Hockey Wilderness
A Minnesota Wild Blog that WON'T make you sick and kill you!
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Re-Signing Daemon Hunt Provides Crucial Blue Line Depth
The Minnesota Wild’s re-signing of defenseman Daemon Hunt to a one-year, $900,000 contract is a low-cost, high-upside move that bolsters their blue line depth and provides crucial insurance for a crowded defensive corps. After recording six assists and 43 blocked shots in 32 NHL games last sea...
The NHL Is Catching Up To Kirill Kaprizov's Salary
When Kirill Kaprizov signed his eight-year, $136 million mega-contract last September, the sticker shock hit everyone. The total value of the contract was the largest in NHL history, breaking the record set by Alex Ovechkin's 13-year deal in 2008. Kaprizov's $17 million AAV was the largest in the ca...
The Wild May Have Just Lost the Dylan Larkin Sweepstakes
That's Wild Dylan Larkin has reportedly added the Dallas Stars to his trade list. A list that previously only had the Minnesota Wild, Florida Panthers, and Vegas Golden Knights on it, now have a team that might actually make a trade work. But as we know -- since Detroit GM Steve Yzerman want...
The Case To Swap Joel Eriksson Ek For Dylan Larkin
Reading the insider tea leaves, it looks like the Minnesota Wild and Detroit Red Wings are at an impasse in the Dylan Larkin negotiations. The Wild want the star center; the star center wants to go to Minnesota. However, Detroit GM Steve Yzerman's wish list doesn't line up with the Wild's assets. Da...
Matt Boldy Has Become Indispensible To the Wild
Matt Boldy has evolved into one of the Minnesota Wild’s most indispensable players, and his name should be firmly off the trade block. As a drafted-and-developed, two-way forward with elite offensive instincts and growing leadership qualities, Boldy has become an offensive engine for the Wild....
Bill Guerin Explains The Wild's Roster Shakeup This o
The Minnesota Wild typically try to keep a status quo. They don't like to see too many unrestricted free agents leave St. Paul and even if they do, they typically don't think that highly of them in the first place. That concept got thrown out the window this summer. General manager Bill Guerin...
Bill Guerin Explains The Wild's Roster Shakeup This Offseason
The Minnesota Wild typically try to keep a status quo. They don't like to see too many unrestricted free agents leave St. Paul and even if they do, they typically don't think that highly of them in the first place. That concept got thrown out the window this summer. General manager Bill Guerin...
Chris Kreider Could Be the Wild's Vladimir Tarasenko 2.0
When looking at Bill Guerin's GM of the Year campaign, the Quinn Hughes trade stands as the No. 1 reason he landed the hardware. Retaining Kirill Kaprizov was another headline-grabber, and to a lesser extent, so was adding Michael McCarron and key depth pieces at the trade deadline. But a big p...
Calvin Pickard Gives the Wild Needed Goaltending Insurance
Of all the Minnesota Wild’s early-offseason moves, signing Calvin Pickard has gone a bit overlooked. It makes sense, given that Pickard is a veteran netminder who only played 16 NHL games last season. Still, the goaltender will likely appear in net for Minnesota, particularly early in the seas...
Wild Are Now Focusing On the Biggest Priority of the Offseason
That's Wild Now that NHL free agency is slowly winding down -- there are still a couple good players available but really only if you want to take a gamble on someone like Patrik Laine bouncing back or Anthony Mantha continuing to have good seasons -- the Minnesota Wild are turning their att...
Trading For Coleman and Maatta Gives the Wild More Bite
The Minnesota Wild just made a move that should get fans talking. By bringing in Blake Coleman and Olli Maatta from the Calgary Flames in exchange for Jacob Middleton, the Wild added a pair of battle-tested veterans who know exactly what it takes to win in the NHL. It’s the kind of trade that says M...
Nick Foligno Brings Stability To A Team With Postseason Ambitions
The Minnesota Wild re-signed Nick Foligno, giving them exactly the kind of veteran presence contenders lean on in the spring. Foligno will play on a one-year, $900,000 deal, returning for his 20th NHL season after the Wild acquired him from the Chicago Blackhawks last March. The move signals they va...
Wild Are Trying to Pull Off Another Blockbuster Trade
The Minnesota Wild need to swing at something big this offseason to make it worth it. So far, all they've done is tinkered around the edges -- they haven't even re-signed Quinn Hughes to the extension that he more than deserves. The business Bill Guerin has done so far has largely been just shufflin...
It's Okay To Mourn the Wild's Losses In Free Agency
Free agency exposes the different ways that fans enjoy hockey each year. It’s something we also see at the trade deadline. Some fans watch the sport through the lens of stats. What matters is points, plus-minus, slot shots, penalty minutes. Some are so stringent that they prefer the numbers to any s...
The Wild Prioritized Size and Stability With Limited Draft Picks
Adam Andersson is a 6-foot-4, 218-pound Swedish center the Minnesota Wild selected with the 83rd overall pick in the 2026 NHL draft. It was a third-round selection they acquired by trading up for a prospect who projects as a physical, two-way middle-six forward with underrated offensive instincts....
The Wild's Old Core Took Them As Far As It Could Go
Imagine, if you will: It was a sunny morning at the Tarps Off Bar and Grill. Located on one of the 10,000 lakes in the state, the Minnesota Wild were enjoying their summer with plenty of beverages and pouches flying around. But there was also something in the distance. Wild general manager...
Mats Zuccarello Absence Leaves A Void That's Not Easily Measured
Mats Zuccarello’s departure from the Minnesota Wild leaves a gap that goes far beyond the stat sheet. While his production has been consistently strong, the deeper loss lies in his chemistry with Kirill Kaprizov and the stability he brought to the team’s offensive identity. For a franchise buil...
The Wild's Max Shabanov Signing Might Have Sneaky Upside
Entering free agency with the fourth-fewest dollars to spend against the salary cap, the Minnesota Wild needed to play Moneyball. The core of "Moneyball" was that GM Brad Pitt* had to find bargains, mostly through unearthing players with obvious warts and hidden upside. Guys who were old, played bad...
Wild Get Two Upgrades For the Price of One In Blake Coleman Deal
What a difference a day makes. Yesterday the Minnesota Wild were staring at a lineup that shed 53 goals between Vladimir Tarasenko, Mats Zuccarello, and Marcus Johansson, with no replacements in sight. That's a winger on each of the team's top-three lines they needed to replace. Having struck o...
Was Day 1 Of Wild Free Agency As Bad As It Felt?
I get it. July 1 came and went without much excitement for the Minnesota Wild, and many old friends are gone. Marcus Johansson has left for Sweden. Mats Zuccarello signed with the Los Angeles Kings. Vladimir Tarasenko remains a free agent and appears to have little interest in taking a disc...
Wild Were Way Too Quiet on Day 1 of Free Agency
That's Wild As we saw deal after deal get signed, you had to wonder if the Minnesota Wild were going to do anything on July 1 as free agency opened up across the NHL. Right now, it appears that the team is in a standstill. They brought in familiar faces like Nick Foligno and Zach Bogosian, and...
Did Craig Leipold Just Make Quinn Hughes More Expensive?
Quinn Hughes pending contract extension is the most pressing issue the Minnesota Wild face this offseason. Hughes transformed the Wild from a modestly successful team to a bona fide contender. Fortunately, Craig Leipold is confident that the deal will get done. The Wild’s owner recently made he...
The Wild Are Betting On Third-Round Pick Adam Andersson's Raw Potential
The Minnesota Wild only added three players in last weekend’s NHL draft because their stockpile of draft picks diminished considerably due to the David Jiricek and Quinn Hughes trades. That stockpile diminished a bit further when the team traded up twice to grab players their scouting staff had iden...
Are the Wild Just Giving Up on Bobby Brink?
Bobby Brink was the lone offensive player that the Minnesota Wild added at last season's trade deadline in a one-for-one deal with the Philadelphia Flyers, as they sent once highly touted prospect David Jiricek the other way. And now, just months later, as Brink heads into restricted free agency, th...
Bill Guerin Gives A Quinn Hughes Contract Extension Update
Sure, the 2026 NHL Draft just happened and the Minnesota Wild were able to grab some cool prospects that might be something in a few years. But what is the most pressing thing in this organization and to fans is keeping one of their star players around. Quinn Hughes is eligible to sign a contra...
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