Hockey Wilderness
A Minnesota Wild Blog that WON'T make you sick and kill you!
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Dylan Larkin Needs the Wild As Much As Minnesota Needs Larkin
It's been a week since the bombshell news of Dylan Larkin's trade request hit the NHL, and the hockey world has been trying to figure out where he'll land. At first, it seemed as if Larkin had just three destinations he'd waive his no-move clause for, but he has expanded his list recently. The...
Wild Just Don't Have Enough To Land Dylan Larkin
The Minnesota Wild are going to go hard after Dylan Larkin. Almost immediately after the Detroit Red Wings captain and first-line center requested a trade out of Michigan, the entire Wild front office leaped to their phones to ask Steve Yzerman what he wants from their roster to get the 29-year-old...
Do the Wild Have To Trade For the First 1C Available?
The Vegas Golden Knights will have screwed with everyone’s expectations once the season ends, especially the Minnesota Wild’s. Vegas hovered around +1000 odds (bet $100 to win $1000) of winning the Stanley Cup most of the season, meaning they were fringe contenders. Their odds naturally were h...
Do Carson Lambos and David Spacek Still Have A Future With the Wild?
I watched a lot of Iowa Wild games this year, took my annual road trip to catch a home series, and also went down to Des Moines to cover the team’s final two games of the season. Through it all, I was able to observe and document the growth, difficulties, and progress that players encountered as the...
Wild Suddenly Have More Competition For Dylan Larkin
The Minnesota Wild were named as a team that Dylan Larkin wants to go to after his trade request. Initially, it was assumed that they would only face competition from the Vegas Golden Knights and the Florida Panthers to get the 30-year-old center, but now it seems like there are going to be several...
The McCarron Contract Is A Product Of Guerin Prioritizing Certainty Over Upside
Listen to Bill Guerin talk about Michael McCarron after signing him to a six-year, $20 million contract, and you’ll hear a similar refrain. McCarron is a core player, a good locker room guy, and helps them on the ice. “He’s become an integral part of the team,” Guerin said Tuesday after negotia...
Dylan Larkin Would Add Dimension the Wild Desperately Need
The Minnesota Wild have spent the past several seasons building a competitive roster defined by structure, discipline, and strong defensive play. While that identity has kept them in the playoff picture, it has also exposed a persistent issue: a lack of elite, game-breaking offensive talent down the...
Michael McCarron Might Still Be An Overpay Despite Giving the Wild A Discount
Two things are true at the heart of Michael McCarron's six-year, $20 million contract. The first is that McCarron proved he can help a team win. His two goals both swung momentum the Minnesota Wild's way at crucial moments. McCarron was their leading penalty killer at forward, playing 30 short...
Joel Eriksson Ek Can't Be Part Of the Wild's No. 1 Center Trade
Bill Guerin has been forthright in saying he’s trying to add a No. 1 center, so naturally there’s a lot of speculation about who the Minnesota Wild are targeting. While bringing in a new player will be exciting, it’s also vital to examine the other part of those transactions. What the Wild will...
The Ducks Are The Perfect Dylan Larkin Trade Partner
The Minnesota Wild want Dylan Larkin, and Larkin wants to play in St. Paul. Detroit Red Wings’ general manager Steve Yzerman had Larkin submit his list of teams he wants the Red Wings to trade him to, and he chose the Wild, the Vegas Golden Knights, and the Florida Panthers. However, Yzerman wants a...
Spurgeon’s Unpredictable Surge Took Him From NHL Long Shot To Minnesota’s Leader
If you were to take a stroll down the frigid streets of Edmonton, Alberta, you wouldn't have to look far to spot flashes of blue and orange. Those colours signify the city's deep love for the Edmonton Oilers. Growing up in Alberta’s capital, Minnesota Wild defenseman Jared Spurgeon was an Oiler...
Does Dylan Larkin Live Up To the No. 1 Center Branding?
The Minnesota Wild want a Number One Center. That's not necessarily news. You could write that at just about any point in the Wild's quarter-century-long history, and it'd be true. What is news is that a No. 1 Center wants Minnesota. Dylan Larkin wants out of Detroit, and Helene St. James of t...
Vladimir Tarasenko Can Still Change A Game With One Shot
The Minnesota Wild should prioritize re-signing Vladimir Tarasenko this offseason because he still gives them something they desperately need: proven scoring talent. In a league where finishing chances is often the difference between a good offense and a dangerous one, Tarasenko remains one of...
Report: Wild Interested in Trading For Mat Barzal
The Minnesota Wild are clearly going to look to upgrade the center position this offseason. While there were other problems up against the Colorado Avalanche in the second round, their center depth got the better of them as Joel Eriksson Ek was out for the series and the lack of true star power down...
What Can the Wild Learn from Carolina's Playoff Performance?
As the early summer sun dipped behind the Carolina pines before Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final between the Carolina Hurricanes and the Vegas Golden Knights, the atmosphere around Lenovo Center transformed. What had resembled a backyard barbecue an hour earlier became something louder, tighter,...
Can Riley Heidt Follow Hunter Haight's Blueprint Next Season?
I watched a lot of Iowa Wild games this year, took my annual road trip to catch a home series, and also went down to Des Moines to cover the team’s final two games of the season. Through it all, I was able to observe and document the growth, difficulties, and progress that players encountered as the...
Trading For Dylan Larkin Would Force the Wild To Make A Sophie’s Choice
Dylan Larkin’s recent trade request should be good news for the Minnesota Wild. Larkin has to be serious if he’s asking to leave his hometown Detroit Red Wings, which took him in the first round of the 2014 draft. Insiders have also listed Minnesota as a viable destination. That feels like a u...
Do the Wild Have What It Takes To Land Dylan Larkin?
The Minnesota Wild have arrived at the exact moment they've been waiting for: A star center is forcing their team's hand to move them. Three-time All-Star and Team USA gold medalist Dylan Larkin has reportedly requested a trade, and the Detroit Red Wings may have to move on from their captain this s...
Wild Have Another Chance to Land Top Center
Dylan Larkin (somewhat) shocked the hockey world when it was reported that he has requested a trade from the Detroit Red Wings. Eleven seasons in and he has played a total of five playoff games -- so it is actually understandable why he wants out of there. But considering he's a Michigan guy and a W...
Will Caedan Bankier Be Back Next Season?
I watched a lot of Iowa Wild games this year, took my annual road trip to catch a home series, and also went down to Des Moines to cover the team’s final two games of the season. Through it all, I was able to observe and document the growth, difficulties, and progress that players encountered as the...
5 Players Who Will Define Judd Brackett's Legacy In Minnesota
In the week since Judd Brackett, the Minnesota Wild's Director of Amateur Scouting, parted with the team to join the Toronto Maple Leafs as an Assistant GM, reactions have been mixed. Some have lamented the loss of the draft guru who picked Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes in Vancouver, then built...
Minnesota Wild Legend Joins the St. Louis Blues
That's Wild Is this betrayal? Are we now super mad? Minnesota Wild legend Mikko Koivu has joined division rival St. Louis Blues as a European Development Consultant, as he will work with the Blues' prospects drafted out of Europe and help them develop. Now, are we expecting the next Koivu to...
The Canucks Are The Right Wild Trade Partner For A Top Center
The Minnesota Wild landed a franchise-changing player when they traded for Quinn Hughes. Bill Guerin didn't have any qualms about giving the Vancouver Canucks Zeev Buium, Marco Rossi, Liam Ohgren, and their 2026 1st round pick. He cared about who could help the Wild win now. Minnesota didn’t win the...
The Wild Might Be Wise To Play the 1C Waiting Game
If you take Erik Johnson at his word, either Auston Matthews or Connor McDavid will be joining the Minnesota Wild in the next three years. “I think Bill Guerin finds a way to get a Matthews or McDavid in Minnesota,” Johnson told the Pat McAfee Show, “to push them over the edge.” Perhap...
Mats Zuccarello Is Still A Vital Connector On the Wild
The Minnesota Wild must prioritize re-signing Mats Zuccarello because he remains one of their most reliable offensive connectors, especially when the game gets tight. Even at 38, Zuccarello still brings a blend of vision, puck control, and chemistry with elite teammates that the Wild cannot easily r...