The Minnesota Wild’s top six looks mostly spoken for, which means training camp is really about one open door and three forwards trying to crash through it.
Kirill Kaprizov, Matt Boldy and Joel Eriksson Ek are locked into the top six when healthy. Blake Coleman and Ryan Hartman are also expected to open the year on the second line. That leaves one spot up for grabs, and the Wild have a trio of forwards with a real shot to claim it before the season gets rolling.
Bobby Brink looks like the safest bet to be in the mix right away. The Wild brought him in from the Philadelphia Flyers before the trade deadline, and after the move he put up two goals and four points in 13 games.
He also appeared in just four playoff games. Still, Minnesota brought back the 25-year-old this offseason with the belief that he can be an everyday NHL player.
At 5-foot-8, Brink is not going to win any battles by size alone, but the opportunity is there. With Mats Zuccarello and Vladimir Tarasenko gone, there’s a path for him to carve out more power-play time and maybe work his way into a top-six job.
Maxim Shabanov is another name worth watching. The Wild signed him after the New York Islanders chose not to tender him a qualifying offer, and they see a winger who could fit with high-skill linemates like Kaprizov and Boldy. Shabanov plays with plenty of touch, works give-and-gos well and looks to slip passes into dangerous areas.
His rookie season produced five goals and 18 points in 44 games, and Minnesota believes that production could jump if he lands with the right partners.
Danila Yurov faces the steepest climb of the group. With Eriksson Ek healthy, there’s not much room for him to move into the top six, and Hartman’s veteran status gives him a long leash as well. But Yurov does have some things working in his favor: he has already spent time in the top six, he has chemistry with Kaprizov, and his skill level is obvious.
The 22-year-old still has plenty of room to grow, and even a third-line role could help him. But he’ll still get a chance to push for more when camp opens.
In Other News...
Quinn Hughes Just Raised The Stakes For The Wild
Cale Makars eight-year, $163.2 million extension with Colorado reset the market for defensemen in a big way, and it inevitably puts more pressure on clubs with premium blue-line talent of their own. For Minnesota, the timing matters because Quinn Hughes is now entering the final year of his current contract, a status that gives him plenty of leverage as the Wild continue working toward a new deal.
The Wild have remained in regular contact with Hughes agent, which at least suggests the sides are engaged rather than drifting apart. Still, no agreement is in place yet, and with the top end of the defense market now carrying a higher price tag, Minnesota has little room to treat this as a routine negotiation. [Read more 🡒]
Wild Still Have A Vladimir Tarasenko Question They Didn't Expect
Vladimir Tarasenkos summer has turned into one of the more curious holdovers from last season for Minnesota, where the winger spent a productive stint before reaching free agency. As training camp draws closer, he is still unsigned, and the longer this drags on, the more it feels like his market has been shaped by more than just what he did on the ice for the Wild.
Minnesota has already handled much of its own business by bringing back other players, and the cap picture leaves little room for a reunion even if there were renewed interest. The Wild also have reasons to wonder how much recent performance and the tampering chatter around his exit affected his value, which leaves Tarasenko in a strange spot for a proven scorer with a still-open future. [Read more 🡒]
Wild Face Rising Pressure As Quinn Hughes Situation Gets More Serious
Quinn Hughes arrival in Minnesota already carried the expectation that the Wild would have to move quickly to lock in a long-term future, but that process has apparently been slower than hoped. After coming over from the Vancouver Canucks, Hughes became an immediate focal point for a front office trying to build around him, and the teams inability to finish extension talks has only added to the sense that this is becoming a bigger issue as the season draws closer.
Around the league, the pressure is only increasing. The Flyers are reportedly emerging as a possible suitor thanks to their cap flexibility, while the Devils remain in the mix with the obvious family angle still working in their favor. Nothing has been finalized and no official moves have been made, but the longer this drags on, the more the Wild have to contend with the possibility that one of their biggest swings could turn into a far more complicated offseason story. [Read more 🡒]