The post Wild Need A Thrilling Kirill appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Minnesota, already leading the St. Louis Blues 2-0 after getting two goals in the opening 2 minutes, 12 seconds, lost one of its best defensemen when Brock Faber departed halfway through the first period because of an upper-body injury. The Blues took advantage.

Pavel Buchnevich beat Wild goalie Filip Gustavsson at 13:26 of the first. St. Louis’ Jordan Kyrou, Jake Neighbours and Robert Thomas scored early in the second to chase Gustavsson and quiet the building.

A year ago, that would have been it for the Wild.

Already without superstar winger Kirill Kaprizov (lower body) and defenseman Jared Spurgeon (lower body), the loss of Faber and the four Blues goals would have been the perfect excuse to give up.

The Wild did the opposite.

Players stepped up
Joel Eriksson Ek, who missed 11 games earlier this season because of injury, scored before the second period ended. Defenseman Jake Middleton, returning from an 11-game absence, tied the score 1:16 into the third period and Matt Boldy scored off a Mats Zuccarello pass less than two minutes later to give the Wild the lead.

Marcus Johansson added an empty-net goal to end a three-minute sequence in which Johansson, Eriksson Ek, Ryan Hartman and defensemen Zach Bogosian and Jonas Brodin had to stay on the ice because of multiple icings but managed to fight their fatigue, block numerous shots and hold off the Blues for a 6-4 victory.

Their willingness to continue to battle in front of goalie Marc-Andre Fleury was one of the team’s most impressive stretches of hockey this season.

“A year ago this time, we probably didn’t have players step up the way they’ve stepped up this year,” coach John Hynes said. “That’s a credit to the players. The players are really playing hard for each other, for the team and doing what’s required to win, whether that’s blocking a shot or trying to score a goal or playing a 50-50 shift, whatever that is. The guys are committed to playing the right way for each other, and we’re finding ways to win.”

The victory over the Blues was just the latest test of the Wild’s resolve. The challenges began with a seven-game trip early in the season. in which Minnesota went 5-1-1. The Wild were 20-6-4 on Dec. 15 when they lost the first of four in a row, including a 6-1 home loss to Florida and a 5-0 defeat in Winnipeg. The Wild didn’t fold and, instead, won their next game over Chicago before starting the Christmas break.

The Wild returned without Kaprizov, who was tied for second in the NHL in goals (23) and eighth in points (50) at the time. Center Marco Rossi, Boldy and Zuccarello have played on the top line without their Russian star and the team has gone 5-1. The Wild will take a four-game winning streak into Thursday night’s game against the Colorado Avalanche at Xcel Energy Center. That includes impressive wins last week in Washington and Carolina.

The Wild (26-11-4) are at the halfway mark of their season and are two points behind the first-place Jets in the Central Division. They are an incredible 15-3-3 on the road, leaving room for improvement on an 11-8-1 mark in downtown St. Paul. Last season at this time, the Wild were in the midst of a four-game losing streak and were 17-19-5.

Headed in right direction with Hynes
The roster is largely the same, but the mindset and resilience make this a very different team. Hynes has plenty to do with that. He took over after Dean Evason was fired 19 games into last season, but didn’t get the chance to put all of his systems and philosophy into place until training camp opened in September.

It didn’t hurt that many Wild players were embarrassed by how easy they were to play against and the fact they missed the postseason.

What the Wild are doing isn’t easy. Being willing to block shots earns the appreciation of teammates, but it also takes a toll. Brodin was limping as he came into the Wild’s main locker room late Tuesday to talk to the media. He was smiling and said he was fine, but logging 33:02 of ice time isn’t a recipe to feel your best.

That is how games are won, and many Wild teams haven’t been willing to pay that price. This doesn’t mean the season is a success. There are still 41 games remaining and the intensity will grow as the season progresses.

Then you have the postseason, in which time and space disappear and sacrificing one’s body and playing through injury becomes the expectation. The Wild, who missed the playoffs for only the second time in 12 seasons last spring, haven’t advanced past the first round since the 2014-15 season.

That will be the real test for a franchise that hasn’t been to the Western Conference finals since 2003. Until the Wild wins a round, or two, there will be a healthy amount of skepticism about how different this team really is. The good news is it appears Hynes has things heading in the right direction.

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The post Halfway Mark 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.

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.

Captain Jared Spurgeon stole the multi-point thunder from the NHL’s best player as of late, recording a pair of assists in a tight, defensively sound 2-1 overtime victory for the Wild. Spurgeon also made the play of the game, leading to the overtime winner.

After Marco Rossi fanned on a shot in the slot in overtime, Toronto’s Max Domi pushed the puck up the ice, leading to a foot race with Spurgeon. The Wild defenseman, who turns 35 years old at the end of the month, showed off his wheels and got to the puck at the Wild blue line. Spurgeon turned and fired the puck through the neutral zone up to Rossi and Matt Boldy for a 2-on-0 opportunity.

“Even if he kept that puck, there’s no doubt Spurge is catching him,” Boldy said. “Just the type of guy he is, the type of player he is.

“Just how smart he is. Right on the tape.”

Rossi tapped the puck over to Boldy, who didn’t miss on the breakaway, roofing the puck to send the Xcel Energy Center crowd into a frenzy as the Wild improved to 8-1-2 this season.

Wild teammates credit defenseman Jared Spurgeon with being a smart player on the ice. Spurgeon assisted on both Wild goals in the victory over Toronto on Nov. 3. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

“Once I moved out to Bolds and saw him give it back to Marco, I just figured get back to where I’m most comfortable, and I was fortunate I was able to keep my speed and get that puck,” Spurgeon said. “Bolds had a great place there in the middle, and obviously a great move on the breakaway to end it.”

Spurgeon assisted on both goals, doubling his points total this season in his five games played. It was his first multi-point game since March 27, 2023, against Seattle. Sunday marked Spurgeon’s 41st career multi-assist game, ranking him third in franchise history behind Mikko Koivu (93) and Ryan Suter (56), according to Minnesota Wild PR.

“He’s so smart on the ice,” forward Frederick Gaudreau said of Spurgeon, after the Wild’s Oct. 31 practice. “Makes always the right plays, always in your face.”

The captain returns
But Spurgeon is still getting back into the swing of the season. He missed the first six games on the team’s lengthy seven-game road trip in October, meeting up with the team about halfway through the trip before finally suiting up again for the Oct. 29 game in Pittsburgh. He played nearly 20 minutes in that game, where the focus was mostly on goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury’s likely final regular-season game in his old stomping grounds.

“He did great,” Wild coach John Hynes said after the Oct. 31 practice, of Spurgeon’s game against the Penguins. “He was out in full practice today. He was in for treatments yesterday, and everything was good. So, all good on that front.”

Spurgeon was a plus-one with a shot on goal in 18:50 of ice time in the 5-3 victory over Tampa Bay on Nov. 1.

The captain is back after playing a career-low 16 games last season, his time limited due to shoulder, hip and back injuries. He skated in the first two home games to open this season before sitting out again.

Not being on the ice for most of the road trip left Spurgeon in an unfortunate but familiar, spot: Watching his teammates play. But there was an upside on this trip, compared to when he sat out for most of last season when the Wild finished with a 39-34-9 record and missed the playoffs for the first time since the 2018-19 season.

“It’s a lot easier to watch them when they’re winning,” Spurgeon said.

While he said it was tough missing some games early on this season, he also leans on the support of the management, trainers and teammates to get him through.

Jared Spurgeon on April 8, 2023 in a game against the St. Louis Blues, the last time the defenseman scored a goal. He played in only 16 games last season. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

Though the Wild coaching change – Dean Evason fired and John Hynes hired – was nearly a calendar year ago, Spurgeon entered training camp this season getting used to the new structure Hynes put in place. With being out last season, not playing right away and not being part of those meetings, Spurgeon said it took a little while through training camp and the first couple of games to get used to the new systems in play.

Respect of his teammates
Turning the page to a new season, Spurgeon, who’s been on the Wild since the 2010-11 season, was most excited to get back to playing the game. He’s also happy to be back around his teammates a lot more.

“You’re in it in a different circumstance last year,” Spurgeon said. “But you’re still in the dressing room every game. Every game day when they’re at home, I was here. Every practice as well. You’re still around, but you’re not in it to know what’s going on or get the feel for it as much.”

No doubt Spurgeon is happy to be back in the dressing room postgame, taking off his gear after a hard-fought win like Sunday’s against Toronto. His speedy effort on the backcheck in overtime earned him some kudos from his teammates in the form of the oversized “HARD” chain necklace the team awards a player after each game.

“He’s such a big part of our team,” Gaudreau said. “Last year was tough without him. You could tell there’s so much poise and stability that he brings that you rarely find that in players. So much experience.

“He’s not a guy you can just replace. We like to have him in the lineup, of course.”

The post O Spurgeon! My Captain! appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

The frequency of Kaprizov’s dazzling displays of skill left one wondering if there was another level to his game. Kaprizov’s start to this season has provided the answer: You ain’t seen nothing yet.

The 27-year-old and three-time All Star has played like a guy who wants to be mentioned in the same breath as McDavid, MacKinnon, Kucherov and Draisaitl. Not just a superstar, but a megastar.

“He’s the best player in the league right now,” Wild defenseman Brock Faber said on Friday after a 5-3 victory over Tampa Bay at Xcel Energy Center. “Actually, cut that out, I don’t want to jinx him. But, no, he deserves it all. Everything he’s doing right now, he’s been the leader of our team, no doubt.”

Kaprizov’s performance against the Lightning added to the early stages of what looks like a Hart Trophy campaign. He had two goals, including an empty-netter, and a gorgeous assist on Joel Eriksson Ek’s second-period goal to tie the score at 1. Kaprizov didn’t have a shot on goal until he got to the front of the net to knock in the rebound of Marco Rossi’s wrap-around shot at 14:37 of the third period.

Kirill Kaprizov has gotten off to a hot start in 2024-25, scoring multiple points in seven consecutive games. He’s one of the top players in the league. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

Kaprizov seventh consecutive multi-point game — a franchise record — gave him 21 points (seven goals, 14 assists) and has him in a tie with Florida’s Sam Reinhart and Colorado’s Cale Makar for the NHL lead. That is the fastest a Wild player has ever gotten to 20 points. Kaprizov has scored three goals into an empty net, but, so far, it’s his playmaking ability that has really stood out.

“I feel good,” said Kaprizov, who now does interviews without the assistance of an interpreter but is never going to run with the praise he deserves.

Kaprizov had only his second game of the season without a point in the Wild’s 2-1 overtime victory against visiting Toronto on Sunday as Minnesota improved to 8-1-2 on the season. The Wild’s 18 points put them in second place in the Central Division behind an even hotter team, the 11-1-0 Winnipeg Jets.

Kaprizov has been here before. He has had extended stretches of greatness, where he is the best player on the ice, mixing elite skill with the work ethic of a guy who looks as if he’s trying to stick on the fourth line.

The difference is Kaprizov has never started a season like this.

Putting slow starts behind him
Last season, the Wild were 3-5-2 after 10 games and 5-10-4 with seven consecutive losses in late November when coach Dean Evason was fired and replaced by John Hynes. Kaprizov had only six goals and 18 points and was a minus-10 when Evason was jettisoned following a 4-1 loss in Detroit. Those aren’t terrible numbers, but as Kaprizov’s start to this season shows, they aren’t close to what he’s capable of providing.

Kaprizov’s production has come playing on the Wild’s top line with center Rossi and his best friend, Mats Zuccarello. It was Hynes who split up Kaprizov and Zuccarello last season — moving Eriksson Ek and winger Matt Boldy to the No. 1 line — and it was Hynes who decided to put them back together this season.

Kaprizov did take off after Hynes’ arrival, scoring 40 goals and 78 points in 56 games. But that wasn’t enough to get the Wild into the playoffs, in large part because the team’s poor start made the entire season an uphill climb.

But this version of the Wild, led by Kaprizov, looks very different from a year ago, even though many of the names are the same. Hynes ran a tough training camp to prepare his players for the season and they rewarded him by not easing into things. Included was a 5-1-1 record on a seven-game trip that has created a confidence you rarely saw last fall.

That’s driven in large part by Kaprizov.

Kaprizov driving up his price?
“You can all see how good he is on the ice, how well he’s playing,” Faber said. “Such a complete game, too. He works his ass off day in, day out. And then the player he is off the ice, that’s the coolest part for me and, I think, the whole team. He’s such a good teammate, he’s such a good leader, such a good person.”

Kaprizov’s start is good news for the Wild and also himself. He’s eligible for a contract extension on July 1, 2025, and with each game is making a case for why he deserves to be among the top paid players in the NHL. What could the price tag be?

Kirill Kaprizov and Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews on the ice during the game at Xcel Energy Center on Nov 3, 2024. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

Draisaitl signed an eight-year, $112 million extension with the Oilers in September that will pay him $14 million a season. McDavid, also eligible for an extension this coming July, will reset the market.

Wild owner Craig Leipold said before the regular season began that “nobody will offer more money than us, or longer.” Because Kaprizov plays for the Wild, they can offer eight years as opposed to seven from an outside team, but the financial commitment figured to be a big one when Leipold said this and has only grown.

Kaprizov will have a year left on his contract entering next season, but the Wild isn’t going to want to deal with a year of wondering whether he will return, if it can be avoided. Especially when you consider his level of play and a level of commitment that goes way beyond the scoresheet.

“He’s proven that he’s committed to play both sides of the puck five-on-five, and he’s been very good in those situations,” Hynes said. “I think that’s what makes him special. We talk about a one-trick pony. He’s not a one-trick pony. He’s obviously a point guy and a highly talented offensive player, but his commitment to play for the team and his commitment to do the things necessary when he doesn’t have the puck is what’s really impressive to me.”

And, at the rate Kaprizov is going, it’s getting more impressive by the day.

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The post Kirill The Megastar 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.

The latter applies to all NHL teams – including the Minnesota Wild – opening their seasons this week. Yes, hockey season has arrived. Don’t let Minnesota’s forecasted high temperatures in the 80-degree range fool you. The Minnesota Wild will open their season Thursday night with a game against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.

The Wild come off a season that ended without a playoff berth for the first time in five years. They finished with a 39-34-9 record and 87 points, only good enough for sixth place in the Central Division. Their abysmal 5-10-4 start got then-coach Dean Evason fired and replaced with John Hynes.

Last October, the Wild went 3-4-2 and were 7-10-4 by the end of November. With Thanksgiving as an unofficial benchmark for playoff teams, a below .500 record didn’t put the Wild in a good spot.

But it’s time to turn the page to the 2024-25 campaign. It’s a new season, a fresh start. The first-day-of-school vibes. This will mark the first full season for Hynes behind the bench with the Wild.

Wild players gather and celebrate during a preseason game Oct. 1 against the Chicago Blackhawks. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

Minnesota will undoubtedly look to get off to a good start, and they’ll have to get there mostly on the road. In what always seems to be some kind of schedule quirk, the Wild starts with a pair of home games against Columbus and Seattle before hitting the road for the rest of October. The Wild have seven consecutive road games from Oct. 13-29. They return home Nov. 1 to host the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Looking at the roster, it’s a lot of familiar faces. Wild fans don’t have a lot of new jersey numbers or names to memorize. Kirill Kaprizov is still the stud and star of the team. He led the team in goals (46) and points (96) last season. Just a few tallies shy of reaching a 50 goals, 50 assists season. That should be an attainable bar for this season.

Joel Eriksson Ek comes off a career-high 30-goal season. With a grain of salt, he was tied for the team lead in three preseason games with eight points. Winger Mats Zuccarello also returns to the squad; he recorded a team-high six assists in three preseason games. Zuccarello led the Wild with 51 assists last season, reaching that mark for the second time in his career.

Health and injuries are always a story somehow. Matt Boldy has dealt with injury in the preseason but should be ready for the regular season. He finished last season a goal shy of the 30-goal mark and notched 40 assists for 69 points. When Boldy is on, he’s on, and his offensive play is quite impressive. Consistency should be the name of the game for Boldy as he starts his fourth season in the NHL. He’s improved his point totals each year so far, and his goals and points often come in bunches.

On the blue line, there’s Brock Faber, fresh off signing his big, eight-year, $68 million contract extension this summer. No, he didn’t win the Calder, but he was spectacular for the Wild last season. He seemed to fit in seamlessly as a rookie in many ways. He led NHL rookies with his 24:58 time-on-ice average per game and 150 blocked shots. He scored eight goals and 39 assists. He helped run the power play. He even played the end of the season with broken ribs.

Captain Jared Spurgeon is also back after an injury-riddled season last year limited him to only 16 games. Three goaltenders have roster spots: The veteran Marc-Andrew Fleury, Filip Gustavsson and Jesper Wallstedt.

Thursday’s opener marks a homecoming, of sorts, for Evason. He returns to Xcel Energy Center as a head coach, but this time as the head coach of Columbus. Evason went 147-77-27 in 251 games as the Wild’s head coach from 2020-23 in parts of five seasons.

Another familiar face? Niklas Backstrom. The former Wild goaltender is now a goalie coach with Columbus. Backstrom played 409 career games with the Wild from 2006-15, going 194-142-50 and holding the Wild franchise record in games played and wins.

Wild fans waved their LED rally towels during last season’s home opener against the Florida Panthers. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

Tidbits:
For the fans: All fans attending the season opener will receive a light-up LED rally towel. The Wild also gave out the rally towels at last year’s home opener.

For the fans, part II: The Wild has invited fans to the Green Carpet Player Arrival and Pregame Party from 3:30-6:30 p.m. at the next-door RiverCentre ahead of Thursday’s game. Fans will get to watch players arrive and walk the green carpet.

Foligno: Assuming Marcus Foligno suits up for these first two games, he’ll reach 800 career NHL games played.

Eriksson Ek: A similar note for Joel Eriksson Ek. He’s two games away from 500 career NHL games.

The post It’s Hockey Season appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Brandon Saad’s goal at 2 minutes, 5 seconds of overtime Saturday lifted the St. Louis Blues to a 5-4 victory that put another dagger into the Wild’s playoff hopes and caused Wild goalie Fleury to shatter his stick on the crossbar.

Fleury’s immediate frustration was understandable given the Wild missed out on a key second point in the playoff race and put Fleury’s 17-year streak of being in the postseason in serious jeopardy. But only Fleury knows if the moment of frustration also existed because the certain first-ballot Hall of Famer is set to call it a career after 20 seasons.

The future of the 39-year-old is one of many questions that exist for the Wild as a disappointing season winds down. Let’s examine them.

Will Marc-Andre Fleury stay with the Wild next season, or will he retire? (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

Fleury’s future
Fleury opened the season expecting to be the backup to Filip Gustavsson, who received a three-year, $11.25 million contract after putting together a very impressive first season in Minnesota in 2023-24.

But Gustavsson hasn’t been the same, and while Fleury is no longer in his prime, he has taken over as coach John Hynes’ top choice in goal as the Wild tried to get themselves into a wild card spot late in the season.

Fleury, who is making $3.5 million in the final season of his contract, has had a memorable season. He played in his 1,000th career game — a remarkable number for a goalie in today’s NHL — and moved past Patrick Roy into second place on the all-time wins list in January with 552.

No one would blame Fleury if he walked away after the season, but is that what he wants? Fleury is among nicest guys in the NHL, but don’t mistake having good manners for lacking a competitive fire. Following the loss to the Blues, Fleury sat at his locker answering questions, but after the media left, he didn’t move. Fleury sat staring straight ahead reliving the game.

He certainly didn’t look like a guy who wanted to go out this way.

So how does Fleury stick around, if that’s what he wants? Fleury could have been traded to a contender at the NHL trade deadline but told general manager Bill Guerin he wanted to remain in Minnesota. So if he does keep playing, there’s a chance he will want to stay put.

Guerin could make that work by looking to move Gustavsson this offseason as the Wild plans to hand the starting job to 2021 first-round pick Jesper Wallstedt, who has spent the past two seasons with the Wild’s AHL affiliate in Iowa. Fleury would be the ideal goalie partner to guide Wallstedt through his rookie season.

This much is certain: You’d be hard-pressed to find anyone with the Wild who wouldn’t want Fleury back.

Freddy Gaudreau hasn’t been the same player since former Wild coach Dean Evason was fired in November. (MHM Photo Rick Olson)

What changes will/could Guerin make?
It’s been well-documented that Guerin has tied his own hands by giving contract extensions, and some form of no-trade protection, to veteran forwards such as Marcus Foligno, Freddy Gaudreau, Ryan Hartman, Marcus Johansson and Zuccarello.

But it’s also difficult to believe that all of them will be on the ice for the Wild when training camp opens in the fall. Former coach Dean Evason was a big fan of Gaudreau’s, but with Evason having been fired in late November, Gaudreau’s play has gone off a cliff. Johansson impressed in his second stint with the Wild when he was acquired last season, but the security of a contract extension has caused him to return to being a skilled player who is happy to stay on the outside of the ice and cash a check every other week.

Foligno isn’t the type of guy Guerin would want to move, and Hartman would be fine in a bottom-six role. Zuccarello is an interesting case because the 36-year-old still possesses talent and is one of Kirill Kaprizov’s best friends.

But Zuccarello was atrocious in the Wild’s loss to the Blues on March 23 and was on the ice for the Blues’ go-ahead goal in the third period and then the overtime winner. It doesn’t take a genius to see the end is near for him.

It wouldn’t be surprising if Guerin tries to find a way to part with Gaudreau and/or Johansson this offseason. The Wild’s hope on Zuccarello would be for him to request a trade to a team that might have a chance to win a Cup in 2025. A return to the New York Rangers would be ideal for all parties involved.

Jared Spurgeon was limited to only 16 games this season and underwent hip surgery earlier this year. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

What is Jared Spurgeon’s future?
Wild captain Jared Spurgeon has undergone separate surgeries on his hip and back but is expected to be back by the start of training camp. That’s the good news. There’s also a reality to this situation.

Spurgeon had a remarkable 13-year run with the Wild before being limited to only 16 games this season. Spurgeon will turn 35 late next November and is listed at 5-foot-9, 166 pounds. He might not be that tall or that heavy.

What we do know is that it shouldn’t be assumed the defenseman will return as the same player who had scored double-digit goals in six of eight seasons before this one. The good news is that Brock Faber has had an incredible rookie season and should be considered the team’s No. 1 defenseman heading into 2024-25.

Jonas Brodin also remains a steady and valuable presence on the blue line. Both Faber and Brodin are outstanding skaters. This should enable Spurgeon to return with less pressure and a smaller role than he had entering this season.

But defensemen don’t have the luxury of trying to avoid the physical game and it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the smaller Spurgeon had all the years of wear and tear take a toll on his body. How much of a toll? We’ll find out when Spurgeon takes the ice next fall.

The post Wild Questions appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.