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Hockey Wilderness

A Minnesota Wild Blog that WON'T make you sick and kill you!

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Can the Wild Actually Withstand Losing Jonas Brodin?

As the Minnesota Wild look to the summer, the team isn't looking to take their second-round loss to the Colorado Avalanche lying down. "If there’s something out there that can make our team better, I am willing to do it," vowed Bill Guerin at his end-of-year presser. "I won’t sit on my hands."...

Robert Thomas Still Checks A Lot Of Wild Boxes

The Minnesota Wild reportedly made a deadline push for Robert Thomas. Even though they couldn’t land him then, there’s a compelling case for revisiting the idea this offseason, especially because Minnesota needs a true top-six center who fits their competitive timeline. Robert Thomas checks a...

Which Wild Players Are Actually Worth Bringing Back?

That's Wild The Minnesota Wild have several players heading into unrestricted free agency this summer. Michael McCarron, Vladimir Tarasenko, Mats Zuccarello, and Marcus Johansson are just some of the names that could just walk away from the team. But who will they be bringing back? Zuccarell...

The Wild May Be Willing to Trade Anyone Except These 4 Players

The Minnesota Wild are going to be aggressive this summer (or at least, people hope so) to get their right guy that will bring this team further into the Stanley Cup Playoffs than ever before. Is that a No. 1 center? A top-six winger? Maybe both? Yeah, probably. Or, at least general manager Bill Gue...

Will the Wild Pass the Torch On the Blue Line This Summer?

When you think of the Minnesota Wild, there’s a good chance you think about Jonas Brodin and Jared Spurgeon. The duo has been a pairing on the blue line since the moment they arrived in Minnesota, and they rank second and third, respectively, on the Wild’s all-time list for games played. The fr...

The Wild Should Make An Aggressive Offer For Leo Carlsson

The Minnesota Wild have spent years trying to solve the same problem: They still don’t have a true, long-term answer at center. Joel Eriksson Ek is a valuable two-way anchor, but the team needs more speed, skill, and upside down the middle if it wants to compete with the best centers in the West. Th...

Wild Named as Landing Spot for Auston Matthews

That's Wild While the Toronto Maple Leafs might not necessarily move their captain Auston Matthews, that won't stop from a whole lot of speculation happening. The team is bad and the elite centerman is a free agent in two years, so it's bound to happen. But recently, a list of landing spots tha...

Why Is the Ryan Hartman Hashtag #Hartmantwt Trending?

It’s been just over 10 days since the Minnesota Wild’s season ended, and the Wild Twitter community is handling it in an interesting way. Over the weekend, #Hartmantwt gained popularity in a certain sector of Wild Twitter, and the pictures and videos still coming out of it are entertaining....

Evgeni Malkin Won't Save the Wild

The Evgeni Malkin-to-Minnesota conversation started up in speculation in January, when Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos reported that Minnesota Wild GM Bill Guerin was “laying low in the weeds, looking to make another significant trade,” wondering whether Kirill Kaprizov could help convince Malkin to join M...

The Wild’s No. 1 Offseason Need Is No Longer Subtle

The Minnesota Wild have reached the point where their offseason priority is no longer subtle: they need a true No.1 center. Bill Guerin has already made it clear that he wants to improve the middle of the ice, and recent reporting has reinforced that the Wild sees center depth as a major offse...

The Wild Are In Position to Fill the Michael McCarron Void Internally

Michael McCarron is in the exact right place at the exact right time. The Minnesota Wild paid a second-rounder to acquire him at the deadline, hoping that he was the kind of big, gritty forward who could thrive in the postseason. McCarron had every motivation to go all-out to prove Bill Guerin right...

Who'd Say No To A Matthews-For-Boldy Blockbuster?

We are nearing the 10th anniversary of Bob McKenzie's legendary tweet: Trade is one for one: Adam Larsson for Taylor Hall. It's one of the most infamous moves in history, but it's also sexy as hell for hockey fans. A one-for-one swap! No waiting on picks and prospects for years. Just two GMs g...

How Does Filip Gustavsson's Surgery Affect the Wild's Offseason Plans?

A week ago, it looked like the Minnesota Wild's path to an upgrade at forward went through the net. Jesper Wallstedt's postseason breakout has him entering the summer on a mission to assume the No. 1 goalie role next year. That is, unless Bill Guerin had designs on dangling him for a top-line center...

Wild Are Facing Big Salary Cap Crunch This Summer

That's Wild The Minnesota Wild have roughly $15.3 million in projected cap space this summer but that doesn't really help them all that much. Only 13 skaters are under contract with seven players heading into unrestricted free agency and two restricted free agents in Bobby Brink and Daemon H...

Michael McCarron Filled A Void All Winning Teams Have

The Minnesota Wild must re-sign Michael McCarron because he fills a specific void that winning teams almost always have: a big, physical, reliable depth forward who can handle tough minutes. Since arriving in Minnesota, McCarron has fit the team's fourth-line identity almost perfectly. He brin...

The Wild's Offseason Might Be More About Bait Than "The Big Fish"

Imagine, if you will: After a long, grueling season, the Minnesota Wild enjoyed a day out on the lake. Most of the Wild players had gathered for some relaxation on a beautiful spring day, but general manager Bill Guerin walked right past them, jumped in his boat, and headed out to do some fish...

One Bold Prediction Has the Wild Landing Connor McDavid or Auston Matthews

The Minnesota Wild might be big-game hunting. Everything general manager Bill Guerin is saying about how nobody is untouchable and even Wayne Gretzky got traded, just shows that he's trying to make a big swing or two, in addition to the massive swing he took by trading for Quinn Hughes earlier this...

Could Nico Hischier Be Minnesota’s Missing Piece?

Now that the Minnesota Wild’s rollercoaster playoff run has come to an end, it’s time for the organization to look towards the offseason. The team made tangible strides, but it’s clear they still don’t quite measure up to the upper echelon of NHL contenders. This year’s free agent class is relativel...

8 Things We Learned From the 2025-26 Minnesota Wild

For 11 years, Minnesota Wild fans have watched their team exit the first round in what seems like every possible way. But then on a Thursday in April, in Game 6 against Dallas, the drought was over. The curse was broken. All it took was a blockbuster December trade, a couple of Kirill Kaprizov recor...

Jake Middleton Has Gone From Mr. Irrelevant To A Top-4 Defender

Jake Middleton isn't a household name; in fact, his name nearly went unannounced during the 2014 NHL draft. If he were an NFL football player, he would have been "Mr. Irrelevant", which is given to those who are selected with the last pick in a given draft. But Middleton’s career has shaped up to be...