or extraordinary, but one game into the preseason and the Wild have sent all the players that we knew were heading back to junior hockey, back to junior hockey. Forwards Lirim Amidovsky, Adam Benak, and Carter Klippenstein, and goaltender Chase Wutzke, are back with their respective CHL clubs. Defensemen Rowan Topp and Jordan Tourigny have been released from their amateur tryouts. And finally, forwards Matthew Sop and Ryan McGuire, and goaltender William Rousseau have been released from their professional tryouts and are reporting to AHL Iowa Wild training camp. Fifty-seven players remain at Wild training camp and beyond the players we know for sure are making the team, there are some interesting players sticking around. Forwards like Riley Heidt, Hunter Haight, Caedan Bankier, and Elliot Desnoyers are getting more of a look, and defensemen Jack Peart, Kyle Masters, David Spacek, and Carson Lambos are staying with the big boys until probably being sent down to the AHL. For now, they're up here and will try to break on through. It's not always as straight forward as a big winner, but who are the winners and losers when it comes to a potential Kirill Kaprizov extension? [Hockey Wilderness] And speaking of that negotiation, it's all quiet as the preseason just keeps rolling on. [Pioneer Press] And speaking of preseason, the Wild are in Dallas facing the Stars on Tuesday night. [NHL.com] Off the trail... It's barely been a week and things are already not looking good for the Boston Bruins. David Pastrnak has a nagging knee injury, but apparently he's not too worried. [TheScore] Greg Wyshnski's top 10 must-draft players in fantasy hockey this season. [ESPN

The annual Tom Kurvers Prospect Showcase took place last weekend at Tria Rink in Saint Paul, bringing together many of the best prospects from the Minnesota Wild, St. Louis Blues, and Chicago Blackhawks. For players, it’s an opportunity to showcase how their game has grown since last season, and to spend time with potential future teammates. For coaches, executives, fans, and media, it’s an opportunity to assess players and envision how they might fit into team plans. While college players and those playing in Europe are unable to attend this event, it remains an exciting gathering of blossoming talent. I was at both Wild games and compiled notes on each of the players that the organization has signed for this upcoming season. Here are my observations on each of them, starting with the forwards: Danila Yurov – Age: 21 – C – Shoots: L – 6-foot-1, 176 pounds When Yurov had the puck on his stick, the game felt in control. Things seemed to slow down a bit, or more, the game adjusted to his presence with the puck as he managed his options. Yurov wasn’t dynamic this weekend, but he was a steady and consistent possession driver and managed to get a lot of touches. Yurov was great driving into the zone down the wall and either swinging the puck around the boards to an incoming teammate, or pulling up to allow the play to set up around him. He was able to get separation, not with speed or on straight lines, but in how he created space for himself to operate with the puck. Yurov doesn’t have any tells about what he’s planning to do, and so defenders respect him as a result. He was also solid in the faceoff circle and won a lot of draws cleanly. However, Yurov occasionally struggled to handle the puck down low in his own zone. Still, it was often the result of him being in the right place and providing excellent support down low for his defensemen. I wonder how he’ll handle physical play down low, but he did mix it up several times in scrums and didn’t back down against bigger players. I would have liked to see Yurov take charge more with the puck and challenge Chicago’s defensemen. Still, the fact that he usually chose to maintain possession rather than force plays is a sign of a mature player. His experience as a professional has instilled a sense of responsibility in him. Overall, Yurov was a step above most of the players there this weekend and looked like a player who has a chance to play responsible minutes in the Wild’s middle six. He’ll have to demonstrate that when training camp starts next week. If he ends up spending some time in Iowa, fans shouldn’t worry. All told, this weekend was a good step for the prized prospect. Adam Benak – Age: 18 – C – Shoots: L – 5-foot-8, 163 pounds In many ways, Benak was the star of the weekend, and Tony Abbott wrote about his performance here. What I saw from Benak this weekend was an extension of what I’ve seen when watching film of him; his first touch with the puck is often pristine, and he handles it with intention. He also displayed his marvelous hands this weekend, creating numerous chances with his puck handling in traffic, his ability to freeze defenders with his stickhandling on the wing as part of a cycle, or when directing the power play. Benak understands how to use the pace of the game to his advantage and is not afraid to hold onto the puck while he waits for a lane to open up. He was a definite bright spot this weekend. One question I have for his development is what his “B” game will be. A player of his stature has to find other ways to impact a game on nights when he doesn’t have his “A” game, and for Benak, it’s fair to wonder what that will look like. He’s not afraid to go to the net, and he handles himself well in puck battles. Still, there were several times this weekend and in other viewings I’ve had of him where he gets to spots too soon and gets completely neutralized by bigger players. As Benak prepares for pro hockey, he will need to learn how he can engage physically while remaining a factor. But he’s a young, supremely talented player, and he has plenty of time to figure that out. Lirim Amidovski – Age: 18 – W – Shoots: Right – 6-foot-1, 181 pounds I’ve written about Amidovski at length, and what he displayed this weekend was an extension of what I wrote in June. The right-handed winger was one of the best Wild prospects last weekend. He was noticeable almost every shift with his tenacious pressure and constant straight-line attacking. Amidovski moved the puck efficiently out of the zone and in the neutral zone, making strong area passes and drawing in defenders to freeze up teammates. When he sees a chance to attack a defender, he does, and he can stickhandle well enough to beat guys one-on-one. Amidovski worked a good three-man game in the offensive zone with his linemates. He played with Carter Klippenstein and Rasmus Kumpulainen on Friday, then Matthew Sop and Hunter Haight on Sunday. He attacked the net with the puck, planted himself in front of the net to provide traffic when his teammates had the puck, and gave opposing puck handlers nightmares all weekend as he created several turnovers and had a handful of takeaways in each game. He also killed penalties and was a go-to player in that regard, and was also deployed with Haight and Sop to protect a one-goal lead at the end of the Blackhawks game. Amidovski saw time on the second power play unit and was an all-around force all weekend. So much of what I see in Amidovski reminds me of Brandon Duhaime. At this point, Amidovski appears to be one of the more projectable prospects in the organization. While a lot can happen, I fully expect him to become an effective bottom-six forward who can drive possession, kill penalties, and play a heavy, responsible two-way game. Hunter Haight – Age: 21 – C/W – Shoots: R – 5-foot-11, 181 pounds Haight was noticeable all weekend and fit really well with Amidovski as a tenacious duo that made every shift a struggle for whoever they were out against. He had a ton of scoring chances, but he just doesn’t seem like a natural finisher and will probably never score a lot in the NHL. Still, he’s looking increasingly more like a future NHL player. He was one of Iowa’s top players by the end of last season and will play a key role again this year. On a bad team, I think Haight would be a contender to get a lot of NHL games this season, but he’ll probably have to wait his turn. However, that’s okay. My question with Haight is where he eventually lands as an NHL player. I’m not sold on his skill yet in terms of being able to play with top-six players, and I want to see how he handles being a play driver in the AHL this year. Riley Heidt – Age: 20 – C/W – Shoots: L – 5-foot-11, 179 pounds Heidt is a well-known prospect at this point, and this was his third Tom Kurvers Showcase. He played top-six and top power play minutes all weekend, and also got some run on the penalty kill. As expected, Heidt was a standout at this event, displaying his ability to make quick, efficient plays with the puck in all zones. He is best when working in tandem with linemates who can read off his puck touches, and he could become a complementary player on a middle-six line if his development stays on track. Heidt will need some time in the AHL to learn how to adapt his playing style to professional hockey. Still, his ability to hound pucks and engage in puck battles should endear him to coaches. I could see this season unfolding much like Haight’s did last year, with Heidt ending up a key player in Iowa and ready to be in consideration for an NHL spot next year. I think Heidt has more skill and a higher potential ceiling than Haight, but I don’t think he’ll ever be able to drive his own line. For him, finding a role will be about fitting in with complementary players who can maximize his strengths. Rasmus Kumpulainen – Age: 20 – C – Shoots: L – 6-foot-4, 203 pounds I still can’t figure out what to make of Kumpulainen. When you see him carrying the puck up the ice or in the offensive zone, navigating around opposing players and shrugging off defenders with ease while holding onto the puck and looking for options, it’s easy to envision a power forward and future third-line playmaker. But then there are the multiple times, every single game, when you’ll see him hold onto the puck for too long and get caught unaware, or try to make too many moves and skate himself into trouble, leading to an awful turnover, often at the offensive or defensive blue lines. At times, it looks like he can't decide what to do with the puck, and so he just holds onto it and never makes a decision, and eventually loses possession. After the Wild first drafted him in 2023, I chalked up such errors to a young player trying to do too much. And maybe that’s still just all it is. Still, Kumpulainen was doing this in the World Juniors this past season and ended up getting healthy scratched after a particularly poor game that included numerous egregious turnovers. And he did it a bunch of times in both games this past weekend. You know that coaches have to be talking to him about this. Kumpulainen is a generally reliable player in most other areas of the ice. He’s a solid, steady two-way forward with upside as a penalty killer. He can make plays on the wall under pressure to get the puck out. Kumpulainen isn’t fast, but he maneuvers adequately and uses his reach to his advantage in puck battles when defending. It will be interesting to see him in Iowa this year. There’s a real chance he comes in and immediately supplants Caeden Bankier on the organization’s depth chart at center. However, those turnovers, and the areas on the ice where they occur, are inexcusable. Every player makes them occasionally, but four or five a game is way, way too many for a player with Kumpulainen’s talent. If he can get it out of his game, he could be a valuable piece of the Wild’s future. But if he can’t, then it could be a big enough issue to make him a liability in important games. Carter Klippenstein – Age: 18 – C/W – Shoots: L – 6-foot-3, 181 pounds Klippenstein was the only one of this summer’s draft picks that I haven’t watched film on, and he had a good showing overall this weekend. His confidence seemed to grow with each period. I didn’t get a great read on his game as I didn’t see him get a lot of puck touches. Still, Klippenstein got a lot of penalty kill time, and I was impressed by his feet in terms of how he maneuvered with quick lateral steps to stay in position as the puck moved around the zone. It was impressive for a player his size. Klippenstein was also a diligent worker and good battler on the wall, and is a good straight-line skater. He understands how to use his size, and that could eventually make him an asset. It’s too early to say exactly what he’ll be, but I could see why the Wild liked him enough to pick him in the fourth round. Matthew Sop – Age: 22 – W – Shoots: Left – 6-feet, 183 pounds I have a soft spot for Matthew Sop after the way he worked himself into the Iowa Wild’s rotation last year, and also because he scored an awesome goal when I was there for my annual Iowa Wild road trip. The 22-year-old is an honest, hard-working player who is good in all three zones and makes the right play almost every time. Sop is not overly skilled, isn’t fast, and doesn’t have a big shot, but he’s just a smart hockey player who seems to understand what is expected of him as a role player in professional hockey. Sop signed a two-way AHL contract for this season, meaning he could be assigned to the ECHL, but I expect him to be an important depth player for the Iowa Wild by season’s end. He’s the type of honest player every organization needs on its minor league squads, and I wouldn’t put it past him to work his way into a depth call-up option in a few years. Ryan McGuire – Age 23 – C/W – 6-foot-2, 183 pounds McGuire, the son of famed NHL personality Pierre McGuire, finished last season with the ECHL’s Iowa Heartlanders after wrapping up his college career, and will return this year on a two-way AHL contract. He’ll likely spend a significant portion of this season in the ECHL. However, McGuire is a responsible, hard-working two-way player with good hockey sense and plays an honest game, so it wouldn’t be surprising if he earns some AHL games. He doesn’t have any NHL upside, but he looks like a professional hockey player.

The harsh reality of being an NHL prospect is that the next wave is always coming, and each one threatens to bring a player that pushes you further down the organizational pecking order. When the Minnesota Wild released their roster for the 2025 Tom Kurvers Prospect Showcase, which begins Friday at Tria Rink in downtown St. Paul, it was a window into the organization’s thoughts about which of their drafted players might still have something to prove, especially at defense. As new players enter the organization each summer via the NHL draft or other means, they supplant old ones who fall by the wayside. For example, the Wild didn’t re-sign Ryan O’Rourke, a 2020 second-round pick, after three generally subpar seasons in Iowa. He signed an AHL contract with the Laval Rocket. They also chose not to sign 2023 sixth-rounder Kalem Parker after last season, signifying their belief that he was no longer part of their future plans. Parker recently committed to Michigan Tech. Now, Kyle Masters and Jack Peart could be the next to start feeling the heat. Each of them has been deemed “not quite graduated” from prospect status and will return for another go-round at the Kurvers Showcase. This season is Masters’ last chance to impress the organization. The 2021 fourth-round pick will be an RFA after this year, and with more players coming, he’ll need to have a solid season if he wants to earn another contract. Masters has spent the past two seasons bouncing back and forth between the AHL and ECHL and will face stiff competition again to make the Iowa Wild out of training camp. If he starts the season in the ECHL, it will likely indicate that he hasn’t taken enough of a step to remain a viable prospect. Peart will be an RFA after next season, and he’ll have to show significant progress to stay ahead of the next incoming waves of defensemen. The Grand Rapids native and former St. Cloud State Husky played 53 games last season with the struggling Iowa Wild, producing a goal and six assists while playing mostly third-pair minutes. However, big minutes might be tough to come by again this season after Iowa bolstered its depth by adding veteran defensemen Ben Gleason, Matt Kiersted, and Wyatt Newpower. They also signed former Gopher Mike Koster at the end of last season. Still, Peart should get plenty of chances to make an impact. If Carson Lambos or David Spacek end up spending time in the NHL, that will open more opportunities for him. A smooth skater with decent skill, Peart must prove that he has the ability to be a reliable puck mover in his own zone and to defend against heavy forechecks. A deeper blue line in Iowa should put Peart in a better position to succeed this season, and you can bet that Iowa general manager Matt Hendricks and new coach Greg Cronin will be watching him closely. The biggest competition for Peart and Masters might be 2024 sixth-round pick Stevie Leskovar, a 6-foot-3, 216-pound defenseman who’s about to play his first season of professional hockey. Leskovar is a late-bloomer who went undrafted in 2022 and 2023 before finally catching the Wild’s attention. He made his AHL debut at the end of last season. Leskovar, 21, is a left-handed player like Peart. However, he brings a physical presence that could endear him to the organization if he proves he can play at a professional pace. He’ll be a name to watch at the Kurvers Showcase and during the season. Lambos (1st round, 2021) and Spacek (5th round, 2022) are preparing for their third full season of professional hockey, and the organization has seen enough of them to determine that they no longer need to prove themselves in any additional prospect tournaments. Both are RFAs after this season and will likely be playing for their next contracts, whether that is in Minnesota or elsewhere. Lambos appears to have the inside track on Spacek. He played top-pair minutes in Iowa last season and could be a contender to make the NHL roster out of camp if there is an injury. Still, Lambos has struggled with consistency in his professional career. While he has more raw talent than Spacek, it would not be surprising to see Spacek supplant him and earn a call-up at some point this season. The Czech defenseman is rumored to be disgruntled by the influx of defensive talent that Zeev Buium and David Jiricek brought when they joined the Wild last season. He should be motivated to showcase his ability to the Wild organization and other potential suitors. Spacek saw time on Iowa's top power play unit last year, though less so than Lambos. He has the advantage of also being a coveted right-handed defenseman. Buium will also be playing in the prospect showcase this weekend, but all indications are that the 2024 first-round pick will start the season in Minnesota. His presence at the event will likely provide an opportunity to develop as a leader among the organization’s younger generation and also play big minutes, getting him tuned up for training camp and the upcoming season. Remember, even Connor Bedard played at this event two seasons ago (and dazzled with a hat trick) despite being considered the best prospect in the sport at the time. Barring some sort of setback, Buium will be in the NHL on opening night. All told, the competition to remain in the Wild’s plans on defense should be fierce this season, and there’s plenty more talent on the way soon. 2025 picks Theodor Hallquisth (2nd round) and Justin Kipkie (5th round) look like potential difference makers, and 2024 draftees and fellow Finns Aron Kiviharju (4th round) and Sebastian Soini (5th round) will likely be joining the organization down the road. Also in the conversation is 2023 5th-round rounder Aaron Pionk, a Hermantown native who put up big numbers for Minnesota Duluth last season. While none of those players will be at the Tom Kurvers Prospect Showcase due to college or European hockey commitments, you can bet they’ll be at future ones. With so many defensemen already in the organization and more on the way, the competition they’ll provide each other should serve the Wild well as they watch to see which ones rise to the top. For the players that are already with the organization but not yet established, the next step of their journey begins this weekend in St. Paul, and it should make for an exciting event. Both Wild games will be available to stream for free on Wild.com, allowing fans to see which players might have an edge entering this season.

With the preseason rapidly approaching, the Minnesota Wild have added to their training camp roster depth by signing winger Brett Leason on a professional tryout contract (PTO). A PTO is a short-term deal that lets unsigned players audition for a roster spot. PTO signings may not seem like huge news at first glance, but it’s a fairly standard path to making an NHL roster. Before the 2024-25 season, 39 players signed PTOs in training camp. Twelve of them earned contracts from their tryout. Can Leason be part of this year’s class of tryouts to earn a contract? He possesses some intriguing attributes that could make him appealing to the Wild. Leason has spent the last three seasons with the Anaheim Ducks after the Washington Capitals drafted him 56th overall in 2019. He’s played 220 NHL games, amassing 25 goals and 29 assists. The forward’s size is his most visible asset. Leason is listed at 6’5”, 220 lbs. Leason uses his size well, particularly in the offensive zone, where he’s good at protecting the puck and maintaining possession along the boards. Leason pairs those attributes with good skating for his size, a nice shot release, and surprisingly quick hands when he’s most effective. Take a look at this goal from last year, which showcases some of his skills. Larson’s ability to cleanly receive the pass, stick handle through a couple of obstacles, and then get the puck back in at a good shooting angle is impressive. While he has the skills to be an offensive asset, Leason can struggle to put that together to produce actual results. He will go through long periods of time where he’s quiet. For example, Leason didn’t score a goal in 32 straight games last season in Anaheim. However, his goal-scoring numbers should improve a bit wherever he plays next, given that his 6.3% shooting percentage was way down from his 12.1% the season before and 11.8% in the 2022-23 season. Even if he produces more, that isn’t why he’s appealing to the Wild. The main reason Minnesota probably brought him in is his experience on the penalty kill. Leason has been a penalty kill specialist the last two seasons in Anaheim, with a 37% PK deployment rate. Not only did Anaheim utilize him frequently on the penalty kill, but the team performed better with him on the ice than off it in terms of expected goals against per 60 minutes. (Source: The Athletic) The Wild need additional help on the penalty kill, given their well-documented struggles while short-handed in recent years. Minnesota’s 72.4% success rate last season was third-worst in the NHL. Minnesota has continued to bring in new players in hopes of addressing its penalty-killing woes. They notably signed Yakov Trenin last year and brought in Nico Sturm this offseason. Leason may be another piece of organizational depth to address that problem. While Leason is known for his size and defensive game, particularly on the penalty kill, he doesn’t play a very physical game in terms of hitting. Hitting stats can be unreliable, but his career high in logged hits is just 80 in 68 games during the 2023-24 season. If Minnesota is looking for a game-breaking physical force, Leason won’t provide that. Still, Leason should provide enough attributes to at least be a player to watch throughout the Wild’s preseason. He has NHL experience, gives the lineup some size, and fills a crucial area of need as a penalty killer. While he could be an interesting option for the team, finding a spot for him is a more difficult task. Let’s look at a projected roster for the Wild to try to figure out if there’s a place for Leason. Michael Russo put together this projected lineup in July, so Marco Rossi is still listed as an RFA, but it’s a good place to start. (Source: The Athletic) Any possibility of Leason playing in the top six is far-fetched. He isn’t that type of player, and if the Wild find him in their top-six, it means they’ve had a lot of injuries. Marcus Foligno and Marcus Johansson are trusted veterans who seem fairly ingrained in the team. Johansson could theoretically come out of the lineup. However, it seems more likely in that scenario Hartman would take his spot on the wing to make room for Danila Yurov, who’s expected to get a shot in the NHL. Leason fills essentially the same role as Trenin as a big penalty killer. Still, Trenin is more physical and experienced, and the team has more invested in his success, given his contract. Finally, Liam Ohgren is another player who should be getting a serious shot to serve a role on the team this season. He would have to play poorly in the preseason and the early regular season to lose that spot. That doesn’t even mention Minnesota’s host of NHL veterans and prospects knocking on the door who are also hoping to make that roster. That includes players like Nicolas Aube-Kubel, Vinnie Hinostroza, Tyler Pitlick, Hunter Haight, and Riley Heidt. With all that competition, Brett Leason’s path to being an immediate part of the roster seems like a long shot. Still, he could be a valuable addition to Minnesota's organizational depth. For example, Leason could be an excellent option to fill in for Trenin if he gets hurt. If Leason fits in well with the Wild, he can still fill a role. Is it likely that he plays 82 games for the Wild? Even in a best-case scenario for him, probably not. But it’s conceivable to see him seeing action in St. Paul when the team experiences injuries or needs a new look during a slump.

When it comes to Kirill Kaprizov, the Minnesota Wild are entering a tougher financial situation than with Marco Rossi. General manager Bill Guerin can’t afford to lose Kaprizov to free agency. Kaprizov is the franchise’s centerpiece, the player who makes Minnesota relevant on the national stage, and the single biggest reason fans believe a Stanley Cup is possible in the next five years. His next contract will define the Wild’s contention window. It will also determine which stars Guerin can add to the roster and shape the franchise’s identity well into the 2030s. This is the most important decision of Guerin’s tenure as general manager. Below is Minnesota’s 2025-26 projected lineup, which highlights the Wild's current position in terms of their Cup window. Can Boldy take another step in production? Will Rossi build off of his sophomore season? Can Vladimir Tarasenko prove that he's still got it? Can Joel Eriksson Ek and Marcus Foligno stay healthy? Will Ryan Hartman stay out of trouble? Will Danila Yurov prove that he's worth the hype? All of these factors impact Kaprizov’s next contract. 2025-26 projected opening night lineup Mats Zuccarello - Joel Eriksson Ek - Kaprizov Matt Boldy - Marco Rossi - Vladimir Tarasenko Marcus Foligno - Danila Yurov - Ryan Hartman Marcus Johansson - Nico Sturm - Yakov Trenin Liam Ohgren 2026-27 projected lineup Boldy - Rossi - Kaprizov UFA - Yurov - Ohgren Hartman - Eriksson Ek - Hunter Haight Foligno - Sturm - Trenin UFA Targets: Artemi Panarin, Alex Ovechkin, and Andrei Kuzmenko Haight is the most interesting name on this roster, who has shown he’s an above-average producer in the AHL. Despite Iowa finishing with a 45-30-7 record, Haight was one of Iowa's bright spots. He finished 5th in scoring with 34 points in 67 games. Does he have the potential to be a top-five scorer for the Wild? Haight just needs to continue adding more muscle and getting faster. He has top-six skills that can fill a depth scoring role. Can he become the Wild’s version of Casey Mittlestadt, but a better two-way player? That would help Kaprizov because the Wild can use more help from within. Haight fits the description of a prolific scorer to support Kaprizov. Panarin will likely be traded before the March 2026 trade deadline, but what if he chooses to test free agency? Can the Wild afford to sign Panarin, even if it's short-term? Ovechkin will likely retire with the Washington Capitals, but what if Kaprizov can convince him to play with him even if it's for a year? Kuzmenko is an interesting name, but he’s polarizing because he’s so streaky. The Wild will be in Year 4 of the five-year plan. 2027-28 projected lineup Boldy - Rossi - Kaprizov UFA - Yurov - Ohgren Riley Heidt - Eriksson Ek - Haight Foligno - Charlie Stramel - Trenin UFA Targets: Sidney Crosby, Nikita Kucherov, Tyler Seguin, Alex DeBrincat, and Jared McCann The Wild can choose to skip the 2026 free agent class. The 2027 class is slightly better in depth and talent. Could Guerin lure Crosby for a perfect coda to his career, much like Marc-Andre Fleury? Crosby will be 40, which means he's pushing retirement. However, is Crosby really slowing down? In the last three seasons, Crosby has scored more than 90 points! A true definition of a generational talent. Crosby will be coming off a $8.7 million cap hit of his 2-year, $17.4 million contract. Guerin could create a situation where he can pay Crosby, while staying cap compliant due to his age. Can Kaprizov convince Kucherov to play with him? It's unlikely because the Tampa Bay Lightning have a history of winning, and they're improving their bottom-six scoring. However, what if the Lightning fade out of contention? Will Kucherov want a fresh start? Kucherov won't demand a higher salary than his $9.5 million cap hit. If anything, he takes a cap hit of around $8 million. Will Heidt be ready to play full-time with the Wild? If so, will he be here for the short-term or long-term? The Wild have more offensive wingers in its system, such as Ryder Ritchie and Adam Benak. Either of them could be Heidt's replacement if he doesn't translate to the NHL. The same goes for Haight. It'd be great if Haight and Heidt are a hit! The Wild will be in its fifth year of a five-year plan. Elliotte Friedman reported that Kaprizov could receive an eight-year contract worth $128 million ($16 million AAV). Kaprizov’s likely waiting for Connor McDavid to sign his extension with the Edmonton Oilers. The question is, does McDavid truly want to stay in Edmonton? The same goes for Kaprizov in Minnesota. The Athletic’s Joe Smith reported that Kaprizov could also sign for three to four years since the Wild haven't established themselves as legitimate Cup contenders. That will put more pressure on Guerin to maximize Kaprizov’s superstardom. Wild owner Craig Leipold mentioned that they were in Year 2 of his five-year plan last year. Now, the Wild are in their third year heading into the 2025-26 season. Is this where the Wild finally takes a turn for the better? Can the Wild afford Kaprizov’s $16 million AAV for eight years? Even though Kaprizov’s a superstar, $16 million is a lot of money to pay a player, even with the cap going up. The Wild would be getting the security of having Kaprizov on the team long-term, but perhaps the $16 million can be his bonuses? Auston Matthews signed a four-year, $53 million ($13.25 million AAV) contract extension last year. However, he received high bonuses in his first two years. 2024-25: $15.93 million 2025-26: $14.43 million Nathan MacKinnon signed an eight-year, $100.8 million ($12.6 million AAV) contract extension back in 2023. In his first three years, he got high bonuses. 2023-24: $15.73 million 2024-25: $15.73 million 2025-26: $15.25 million Leon Draisaitl signed an eight-year, $112 million ($14 million AAV) extension last year before training camp. Here are Draisaitl's bonuses. 2025-26: $15.5 million 2026-27: $15.5 million 2027-28: $15.5 million The Wild don't want to put themselves in a position where they're unable to upgrade their talent during free agency. If I were Guerin, I'd get Kaprizov to agree to $15 million, $16 million, and $17 million in bonuses. A more manageable cap hit would be $14 million AAV over six years. Here's his bonuses. 2026-27: $17 million 2027-28: $17 million 2028-29: $16 million 2029-30: $16 million 2030-31: $15 million 2031-32: $15 million Kaprizov won't be the highest-paid player in the NHL; McDavid will likely demand $16 million AAV from the Oilers. Honestly, who cares? Kaprizov should be happy that he starts with high bonuses. His $17 million bonus will be more than his AAV of $16 million. While his bonuses eventually decrease, he gets to enjoy the luxury of still being one of the highest-paid players. That’s the approach Guerin should take if he wants to land Panarin, Kucherov, or Crosby within two years. Kaprizov will be 35 once his extension expires. Either he'll sign another extension or join another team if the Wild don't progress into a Cup-winning team. The Wild can’t afford to fumble with Kaprizov’s next deal. Guerin must find the perfect balance between keeping his superstar happy, leaving room for future upgrades, and aligning the team’s competitive window in Kaprizov’s prime. A creative structure with high bonuses and a manageable AAV gives Minnesota the best chance to add in free agency in 2026 or 2027. If Guerin fumbles this extension, he risks watching the most electrifying player in franchise history walk away.

Hockey Wilderness is counting down the Minnesota Wild’s Top-11 Prospects, as voted by our staff. Today, we give you everything you need to know about our No. 2 prospect, Danila Yurov. For the past four offseasons, Minnesota Wild fans have been keeping tabs on Danila Yurov. In the first year after the Wild drafted him 25th overall, Yurov established himself as a full-time player in the KHL. The following year, he set a scoring record for his age group, edging out Kirill Kaprizov for the honors. But instead of taking the step toward superstardom, as Kaprizov did at age-21, injuries held Yurov back. That's three wildly different seasons for Yurov, which feels appropriate for a player whose ultimate role in the NHL is anyone's guess. Kaprizov came to the States two years later in his developmental curve than Yurov, but we had a good idea what kind of player he was early on. We might not have known that he was a potential Rocket Richard contender, but we knew he was a dynamic offensive winger. We don't even know what position Yurov will play. Listed as a winger when drafted, Yurov has spent the past two seasons playing center in the KHL. It's difficult to make that transition to the middle and have it stick -- we saw Matt Boldy struggle with it as a freshman at Boston College -- but Yurov was the rare player to pull it off. Now, can that continue in the NHL? He'll try, and we'll see. However, until that happens, we cannot know. That's just one piece of the puzzle. The other is Yurov's ultimate upside, which seems to be a toss-up, even to those in the know. One thing we know for relatively certain is that his floor looks very high. Yurov's got some size (6-foot-1), skates well, and has great hands. He's always been a smart and willing two-way player. Unlike Marat Khusnutdinov, the Wild's last Russian prospect to cross over, Yurov doesn't have any obvious limitations. It's difficult to see a future where Yurov isn't at least a reliable third-liner. An all-around skill set and defensive responsibility have resulted in exactly that sort of career for former Wild players Nino Niederreiter and Charlie Coyle. That seems to be the baseline for Yurov, depending on which position he lands. But the Wild are looking for more, as they should. This is a player who broke Kaprizov's scoring record, after all. Yurov was considered a top-10 talent in the 2022 Draft, and if he lives up to that billing, then the Wild might have a top-six center on their hands. Maybe even the Fabled No. 1 Center they've spent their entire existence looking for. Saying the word "Kaprizov" is almost sacrilegious when talking about a prospect, but having a Boldy-type talent at center would be the dream. There's the low and high end, and in just six weeks, we'll start seeing exactly where Yurov will settle on that spectrum. Hailing from the same country, speaking the same language, and both holding the KHL's U-21 scoring record ties Yurov to Kaprizov. Still, when you read the latest reports from scouts, his game sounds like a much different Wild star. When putting together their Top 100 Affiliated Prospects list, Elite Prospects ranked Yurov 59th. The outlet helpfully listed how they graded his tools on a 2-to-9 scale, with him getting 6.0 (skating), 5.5 (passing, hockey sense, physicality), or 5.0 (shooting, puckhandling) scores across the board. They praised his two-way game above all else, saying, "Yurov [excels] as a defensive forward through a combination of high-end engagement rate, fantastic defensive stick work, and impressive instincts for reading attackers' intentions and intercepting their passes." You read all that, and you're not thinking about Boldy and Kaprizov. What pops in your head are players like Mikko Koivu... or perhaps, Joel Eriksson Ek. When Marco Rossi was reportedly on the trade block earlier this summer, it seemed like the Wild viewed Yurov and Eriksson Ek as their top-six centers going forward, with Rossi relegated to a third-line role. But that projection might end up being backwards. What if Rossi winds up the top-end offensive center, and Yurov is the better fit to either slot behind Eriksson Ek, or eventually take his spot as the tough-matchups top-six center? Metallurg Magnitogorsk may have won the Gagarin Cup two years ago, but they're not exactly a star-studded offensive team. Their top-scoring forward was Roman Kantserov, who is a nice prospect, but not exactly a Vladimir Tarasenko. It's very possible that when playing with dynamic players like Kaprizov, Boldy, Rossi, and Mats Zuccarello, Yurov's playmaking chops will meaningfully improve. But if they don't, then Eriksson Ek is a very good guess regarding his upside. Reading Dylan Griffing's scouting report of his February 3 game at Elite Prospects, he describes Yurov as a very Ek-like figure. "[He's not] a play driver, but he's rewarded for his hard work to get possession of the puck with those quick chances." Then Griffing describes this goal, Yurov's 12th of the year: Great positional awareness in the defensive zone as he covered the passing lane to the point while the opponent skated towards the top of the zone. Yurov stayed between the two green jerseys and gave neither any room, blocking the pass that finally came off and getting the pass from his teammate to exit the zone and score off the rush. We hate to belabor the point so much, but yeah, that sounds like No. 14, all right. No Wild fan needs to be reminded how valuable someone like Eriksson Ek is, given that they've been watching him for the past half-decade. But if that is indeed the player Yurov can turn into, then he's coming to Minnesota at the exact right time. After playing 288 of a possible 302 games (95.4%) from the COVID-shortened 2021 season through 2023-24, Eriksson Ek suffered through an injury-plagued season that saw him miss 36 games and play hurt for many more. Eriksson Ek's too young to be considered a serious injury risk -- he won't turn 29 until January -- but his absence highlighted exactly how much the Wild depend on their best two-way center. Eriksson Ek carries the load at even-strength, power play, and penalty kill minutes. He takes the toughest matchups, all while being counted on to score. "I think Ekky needs a little help," Bill Guerin admitted at his end-of-year presser in May. "He's in a battle every single night, and there's no easy nights [for him]." Unless Nico Sturm is a big part of the plan to do that -- and it probably shouldn't be -- then Yurov must provide that help. Every bit helps. If Yurov can handle tough assignments and bump Eriksson Ek to the third line at even-strength, then the veteran becomes a nightmare mismatch for opponents. If Yurov's speed and defense translate to the penalty kill, that's another burden off Eriksson Ek's shoulder. Either of those would translate to fewer minutes and less wear and tear from playing a hard game. Maybe that isn't quite where Yurov fits in, and he does become that star-caliber, true No. 1 Center. But if he doesn't, there's no need to be disappointed. We don't know exactly where Yurov will wind up, but wherever it is, he has the tools to be a significant part of a Stanley Cup run in Minnesota.