Five storylines to watch in the Minnesota Wild's offseason
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Re-signing Kirill Kaprizov (No. 97) tops the Minnesota Wild's offseason to-do list. Photo: Luke Schmidt/NHLI via Getty Images
The Minnesota Wild's season is over after a 3-2 loss in Game 6 to the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday night ended the team's playoff run.
Why it matters: The Wild's first-round curse continues. The club has now lost nine straight playoff series and hasn't advanced to the second round in 10 years.
The silver lining: Unlike previous playoff collapses, the Wild hung with a heavily favored opponent in all six games — and even came within a skate blade of victory in one of the contests they lost.
- Making the playoffs alone was a victory as the team had to fight through crushing injury problems and tight salary restrictions.
What's next: An offseason that could be pivotal for the franchise.
Here are the storylines to watch:
Kirill Kaprizov's contract talks: The superstar has one year left on his deal, and Wild officials have promised him a big payday. The key question is whether Kaprizov believes GM Bill Guerin's master plan gives him a chance to win a Stanley Cup.
- This series provided reason to believe that plan has promise as Kaprizov and Matt Boldy looked like a tandem to build a Cup-winner around. Just look at this jaw-dropping goal they scored together.
- Yes, but: If Kaprizov doesn't re-sign quickly, drawn-out contract talks would cast a cloud over next season. (The earliest he can re-sign is July 1.)
Freedom to spend: The Wild are mostly done paying off huge salary cap penalties from the 2021 buyouts of two aging stars' contracts. That means this offseason, Guerin can pursue high-value free agents.
- Yes, but: While there aren't many blue-chip players on the market, Burnsville native Brock Boeser is an intriguing option.
Marco Rossi: The Wild face a fish-or-cut-bait decision about the 23-year-old center, who's a restricted free agent. Even playing on the lowly fourth line against Vegas, he showed flashes of brilliance.
- Yes, but: It's not clear that he's lived up to the team's expectations. The Athletic reports Rossi likely wants more money than the Wild are willing to pay, and Guerin may instead try to lure a veteran center (e.g. Brock Nelson) who might bring more muscle to the role.
The Wild's youth movement: Instead of hitting the open market, the Wild could round out their roster by placing faith in up-and-comers like newly signed defenseman Zeev Buium, forward Liam Öhgren; or Danila Yurov, who's expected to leave his Russian club to join the Wild next season.
- Yes, but: Öhgren didn't make much of an impression this season, with two goals in 24 games. Buium's first NHL appearances (in the Vegas playoff series) offered little hint of what he might contribute to the club.
Jesper Wallstedt: With Marc-André Fleury retiring, the team needs a backup to starting goaltender Filip Gustavsson. The Wild could turn to Wallstedt, the franchise's "goalie of the future."
- Yes, but: Instead of splitting time between the minors and St. Paul this season, as the team expected, the young Swede struggled with injuries and mental health challenges, raising questions about whether he's ready for an NHL role.