Those days are finally past.

Zach Parise and Ryan Suter’s contracts are mostly off the books — their terminated deals will still count $1.7 million against the cap for the next three years — and that means Guerin is largely free of the financial shackles that impeded his ability to aggressively pursue free agents.

This doesn’t mean Guerin will throw money around on July 1 when free agency begins. The Wild plan on devoting a good chunk of cap space to winger Kirill Kaprizov in what will be a busy summer.

Here are three areas that will be addressed:

Locking up the franchise player
Wild owner Craig Leipold said last fall that no team would offer Kaprizov more money or a longer contract than the Wild. Kaprizov, who has one season left on his five-year, $45 million contract, is eligible to be offered an extension starting July 1.

With the Parise/Suter contracts off the books, signing Kaprizov to an eight-year deal this offseason should be a priority for the Wild. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

The Wild can pay Kaprizov more because they have the ability to offer an eight-year contract. If Kaprizov elects to play out his contract and become a free agent after next season, teams can only offer him a seven-year deal.

The Wild have no intention of letting it get to that.

Kaprizov, 28, is the Wild’s first superstar and his importance to the franchise is clear to everyone. He was one of the leading candidates for the Hart Trophy as the NHL’s MVP this season before being sidelined by a lower body injury that required surgery just after Christmas.

Kaprizov only played 41 games and still finished second on the Wild with 25 goals and third with 56 points. He returned late in the regular season and had five goals and nine points in six playoff games.

Kaprizov’s new contract would not kick in until 2026-27.

The NHL salary cap will rise from $88 million this season to $95.5 million for 2025-26. The projections for the following two seasons are $104 million and $113.5 million.

Given the upcoming cap increases, Kaprizov’s reps likely will start by asking for $15 million to $16 million in average annual value over eight years. The Wild have little choice but to capitulate given the fact Kaprizov is holding all of the cards.

“I’m very confident that we’re going to get a deal done with Kirill,” Guerin said. “He really loves this market and this team. I think he feels that we’re going in the right direction.”

Center of attention
Anyone who watched the Wild’s first-round playoff loss could see the team’s lack of a true No. 1 center was a problem. That is nothing new and it’s an issue that Guerin wants to solve. He said the center position will be a focus in free agency, adding that he “wouldn’t be opposed to a scoring winger, either.”

Joel Eriksson Ek is a quality center, but ideally he would slot into the No. 2 or No. 3 slot and play on more of a grind-it-out line.

But here’s the issue: Finding a top-line center isn’t easy and they don’t often hit the open market.

That’s what makes this so interesting for Guerin.

The top centers set to become free agents this July include Toronto’s John Tavares, Florida’s Sam Bennett, Colorado’s Brock Nelson and Dallas’ Matt Duchene. Only Bennett is under age 30 from that group and he will turn 29 on June 20. There are reports that Tavares wants to return to the Maple Leafs and that the Panthers are going to make a push to re-sign Bennett.

Nelson is a Warroad native and there has been speculation that the Wild will bring him home. However, he will turn 34 on Oct. 15 and signing him to a multi-year contract with any type of no-trade protection (which everyone gets these days) comes with plenty of risk.

Guerin’s best option might be the trade market. This wouldn’t be cheap, but the Wild’s prospect pool was ranked second in the NHL by The Athletic this year. That gives Guerin some quality ammunition in trade talks.

Marco Rossi played in all 82 games with the Wild in each of the past two seasons. He scored 21 goals and 40 points in 2023-24 but jumped to 24 goals and 60 points in 2024-25. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

One player Guerin could offer is winger Liam Ohgren. Ohgren has played in 28 games for the Wild over the past two seasons but has spent the majority of that time in Iowa. The Wild brass claims to remain high on the 21-year-old, but it wouldn’t be surprising if he was the centerpiece of a package for a top-line center.

The Wild also could offer restricted free agent center Marco Rossi. The ninth-overall pick in the 2020 draft, Rossi finished second on the Wild with 60 points this season. His 24 goals were third on the team and he was one of only three Wild players to appear in all 82 games.

However, Rossi was demoted to the fourth line in the playoffs, and it seems likely the team and player could agree to a mutual parting of ways this offseason.

One thing the Wild don’t have to offer is their 2025 first-round pick — that went to Columbus in the trade for defenseman David Jiricek.

Centers who might be available on the trade market this summer could include Vancouver’s Elias Pettersson and the Rangers’ Mika Zibanejad. Both, however, are coming off disappointing seasons.

Another name to keep an eye on is Detroit captain Dylan Larkin.

Larkin expressed his displeasure with the Red Wings’ lack of activity at the trade deadline in March, leading to speculation about his future in Detroit. Larkin’s frustration is understandable considering the Red Wings’ last playoff appearance came during his rookie season in 2015-16.

The Michigan native has a no-trade clause and five years remaining on the eight-year, $69.6 million contract he signed in 2023. Larkin’s cap hit is $8.7 million per season.

It appears a long shot Larkin would be dealt — or approve a trade — but he’s had four consecutive 30-goal seasons and even the hint that he might be available makes it worth Guerin’s time to put a call into Detroit general manager Steve Yzerman.

Liam Ohgren scored two goals and three assists in 24 games with the Minnesota Wild in 2024-25. He spent 41 games with the Iowa Wild this season, scoring 19 goals and 37 points. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

About that scoring winger
If Guerin acquired a center in a deal involving Ohgren, odds are he would turn to the free-agent market to pursue a scoring winger to fit into the top six. The Wild are projected to have $20.6 million in salary cap space for 2025-26, according to PuckPedia.

The top free agent on the market will be Toronto’s Mitch Marner, but he likely will end up in Toronto or getting a massive deal elsewhere.

Signing Nikolaj Ehlers away from the Winnipeg Jets would not only help the Wild but weaken a Central Division opponent. The 29-year-old winger has scored more than 20 goals in eight of his nine seasons with the Jets and had six power-play goals this season.

The Wild also could look to bring home right winger Brock Boeser after nine seasons with the Vancouver Canucks. The 28-year-old Burnsville native had his goal output drop from 40 to 25 this season, but it was a tumultuous year in Vancouver that impacted many players on the team.

The post Guerin’s To-Do List appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

It was a bit of a surprise when Kaprizov didn’t make the trip to Dallas for the Wild’s first game after the break because of a lower-body injury but the word was it was a day-to-day situation. He would be fine and back before long.

More than two months later, Kaprizov has played in only three games since exiting the lineup. He has been seen a few times in the bowels of Xcel Energy Center catching up with fellow Russian players after games but that’s been it.

Those last three appearances by Kaprizov came in late January and were followed by the announcement that he would undergo surgery. The original timeline for his absence was four to six weeks. In late February, Wild general manager Bill Guerin said Kaprizov would be out for an undetermined amount of time.

So what’s wrong with Kaprizov? The Wild have declined to provide specifics other than Guerin saying he expects Kaprizov back before the end of the regular season. Given how the situation has unfolded it’s probably best to assume any timetable put on Kaprizov’s return is nothing more than a hopeful guess.

Kaprizov’s importance to the Wild never has been in question, but his absence has enabled the team, its fans and Kaprizov’s representatives to see just how futile the Wild are in the goal-scoring department without him.

That has been on full display since the team’s return from the break for the 4 Nations Face-Off. The Wild have averaged two goals per game in going 5-6-1 since Feb. 22. They scored four goals in victories over Detroit and Seattle but have been held to one goal five times.

Minnesota rallied for a 3-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings on Monday night at Xcel Energy Center, but two of the goals came on the power play and the last one was into an empty net.

He was the Wild’s offense
How bad is it?

Kaprizov’s 23 goals in 37 games still lead the Wild and are two more than Matt Boldy and Marco Rossi have produced in 68 games apiece. Kaprizov’s 52 points trail Rossi by one and Boldy’s team-leading total by four.

Kaprizov wasn’t just an important part of the Wild’s offense, he was the offense. It doesn’t help that the Wild have battled injuries all season — just as they did a year ago. Joel Eriksson Ek, the team’s best center, has missed the past 11 games and 25 overall, and defenseman Jonas Brodin has missed the past eight games and 30 overall.

The Wild’s 19-5-4 start helped to catapult them to the top of the NHL standings in early December and likely created such a cushion that they are going to make the playoffs as a wild card.

But this has become a grind and, John Hynes’ relentless positivity aside, it’s difficult to believe the Wild are going to accomplish anything without No. 97.

What makes this situation even more interesting is that Kaprizov is eligible for a contract extension on July 1. He will enter the final season of his five-year, $45 million contract in 2025-26 and can sign for a maximum of eight years with the Wild this summer. If he plays out his contract, he will become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, 2026.

Kaprizov’s timing could not be better. The NHL informed clubs in late January that its salary cap would rise by $7.5 million to $95.5 million in 2025-26 before increasing to a projected $104 million in 2026-27 and $113.5 million the following season. These are substantial increases for a cap that remained flat for several years after the pandemic.

The Wild will benefit from the fact that the dead cap hits from the buyouts of Zach Parise and Ryan Suter will go from $14.8 million combined to $1.7 million next season, but a good chunk of that extra money will have to be used to keep Kaprizov.

At what price?

Wild owner Craig Leipold said before the regular season that, “nobody will offer (Kaprizov) more money than us, or longer,” before adding, “all we have to do is prove to him that we want to win.”

Kaprizov’s injury should be a concern
After missing the playoffs last season, that’s what the Wild were doing with Kaprizov, but he has had plenty of time to watch his teammates struggle to score goals without him. It’s fair to wonder if Kaprizov will question whether the Wild adding a free agent, such as Colorado’s Brock Nelson or Vancouver’s Brock Boeser, will be enough to give him a real chance at a Stanley Cup.

Despite his boyish looks, Kaprizov isn’t a kid. He didn’t arrive in Minnesota until his age 23 season and will turn 28 on April 26. If Kaprizov does sign an extension this summer, how much might his price have increased because of his absence?

The 31 games Kaprizov has missed are a career high. He sat out 15 games near the end of the regular season in 2022-23 after Winnipeg’s Logan Stanley crumpled him to the ice. In his three others seasons with the Wild, Kaprizov has missed a combined nine games.

Kaprizov’s unknown injury has to be a concern for the Wild brass that wants to make him a very rich man but they are in no position to balk. He is fourth in franchise history with 183 goals in 315 games, fifth with 382 points and second in power play goals with 61.

Kaprizov’s return undoubtedly would provide a significant boost to the Wild’s playoff hopes, not to mention the morale of a team whose confidence is shaken. But when might that happen — if it happens at all?

“You guys have been asking me nonstop about this,” Guerin said shortly before the March 7 trade deadline. “I just don’t know. … There’s no exact science. I can’t tell you because what I tell you today might be different tomorrow. Things change constantly. I’m not going to say, ‘Oh, he’s going to be back 17 days from now’ and he’s not back 17 days from now, you guys are going to be like ‘What happened?’ So, I don’t know. I just don’t know.”

What Guerin does know is that Kaprizov’s value increases with each game the Wild fail to bury the puck in the net.

The post Buzzkill Without Kirill appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

The only team that didn’t make a trade that moved the needle was the third-place Minnesota Wild. Bottom six winger Justin Brazeau was acquired from Boston late Thursday after veteran winger Gustav Nyquist was obtained from Nashville last weekend.

Will Wild general manager Bill Guerin be criticized for not doing more? Probably. Should he be? Absolutely not.

If Guerin had really wanted to deal for a player such as Nelson, Buffalo’s Dylan Cozens, who was moved to Ottawa, or Vancouver’s Brock Boeser, who wasn’t moved, he could have put Joel Eriksson Ek on long-term injured reserve with Kirill Kaprizov and kept both out until the playoffs opened in order to circumvent the salary cap.

But Guerin wisely elected to keep his top prospects and focus on the opening of free agency on July 1. That’s when the NHL’s salary cap will rise from $88 million to $95.5 million and when the dead cap hits of $14.7 million for the buyouts of Zach Parise and Ryan Suter will shrink to $1.7 million.

The Wild and Avalanche both have 76 points, but the Wild are in third place because they have a game in hand. The Avalanche almost certainly will pass the Wild in the coming days, but Minnesota still figures to make the playoffs. A fantastic start to the season that briefly put the Wild atop the NHL standings has helped to give them an eight-point lead on Calgary, the second wild card in the Western Conference, and a nine-point lead on Vancouver, the first team out of the postseason.

But there is no way Guerin could have looked at his roster on Friday — especially once the Jets, Avalanche and Stars started making moves — and thought he had a team that could emerge from the Western Conference. The Wild missed the playoffs last season, were expected to miss again this season and ended up being a pleasant surprise that right now is without two of their top forwards, Kaprizov and Eriksson Ek, and a top-four defenseman in Jonas Brodin.

The what-if? game
While Guerin says he expects Kaprizov, Eriksson Ek and Brodin to return before the regular season is finished, no one knows how effective they will be if they do play again. Let’s say the Wild had acquired Boeser for a 2026 first-round pick — their 2025 first-rounder was dealt to Columbus for promising young defenseman David Jiricek — along with winger Liam Ohgren and a third-round selection.

Would Boeser have joined a team that had a full-strength Kaprizov? The Wild forward has played in three games of 27 games since Dec. 23 after initially being considered day-to-day. Kaprizov underwent surgery for his lower-body injury in late January and still hasn’t started skating. He might return, but will he be his normal explosive self? Clearly, Guerin and the doctors have no idea.

Eriksson Ek, the Wild’s best center, has missed the past five games because of what The Athletic reported is a broken bone in his leg. Wild coach John Hynes told The Athletic it might be a “usage injury,” meaning there is no predicting if Eriksson Ek will be fully healthy again this season. Brodin has dealt with injuries all season and is now out with a lower-body injury after blocking a shot against Colorado late last month.

Add it up and the only thing a significant trade by Guerin would have done is add a player, likely on an expiring contract, to a mix of guys who might be back at some point but also could and should be shut down at the first sign of trouble. The Wild are better off pursuing Boeser when he becomes a free agent on July 1 and not giving up anything for him.

Given Guerin’s penchant for making deals, the guess here is that it pained him to mostly sit out this deadline. But he did the right thing. The Wild’s long-term future looks bright because the cupboard is filled with prospects. Not moving some of them in the name of trying to make a run against what now appears to be superior competition was the type of restraint for which Guerin should be applauded.

The post Less Is More appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

The Wild entered Thursday four points behind second-place Dallas in the Central Division, two points ahead of Colorado and eight points clear of the first team outside the playoff picture in the Western Conference. Minnesota had four games left before the deadline and 24 games remaining in the regular season.

The problem is that the Wild have been without superstar winger Kirill Kaprizov for all but three games since late December because of a lower-body injury, and now have lost center Joel Eriksson Ek to a lower-body injury that the team says will sideline him week-to-week.

Kaprizov, who still leads the Wild in goals (23) and points (52) despite missing 21 games, was originally supposed to miss four-to-six weeks after undergoing surgery in late January. Guerin recently said Kaprizov will miss more time than expected.

Eriksson Ek’s participation with Sweden in the 4 Nations Face-Off was questioned based on the fact he missed the Wild’s final game before the break because of a lower-body injury and that he already had missed 14 games this season because of injury. Eriksson Ek returned for the Wild’s first game after the 4 Nations but was placed on injured reserve before Tuesday’s loss to Detroit.

Kirill Kaprizov still leads the Wild in scoring, despite missing more than 20 games due to injury this season. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

The refusal by NHL teams to divulge injury information leaves us with no idea of when Kaprizov or Eriksson Ek might be back. The reality is both could be lost for the rest of the regular season and even the playoffs. Kaprizov already is on long-term injured reserve — a player must be expected to miss at least 10 games and 24 days of the season to go on LTIR — and Eriksson Ek could join him.

The LTIR designation creates salary cap space, meaning the Wild would be able to add significant help at the deadline. But that would keep Kaprizov and Eriksson Ek on the shelf until the playoffs open, at which point the salary cap disappears. Teams, such as the Vegas Golden Knights and Tampa Bay Lightning, have angered NHL fans and teams by using this to their advantage.

Do nothing at the deadline?
But if Kaprizov and Eriksson Ek aren’t going to return this season, or return at far less than 100%, there’s a case to be made that Guerin might be best served to do nothing. The Wild find themselves nearing the finish line of having $14.8 million in dead salary cap space caused by the buyouts of Zach Parise and Ryan Suter. Those hits will decrease to a much more manageable $1.7 million next season and the salary cap will rise $7.5 million to $95.5 million.

That puts the Wild in an excellent position to be active when free agency opens on July 1. How wise it would be to acquire a Brock Nelson from the Islanders or Brock Boeser from the Canucks at the deadline for what almost certainly would be a steep price?

Nelson could help the Wild replace Eriksson Ek at center and Boeser could provide some scoring punch, but both are pending free agents. So unless Guerin was acquiring a player he liked with term left on his contract, why give up quality from your organization when that player can be signed this summer?

Guerin and coach John Hynes want to make the playoffs after missing them last season, but the Wild remain in good shape to do so. What Guerin shouldn’t do is give up a young player, such as winger Liam Ohgren, or one of his better prospects because he thinks a trade might be able to help the Wild win a playoff round.

The Athletic recently ranked the Wild prospect pool second in the NHL and you would think that top prospects such as forward Danila Yurov and defensemen Zeev Buium and David Jiricek are off limits. Jiricek, the sixth-overall pick by Columbus in the 2022 draft, was acquired earlier this season for the Wild’s 2025 first-round pick. That would be the selection to move in a trade, but Guerin knew that when he sent it to the Blue Jackets.

Guerin also knew he was adding a big, right-handed shot defenseman to his blue line for the future. And that’s where Guerin’ focus should remain — the future. An attempted quick fix might create excitement, but with major questions about Kaprizov and Eriksson Ek that enthusiasm is certain to be short-lived.

The post Deadline Dilemma appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

It took until mid-December, but the Wild had finally lost back-to-back games in regulation. Make it three in a row – all in front of the home crowd – after Friday’s 2-1 loss to the Utah Hockey Club.

While the loss to the Oilers sticks out as the worst of the bunch, and as uncharacteristic as it may have been for the Wild, it also marks the start of a rough stretch for Minnesota. They’ve lost four of five games and now have a three-game skid.

But Hynes is staying as even-keeled as ever.

“Sometimes when you’re winning games, too, maybe you’re not playing great, but you’re finding ways to win, right?” Hynes said after Friday’s game. “At the end of the day, it is about the end result. I think over the course of 82 games, you’re going to have segments where it’s tough.

“In tonight’s game, you’re going to have games like this throughout the season. … We probably deserved, or played well enough to win the game, but we didn’t win it. As I said before, I think when you’re winning, everything’s not as great as you think it is. And when you’re losing, everything’s not as bad as you think it is. It’s staying the course and making sure you’re staying focused on the things you can control, which is your game.”

The Wild took a 1-0 lead in the first period against Utah on Friday with a goal off an odd-man rush. Marco Rossi took the puck into the zone, and passed it over to Mats Zuccarello who tossed it back to Kirill Kaprizov. One more pass and Zuccarello finished the play for his seventh goal of the season.

But Utah’s Dylan Guenther tied it with a goal against Marc-Andre Fleury exactly one minute later to create a 1-1 stalemate until halfway through the third period. Guenther scored the eventual game-winner only five seconds into a power play. On the homestand, the Wild’s penalty kill – which went 2-for-3 on Friday – has allowed goals five seconds, seven seconds and five seconds into penalties after losing a defensive-zone faceoff.

The Wild outshot Utah 29-18 but couldn’t find the equalizer. Utah has won six of its last seven games, the only defeat being a 5-4 shootout loss to the Wild on Dec. 10.

“This is the joy of an 82-game season,” said Wild winger Marcus Foligno. “You’re going to have some losses where you just scratch your head. Did we deserve better? Yeah, for sure. A loss is a loss.”

Marcus Foligno, pictured in front of the net against Vegas on Dec. 15, said after the game against Utah: “I don’t think we’re getting a lot of production right now offensively from a lot of other individuals, including myself.” (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

Wild have been solid this season at bouncing back
The day after the loss to the Oilers – a game in which the Wild also lost yet another player to injury in Jake Middleton – Hynes spoke with the media after practice about what’s allowed the Wild to bounce back so well from any loss this season.

“I think you have more of a foundation as a group,” Hynes said. “Going back to training camp. And not that everything is about training camp, but you do have a foundation that you can instill there in the way that you want to play.”

This is Hynes’ first full season behind the bench with the Wild. He was hired on Nov. 23, 2023 after general manager Bill Guerin fired Dean Evason from the position. The Wild couldn’t recover from last season’s tough start and missed the playoffs. But with a fresh new season, Hynes started with the Wild from day one in 2024-25.

Similar look, different results
The Wild’s roster this season includes many of the same names from last season. Forward Frederick Gaudreau is part of that list, coming off a tough season on the stats sheet with only five goals in 2023-24.

This season, Gaudreau surpassed his goal total against the Oilers on Dec. 12. Through Friday, he has six goals and nine assists this season. So, what’s made the start to this season so special for this particular version of the Wild? Gaudreau pointed to having more time to get into the systems and everyone getting on the same page.

“Last year was a lot of adversity,” Gaudreau said, following practice on Dec. 13. “But the character of the group was the same. Guys showing up at the rink for the same purpose, working out every day with a good attitude. I think going through hard moments like that, you just carry those moments of adversity in the season. Like this year, now we’ve been able to surf the waves a little better and ride the momentum a little better.”

Through the first couple of months of the season, Hynes has led the Wild to becoming one of the best teams in the league. Hynes said they’ve instilled the foundation, bought into it, executed it and believed in it.

“Everything’s great when you win and everything’s bad when you lose,” Hynes said on Dec. 13. “That’s just the game that we’re in. So, I think the focus of the group, the way we go about our business is being on to the next one.

“When you win are you going to get too high on the hog, and then your game starts to slip? We haven’t seen that.”

The post Games Like This appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Judd Zulgad writes about what’s led to the extremely solid start to the season for the Minnesota Wild.

This story was originally published in the MHM 2024-25 High School Preview issue.

The post What A Wild Start appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

I haven’t heard a national pundit say a word about Crosby wearing the forest green, iron range red and harvest gold of the Minnesota Wild. Even though there is a compelling case to be made that the future Hall of Famer would be a great fit in Minnesota.

OK, I know what you’re saying. No way, no how. Crosby isn’t going to waive the full no-move clause he received in the two-year, $17.4 million contract he signed in September to remain with the Pittsburgh Penguins through the 2026-27 season. Maybe you’re right. Crosby could have walked as a free agent after this season but elected to stick with the franchise that made him the first-overall pick in the 2005 NHL Draft.

So, why is anyone talking about the 37-year-old future Hall of Famer waiving his no move? Because the relationship between Crosby and the Penguins — and a few other star players — no longer makes sense unless it’s solely based on stubbornness and sentimentality.

Penguins needs a rebuild – without Crosby
Crosby played a key role in the Penguins winning three Stanley Cups, and the franchise made 16 consecutive postseason appearances after missing in his rookie season. But Pittsburgh hasn’t been to the playoffs in the past two years and is on track to make it three in a row this season.

This isn’t a case where the Penguins are a hot streak or one addition away from turning it around. Pittsburgh is sitting at 7-10-4 through 21 games, giving them 18 points, and is a minus-26 in goal differential. The Penguins are 2-3-3 in their past eight games, losing twice in overtime and once in a shootout. There also was an 0-5-1 stretch last month that ended with a 5-3 loss to the Wild in Pittsburgh.

Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas needs to begin a significant rebuild as soon as possible and the list of veterans on his roster should make that possible. Dubas already dealt Jake Guentzel to Carolina last season and moved Lars Eller to Washington for two draft picks last week.

Penguins center Sidney Crosby on the ice in a game against the Minnesota Wild on March 31, 2022 at Xcel Energy Center. Crosby has scored more than 1,600 points in nearly 1,300 career NHL games, all played for Pittsburgh. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

But, for now, Crosby is off limits, and so is 38-year-old center Evgeni Malkin, who has spent all 19 of his seasons in Pittsburgh and has a full no-trade clause. Crosby and Malkin want to finish their NHL careers where they started, but will that remain the case?

There’s something very noble about spending your entire career in one place, but even Wayne Gretzky was traded twice in his NHL career and signed his last contract (with the New York Rangers) as a free agent.

Crosby, 37, still has plenty to offer as evidenced by his team-leading 20 points (seven goals and 13 assists) in 21 games this season. Crosby agreeing to waive his no-move clause could be a major benefit to the Penguins and himself. Interest would be high and this improved Wild team would make sense for a few reasons.

Crosby to the Wild would be a smooth transition
The Wild are off to a fantastic start this season under coach John Hynes. Their 4-2 win in St. Louis on Tuesday gave them 27 points, putting them behind only Winnipeg (32 points) and tied with Washington for second place in the NHL. Crosby would be welcomed by any team, but his transition to Minnesota would be nearly seamless.

There are two reasons for this: 1) Wild general manager Bill Guerin won the second and final Stanley Cup of his career as a teammate of Crosby’s with the Penguins in 2009 after being acquired that March from the New York Islanders. 2) Goalie Marc-Andre Fleury and Crosby were teammates in Pittsburgh for 12 seasons and remain close friends. They were a part of three Stanley Cup winning teams during that time.

Crosby and veteran defenseman Kris Letang stayed on the ice at PPG Paints Arena as fans chanted Fleury’s name and gave him an ovation following the Wild’s victory in Pittsburgh on Oct. 29. Fleury remains one of the most popular players in Penguins history, and fans wanted to show their love for him after what was expected to be the final start of his career in that city.

“I can try my hardest, try to bring (Crosby) here,” Fleury said during a recent appearance on the Bardown Beauties podcast with Jessi Pierce and Kirsten Krull. “But I don’t think he’s going to budge. … He doesn’t like change much.”

That’s a shame.

The NHL trade deadline isn’t until March 7, so there’s time for Crosby to change his mind about staying put. There are also scenarios, given the potential timing of the trade, and the return to Pittsburgh, under which Guerin could swing a deal that could work financially. The Avalanche, by the way, currently have less salary cap room than the Wild.

Of course, the Penguins wouldn’t give away Crosby. They likely would ask for center Marco Rossi and/or top prospects. ESPN recently ranked the Wild fourth in their NHL future power rankings based in part on the quality of their prospects. The ask might be too much, but Guerin knows more than anyone what Crosby brings on the ice and to the room.

Is Crosby to Minnesota, or anywhere else, likely? Probably not. But if he does decide to chase another Cup, doing it with his buddy, Fleury, would make a lot of sense.

The post Zulgad: Crosby To The Wild? appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

The Wild had only five shots on goal in the first period when coach John Hynes decided to go to work. Hynes began juggling his lines in a way his predecessor, Dean Evason, never would have done.

Kirill Kaprizov was taken off the left wing of Marco Rossi and Mats Zuccarello’s line and reunited with Joel Eriksson Ek and Matt Boldy for 3 minutes, 40 seconds on a line that had so much success last season.

The more lethargic the Wild looked, the more Hynes juggled. With only 14 shots on goal and down 1-0 after two periods against the rebuilding Blackhawks, the Wild finally started to show life in the third.

Minnesota outshot Chicago, 19-4, in the period and Boldy beat Hawks goalie Petr Mrazek with a wrist shot at 15:29 to tie the score. The assists came from Kaprizov and Zuccarello, who were the wingers for Boldy. Hynes had made Boldy, a winger himself, a center on the line to try to continue sparking his team.

The Wild lost the game, 2-1, in overtime, but Hynes’ line juggling was a major reason his team came away with a point and, thus, five of a possible six points in the three games. The Wild employed 28 line combinations at 5-on-5 in Chicago, according to the MoneyPuck website.

Hynes deserves praise for team’s strong start
There has been plenty of well-deserved credit given for the Wild’s surprising 10-2-3 start that has put them in second place to Winnipeg (30 to 23 points) in the Central Division. Kaprizov is playing like a Hart Trophy candidate, Boldy and defenseman Brock Faber are playing like guys worthy of spots on the U.S. roster in the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off, and Filip Gustavsson has gone from disappointment to one of the top goalies in the NHL.

But Hynes also deserves praise for what he’s doing with a team from which little was expected. Hynes was hired in late November of last season after Evason’s firing following a 5-10-4 start and during a seven-game losing streak.

Wild general manager Bill Guerin made the move to Hynes without hesitation, or an interim tag. Hynes had coached Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, a minor league affiliate of the Pittsburgh Penguins organization, when Guerin was that team’s GM, so the two were familiar with each other.

The Wild went 11-3 in Hynes’ first 14 games but then went on a 2-7-1 slide. Hynes guided the Wild to a 34-24-5 record but finished 11 points out of a playoff spot.

With a training camp under Hynes, and focused on being a tougher and more prepared team, the Wild have avoided the slow start that buried them last season. This is the 49-year-old’s third NHL coaching stop. Hynes spent four-plus years as coach of the New Jersey Devils before being fired 26 games into the 2019-20 season.

He was quickly hired by Nashville and spent three-plus seasons behind the bench with the Predators. Hyes was fired by Nashville after the 2022-23 season when the team failed to make the playoffs.

John Hynes (left) was welcomed to the Minnesota Wild by general manager Bill Guerin (right) at a news conference Nov. 28, 2023 at Xcel Energy Center. (MHM Photo / Heather Rule)

Making the right moves with talented players
Hynes is similar to Evason in that there are questions about his ability to win in the postseason. The Devils made only one playoff appearance in his four full seasons. New Jersey lost in five games in 2018 to the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Predators made the playoffs in each of Hynes’ first three seasons but never got past the first round. He’s 4-15 in the playoffs, so no one is saying he’s the second-coming of Scotty Bowman.

But since arriving in Minnesota, Hynes seems to be pushing the right buttons, and he’s done that with a team that many thought would miss the playoffs. Money Puck has the Wild’s current odds of making the postseason at 97%, behind only Winnipeg (99%) and the Carolina Hurricanes (98.9%).

Of course, it helps when you have a player as talented as Kaprizov and emerging stars like Boldy and Faber. But all of those guys were on the Wild’s roster last season, and that team couldn’t make the playoffs. Kaprizov had only six goals in the 19 games Evason coached in 2023-24 and Boldy, coming off a 31-goal season, had just one goal in 12 games. The Wild’s goaltending and defense also was an issue as the team was giving up 3.95 goals per game, second-worst in the NHL, when Evason was fired.

Kaprizov already has nine goals in 15 games this season and his 28 points put him second in the NHL to Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon (30 points) entering Wednesday’s games. Boldy is tied with Kaprizov for the team lead with nine goals in 15 games and has 16 points.This season the Wild goaltending and defense is surrendering 2.53 goals per game, to rank No. 3 in the league.

ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski polled several of the Professional Hockey Writers Association voters to get their early favorites for NHL awards. Kaprizov received 78% of the first-place ballots for the Hart Trophy, which goes to the league MVP. The early voting for the Jack Adams Trophy, which goes to the NHL coach of the year and is ultimately voted on by the NHL Broadcasters’ Association, didn’t even include Hynes as a finalist.

The Jets’ Scott Arniel was the leader and Rod Brind’Amour of Carolina and Spencer Carbery of Washington were the other finalists. If the Wild continue to play like they have early in the season, however, we’re willing to bet Hynes’ name has a good chance of ending up very high on that list.

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The post Credit The Coach appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Gustavsson’s tone was understandable.

He was coming off a disappointing season, he had almost undoubtedly been shopped by general manager Bill Guerin during the offseason, and now he seemed to be the odd man out for playing time in a crease that included a future Hall of Famer (Marc-Andre Fleury) and one of franchise’s key young pieces (Jesper Wallstedt).

There wasn’t much to smile about it and Gustavsson knew it. He also knew he had the ability to change that gloomy outlook.

So far, that’s what Gustavsson has done.

Wild defenseman Brock Faber congratulates Filip Gustavsson during a preseason game at Xcel Energy Center. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

Gustavsson’s 23-save effort in the Wild’s 3-1 victory on Saturday in Columbus — he lost the shutout when the Blue Jackets scored with only 1 minute, 25 seconds remaining — gave him a 3-0-1 record in the team’s first five games. Gustavsson’s 1.49 goals-against average and .950 save percentage places him sixth among NHL goaltenders in both categories.

Gustavsson is making both the difficult and, probably more importantly, the routine saves that he didn’t a year ago. Coach John Hynes has vaulted him to the top of the goalie depth chart. Fleury, who has said this will be his final season, has started one game and Wallstedt is back with the Iowa Wild of the American Hockey League after beginning the season in Minnesota.

“(Gustavsson) looks really solid in there,” Hynes told reporters. “He’s seeing the puck through traffic. His rebound control is strong, and that’s what you need from him.”

That’s what the Wild didn’t get a year ago after the Wild rewarded him with a three-year, $11.25 million contract following his first season in Minnesota.

Gustavsson had been acquired from Ottawa for fellow goalie Cam Talbot in July 2022. The Wild got more than they expected as Gustavsson’s 2.10 goals-against average and .931 save percentage put him second in the league in both categories.

But Guerin had to be questioning his decision to reward Gustavsson last season. His 3.06 goals-against average put him 37th among all goalies and his .899 save percentage was 34th.

The decision to bring back Fleury for a final season on a one-year, $2.5 million contract created the expectation that he would pair with the 21-year-old Wallstedt this season and help ease the rookie’s full-time transition to the NHL.

Gustavsson showing he’s the top choice in net
If that was the plan in the spring, it changed in the summer when Gustavsson remained in Minnesota. The 26-year-old Gustavsson found himself in a situation no goalie wants, and that’s the potential of being the third guy.

It’s still very early, but Gustavsson gets the credit for quickly ending that logjam by becoming the main guy.

The fact that Gustavsson added the first goalie goal in Wild history in a 4-1 victory last Tuesday in St. Louis only adds to the story. The goal came with the Wild on the power play near the end of the game and the Blues having pulled their goaltender. Fleury had told Gustavsson during a timeout that with a two-goal lead, if he got the puck he should attempt to shoot it the length of the ice.

Gustavsson did exactly that and became only the 15th goalie in NHL history to score a goal and only the 10th to do it into an empty net. There have been 18 goalie goals in the league’s history, but Martin Brodeur did it three times and Ron Hextall twice. Gustavsson also is only the third goalie to score on a power play.

As much fun that might have been, the Wild continue to start Gustavsson because he is now stopping pucks both 5-on-5 and for a penalty kill that was among the worst in the NHL last season.This isn’t all about goaltending either. In their first full season under Hynes, the Wild are doing more to help their goalie, even with captain Jared Spurgeon out of the lineup.

Not surprisingly, that has put Gustavsson in a far better mood than he was a month ago.

“I think we as a team have played really good defensive hockey, and we trust each other back there,” Gustavsson told reporters in Columbus. “Everyone’s doing their part of the job, and when you trust each other, it makes you comfortable and then you play your best.”

Gustavsson is doing exactly that, and for that reason he has exchanged a once tenuous hold on a roster spot for a nearly nightly spot between the pipes.

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The post No Gloomy Gus appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

The Matt Boldy performance that stood out the most last season wasn’t his two-goal, three-point performances in wins at Calgary and Columbus. It wasn’t the 18 goals and 48 points he posted after the New Year. It wasn’t the success he found playing on the Wild’s top line with Kirill Kaprizov and Joel Eriksson Ek.

Rather, it was one with zero positive moments: His complete no-show in a 2-1 victory on Feb. 7 in Chicago.

The Wild had just returned from their bye week, but Boldy remained on vacation. It was the type of performance Boldy can’t have and the Wild can’t afford. An off night? Sure. But this checked-out version of the winger had to be considered an embarrassment by a team that had seen enough positives to sign him to a seven-year, $49 million contract in January 2023.

It was suggested on a Wild-related podcast — you might be familiar with “Judd’s Hockey Show” on SKOR North — that Boldy should have spent the next game watching from the press box. A reminder that deciding not to show up for a game wouldn’t be tolerated.

Wild coach John Hynes, who had taken over for Dean Evason in late November after a 5-10-4 start, had other ideas. He put Boldy back on the ice two nights later and was rewarded with a goal and an assist in a 3-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Matt Boldy creates a scoring chance against Seattle goaltender Joey Daccord on Oct. 12. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

This was the version of Boldy the Wild expect to see on a nightly basis and one they have seen far more of since that game at United Center.

Boldy, who has a goal and an assist on the Wild’s top power-play unit, made his prettiest pass of the season on Ryan Hartman’s goal Saturday in the third period. He took a pass from Johansson behind the net, drew defenseman Will Borgen toward him, then made a no-look pass from his backhand into the slot, past the Kraken’s Shane Wright and right onto Hartman’s stick for a snap shot that beat goalie Joey Daccord.

Matt Boldy came oh-so-close to scoring the overtime winner against Seattle goaltender Joey Daccord on Oct. 12. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

“I just want to win,” Boldy said after Thursday’s game. “I think everyone in this locker room wants to win. We’re so close. We all get along so well. (We’re) competitive and we didn’t have the year we expected last year, so all of us in here just want to win games and have a successful year.”

The more Boldy contributes as he did in the first two games, the more likely that is to happen.

Hynes and general manager Bill Guerin have both talked about their expectations for Boldy, and Hynes is eventually planning to play him on a penalty kill that was among the NHL’s worst last season and has given up two goals on five chances this season.

Boldy had a career-high 31 goals in 81 games in 2022-23 and last season had 29 goals and a career-high 69 points in 75 games. He has the talent to score 40 or more goals and some expect that to happen in his fourth NHL season.

That isn’t always easy because Boldy needs to play a physical style that includes taking punishment and winning puck battles. The fact he has the ability to make highly skilled plays once the puck is on his stick is what makes him such a threat.

“He’s got everything,” Johansson said. “He’s got the work ethic and the skill and the compete.He’s just got everything. He’s the goal scorer, he’s a passer. … There’s no ceiling for that guy. He can be as good as he wants.”

That starts with the realization that what happened last February in Chicago can never happen again.

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The post Be Boldy appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.