The Minnesota Wild have spent the offseason reshaping a roster that lost several familiar names from last year’s core, and the question now is simple: which departure will sting the most when next season starts?
The answer, at least in this ranking, starts with Mats Zuccarello.
Zuccarello is the clearest No. 1 loss for the Wild after signing with the L.A. Kings.
Even at 39, he was still producing like a top-six forward. Last season he put up 15 goals and 54 points in 59 games, finishing third among Wild forwards in points per 60 and second among Wild forwards in points per 60 at 5-on-5.
His connection with Kirill Kaprizov has been well established, and while Kaprizov helped elevate him, Zuccarello still leaves behind a major hole on the wing and a real question mark for Minnesota’s offense.
Marcus Johansson comes next. Plenty of people, the writer included, had written him off as a legitimate top-six option after he failed to reach 35 points in back-to-back seasons.
Instead, Johansson answered with 15 goals and 49 points in 75 games in his age-35 season. He wasn’t riding the power play either.
He ranked third among Wild forwards in 5-on-5 points with 40 and third in 5-on-5 points per 60. His line with Matt Boldy and Joel Eriksson Ek also outperformed the Kaprizov, Hartman, and Zuccarello trio in goals for, goals against, and goals for per 60 over a similar amount of ice time.
Johansson is set to turn 36 just before the 2026-2027 season, and his desire to return to Sweden makes the decision understandable, but Minnesota still loses a productive 5-on-5 scorer. The hope is that Blake Coleman can help fill that gap.
Vladimir Tarasenko lands third on the list. He was another older forward who bounced back last season, scoring 23 goals and 47 points in 75 games, which ranked sixth among Wild forwards.
But there are reasons to be skeptical about repeating that output. He’ll be 35 in December, and his scoring was fueled by a career-high 15.5% shooting percentage.
The Wild also have younger players who can step into his third-line role, which is why his departure doesn’t sit above the top two.
Jake Middleton comes in fourth. He has been a steady part of the Wild blue line for five seasons, and when he played with Jared Spurgeon last year, the pair posted a 50.1% expected goals percentage.
The results were much rougher away from Spurgeon, especially during Middleton’s time with Zach Bogosian, when that duo posted a 44.6% expected goals percentage. Even so, Middleton’s absence is easier to absorb because of Minnesota’s defensive depth.
When healthy, Quinn Hughes, Brock Faber, Jared Spurgeon, and Jonas Brodin form an elite top four, and Olli Määttä is viewed as a better fit for the bottom-pair role. Sending Middleton to Calgary for Määttä and a middle-six winger like Blake Coleman was described as a no-brainer.
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Bill Guerin Faces Backlash Over One Wild Exit Fans Saw Coming
Bill Guerins offseason has brought both praise and second-guessing, which is usually the price of doing business when a general manager is coming off a year that earned him league-wide recognition. The Wild added Blake Coleman and Olli Maatta, kept Michael McCarron in the fold and still looked like a team trying to balance grit with enough structure to stay dangerous in the West.
But the conversation around Guerin has shifted to one familiar name, and not in a flattering way. Mats Zuccarellos departure has reopened the debate over what Minnesota lost in the middle of its attack, especially with the power play and the teams broader strategy now under the microscope. Even with the front offices other moves, this is the kind of exit that lingers because it asks whether the Wild were solving one problem while creating another. [Read more 🡒]
Did Michael McCarron Do Enough To Earn Wild Trust
Michael McCarron arrived at the trade deadline and quickly settled into the kind of role the Wild were looking for, giving them size, edge and a little offense down the stretch. In 20 regular-season games, he chipped in three goals and two assists while also throwing his weight around with 40 hits and 17 blocked shots, a useful mix for a team that wanted more than just depth minutes from its additions.
The postseason only strengthened his case. McCarron played in all 11 games, bumped up his scoring touch with two goals and two assists, and kept bringing the physical presence that made him such an easy fit in the first place. Bill Guerin sounded pleased with how McCarron meshed with the group, but the bigger question for Minnesota is whether that late-season impression is enough to make him more than a short-term answer. [Read more 🡒]