The Minnesota Wild found themselves in a peculiar position last season. They had talent, made the playoffs, and added pieces to see how far they could get. This was knowing all the while that come the 2022-23 season things would look a lot lol different thanks to the dead cap from the Zach Parise and Ryan Suter buyouts.
The Roster
The Wild still have their main young components of Kirill Kaprizov, Joel Eriksson Ek, Matthew Boldy, and Calen Addison, but having to let go of Kevin Fiala will be a massive loss. Defensive prospect Brock Fabre is a nice piece in return, and one the Wild scouts will not have to go far to evaluate as he continues his development with the University of Minnesota.
They will also have Mats Zuccarello, who finished third in points (79) and second in assists (55), returning alongside Ryan Hartman. Those two were Kaprizov’s most used line mates during the regular season. Although, with Boldy’s strong performances last season through his 47 games, you have to wonder if changes are on the way to the top line.
Team Needs
A starting goaltender would be nice. Jesper Wallstedt is on his way, but at 19 years old it would be remiss to put all that pressure on him this soon. A first-round draft pick in 2021, Wallstedt played another 22 games this year in the SHL for Luleå HF and put up decent numbers with a .918SV% and 1.98 GAA. With cap space tight, you may just run it again with Cam Talbot and look to acquire a cheap backup on the open market.
Calen Addison also needs minutes this season. The 22-year-old who came over in the Jason Zucker trade had another good season in the AHL with the Iowa Wild before getting a 15-game stint with the NHL outfit. It may be time for Minnesota to embrace the youth and if that means missing the playoffs for a year or two while they find their footing so be it. Marco Rossi, Carson Lambos, and Caedan Bankier are just some of the names on the way in the next few years that Wild fans can be excited about.
Cap Situation
The fact the Wild let RFA Kevin Fiala go to the Los Angeles Kings should tell you everything about where this team is at cap-wise. With $6,588,912 in space you can say goodbye to Marc-André Fleury, unless he loved it that much in Minnesota he’s willing to take a deep discount. Then you have the awkwardness of your starter earning less than your backup. I’m not saying it’s impossible, I’m just saying it’s highly unlikely.
UFA forwards Nick Bjugstad and Nicolas Deslauriers could re-sign at minimum deals, as could defenseman Jordi Benn if you wanted to keep the added experience – but the most intriguing piece will be Jacob Middleton. As an RFA the Wild have the first crack of the whip, but if they can’t get a deal done, and it goes to arbitration (or worse they let him walk). The deadline deal that sent goaltender Kappo Kähkönen, who looked solid, to the San Jose Sharks looks even worse, especially considering the situation you are in with goaltenders.
The Draft
We spoke about the youth movement and how it’s on the way for the Wild. This year, they have a real chance to add to that with two first-round picks (19th and 24th). TSN’s Bob McKenzie has forward Ivan Miroshnichenko and defenseman Denton Mateychuk going in those positions, respectively. We’ve spoken about Mateychuk during the Dallas Stars Off-Season guide, and if he falls to either position, the Wild should take no time in making that pick.
Miroshnichenko is a more intriguing pick as boards have him going anywhere from top ten to second round. His skating and shooting are elite, but you can’t help but wonder if the current goings-on in Russia will see him drop. Plying his trade last season in the VHL (second tier of Russian hockey equivalent to the AHL in North America) Miroshnichenko put up 16 points in 31 games before his season was halted due to a Hodgkin’s Lymphoma diagnosis in March. He completed his treatment and was given the green light to return in June. This could also be a reason behind the drop.
Conclusion
Overall, the Minnesota Wild should consider the next three years as playing with house money. Get these young stars into the system and find out exactly what you have while being handicapped by the buyouts of Parise and Suter. This will set you up for 2025-26 when that dead cap all but disappears and, if the mini rebuild is done correctly, you are ready to challenge again.
