Minnesota Wild fans don’t have to squint very hard to find reasons to feel better about what’s coming in 2026-27. The obvious wish list is still sitting out there - Quinn Hughes re-signing with the Wild and a way to land Dylan Larkin - but even without that dream scenario, there’s real evidence the team has been moving in the right direction.
Start with the most basic ingredient in offense: shots. The Wild have been up and down in that area over the years, but the trend has improved lately.
They averaged 32.5 shots per game in 2021-22, stayed near 30 the next two seasons, then slipped to 27.6 in 2024-25 before climbing back to 29.2 this past season. Kirill Kaprizov drove a huge part of that surge, jumping from 145 shots to 269 shots.
If he keeps letting it fly, that alone gives Minnesota a better floor.
Hughes is part of that conversation too. Fans still haven’t seen what he can do across a full season, but one thing is clear: he isn’t shy about shooting.
That matters for a team that needs more volume. Brock Faber also stands to benefit from being paired with Hughes, and Matt Boldy keeps trending upward, which should bring even more attempts as his game grows.
Add in the other young players trying to carve out bigger roles, and the Wild have more shot-generation upside than they did a year ago.
Special teams also offer more hope than they used to. The power play reached 25.2 percent, which was the best mark in team history, and the penalty kill finished at 79.8 percent, its strongest showing in the past few seasons. The penalty kill still needed work - especially for the postseason - but there’s at least proof the unit can improve.
Hughes clearly helped the power play, and even with Mats Zuccarello gone, most of the top unit remains intact. Boldy’s growing confidence is a big part of that optimism as well.
On the other side, the Wild added Blake Coleman and Olli Määttä, two names that could matter a lot to the penalty kill. Minnesota did find ways to get stops, but not consistently enough.
With those additions and players already in place like Faber, the group has a better chance to tighten things up.
The last big reason for optimism is the youth already in the organization. Danila Yurov has basically locked down a permanent spot, while Bobby Brink, Hunter Haight, and Daemon Hunt are among the players who may move in and out of the lineup.
They’ve all flashed talent, even if consistency has been the sticking point. More time on the ice should help them settle in, and the Wild are counting on that kind of growth to help cover the departures from free agency that haven’t already been replaced.
That blend of young players and established veterans is what gives Minnesota a real foundation. If the younger group keeps developing and the veterans keep setting the tone, the Wild have a chance to build on what they started last season. The shots are trending up, the special teams have shown signs of life, and the next wave is already in the building.
In Other News...
Wild Just Got More Expensive For Minnesota In Quinn Hughes Talks
The Wilds pursuit of Quinn Hughes was already going to be a major financial exercise, and the Colorado Avalanche just made it even tougher. Cale Makars new eight-year, $163.2 million extension reset the bar for elite defensemen, giving Minnesota a fresh point of reference as it tries to work out a long-term deal with Hughes before he reaches the final year of his contract.
For a team that has been trying to keep its core stable, the timing matters as much as the number itself. Hughes was always going to command a premium if the Wild got serious about locking him in, but Makars deal raises both the price and the pressure, adding another layer of complexity to negotiations that were already headed into delicate territory. [Read more 🡒]
Kaprizov Faces A Big Wild Question Beyond Zuccarello
Kirill Kaprizov has long been the centerpiece of the Wilds offense, but the bigger question around him now is less about whether he can create and more about how Minnesota keeps giving him the right kind of support as the lineup changes around him. Even when Mats Zuccarello is out, Kaprizov has still found ways to drive production, and the Wild have seen signs that his game is translating through other familiar faces as well, especially Matt Boldy and Joel Eriksson Ek.
Zuccarellos value to Kaprizov has never been in doubt, but the fit is becoming more complicated as his speed naturally tapers off and the old formula gets harder to sustain over a full season. For the Wild, that makes the next stretch feel less like a test of Kaprizov alone and more like a larger roster puzzle, because the answer may determine whether his prime years are maximized or merely managed. [Read more 🡒]