The Minnesota Wild are heading into camp with more uncertainty than usual, but the shape of the roster is already coming into focus.
That’s the strange part of this preseason: the lineup feels unsettled because there are real openings to be won, yet the team also appears close to set. Filip Gustavsson is the lone player still recovering, coming back from offseason hip surgery, and president of hockey operations and general manager Bill Guerin has said everyone else is healthy for camp, which begins Sept.
- Unless the Wild add a free agent or two on pro tryouts - an option Guerin said the team is still considering - there may not be much room for surprises.
The one caveat is that training camp will move fast. With a shortened schedule, prospects such as Hunter Haight and Charlie Stramel do not have much time to force their way into the picture, especially with 13 forwards essentially spoken for.
Up front, the Wild’s core still starts with Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy, two 40-goal scorers who drive the offense. The bigger question is who slots in around them after the offseason departures of Mats Zuccarello, Marcus Johansson and Vladimir Tarasenko left the team needing to replace 53 goals and 150 points from last season.
That search for chemistry figures to define camp. Maxim Shabanov, the former KHL standout who had an uneven rookie year with the New York Islanders, is a logical candidate to get a look with Kaprizov. Blake Coleman, a two-time Stanley Cup champion acquired from the Calgary Flames, should get a chance on a line with Joel Eriksson Ek and Boldy.
At center, Minnesota entered the summer hoping to land a No. 1 option, and there was at least a swing at Dylan Larkin, who has requested a trade from the Detroit Red Wings. For now, though, the Wild are sticking with what they have. Ryan Hartman appears to be the top center, with Eriksson Ek filling his familiar role as the hard-to-play-against two-way force.
Danila Yurov is another name to watch after a promising rookie season. Michael McCarron, who signed a six-year, $20 million deal with a $3.3 million average annual value, should settle in as a No. 3 or No. 4 center. Nick Foligno and Nico Sturm can move up the middle or play wing.
There’s also plenty of physicality and veteran presence in the bottom half of the lineup. Marcus Foligno remains one of the loudest voices in the room and should land on the third or fourth line. Yakov Trenin, last season’s NHL hits leader, is in that same mix.
The younger forwards will be under the microscope. Bobby Brink is set for a much bigger role than he had after last season’s trade from the Philadelphia Flyers.
Shabanov’s skill, speed and skating have already impressed the Wild, even if he remains something of a mystery. Haight showed enough during his NHL call-ups last season to suggest he’ll get more chances when injuries hit.
Stramel, the organization’s top forward prospect, will try to make the decision easy on the coaching staff.
If one of those players plays his way onto the roster, Guerin could always create space by moving someone such as Trenin or Sturm. Mason Shaw, who is a strong candidate to captain AHL Iowa, also has NHL experience and could fill fourth-line minutes in stretches.
On defense, the Wild look far more settled. Quinn Hughes and Brock Faber headline the blue line after the blockbuster trade that brought the 2024 Norris Trophy winner over from the Vancouver Canucks. Faber is coming off career highs of 15 goals and 51 points and still has room to grow.
Jonas Brodin and Jared Spurgeon should make up the second pair, and this could be Spurgeon’s final season in a Wild uniform with his contract set to expire. Zach Bogosian enters camp healthy after an injury-hit 2025-26 season and is 30 games from 1,000 in his NHL career. Olli Maatta, whom Guerin knows well from their Pittsburgh Penguins days, looks like the other half of the third pair to start.
Daemon Hunt is also in the mix. The 24-year-old looked ready for more last season, and his five-game playoff stint showed the staff trusted him.
With the Wild’s defensive injury history, he should get chances. Whether he simply fills in or earns a larger role will be one of the quieter camp battles to watch.
Prospects David Spacek and Carson Lambos are long shots for the opening roster, but they should provide depth in Iowa, along with Matt Kiersted and Ben Dexheimer, the former University of Wisconsin captain who signed as a free agent. Viking Gustafsson Nyberg is in that group too.
In goal, the picture is clear for now. Jesper Wallstedt and Calvin Pickard are the locks, while Gustavsson is on the injured list.
Wallstedt is stepping into the No. 1 job after a strong first full season, finishing second among NHL goalies who played more than five games with a .916 save percentage and tying for third with four shutouts. Against teams that made the 2026 playoffs, he went 9-3-4 with a .931 save percentage.
He also took the bulk of the net in the playoffs, starting 10 of Minnesota’s 11 games as the Wild won their first series since 2015. Now 23, he opens the season as the starter while Gustavsson remains out until at least November.
Pickard brings the veteran backup role. The 34-year-old spent the last three seasons with the Edmonton Oilers and owns a career record of 74-77-14 with a 2.96 goals-against average and a .901 save percentage.
Altogether, the roster sits at 22 players, which leaves one open spot. That flexibility could allow the Wild to add another player for the road, a place that would normally go to someone like Tyler Pitlick.
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Wild Took A Low Cost Scoring Swing Fans Should Watch Closely
Minnesota kept its offseason cost low but still made a move that could matter if it clicks, signing Russian forward Maxim Shabanov to a one-year deal after the New York Islanders declined to qualify him as a restricted free agent. For a Wild club always looking for affordable ways to add skill, it is the kind of transaction that does not make a huge splash on paper but can quietly shape the forward group if the player settles in quickly.
The appeal is obvious: low risk, potential scoring upside, and a chance to see whether Shabanov can translate his game into a new setting with Minnesota. The Wild have been willing to shop in this part of the market before, and this is the sort of move that could look clever in hindsight if he finds a role, or fade into the background if he does not. Still, for a team trying to squeeze value from every roster spot, it is one worth following closely. [Read more 🡒]
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The Wilds roster math is becoming hard to ignore, and it carries a familiar kind of worry for a team trying to stay in the playoff conversation. With Kirill Kaprizov, Matt Boldy and Quinn Hughes driving the top end, the concern is less about star power than what comes behind it, especially when you stack the current depth against the 2014-15 group that once gave Minnesota so much more balance.
A planned NHL expansion team in 2029-30 adds another layer to the cap squeeze, because every extra dollar committed now can matter later when protection decisions arrive. Filip Gustavssons no-trade clause is part of that larger picture, too, since it shapes how much flexibility the Wild would have if they decide to juggle the crease before an expansion draft forces the issue. [Read more 🡒]
Wild Fans May Be Overlooking One Crucial Kaprizov Line Decision
Ryan Hartmans place in Minnesota has always seemed to come with a little extra debate attached to it. Since joining the Wild in 2019, he has bounced through different roles and public perceptions, but he also put together a career year next to Kirill Kaprizov and has continued to matter as more than just a supporting piece. Even with injuries and suspensions complicating his standing at times, Hartman has remained a dependable scorer and a useful driver of 5-on-5 shots and points.
So when the Wild start sorting out Kaprizovs line, Hartman is still a name that deserves real consideration. There has been some chatter about possible lineup changes involving Danila Yurov, and Hartmans name has also surfaced in trade discussion, but the simplest answer may be the one fans overlook: he still looks like a legitimate fit for the top line. For a team trying to maximize its best player, that kind of stability can matter more than the temptation to chase something new. [Read more 🡒]