ST PAUL, Minn. — After missing the playoffs for just the second time in 12 years, the Minnesota Wild will look to return to postseason contention starting Thursday night when the puck drops on the 2024-25 season.
The Wild host the Columbus Blue Jackets and former coach Dean Evason with a roster similar to last season's squad, as salary cap constraints limited their avenues for improvement.
General manager Bill Guerin still believes in a core that fueled a 103-point season in 2022-23 and a 113-point season in 2021-22, with proof of that faith coming in the form of contract extensions he doled out a year ago for veteran forwards Marcus Foligno, Ryan Hartman and Mats Zuccarello.
The run-it-back approach will require better health and better defense to succeed, but there's enough experience and talent to at least help the Wild be in the mix for a return to the playoffs. In the NHL, teams often just need to get in and get hot. But the Wild have not won a series since 2015, a feat only two of their current players — defensemen Jared Spurgeon and Jonas Brodin — had a hand in.
Strength and weaknesses
The good: Kirill Kaprizov is just entering his prime and coming off a 46-goal, 50-assist season, the type of dynamic playmaker that has been far more of a unicorn than ubiquitous for the 24-year-old franchise.
The Wild would love to continue to build around Kaprizov, but he's in the second-to-last year of his contract and will likely need to be confident in a contending trajectory for the club before he signs another deal. Joel Eriksson Ek is an excellent two-way center who will again bolster the second line while defenseman Brock Faber was an 82-game machine as a rookie, finishing second in the Calder Trophy voting and subsequently earning an eight-year, $68 million extension.
The not-so-good: The penalty kill plummeted last season to third-worst in the league, one reason why forward Yakov Trenin was a target in free agency. The return of Spurgeon, the steady captain who was limited to 16 games last season due to back and hip injuries, ought to provide another boost.
Neither Marc-Andre Fleury nor Filip Gustavsson were consistent last season, though the struggles of the defense clearly played a role.
Players to watch
Winger Matt Boldy had a career-high 69 points last season and will have plenty of opportunities to build on that while playing next to Eriksson Ek. Marco Rossi played in all 82 games last season and will either skate between Kaprizov and his buddy Zucarello or center the third line with Foligno and Trenin. Rossi will play a key role in hopes of boosting an offense that ranked 21st in goals last season.
Goaltender Jesper Wallstedt signed a two-year contract extension Monday and will be included on the opening day roster. The 21-year-old prospect is waiting in the wings behind veterans Fleury and Gustavsson. Wallstedt made three starts last season for Minnesota and was impressive in a two-game stint in April. He struggled in his NHL debut, allowed seven goals in a loss to the Dallas Stars, but bounced back in April to win both games he started, including his first career shutout on April 7 against the Chicago Blackhawks.
Also on the opening day roster are fellow rookies Liam Ohgren and Marat Khusnutdinov. Ohgren - the 19th overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft - appeared in four games with Minnesota last season and recorded two points — a goal and an assist — both in the same game.
Khusnutdinov was selected No. 37 overall in the 2020 NHL Draft and played in 16 games last season for the Wild. The 22-year-old center had four points, including a goal against the Vegas Golden Knights. He is expected to play a key role in helping the Wild's penalty kill bounce back.