The Minnesota Wild look a lot different heading into this season than they did a year ago, and the biggest change comes from the back end. Compared with last year’s opening-night group, this roster feels more reshaped than merely tweaked.
In goal, the picture is straightforward. Filip Gustavsson and Jesper Wallstedt are back as the main tandem, with Calvin Pickard brought in to cover the early part of the season while Gustavsson recovers from an injury.
The big difference is Wallstedt’s standing. Last year, Minnesota was betting on him as its top goaltending prospect with only limited NHL evidence.
Now he’s a much more established piece after coming through in the first round of the playoffs. Paired with Gustavsson, he gives the Wild what looks like one of the NHL’s best goalie combinations.
Up front, though, the conversation gets murkier. Minnesota is basically trying to replace Mats Zuccarello, Marcus Johansson, and Vladimir Tarasenko with Bobby Brink, Blake Coleman, and Maxim Shabanov. Coleman appears to be the cleanest fit, likely sliding into the second-line role alongside Joel Eriksson Ek and Matt Boldy in place of Johansson.
Shabanov brings enough skill to potentially work with Kirill Kaprizov, and if he settles in on the top line, the Wild may avoid a major step back from Zuccarello’s exit. If he doesn’t, Brink could get that shot instead.
Either way, Brink projects as a useful third-line winger. Danila Yurov also has a chance to build on his first season, and there’s even a path for him to work his way onto the top line.
Still, losing Marco Rossi and Liam Ohgren from last season’s opening-night roster makes this group tougher to trust.
On defense, the upgrade is obvious. Quinn Hughes changes everything.
Moving from Zeev Buium to Hughes is a huge leap, and the rest of the group gives Minnesota a strong foundation. Brock Faber is moving into his prime, and Jonas Brodin remains as steady as ever.
Jared Spurgeon is the one real question mark. He’ll be 37 for most of the season, so the Wild will find out how much is left in his game. But if he can still look like himself, this group suddenly stacks up as one of the league’s best and marks a clear improvement over where Minnesota stood at the start of last season.
So is this roster better than the one that opened last year? The safest answer is yes, even if the forward group leaves room for doubt.
The addition of Hughes, the promise of better goaltending confidence, and the chance for players like Coleman, Brink, and Yurov to settle into clearer roles all point in the right direction. If Kaprizov handles the loss of Zuccarello, and the depth pieces do their jobs, there are more reasons to believe in this team now than there were a year ago.
In Other News...
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Contract chatter around the Blue Jackets has a way of spilling into the rest of the league, and the latest round only adds to the sense that this is not a simple housekeeping matter. Around the NHL, other front offices are already navigating their own delicate situations, from Detroits internal debate over Dylan Larkin to Winnipegs awkward stance around Connor Hellebuyck, while Minnesotas Quinn Hughes has been trying to keep extension talk from becoming a distraction.
For Columbus, the bigger issue is whether its core pieces can stay aligned long enough to keep the group together. Zach Werenski and Kirill Marchenko sit at the center of that uncertainty, and with contract questions lingering on both fronts, the Blue Jackets are staring at the kind of problem that can reshape a teams direction before the season ever gets moving. [Read more 🡒]
Wild Camp Just Raised The Stakes For A Roster Full Of Questions
The first official practice of the 2026-27 season gave the Wild an early look at how different this camp may feel, with new faces sliding into prominent spots and familiar ones beginning another year under John Hynes and his staff. Maxsim Shabanov was immediately placed on the top line with Kirill Kaprizov and Ryan Hartman, a sign that Minnesota is wasting little time testing out combinations as it sorts through a roster that still has plenty to answer for.
Goal is another early subplot, with Jesper Wallstedt and Calvin Pickard expected to handle the preseason starts while Filip Gustavsson is delayed in his return. And while Quinn Hughes is in the middle of contract talks, he said he is comfortable with the team and feels no immediate pressure to get a deal done, which only adds another layer to a camp already carrying more intrigue than usual. [Read more 🡒]
Quinn Hughes Just Made Minnesotas Biggest Offseason Question Even Tougher
Quinn Hughes has become one of the most intriguing names on the Wilds summer radar, and not just because of what he can do on the ice. The defenseman said he does not feel pressure to finalize a contract extension, even as Minnesota is believed to have put a record-setting eight-year offer on the table. For a club trying to build around a core and keep its future pointed in the right direction, that leaves a major decision hanging over the rest of the offseason.
Hughes also acknowledged the pull of playing with his brothers, which only adds another layer to a situation that already had plenty of moving parts. Around the league, players are making their own intentions known, with Winnipegs Kevin Cheveldayoff recently addressing Connor Hellebuycks suspension and Detroits Dylan Larkin confirming he asked for a trade. For Minnesota, though, the focus stays on Hughes and whether the Wild can turn a powerful pitch into something more concrete. [Read more 🡒]