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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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.