Hockey Wilderness
A Minnesota Wild Blog that WON'T make you sick and kill you!
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Who Should Take Zuccarello's Spot On the Wild's Top Power Play Unit?
One word separates a good penalty kill from a bad one: pressure. For that reason, escaping pressure is a definitive requirement for any good power play. Despite the nickname “man-advantage unit,” NHL power plays don’t dominate with numbers; instead, they dominate with time. If numbers we...
Wild Voted As Likely To Win the Stanley Cup Next Season
That's Wild The Athletic did a big fan survey of over 20,000 participants to get a big consensus over the league and some of its issues. Or, some other normal questions. The most interesting thing is that in the question of who will win the Stanley Cup next season, the Minnesota Wild finishe...
Are Quinn Hughes and Cale Makar In A Staring Contest?
Quinn Hughes has become one of the biggest contract storylines in hockey, and the timing of his next deal may have as much to do with Cale Makar as it does with the Minnesota Wild. Hughes is eligible for an extension, the Wild want to keep him, and league chatter suggests both sides are still workin...
What Happens In A Quinn Hughes Worst-Case Scenario?
It's August, the Minnesota Wild haven't signed Quinn Hughes, and despite his best efforts, Bill Guerin stoked the hot stove with appearances on Tuesday. The Wild GM tried to keep speculation on lockdown in an interview with Judd's Hockey Show, saying, "I'm not gonna get too far into [the negot...
Bill Guerin Gives Big Update on Quinn Hughes Contract Talks
While the Minnesota Wild had a couple of things on their to-do list, it certainly feels like extending defenseman Quinn Hughes was the most important and most realistic of them. While it certainly would never be easy, it felt like there was mutual interest to get something done to keep him in Minnes...
Putting Danila Yurov On the Top Line Answers Minnesota's Biggest Questions
Kirill Kaprizov is the only lock for the team’s top unit after long-time partner Mats Zuccarello signed with the Los Angeles Kings in free agency. Minnesota has also failed to secure a top-line center to play with Kaprizov, which may create an opportunity for Danila Yurov. Zuccarello’s departu...
Wild Make Several Key Additions To Their Front Office
The Minnesota Wild should not be done making additions to their roster this offseason. While they are hopefully doing more plans to do some transactions before training camp begins next month, the Wild did make some additions to their front office, though. Announced by the team on Monday, the W...
The Wild Aren't Setting Up Michael McCarron For Success
The Minnesota Wild have proven twice over that they're Michael McCarron believers. Bill Guerin swung big for the 6-foot-6 center at the trade deadline, flipping a second-rounder for him. Then, they doubled down on him with a six-year contract after he delivered a strong playoff performance. That pos...
The Wild Are Signaling A More Role-Driven Approach To Offense
The Minnesota Wild enter the 2026-27 season facing a familiar but urgent challenge: replacing a significant portion of their offensive production after key free-agent departures. For a team that already operated with thin scoring margins, losing proven contributors puts added pressure on new acquisi...
The Wild Should Let Arthur Kaliyev Compete For the Mats Zuccarello Role
NHL teams have always been down on Arthur Kaliyev, relative to his talent. Despite being as talented as many members of his cohort in USA Development Program's 2019 Draft crop -- the one that included Jack Hughes, Matt Boldy, Cole Caufield, and Trevor Zegras -- 27 teams passed on him before the Los...
The Wild Should Gamble On Michael Bunting
The Minnesota Wild have spent the last few seasons searching for consistent secondary scoring to support their top-end talent. While players like Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy drive the offense, the lack of reliable production from the middle six has often left the Wild too easy to contain in playo...
Nick Foligno Isn't Here For A Farewell Tour
After the Colorado Avalanche eliminated the Minnesota Wild in the second round, Nick Foligno waited for a feeling that would tell him he was finished. “I kept waiting for the moment of like, ‘I’m done. This is it,’” he told The Athletic this week. “And it never really came. … I was more pissed...
Maple Leafs Steal Two More Scouts From the Wild
That's Wild The Toronto Maple Leafs already took Judd Brackett away from the Minnesota Wild to make him an assistant general manager and the main evaluator of talent over there, but they're not done their ransacking. They took two more scouts from the Wild as they continue to change their ho...
Should the Wild Prioritize Extending Jesper Wallstedt?
As a restricted free agent next summer, Jesper Wallstedt has been eligible for an extension since July 1. The Minnesota Wild, understandably, have had other matters to attend to. Signing Quinn Hughes to an extension is a much more pressing and immediate matter, and their pursuit of a top center like...
Danila Yurov's Big Shot Remains Intact For Now
With the calendar about to flip into August, it's mildly surprising that Danila Yurov remains a member of the Minnesota Wild. The reasons have little to do with Yurov, of course. He had his ups and downs in his rookie season, but it was a solid campaign. It's simply that for a team that continues to...
Carson Lambos Is Running Out Of Time To Break In With the Wild
Earlier this month, Carson Lambos signed a one-year two-way contract extension with the Minnesota Wild. Lambos is one of Minnesota’s most interesting first-round picks. The Wild took him in the first round of the 2021 draft, but he has yet to break into the NHL and mostly has played in Iowa. Ho...
How Do the Wild's Centers Stack Up Against Every Other Team's?
It's been a problem for the Minnesota Wild since their inception, and it continues to this day. They don't have a dynamic No. 1 center that can be seen as one of the top pivots in the league. It's becoming more and more obvious by the day, and more people are noticing. Over at The Athletic, the...
Where Is Maxim Shabanov's Best Fit In the Wild Lineup?
Maxim Shabanov looks like the kind of low-cost, high-skill wing the Minnesota Wild have been trying to make for a while. He projects as a top-nine winger with a real chance to push for top-six minutes if he has chemistry with the Wild’s best players. His clearest fit is on the wing in Minnesot...
Quinn Hughes is Spending His Offseason With Country Stars
Minnesota Wild defenseman Quinn Hughes is surely working on his craft and since this could be the season before he hits unrestricted free agency (let's hope not), it needs to be a massive year for the elite blueliner. But, he's also having some fun. Hughes was seen alongside his brother Jack as...
The Wild Still Haven't Found Thier Mats Zuccarello Replacement
Mats Zuccarello was one of the Minnesota Wild’s most important offensive connectors, and losing him would ripple through both 5-on-5 play and the power play. He drove puck possession, helped Kirill Kaprizov get to dangerous areas, and is a major part of Minnesota’s top power-play unit. However, he s...
Olli Maatta Brings Dependability To the Wild Defense
Olli Maatta gives the Minnesota Wild something they’ve long valued on the blue line: calm, experienced, dependable defense. The veteran left-shot blueliner arrived in the Jacob Middleton trade with a reputation as a steady two-way presence. He won’t make too much noise offensively but can quietly ti...
Where Does Blake Coleman Fit Into the Wild Lineup?
Blake Coleman gives the Minnesota Wild a cleaner, heavier layer of offense without needing the puck to live on his stick. He’s the kind of middle-six forward who can chip in 20 goals, work the dirty areas, and make life easier for Minnesota’s top scorers by driving play in tough minutes. Colema...
Jonathan Drouin Could Be the Low-Risk Placeholder the Wild Need
The Minnesota Wild are on track to start the season with a projected top line featuring Danila Yurov and Max Shabanov alongside Kirill Kaprizov. For Yurov and Shabanov's skills, however, there's a major problem. Where are the minutes eaters? Yurov and Shabanov were both rookies last season, whi...
Patrick Kane Would Make Life Easier For the Wild's Best Scorers
The Minnesota Wild should actively pursue Patrick Kane because he still gives them something they lack among their top-6 forwards: high-end offensive creativity. Even at 37, Kane remains a dangerous playmaker who can tilt the ice, unlock defenses, and make life easier for the Wild’s best score...
Wild Projected to Lose Key Player in NHL Expansion Draft
The NHL is going to expand beyond 32 teams eventually, but what if that was going to happen for the 2027-28 season? It's certainly possible -- since Gary Bettman loves the idea of a team in Houston -- and that would mean an expansion draft would have to happen next summer to make that work. If...
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