The Wild Had An Insidious Appeal This Season

You couldn’t have written a better script for the Minnesota Wild to start the 2023-24 season. Coming off a year where they had missed the playoffs for the second time since 2012-13, expectations were low for a team considered a fringe playoff contender.

However, the Wild changed everybody’s opinion by sprinting out of the gate.

Kirill Kaprizov became a runaway favorite for the Hart Trophy. Matt Boldy was on his way to completing a superstar turn at age 23. Brock Faber took another leap in his sophomore season, and Jacob Middleton started scoring goals at will. 

The Wild surged to the top of the NHL standings, and the message was that this team was different. But on Thursday night, they stood crestfallen again after Vegas sent them home. For the third time in four years, they had blown a 2-1 lead in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

In the aftermath of a 3-2 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights, there are plenty of questions to be asked. It feels different than the playoff losses of the past, where Minnesota effectively melted down on their way to Cancun. But praising them as the team that played hard and never quit also seemed wrong.

Ultimately, the Wild fooled us again, and we only have ourselves to blame.

It’s difficult not to reminisce about how this season began. So many good things were happening to a team that has been mediocre throughout its 25 years of existence. They were playing tremendous defense, getting even better goaltending, and scoring in a way that brought plenty of excitement to the Xcel Energy Center.

Still, even as they feasted on Eastern Conference foes, the question remained:

What would happen when adversity hit?

That adversity came in a big way shortly after Christmas. Kaprizov didn’t make a trip to Dallas due to a “lower body injury” that required surgery and knocked him out for a few months. More injuries piled up as Middleton, Jonas Brodin, and other key players missed significant time. Joel Eriksson Ek limped into the 4 Nations Face-Off and limped out of it with an injury that cost him another two months.

Things were looking bleak for the Wild, and it felt like a replay of previous seasons. During their 3-1 loss to the New York Islanders on April 4, they looked like a team that wanted to go home rather than play for a Stanley Cup. Kaprizov and Eriksson Ek's uncertain status cast a shadow over any hopes of making it out of the first round.

But just like that, the Wild dragged everyone back in. An overtime win over the Dallas Stars on April 6 started the fire, and Kaprizov and Eriksson Ek returned the following game in an 8-7 win over the San Jose Sharks. Three games later, Eriksson Ek scored a game-tying goal with 22 remaining in regulation against the Anaheim Ducks, and the Wild were on the way to the playoffs.

National analysts were still on the scent and declared Vegas heavy favorites to defeat the Wild in the opening round. Wild fans quickly noted that the team that surged to the top of the NHL in November was finally at full strength again and could give the Golden Knights a run for their money.

After a Game 1 win, the Wild stole Game 2 and made a convincing effort in Game 3. Analysts who had dubbed Minnesota a cakewalk apologized for underestimating them, and there were several reasons for everyone to believe.

Marcus Foligno had recovered from injuries to become a physical force. Ryan Hartman responded from his eight-game suspension for giving Tim Stutzle a DDT in Ottawa by playing some of the most disciplined and productive hockey of his career. Boldy overcame a midseason slump to become a playoff demon and Kaprizov looked like someone who was running away with the MVP trophy around Christmas time.

But the most encouraging thing was how the Wild acted off the ice. Minnesota’s previous playoff experiences under Dean Evason were chaotic and unhinged. They had mottos like “It’s about winning” and “Grit first” that were immediately thrown back in their face when they lost. But this time, there was no motto, and the “HARD” chain that was prominent throughout the season was temporarily retired.

Instead, there was a simple case. 16 pucks for 16 wins and a business-like approach to lead it all. It was enough to make you think this team was different until they reminded you they’re the same team they’ve always been.

A Game 4 overtime loss to the Golden Knights could have gone either way and was marred by some questionable calls by the officials. The Wild appeared to have their breakthrough moment when Hartman scored a go-ahead goal late in regulation.

However, Gustav Nyquist failed to straddle the line, leading to a brutal offside call that put Minnesota in a 3-2 hole. Hartman scored a game-tying goal late in the first period to make Wild fans believe again, but two unanswered goals from Jack Eichel and Mark Stone sealed their fate.

You could talk yourself into the Wild’s future with a team that has a new mental approach. You can also point to the influx of talent coming in with Zeev Buium, Danila Yurov, and Liam Ohgren in the pipeline. But for a team with more players in their 30s, do you have to wonder if things are really different?

Can Foligno play like he did for an entire season? Or will he succumb to the form that saw him miss extended time in three of the past five seasons? Is Hartman really reformed? Or is he another bad game away from throwing a stick or driving someone’s head into the ice?

The Wild are also led by a general manager who hasn’t used the cap space he’s had wisely (see Yakov Trenin) and a head coach with a 6-19 record in the playoffs. They play in one of the toughest divisions in hockey and only escaped the blade by falling into the second wild card spot.

It’s little solace to a fan base that has to stoop to “They played hard” to justify another 2-1 collapse. But it’s common for a team that has tricked its fans into believing again.