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

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

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

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

Minnesota Wild fans got a taste of Zeev Buium in the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season, where he recorded an assist in four postseason games. Wild fans and coaches hoped Buium would provide an offensive spark for the Wild’s blueline against the Vegas Golden Knights. However, the coaches didn’t trust Buium during critical situations, leaving the rest of the Wild’s defenders to pick up the slack. The Wild lost that series in six games. While most players hit the links, Buium laced up his skates again and played for Team USA during the IIHF World Championships. Buium put on a show, appearing in eight games, recording three assists and a spectacular goal: Buium draws a penalty on the play above and has the wherewithal to keep the play moving. He keeps his legs moving until he can follow up on the rebound and bury the puck into an open net. This play started with Buium, ran through him, and ended with him potting it. In beating Finland, Buium added another gold medal to his already weighty list of accomplishments. His next goal will be cracking the Wild’s roster full-time. It was premature to assume that Buium would mesh seamlessly into the NHL straight from a full college hockey season. He’d have to perform in the playoffs against a big, tough, and experienced Knights team. Still, it validated his potential to make an immediate impact. Fresh off a season in which he had 48 points in 41 games with a University of Denver team that made the Frozen Four, Buium will be ready to adjust to the NHL. With a full offseason of work in Minnesota, skating with his teammates and pros alike, it will be easier for Buium to adjust to the NHL and John Hynes’ system. We’ve seen how Buium can play with speed and skill surrounding him on the world stage. Buium is a fast learner with a bright future ahead of him. While his playoff performance may have dampened sky-high expectations, Buium raised them again with Team USA. Being selected to play on Team USA alone would have been a huge win. The fact that they gave him a significant role and crushed it shows that the NHL won’t be too big of a step for him next season. The Wild burned a year on his entry-level contract to play him in the playoffs last season. He undoubtedly will play in the NHL next year. However, it may be difficult for him to find a role behind Minnesota’s two top established pairs: Brock Faber, Jared Spurgeon, Jake Middleton, and Jonas Brodin. Still, Buium should earn a role as the team's power-play quarterback and de facto offensive specialist on the backend. He should be more suited for that role after an entire offseason of training and learning the game's pace. The Wild could pair Buium with multiple different players on the third pair. Wherever Hynes lines Buium is lined up, he’ll shelter him from facing top competition. Minnesota may play him with fellow youngster and offensive stud David Jiricek, or maybe the grizzled veteran in Zach Bogosian. Jon Merrill will probably be playing elsewhere next year. Buium’s playoff performance may have put some doubt in the hearts of Wild faithful. Still, his performance in international competition with other NHL players erased doubts and lit the fire even brighter for his full-time role next season. All stats and data via EliteProspects, HockeyDB, Evolving Hockey, and CapWages unless otherwise noted.

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

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

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

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

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