Things have been getting interesting in the Minnesota Wild Lands in recent weeks. The University of Minnesota entered the break with a record of 7 wins, 1 loss, and 1 loss, but the team seemed lost on the ice and made the same mistakes shift after shift. It didn't seem like we were playing on the same system. Kirill Kaprizov didn't factor into those losses until he scored a hat trick to get his team back on track (3-0-1 in their last four games). The Wild have struggled and lacked consistency, with their three losses outscored by their opponents 12-4.
The only bright news during this downturn that started on February 27th is that the Wild signed Marat Husnutdinov to a two-year entry-level contract. Management has to trust that he will make an impact in the 15 or so games he is available to play. That's because the first year of his entry-level contract was wasted in games. Scouts say he's a two-way player with size and scoring ability.
The Wild have been busy making moves since signing Husnutdinov. The Wild rewarded Zach Bogosian for his outstanding play this season by extending his contract by two years. Before last Friday's trade deadline, GM Bill Guerin sent Brandon Duhaime to the Colorado Avalanche, Pat Maroon to the Boston Bruins, Connor Dewar to the Toronto Maple Leafs, and Nic Petan to the New York Rangers. , and acquired numerous draft picks. 2026 Draft. This was necessary to make room for younger kids who may join the team next season.
A lot of changes happen in a short period of time. What's going on with Minnesota's upcoming schedule?
According to CapFriendly, Husnutdinov gives Minnesota 18 players under contract for next year. That means 12 forwards, 6 defensemen, and 1 goalie. Assuming the Wild don't re-sign Marc-Andre-Fleury this summer, Jesper Wohlstedt could take a backup role in St. Paul as long as he continues to develop at Iowa despite an unscrupulous debut in Dallas. will be in charge. This kid is years ahead of his age professionally and in terms of his maturity.
(As an aside, it's still baffling that they didn't pull him at any point in the game. Listening to his words after the game, it doesn't seem like it crushed his confidence. There was definitely a bad word about the Swedes that came out when I was outside. You have to be angry too. I didn't have that. It was in me. I try to be professional when I'm out there. Please,” Wohlstedt said. “Enough is enough. You've got to realize that and move on. Put this game in the bag and keep growing and keep getting better. Next chance. But why leave him to score seven goals against him? First of all? Come on.)
It also wouldn't surprise anyone if Danila Yurov earns a spot out of camp next season if he is able to return to camp. Minnesota seems content to keep their star winger seasoned with Metallurg Magnitogorsk of the KHL for another year. If he does, it won't hurt him when it comes time to play in the NHL.
Liam Øgren still plays in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL). He has signed an entry-level contract with the club and it will be interesting to see how Bill Guerin handles him. Ogren hasn't put up amazing numbers in the SHL, averaging 0.72 points per game. The best guess is that he will stay in Sweden for another year, or that if he wants to move to North America now, the Wild will probably send him to Iowa. Either way, his best chance for NHL action will probably be in the 2025-26 season.
Riley Hite had 107 points (34 goals, 73 assists) in 60 games with Prince George in the WHL. If he continues at this pace, he will have 117 points in 66 games this season, which would be the fifth-most points by an 18-year-old in the WHL since 2000. This doesn't fully reflect in the NHL numbers. , but the basics are there. He will have to play in either the NHL or WHL next year, but if he continues to develop, he will be more than ready for the AHL in 2025-26. But it looks like it will be at least a few years before he joins the big club in St. Paul.
Back in January, Hockey Wilderness” Kalisha Turnipseed sees Carson Lambos as Jonas Brodin's successor, and he's already at Iowa. Despite just three goals and 12 points on the season (54 games), he is progressing well and gaining experience at the NHL level will only improve his game. There's an outside shot of him joining the team as the team's seventh defenseman, or at least the defenseman called up if a long-term injury replacement is needed.
With all that in mind, we can assume that the Wild's line for next season will look something like this.
Kirill Kaprizov – Marco Rossi – Marat Husnutdinov
Matt Boldy – Joel Erickson Ek – Marcus Johansson
Marcus Foligno – Ryan Hartman – Mats Zuccarello
Mason Shaw – Freddie Gaudreau – Vinni Lettieri
Jonas Brodin – Jared Spurgeon
Jake Middleton – Brock Faber
Jon Merrill/Carson Lambos – Zach Bogosian
Philip Gustafsson
Jesper Wallstedt
This assumes pending RFA Mason Shaw returns, likely simply because he is an all-around utility man. Vini Lettieri has a two-way contract next year so he can jump from the AHL to the NHL, but he's starting in the NHL for now.
Now let's move forward one year to the 2025-26 season. Perhaps Yurov will take the team out of camp if he goes to North America. The Wild, who have roughly $36 million in cap space, will have some decisions to make. Faber, Rossi, and Husnutdinov are due on new contracts, but as RFAs the team should be able to take care of them. But until those extensions are completed, Minnesota only has 11 players under contract for the 2025-26 season, so what will Bill Gorlin do?
Minnesota could address a key need with a free agent signing or trade, but Kaprizov's situation means caution is needed. He is entering the final year of a five-year, $45 million deal and will need an extension to exceed his $9 million cap hit. Assuming the Wild can sign an RFA, the 2025-26 lineup will look like this:
2025-26 possible lines
forward
Kirill Kaprizov – Danila Yurov – Marat Husnutdinov
Marco Rossi – Joel Eriksson Ek – Matt Boldy
Marcus Foligno – Ryan Hartman – Mats Zuccarello
open spot – Freddie Gaudreau – open spot
Jonas Brodin – Jared Spurgeon
open spot – Brock Faber
Carson Lambos – Zach Bogosian
Philip Gustafsson
Jesper Wallstedt
There are some chances for Ogren, Hite, or someone else to take one of the open spots, but who? And how much playing time will they get? Can they send Hartman, Foligno, and Zuccarello to the fourth line? Can Lambos move up to the top four on defense, or will the Wild have to address that need from the outside? Whatever happens, it will be interesting to see how this plays out over the next 18 months.
