The Wild Can Start Filling Out Their Christmas List In April

Last Christmas was an incredible time to be a fan of the Minnesota Wild. The Wild got off to a strong start and climbed toward the top of the standings. While fans were opening their presents, Minnesota was preparing to visit the Dallas Stars and looking to make a push to catch the Winnipeg Jets in the Central Division.

However, Kirill Kaprizov didn’t make the trip due to a lower-body injury, replacing the holiday cheer with dread. More injuries followed, and the Wild plummeted down the standings, and most of their early-season cushion evaporated.

Things were different when Kaprizov made his long-awaited return alongside Joel Eriksson Ek on Wednesday night. The Wild were fighting for their playoff lives but finally had the group that got off to a strong start. A healthy roster presents the opportunity for a second act for this team and shows who they really are as they approach the Stanley Cup playoffs.

To understand, you must go back to how the Wild started this season. After a summer of dwelling on a rare missed playoff appearance, Minnesota started the season with an edge. Filip Gustavsson was playing like a Vezina candidate. Kaprizov was the runaway favorite for the Hart Trophy. Matt Boldy was ascending to superstardom, and Jacob Middleton was enjoying a breakout season.

With an overtime win over the Nashville Predators on Nov. 30, the Wild had the most points in the NHL. National analysts described the Wild as “Cup contenders.” It felt like things were shaping up for a special season.

That changed when Kaprizov wasn’t on the plane to Dallas. Middleton hit the injured list at the beginning of December, and Jonas Brodin, Eriksson Ek, and others joined them as the Wild hit the grind of the middle of the season. Five players in the high-intensity 4 Nations Tournament didn’t help Minnesota catch its breath, and the Wild posted a 20-19-3 record since Christmas.

But it wasn’t just the injuries that took their toll. Boldy started his season with 28 points in his first 28 games, but he only had 17 points in his next 27. The Wild leaned on unproven players like Vinnie Hinostroza and Devin Shore, placing them in the lineup daily. Even Guerin’s cautious aggression at the trade deadline didn’t help. Justin Brazeau and Gustav Nyquist have made a minimal impact.

With Kaprizov and Eriksson Ek's status unclear, Wild fans felt uneasy as the Colorado Avalanche and the St. Louis Blues jumped them in the standings. But after a big win over the Stars on Sunday, things felt like they were returning to normal.

It started Sunday’s win when Boldy tallied three points in the third period to complete a comeback win over the Stars. After his midseason slump, Boldy has turned it on down the stretch with 26 points over his last 24 games, including four assists in Wednesday’s win over the San Jose Sharks.

While Boldy looked like the star he was at the beginning of the year, Kaprizov and Eriksson Ek picked up where they left off. After Macklin Celebrini scored to tie the game at 2-2 with 12:31 left in the second period, Eriksson Ek put the Wild back in front with his first goal of the night. When Carl Grundstrom and Celebrini scored back-to-back goals to put the Sharks ahead, Kaprizov tied the game with a power-play snipe that was a nightly occurrence while he was building his Hart Trophy case in November.

Eriksson Ek did his part with three straight goals to fuel a four-goal night. When Celebrini kept the Sharks in it with a five-point night, Kaprizov sent everyone home happy with a one-timer in overtime to secure an 8-7 victory and two important points in the Western Conference playoff race.

With everything in place, the Wild didn’t just look like a team that could make the playoffs. They looked like a team that could do some damage when they got there. Sure, it was a win against the Sharks. But hockey is strange. Teams can make a run when you least expect it. 

In 1991, the Minnesota North Stars entered the playoffs as the final playoff seed in the Norris Division and went all the way to the Stanley Cup. The Wild entered the 2003 playoffs as the sixth seed before overcoming two 3-1 deficits to reach the Western Conference Finals. If this team gets hot like they did at the beginning of the year, who says they can’t make a similar run?

The best part? It could come at the perfect time.

The Wild have had a tale of two seasons, and Guerin’s proposed “Christmas” – where Minnesota will be freed from the bulk of the buyout penalties from Zach Parise and Ryan Suter – has hung over this team.

If Minnesota gets hot and makes a deep run, it could persuade Guerin to become aggressive and find a forward that could put them over the top. However, if they get bounced in the first round, it could go the other way with big changes that may have been unexpected when this team was on top of the world in November.

It’s a chance for the Wild to write Guerin’s Christmas list for him and an opportunity to show who they really are when the playoffs begin.