The Minnesota Wild are anything but boring
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Quinn Hughes poses for cameras at an NHL media event, where questions about his future were a huge storyline. Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images
Don't anyone call Minnesota's NHL team "the Mild" after the offseason they've endured.
Why it matters: As they open a new season Thursday night, the Wild are no longer the steady, solid, but middling — aka boring — franchise that earned that mocking moniker.
- For better or for worse, several of the NHL's biggest storylines currently run through Minnesota, thanks to general manager Bill Guerin's bold roster moves.
Far from boring, the Wild might actually be on the brink of something special.
- But there's also a very plausible scenario in which Guerin's plan is in pieces by spring.
Driving the drama: Start with Quinn Hughes, who still hasn't signed a contract extension with Minnesota.
- This has fueled speculation that Hughes and his brothers (Luke and fellow Olympian Jack Hughes) are trying to unite on another NHL roster.
- Hughes has dismissed this talk, saying he wouldn't "sacrifice" a good thing in Minnesota just for his brothers.
The reality, though, is that if Hughes doesn't re-sign by March, the Wild would likely have to trade away their best player this year to avoid the risk he'd walk away for nothing at season's end.
Then there's Dylan Larkin, a top center who wants out of Detroit. Guerin couldn't close a deal with the reluctant Red Wings this offseason.
- Now, Larkin has expanded his list of acceptable trade destinations beyond Minnesota, per a Sportsnet report.
- Losing the Larkin sweepstakes would waste yet another chance to upgrade at center — and send a bad sign to Hughes as he weighs his options.
Plus: The Wild lost key players this summer, including Mats Zuccarello, the "peanut butter" to Kirill Kaprizov's jelly on the Wild's scoring line.
- Offseason pickup Max Shabonov, a former top scorer in Russia's KHL, is an intriguing replacement for Zuccarello — but Shabanov is unproven, and the Zuccy/Kirill combo was magical.
Best case scenario: Star power alone — that's Hughes, Kaprizov, Matt Boldy and a solid goaltending tandem — gives the Wild a 76% chance to make the postseason again, The Athletic projects.
- If the Wild stay in the playoff picture, they'll buy Guerin more time to find another center on the trade market during the season. Land one, and this team could become unstoppable.
Worst case scenario: A collapse could speed Hughes' departure and waste a year of the highly-paid Kaprizov's competitive prime.
- Of immediate concern: Defenseman Brock Faber — a workhorse who led the league in playing time last season — is out indefinitely after sustaining a skull fracture in the preseason.
The bottom line: To quote The Athletic's Michael Russo's anxious catchphrase: "Buckle up."
What's next: The Wild open the season in Nashville on Thursday at 7pm.
- The broadcasts will be on Wild+. Fans without Spectrum cable will need an Amazon account and a paid subscription to watch.