Wild Not Actually Getting Rebrand

In the middle of Wednesday, reports about the Minnesota Wild rebranding full-time into their North Star-inspired colors that all started with the 2021 Reverse Retro sweaters, started to emerge. It was met with some vitriol or just uncaring support, but overall it was a contentious topic.

That lasted just a couple hours after the reports got squashed by the team themselves.

While it would have been fun hypothesizing what this new look could be -- what shade of green they are going with; if the logo is changing, etc. -- the Wild will not actually be changing their whole appearance for the 2025-26 season.

The team might have something special up their sleeves for their 25th anniversary for that season -- and maybe that is where the original report got some information -- according to Michael Russo, it will be a look that represents the actual Wild, not the team that existed before them.

That's Wild

• We have seen it with Marco Rossi before. A not-so-large centerman from the CHL that scored a billion points, drops right into the Wild's lap in the first round of the NHL Entry Draft. Can it happen again with Berkly Catton? [Hockey Wilderness]
• What should the Wild do with Jake Middleton? When away from Jared Spurgeon, his role on the team isn't all that clear. [The Hockey News]

Off the trail...

• Matthew Tkachuk was once seen as public enemy No. 1 in Edmonton during his time with the Calgary Flames. Now the Panthers winger is returning to face a crowd that absolutely despises him. Could he potentially be the ultimate villain and lift the Stanley Cup in the city that hates him? [ESPN]
• On the other side, Connor McDavid is really trying his best to rally his Oilers to overcome a 2-0 deficit in the Final. [NHL.com]