For most of the summer, the assumption around the Minnesota Wild was pretty straightforward: Maxim Shabanov would slide into Mats Zuccarello’s old spot and try to give Kirill Kaprizov a familiar kind of running mate. That fit makes obvious sense on paper, and coach John Hynes sounded open to it Monday when he told The Athletic, "We really want to see Shabanov in that spot - see what he could look like."
But Hynes didn’t stop there. He also floated a much more interesting possibility, one that hints at the Wild being willing to mess with some of their neat little lineup assumptions.
"What does he look like possibly with (Joel Eriksson Ek and Matt Boldy)? What does (Blake) Coleman look like with Boldy and Ek? What would Coleman look like, let’s say, with [ Ryan Hartman ] and Kirill?"
That’s where the picture gets fun. Shabanov feels like the natural Kaprizov companion because of the way his game lines up with Zuccarello’s.
Coleman is different. His value comes from the grind, the chase, the constant pressure.
Put him in the right spot, and the Wild could start looking a lot more like the Carolina Hurricanes team that has made forechecking into an identity.
Carolina has been doing this for years. Under Rod Brind’Amour, the Hurricanes have built a reputation as one of the league’s most relentless puck-hunting teams.
It’s not just the bruisers doing the dirty work, either. Jordan Martinook and Mark Jankowski set the tone, but so do players like Andrei Svechnikov, Seth Jarvis, Logan Stankoven, and Jackson Blake.
The message is clear across the roster: recover the puck at all costs.
Minnesota wasn’t built that way last season. Marcus Foligno and Yakov Trenin were the only regular Wild players who consistently pressured defensemen, and the team tried to address that for the playoffs by bringing in Michael McCarron. The front office then kept pushing in that direction over the summer, moving on from three below-average forecheckers in Zuccarello, Marcus Johansson, and Vladimir Tarasenko.
The players who came in tell the story just as clearly. Coleman and Bobby Brink both have a track record of above-average forecheck pressure.
Danila Yurov showed some decent pop in that area as a rookie. Ryan Hartman cranked up the pressure in the playoffs.
And when he’s healthy, Eriksson Ek is elite at hounding defensemen. Put all of that together, and the ingredients are there for a team that can borrow from Carolina’s formula.
Coleman, in particular, stands out because of what the Wild want Kaprizov to become. One of the reasons for moving on from Zuccarello was to push Kaprizov toward a more north-south game.
Shabanov can carry the puck that way, but Coleman may be even better suited to that specific mission. It might look odd at first glance to place Kaprizov on what amounts to a checking line with Coleman and either Hartman or Yurov, but that setup could still feed directly into his strengths.
Pressure forces mistakes. Mistakes become turnovers.
Turnovers become chances for Kaprizov. And if those opportunities come when defenders are already stretched and tired at the end of a shift, even better.
The upside doesn’t end there. Boldy and Eriksson Ek can form a heavy, responsible two-way line.
The lower half of the roster has options too, with Marcus and Nick Foligno, Trenin, McCarron, and Brink all capable of bringing the same kind of pressure. Charlie Stramel is another name to keep in mind, since his blend of speed and size fits this style cleanly.
Minnesota already has the high-end talent to stack up with almost anyone, and that list includes Carolina. The question isn’t whether the Wild have skill at the top.
It’s whether the rest of the lineup is built to support it the right way. If Hynes really is willing to test Coleman in a top-line role, the Wild may be trying to become something close to Hurricanes West.
In Other News...
Wild Just Sent A Clear Message About John Hynes
John Hynes is no longer heading into a prove-it season in Minnesota. The Wild announced the veteran coach has signed a multi-year extension, locking in the man who took over in late 2023 and has since guided the club to multiple playoff appearances while also spending time as an assistant coach for Team USA at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
The timing matters as training camp approaches, because it removes one of the bigger questions hanging over the organization and turns the focus back to the ice. Earlier reports pointed to a deal being finalized soon, and now the Wild have made their confidence in Hynes plain, even if the longer-term shape of the roster still has plenty of work left ahead. [Read more 🡒]
Wild Role Players Are Doing More For This Team Than Fans Realize
In a season where the spotlight usually settles on Minnesotas top scorers, there has been plenty happening underneath the surface from players whose value is easy to miss in a box score. Nico Sturm has carved out importance with his penalty killing and faceoff work, Daemon Hunt is still developing into a steadier part of the mix, and Ryan Hartman has been working to keep his game on the right side of the line while still bringing the edge that makes him useful.
None of it is flashy, and that is kind of the point. These are the kinds of contributions that help a team survive the long stretches of a season, especially when the stars are being asked to do the heavy lifting. The Wild have gotten more than they first appear to be getting from this group, and the bigger question is how much further their quiet impact can carry as the games get tighter. [Read more 🡒]
Wild Just Raised The Pressure On John Hynes And This Roster
Training camp opened at TRIA Rink in St. Paul with the Wild back on the ice and the important pieces in place, including Matt Boldy and Quinn Hughes. It also arrives with a little more clarity behind the bench, where John Hynes is now under a multi-year extension and set to carry his run in Minnesota into a fourth season. After taking over partway through 2023-24, Hynes has built a strong record with the club, and the new deal signals the organization is willing to keep moving forward with him at the center of it.
Still, an extension does not soften the scrutiny that comes with camp, especially for a roster that expects to be judged on results rather than promises. The Wild have key names present early and a coach with real stability, but that only raises the standard for what follows from here. With Hynes locked in and the core reporting to St. Paul, the question now is whether this group can turn that continuity into the kind of season that makes the bet look obvious. [Read more 🡒]