The Minnesota Wild’s early-season surge has come with a familiar mix of good news and a little chaos, and both were on display after Thursday night’s 5-4 win over the St. Louis Blues at Grand Casino Arena.
The biggest concern is Kirill Kaprizov, who took a hard hit from Blues goalie Joel Hofer. Jesper Wallstedt called it “a dirty play.”
After the game, head coach John Hynes said Kaprizov was “okay.” For now, he’s expected to play Sunday against the Columbus Blue Jackets, though the team’s practice Friday at TRIA Rink in St.
Paul should tell everyone more.
That matters because Kaprizov has been driving the Wild’s fast start, with 9 goals and 5 assists in his first eight games. Matt Boldy joined the party Thursday too, breaking out of his slump with a hat trick against St.
Louis. Minnesota’s top end is humming.
The rest of the lineup? Not so tidy. Injuries have piled up, and the Wild are dealing with a long list of unavailable pieces: Faber, Spurgeon, Maatta, Gustavsson, Sturm and both Foligno brothers are on injured reserve or out.
That leaves the focus on one player whose name doesn’t usually dominate the conversation, but could end up mattering a lot: Ryan Hartman.
Hartman is in the final year of his deal in Minnesota, and Michael Russo of The Athletic picked him as the Wild’s most under-the-radar trade candidate in a leaguewide piece published Saturday. It’s not a prediction that he’s definitely on the move, but the logic is easy to follow.
Hartman is 32, carries a $4 million average annual value, and has a modified no-trade clause. At the same time, Danila Yurov is making noise. The 22-year-old center has three goals and four points while playing mostly third-line minutes, and he’s averaging nearly the same ice time as Hartman at 13.3 minutes per night.
Russo noted that Minnesota also has veterans who bring similar grit and versatility, which could make Hartman more expendable. Still, he also pointed out the other side of the equation: Hartman has a track record of being a strong playoff performer, which is exactly the kind of thing contenders like.
That matters because his contract is moving toward the finish line. The three-year, $12 million deal is set to expire, and his actual salary drops to $3 million in 2026-27, according to PuckPedia. That kind of number can make a player easier to move when the deadline conversation starts.
The no-trade protection isn’t much of a roadblock either. This season, the clause only covers 10 teams, leaving 21 possible destinations where the Wild could deal him without his approval.
On the ice, the picture is a little rocky. Hartman has no goals and one assist through eight games, and his minus-7 is the worst plus/minus on the team among skaters. He’s averaging 13.4 minutes of ice time, and after scoring 23 goals last season, that’s a rough opening stretch.
Minnesota has even used him in different spots lately. In the last two games, Hartman centered Blake Coleman and Maxim Shabanov on the second line. If Yurov keeps producing and Hartman can’t shake the slump, the lineup math could start working against him once the roster gets healthier.
The concern for the Wild is obvious: Hartman is the kind of player a contender might want, but he’s also been a useful playoff weapon for Minnesota. Over the last two postseasons, he has 13 points in 17 games, including three goals and seven points in 11 playoff games last year.
So the interest is easy to understand. The question is whether Bill Guerin actually makes the call. For now, that likely comes down to one thing: whether Ryan Hartman can turn his season around.
In Other News...
Wild Suddenly Have A New Lineup Concern Before Sunday
The Wilds practice session on Friday came with a brief moment of concern when Kirill Kaprizov and Quinn Hughes were both absent from the ice. Kaprizov was sidelined because he was sick, while Hughes took a rest day, leaving Minnesota with a noticeably different look as it continued its build toward Sundays game against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
John Hynes eased some of that unease afterward, indicating both players are expected to suit up against Columbus. Marcus Foligno and Jared Spurgeon were also back at practice, though neither is expected to be available for the next game, so the lineup picture still has a few moving parts heading into the weekend. [Read more 🡒]
Wild Fans Suddenly Have One Huge Reason To Watch Dylan Larkin
Minnesotas win over the Blues gave the Wild a little more breathing room as they turn their attention to Columbus, but the bigger buzz around the league is starting to drift toward Detroit. Dylan Larkins name has been at the center of trade chatter, and with insiders saying talks could heat up soon, Wild fans suddenly have a very different reason to keep one eye on the Red Wings.
The timing matters because Minnesota has already been operating with an eye on the bigger picture, and any movement involving a player of Larkins caliber would ripple well beyond Detroit. For now, nothing is official, and the Wild can only watch the market like everyone else, but the possibility alone is enough to make this a storyline worth following as the week unfolds. [Read more 🡒]
Wild Young Defensemen Suddenly Have A Real Chance To Stick
Early in the season, injuries to Brock Faber, Jared Spurgeon and Olli Mtt have opened the door for a pair of young defensemen the Wild did not necessarily plan to lean on this soon. Daemon Hunt and David Spacek have been pressed into more regular duty, and for a team that values structure on the back end, the timing has created a genuine test of their NHL readiness.
John Hynes has liked what he has seen so far, especially the way both players have handled the puck and kept their game simple. For Hunt and Spacek, the challenge now is bigger than just filling in for a few shifts or games. With Minnesota searching for reliability and smart decisions on defense, this is the kind of stretch that can help a young player turn a temporary call-up into a real foothold in the lineup. [Read more 🡒]