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  • Maybe Christmas Just Isn't the Wild's Thing


    Image courtesy of Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
    Chris Schad

    There are two types of people during the Christmas season. 

    One type is like Cindy Lou Who. They decorate every square inch of their living space, hang lights that can be seen from outer space, and blast Mariah Carey the second they feel a chill in the air. The other approach is more measured. A string of lights here, an ornament there, and no Christmas music until Thanksgiving (if not later).

    Christmas means something else for the Minnesota Wild. It’s a time when the team sells hope, and fans wake up to find nothing under the tree. It’s an endless cycle that gaslights a fan base just begging to get out of the first round or even dream of seeing their team win the Stanley Cup.

    But maybe we’re overlooking the obvious, and Christmas just isn’t the Wild’s thing.

    It started last October when Wild owner Craig Leipold declared July 1, 2025, Christmas morning. With the bulk of the Zach Parise and Ryan Suter buyout penalties off the books, the Wild could be banging at the doors at the start of free agency as opposed to scouring through the picked-over clearance aisles and making the moves needed to end their first-round playoff drought.

    Unfortunately, the Wild wound up being late to the party. Many of the big names in this free agency period re-signed with their teams. Others like Brock Boeser and Nikolaj Ehlers had a price and term too rich for Bill Guerin’s blood. With the price going up, the Wild pivoted and brought in right wing Vladimir Tarasenko and center Nico Sturm.

    Adding these two players is better than nothing, and the Guerin will not hesitate to remind you that both are two-time Stanley Cup champions. Still, bringing in a pair of players on the wrong side of 30 is underwhelming compared to the expectations.

    Alas, this is how the Wild operates on Christmas, and it’s still an important date for the future of the franchise. One year ago, they had one of the best records in the NHL on Christmas. Kirill Kaprizov was the frontrunner for the Hart Trophy, and fans believed that their present would end their playoff curse.

    Once again, Christmas ended in disappointment. Kaprizov suffered a lower-body injury, while Jonas Brodin, Jake Middleton, and Joel Eriksson Ek wound up on the shelf. The Wild slumped so badly that they needed an Eriksson Ek goal late in regulation to force overtime against the Anaheim Ducks to make the playoffs. There, they blew a 2-1 lead to lose in six games to the Vegas Golden Knights.

    It was the precursor for this year’s brown Christmas, but the Wild want to let you know there’s a white Christmas in the future.

    Fans may be upset that they retained a core that has blown three straight 2-1 leads in the playoffs. But wait until you see Zeev Buium and David Jiricek on the blue line. With Liam Ohgren and Danila Yurov on the way, it will be just like they added a couple of impact players in free agency.

    That core was the best team in the NHL last Christmas, by the way, and the Wild will tell you the only reason they slumped was because everyone got hurt. Maybe this is the year where Jared Spurgeon and Kaprizov don’t miss significant time, and Ryan Hartman doesn’t earn an eight-game suspension for losing his temper. Other players, like Mats Zuccarello and Marcus Foligno, who are in their mid-to-late 30s, won’t fall off the age cliff, and Matt Boldy doesn’t disappear for a month.

    There’s a chance next year’s trade deadline could also be Christmas. By not spending now, the Wild could be in on the madness at the trade deadline to turn a fringe playoff team into a contender. Never mind the deals that brought Justin Brazeau and Gustav Nyquist to Minnesota. The Wild have the cap money to go after the big present next spring.

    Then there’s the biggest Christmas of all. While the Wild didn’t have the chance to use their cap space this summer, they’ll be big players to add talent next year to enter Year 3 of Guerin’s five-year plan to bring a Stanley Cup to Minnesota.

    Sports fans rely on hope to get them through tough times, and the promise of a big Christmas at the end of three years of massive cap penalties played a role. But when it comes to the Wild, it may be best to take a tempered approach when they start talking about the holidays.

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    I read that Boeser was actually offered his contract one hour before free agency started and he was happy to accept it, and he never really wanted to leave.  Also read that Ehlers wants to play somewhere warm.  

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    1 hour ago, SkolWild73 said:

    I read that Boeser was actually offered his contract one hour before free agency started and he was happy to accept it, and he never really wanted to leave.  Also read that Ehlers wants to play somewhere warm.  

    I think he chose the wrong sport. Hockey arenas tend to be a bit cool. 

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    I read that Nyquist signed with the Jets so that helped my Christmas spirit. At least he won't be on the Wild roster.

    One move that would make me happy would be to bring back the Iron Range Red uniforms this season. Why not put the Red Army line of Kaprizov, Yurov and Tarasenko in red uniforms.

    Love the red and green. Very much in line with the spirit of Christmas.

    ranking-every-jersey-in-wild-history-worst-to-first-details-v0-di72wmn3j25b1.jpg

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    Guys, guys. C'mon. How materialistic are you??

    Christmas isn't about presents, okay? Geeze, Craig is teaching y'all a valuable lesson about the holiday spirit!! 

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    It really is like Christmas for the Wild this Free Agency this year.  They have the ability to actually do substantial things day one this year.  The Problem is that the FA market was so bare that having money meant nothing this year. 

    It's like Christmas morning in Berlin in 1943.. You were expecting awesome Christmas presents early in the year, and then life happened and there were no awesome charismas presents left to be had.  

    It sucks the way it all happened, but I'm glad management is keeping a level head in playing the crap hand they were dealt. (I.e. not overspending for free agents or making desperate trades)

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    19 hours ago, SkolWild73 said:

    Also read that Ehlers wants to play somewhere warm.

    Isn't St. Paul a warmer climate than Winnipeg?

    Would love to see the Wild take a run at Ehlers. Carolina sounds like the frontrunner and Colorado sounds like they have interest. It's a win-win when you pluck a top player from a division rival in that it should help your team and hurt theirs.

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    1 minute ago, ArizonaWildFan said:

    Isn't St. Paul a warmer climate than Winnipeg?

    Would love to see the Wild take a run at Ehlers. Carolina sounds like the frontrunner and Colorado sounds like they have interest. It's a win-win when you pluck a top player from a division rival in that it should help your team and hurt theirs.

    St. Paul isn't that much warmer than Winnipeg and definitely not a warm climate.

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    1 hour ago, ArizonaWildFan said:

    Isn't St. Paul a warmer climate than Winnipeg?

    Would love to see the Wild take a run at Ehlers. Carolina sounds like the frontrunner and Colorado sounds like they have interest. It's a win-win when you pluck a top player from a division rival in that it should help your team and hurt theirs.

    Well he signed with Carolina for 6 years and $8.5 AAV.

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    What's more adorable than puppies for Christmas, and we could have 5 of them. The Wall, Jiricek, Buium, Ohgren, and Yurov. A whole litter of puppies.

    And, just as puppies do, they grow into being dogs. I'm very hopeful we're getting big dogs and not those little yappy ankle biters. 

    In addition to those, we've added to strong NHL bodies. We subtracted some guys in Freddy and Merrill who really weren't (Merrill had height, but he was not very physical). Our 4th line will have an identity and not look lost in the wind. Our 2nd line has got some bite to it. 

    I'm wondering about this top 6:

    Boldy-Rossi-Kaprizov

    Zuccarello-Ek-Tarasenko

    My expectations aren't SCF this season, and I think we probably squeak into another WC spot. But I do think we can get through the 1st round. If we're healthy, I think we go into the playoffs hot and are a team nobody wants to face. 

    I'm anticipating 1 more subtraction, I don't know who it will be. 

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    59 minutes ago, mnfaninnc said:

    I'm wondering about this top 6:

    Boldy-Rossi-Kaprizov

    Zuccarello-Ek-Tarasenko

    I like this. I think Rossi has shown more ability to be a workhorse. Less minutes for Ek but he gets the harder assignments. You can flip in game as needed. Rossi can score goals but Boldy and Kaprizov both have better finishing skills. I'm listening to Zucc when he says pass more. 

    Tarasenko has Zucc to get passes from. Ek to cleanup the garbage.

    My biggest question is how/do Ohgren and Yurov fit in?

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    1 hour ago, mnfaninnc said:

    I'm wondering about this top 6:

    Boldy-Rossi-Kaprizov

    Zuccarello-Ek-Tarasenko

    To get past first round and go further Rossi can’t be on the team and either can Zucc.  Spurgeon and Brodin also need to be upgraded.  Just the honest truth.  Our top 6 is way too small and doesn’t have speed.  Rossi is not fast at all and small and Zucc is way too small and loosing a step.  We need 2 more big trees on our D to help clear front of net on PK.  Our lack of size back there is why we suck so bad on the PK

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    16 hours ago, mnhockeyfan03 said:

    To get past first round and go further Rossi can’t be on the team and either can Zucc.  Spurgeon and Brodin also need to be upgraded.

    I think we can get to the 2nd round with all these guys, but to go further you're probably right except for Brodin. While St. Louis appears to be Brodin's Kryptonite, Brodin can shut down some pretty good forwards. 

    I think if Rossi does decide to have another big offseason and comes in around 195, he will be hard to handle. Zuccy and Spurgy, however, are probably not on this team for the cup run. 

    As noted either above or a different thread, Detroit is looking for a guy who fits Spurgeon's description. Danielson would be the trade, a center just about ready to come up. Yes, it's futures, but Danielson is about ready to contribute with the core that Guerin built. He's a '23 draft choice so he fits in that group.

    Zuccy has a full NMC. I think we're going to have to just let his contract fall off. However, Zuccy in the regular season is very valuable for paying it forward and mentoring these puppies. While I see a top 6 like it is, on that 2nd line, I'd like to see Hartzy get a couple of extra shifts while Zuccy is just being rested. I'm still not quite sure how to do it, but I'd say 2 extra shifts for Hartman in the 1st & 2nd periods, and then we'll see how the 3rd period plays out. So, Zuccy would get 4th line minutes + PP time, but play in the top 6 if that makes any sense.

    I think a Hartman-Ek-Tarasenko line could play pretty physical if it needed to, and throw a little different look at some other teams. 

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    37 minutes ago, mnfaninnc said:

    Ohgren-Yurov-Foligno

    Hartman-Sturm-Trenin

    I have seen lots of lineups lately showing Ohgren on the 4th line. I believe that is certainly not the best place for him. He is a scoring power forward that needs ice time to prove or disprove his abilities. With that, a 4th of Hartman-Sturm-Trenin could be a beast.

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    2 hours ago, Up North Guy said:

    I have seen lots of lineups lately showing Ohgren on the 4th line. I believe that is certainly not the best place for him. He is a scoring power forward that needs ice time to prove or disprove his abilities. With that, a 4th of Hartman-Sturm-Trenin could be a beast.

    I think both Yurov and Ohgren need to get acclimated. What better way to do this than on the 3rd line with Foligno (A). If Foligno's leadership can bring these 2 guys into playing the right way and not making mistakes, then they can take that lesson and perhaps build into top 6 guys. IMO, while Ohgren's game will tend to look like Nino's, his physical game in the N was pretty non-existent. He needs a guy in the trenches with him throwing some haymakers. Equally, though, that line also has some skill and can pop in some secondary scoring. 

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    On 7/3/2025 at 7:03 PM, mnhockeyfan03 said:

    To get past first round and go further Rossi can’t be on the team and either can Zucc.  Spurgeon and Brodin also need to be upgraded.  Just the honest truth.  Our top 6 is way too small and doesn’t have speed.  Rossi is not fast at all and small and Zucc is way too small and loosing a step.  We need 2 more big trees on our D to help clear front of net on PK.  Our lack of size back there is why we suck so bad on the PK

    On Rossi

    He is in the 75th percentile for top skating speed and the 89th percentile for skating distance. The Austrian native is only 23 and is already faster than 80% of the league. Along with his skating, he excels in taking accurate shots. He's in the 86th percentile for shooting % and is in the 85th percentile for goals scored.”

    -Jordan Manny Preds line 

     

    If you’re going to rip the guy at least know what you’re talking about. I agree the team needs to get bigger but Rossi is one of the last players we need to look at getting rid of.

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    11 minutes ago, Mateo3xm said:

    On Rossi

    He is in the 75th percentile for top skating speed and the 89th percentile for skating distance. The Austrian native is only 23 and is already faster than 80% of the league. Along with his skating, he excels in taking accurate shots. He's in the 86th percentile for shooting % and is in the 85th percentile for goals scored.”

    -Jordan Manny Preds line 

     

    If you’re going to rip the guy at least know what you’re talking about. I agree the team needs to get bigger but Rossi is one of the last players we need to look at getting rid of.

    I do know what I am taking about.  Watch him.  His take off speed is not high.  Very slow.  When he gets going it’s fine but it takes him doing circles and he needs space to do it, but in the playoffs when space is tight and get checked a lot he can’t pick up speed fast enough and falls behind.  Stop and start speed is where it matters.  No circles. 

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    I love the comments that excuse, or even defend, the Wild’s mismanagement. The same people will be the ones cheering the loudest when Billy is ultimately fired. This team has become the joke of the NHL. Only old, washed up players want to come here so they can coast into retirement. 

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