The Wild are aiming higher after clearing a big hurdle last spring with a playoff series win

Minnesota Wild

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Last season: 46-24-12, lost in second round of playoffs.

COACH: John Hynes (227-125-79 over three seasons with Minnesota, 829-409-334 over 11 NHL seasons).

SEASON OPENER: Oct. 1 at Nashville.

DEPARTURES: RW Mats Zuccarello, RW Vladimir Tarasenko, LW Marcus Johansson, D Jacob Middleton, C Ben Jones.

ADDITIONS: LW Blake Coleman, RW Maxim Shabanov, D Olli Maatta, G Calvin Pickard.

GOALIES: Jesper Wallstedt (33-18-9, 2.61 goals-against average, .915 save percentage), Filip Gustavsson (28-15-6, 2.69, .903), Pickard (5-6-2, 3.68, .871 with Edmonton).

What to expect

The Wild cleared an important hurdle last season by winning a playoff series for the first time in 11 years, dispatching the Dallas Stars in six games, and have plenty of potential to go further yet next spring. After advancing past the second round only once (2003) in the franchise’s first 25 seasons, perhaps the next quarter-century of Wild history will commence with a Stanley Cup.

The blockbuster trade last winter for star defenseman Quinn Hughes signaled the confidence from owner Craig Leipold and general manager Bill Guerin that this group can get there, even though the NHL’s divisional playoff format puts the Wild in a tough spot with heavyweights Colorado and Dallas ready to challenge them again.

Hughes has begun the final year of his current contract without an extension in place yet, but he will form again a dashing duo with U.S. Olympic team buddy Brock Faber as the top blue line pair. Hynes, who recently signed a contract extension, will be tasked with finding the right linemates for star left wing Kirill Kaprizov after Zuccarello’s departure in free agency.

Strengths and weaknesses

The good: The Wild ranked third in the league in power play conversion rate last season and will present opponents all kinds of defensive problems at even strength, too, with Kaprizov and fellow 40-goal scorer Matt Boldy skating up front and Hughes and Faber creating plays behind them.

The not so good: The penalty kill was a middle-of-the-pack unit during the regular season before falling apart in the playoffs and ranking as the second-worst in the NHL among the 16 teams that qualified (15 goals allowed on 38 power plays over 11 postseason games). The injury absences of center Joel Eriksson Ek and defenseman Jonas Brodin loomed large during the Avalanche series after they each suffered a broken foot in the first round.

Players to watch

Kaprizov, who has 475 points in 397 career regular season games, is fully in his prime and a thrill to watch with the puck. The newcomer Shabanov might work well as a linemate for the fellow Russian, after signing as a free agent following his 2025-26 debut in the NHL with the New York Islanders. Wallstedt took over as the primary goalie in the playoffs and will continue to carry a heavy load while Gustavsson recovers from hip surgery.

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