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Did you hear that Minnesota hockey faithful? The collective sigh of exasperation from all of us after the Wild were mathematically eliminated from the 2023-24 playoffs?
It's been an interesting season, to say the least. Injuries to key players. Average goaltending. Raised eyebrow signings in the offseason. A winless record against the top three teams in the Central. A coaching change. The inexplicable decision to leave Jesper Wallstedt in his first NHL game, where he gave up seven goals.
The season hasn’t been a complete loss, though. Marat Khusnutdinov joined the team after signing his entry-level contract, and everyone cheered after each faceoff win in his first game with the team. Vladislav Firstov rejoined the club and is currently playing in Iowa. Riley Heidt is tearing it up in the WHL with 117 points in 66 games. Liam Ohgren signed and is also in Iowa.
On Wednesday, the club promoted him to St. Paul. Danila Yurov had 49 points in 62 games in the KHL this season. Will we see him in the Wild’s development and tryouts this summer? I hope so. Wallstedt got his first win, a shutout, against the Chicago Blackhawks. He’s the first Wild goaltender to have a shutout for their first win. Marco Rossi also showed that he belongs in the NHL.
All good things, indeed.
As I was doing research for this article, I noticed something. I’m wondering if anyone else noticed this. With all the consternation from the hockey faithful around those eyebrow-raising signings this past offseason, I saw that the Marcus Foligno, Ryan Hartman, and Freddy Gaudreau contracts switched from a no-move clause (NMC) to a limited no-trade clause (LNTC) in 2025?
Actually, Gaudreau’s contract is entirely an LNTC. Interesting, no? Because that is the first season after the vaulted cap hell, contracts fall off the books. Hmmm. I feel my faith in Bill Guerin returning. Was he thinking, Well, now that we get $14 million in cap space back, I could also get another $10.1 million by moving those three guys?
The Wild have 11 players under contract for the 2025-26 season. They have $54 million in contracts, and we know the cap is going up next season, let’s say to $85 million. If we have the same cap in 2025 and Guerin moves those 3 contracts, Minnesota would only have $43.9 million in contracts on the books with 8 players. That would give them $41.1 in available cap to spend.
Also, by moving those 3 contracts, the gates open up for the kids to come in and fill open slots. Perfect! If what people are saying is true, the Wild could potentially field a team whose first three lines are loaded with top 6 forwards. And a 4th line with third/fourth/specialists? Who wouldn’t want that? It’s called depth, right?
Will it be easy to keep the group together? No. That's the downside of having a prospect pool filled with talent. If anything, a good GM can parlay that talent into wise deals while retaining depth. That’s why they get paid the big bucks.
However, we could see a forward group of Kirill Kaprizov, Joel Eriksson Ek, Boldly, Rossi, Khusnutdinov, Yurov, Firstov, Heidt, Mason Shaw, Ohgren, Sammy Walker, and Rasmus Kumpulainen. On defense, the Wild would likely have Jared Spurgeon, Jonas Brodin, Brock Faber, Zach Bogosian, Dakota Mermis, and Carson Lambos, with Wallstedt and Gustavsson in net.
Kaprizov and Rossi need extensions, and they need to pay Faber. Rossi has done everything the Wild have asked of him, including missing his sister's wedding. Now reward him. Signing Faber and Rossi means the Wild would have 8 of the 18 players mentioned above under contract. Could we get the remaining 10 signed? I think so.
Kaprizov’s extension wouldn’t hit the books until the 2026 season when Zach Parise and Ryan Suter come off the books, and the Wild get an additional $10 million in cap space. Faber could command a comparable contract to Cale Makar or Quinn Hughes in the $9 to $10 million range. Rossi could get something like what Boldy got, the $5 to $7 million range. That would be $17 million to sign Faber and Rossi of the $41 million, leaving $24 million for 10 to 12 more players. About a $2 million average per player? I think Guerin could do it.
There’s also the question of Wallstedt. He’s under a minor league contract through next year. If he blossoms in the 2024-25 season, which I think he will, what kind of money would he command? He’s a restricted free agent in 2025, so the Wild have a little control there. However, a fair contract over 5 years would be the best-case scenario. That would take him to his 28th birthday, around the time that goalies really come into their own and command more money, and in 2030, the Wild should also be able to do that.
So, friends, I think we can all breathe a sigh of relief rather than exasperation. The future is bright in Minnesota. The Wild’s depth will make them a contender. Let’s enjoy it.
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