The Minnesota Wild are heading toward training camp with a very different look, and the changes reach right to the top of the lineup.
Mats Zuccarello is gone. So are Vladimir Tarasenko and Marcus Johansson.
That leaves Kirill Kaprizov still searching for the kind of first-line setup that can actually stick, and it puts even more pressure on general manager Bill Guerin to solve the roster before camp opens. If a surprise blockbuster trade doesn’t materialize in the next two weeks, the Wild are going to show up with some real questions.
For now, the expectation is that Ryan Hartman will get the first crack at center on Kaprizov’s line, unless Guerin somehow lands Dylan Larkin from Detroit. On the wing, the early buzz points to Max Shabanov, the new Russian forward who may get his first serious shot alongside Minnesota’s star.
That possibility has caught the attention of insiders, including Michael Russo of The Athletic, who believes Shabanov is the player most likely to open camp next to Kaprizov. Anthony LaPanta echoed that view on the “Worst Seats in the House” podcast, saying: “First crack for sure.
And you know, I think there isn’t a lot of mystery with the roster. I think you’re right with all of that.
The only thing that could change it, as we’ve been talking about for a month or so, is if there’s some kind of a deal made where it was a more players going out than coming in.”
Shabanov arrives in Minnesota with plenty to prove. He’s entering his second NHL season after a rough first go-round with the New York Islanders, where he managed 5 goals and 13 assists in 44 games and spent most of his time on the third line. The one-year deal he signed there expired at the end of the 2026-27 season, and neither side wanted to continue, pushing him into free agency after just one year in the league.
But the Wild aren’t looking at his rookie stat line and stopping there. Before coming to North America, the 5’9″, 167 pound winger was producing like a player with real upside.
In his final KHL regular season, he scored 23 goals and added 44 assists in 65 games. Then he turned it up again in the playoffs, putting up 10 goals and 10 assists to help Traktor Chelyabinsk win the KHL Championship.
That’s why there’s real intrigue here. The talent is obvious. The question is whether Shabanov is ready for the assignment.
And according to Russo, the early signs around the rink have been encouraging. He said someone from the Wild who has been on the ice with Shabanov told him the winger “looks awesome” and praised his “incredible skill” and “a brain for the game.” Russo then added that it sure feels like Shabanov will get that first chance on the Kaprizov line.
Training camp later this month will tell the rest of the story. The Wild want to see how the pieces fit, and Shabanov’s pre-camp work has created some real optimism.
If he does get that look with Kaprizov, the fit makes sense on more than one level. Kaprizov should create space for everyone around him, and Shabanov also has the advantage of sharing a language and background with the winger who could be his new running mate.
In Other News...
Wild Fans Now Face Another Cost To Watch Their Team
The Minnesota Wild have added a new way for fans to follow the team, unveiling a multi-year local streaming agreement with Prime Video that will make Wild+ the exclusive streaming home for games within the clubs local broadcast territory. The service will be available at $19.99 per month or $99.99 a year, and fans will not need an Amazon Prime membership to sign up.
Cable and satellite subscribers will still be able to watch games as part of their existing packages, but the move gives the Wild another layer in an already shifting viewing landscape. The pricing lands in line with similar subscription offerings for other Minnesota sports teams, a detail that may soften the blow for some fans even as the cost of keeping up with the team continues to climb. [Read more 🡒]
Dylan Larkin Just Got Pulled Into Trade Chatter Red Wings Fans Hate
Offseason trade chatter always has a way of widening its reach, and the latest round has dragged Dylan Larkin into a conversation that started with other stars but keeps circling back to the same central question: who, if anyone, actually fits the Edmonton Oilers. The discussion also touches Quinn Hughes, Connor Hellebuyck, Kirill Marchenko and Chris Kreider, with each name carrying a different mix of contract concerns, team needs and player preference that makes any deal harder to pull off than it looks from the outside.
For fans watching from Minnesota, the real takeaway is less about one specific rumor than about how quickly the market can shift when a contender is looking for help. Some of the ideas being floated feel unrealistic from the start, while others remain possible only if the money and the strategy line up just right. Even then, the list of complications is long enough to keep the whole exercise firmly in speculation mode for now. [Read more 🡒]
Wild Fans Just Got A Painful Reminder Of The Quinn Hughes Price
The Quinn Hughes trade tree has already delivered a new jolt for Minnesota Wild fans to take in, and it comes with a hefty price tag attached. Vancouver just locked up defenseman Zeev Buium on an eight-year extension worth $75.04 million, a deal that underscores how quickly the Canucks have moved to make him a long-term piece on their blue line after bringing him in from Minnesota as part of the Hughes-related swap.
Buiums rise has been steady enough to make the move look even more significant in hindsight, with 76 NHL games split between the two teams. For Wild fans, the extension is a fresh reminder that the cost of landing Hughes was never going to be limited to the moment of the trade itself, and Vancouvers commitment to Buium keeps that ledger very much open. [Read more 🡒]