Hockey Wilderness
A Minnesota Wild Blog that WON'T make you sick and kill you!
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Can Rasmus Kumpulainen Rebound From His Trying Rookie Season In Iowa?
It was a season full of growth and growing pains for Minnesota Wild prospects. Business as usual, really. But each season also brings its own circumstances. How players adapt and grow within their environment can go a long way toward determining their viability as NHL prospects and, with it, the fut...
David Spacek Has A Recognizable Name and An Undefined Career
Hidden in the Minnesota Wild’s prospect pool, there are plenty of names that scream potential. The likes of Carson Lambos and Charlie Stramel are always going to stand out due to their first-round draft pick status. A player like Rieger Lorenz has become a household name within the University of Den...
The NHL Playoffs Are Breaking My Heart
Sure, hockey is basically a year-round sport, but playoffs are different. The NHL playoffs take the hardest sport and condense it into a cutthroat, winner-take-all feast of the world's best sport. It’s supposed to be fast and fun, almost two months of the best hockey being played every single night....
How Badly Will Losing Judd Brackett Hurt the Wild?
The Minnesota Wild are about to lose one of the most important figures in their hockey operations department, and the effects could be felt for years to come. Judd Brackett has been widely credited with helping reshape the Wild's prospect pipeline since joining the organization in 2020, overseeing s...
Why Do the Wild Have A Minor League Team In Jacksonville?
What do an arena in St. Paul, an arena in Des Moines, and one carved along the St. Johns River in Jacksonville, Fla., have in common? Starting next October, they will all be part of the Minnesota Wild's developmental pipeline. The State of Hockey is heading to the Sunshine State. On May 1...
The Wild Should At Least Explore A Jack Hughes Trade
The Minnesota Wild should at least explore a trade for Jack Hughes, even if the odds of landing him are slim. He’s a 24-year-old, elite first-line center with game-breaking speed, playmaking, and the kind of offensive ceiling that can change a franchise’s direction overnight. Hughes is also under co...
The NHL's Playoff Format Could Work In the Wild's Favor This Summer
Minnesota Wild fans have plenty of gripes, but one of the biggest is the NHL’s playoff format. Designed to build regional rivalries and guarantee compelling first-round matchups, the Wild were the poster child of what happens when the format doesn’t work as intended. They had to go through a Central...
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 Should Learn Something From Colorado’s Fatal Flaw
Colorado Avalanche coach Jared Bednar was claviroyant before the Western Conference Final against the Vegas Golden Knights. He also took a shot at the Minnesota Wild. “The game is more free-flowing against Minnesota,” Bednar said. “You’re trading chances at times, but you’re taking what they gi...
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...
There's An Issue With the Wild-Brady Tkachuk Trade Rumors
The Minnesota Wild are watching the Stanley Cup Finals from home after another playoff elimination, but the team is still making headlines. The offseason rumor mill is going strong, and the Wild are in the middle of a puzzling story. Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Citizen recently reported that...
The Avalanche Are Teaching the Wild Another Lesson About the Stanley Cup Playoffs
It’s been almost two weeks since the Colorado Avalanche eliminated the Minnesota Wild in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Still, it’s hard for Wild fans not to pay attention to what has happened during the Western Conference Finals. The Avalanche looked stacked and levels above the Wild in their five-...
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...
Kaprizov and Boldy’s Lack Of Playoff Production Is A Structural Issue
Quinn Hughes largely did his job in the playoffs, but Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy left people wanting. Kaprizov had two goals and had six points against the Colorado Avalanche, but he didn’t have any shots on net in the Minnesota Wild’s Game 5 collapse. Meanwhile, Boldy only had one goal and...
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