With the Minnesota Wild still nearly two months from opening the 2026-27 season in Nashville, the lineup picture is starting to sharpen - and it looks a lot different than it did before an aggressive offseason reshaped the roster.
Filip Gustavsson is working back from offseason hip surgery, so the crease remains unsettled for now. But after the additions of Blake Coleman, Calvin Pickard and Olli Maatta, the Wild’s projected Opening Night group is beginning to come into focus for John Hynes’ team in St. Paul.
The biggest change sits on the blue line, where Quinn Hughes anchors a defense that suddenly looks far more dangerous. Up front, Minnesota has added Coleman’s edge and reliability, while Maxim Shabanov gives Kirill Kaprizov a new right winger with the kind of offensive touch the Wild have been chasing.
A projected first line of Kirill Kaprizov, Ryan Hartman and Maxim Shabanov makes a lot of sense on paper. Hartman remains the best bet to center Kaprizov, and the two have already shown they can work together.
Hartman’s physical game fits the superstar winger well, and Shabanov’s arrival adds intrigue. The 25-year-old comes over from the New York Islanders after one season removed from the KHL, bringing the playmaking and hockey sense Minnesota has wanted on Kaprizov’s right side.
Replacing Mats Zuccarello is no easy task, but Shabanov has the tools to make that spot work.
Minnesota’s second line could be just as important. Blake Coleman, Joel Eriksson Ek and Matt Boldy give the Wild a blend of grit, two-way responsibility and offense that should be trusted in tough matchups.
Coleman brings Stanley Cup experience, heavy forechecking and defensive reliability. Eriksson Ek continues to stand out as one of the league’s premier two-way centers, and Boldy supplies the creativity.
That group should see difficult assignments and still chip in offensively.
There’s also plenty of attention on the third line, where Yakov Trenin, Danila Yurov and Bobby Brink could create a different kind of energy. Yurov is the name to watch here.
If he’s still on the roster by Opening Night, he’s expected to have a major role. The 22-year-old put up 12 goals, 15 assists and 27 points in 73 games as a rookie, and he’s also listed as the Wild’s top trade assest.
Trenin’s physical, puck-retrieval style and Brink’s offensive instincts could give Yurov the room to do what he does best.
Minnesota’s fourth line would lean into exactly what has long made this team hard to play against. Marcus Foligno, Michael McCarron and Nick Foligno bring size, leadership and plenty of physicality.
McCarron gives the Wild a true fourth-line center who can win faceoffs and kill penalties, while the Foligno brothers add the kind of presence that wears opponents down over the course of a game. It’s not built to score much, but it should be a problem to face.
The defense is where this roster really changes shape. Hughes and Brock Faber form the top pair, and that combination is as clean as it gets.
Hughes is one of the NHL’s elite puck-moving defensemen, while Faber has already become one of the league’s most dependable all-around blueliners. Together, they give Minnesota a true No. 1 pair that can control play at both ends.
Behind them, Jonas Brodin and Jared Spurgeon remain one of the league’s most trusted shutdown pairings. Brodin continues to be one of hockey’s premier defensive specialists, and Spurgeon’s experience and puck movement make the duo a steady option in just about any situation.
Olli Maatta and Zach Bogosian round out the third pair, and while that group won’t turn heads, it doesn’t need to. Maatta offers stability, Bogosian brings physicality and penalty-killing value, and the pairing helps free Hughes and Faber for heavier offensive minutes.
In goal, Jesper Wallstedt is the likely starter while Gustavsson recovers. That gives the former first-round pick a real chance to show he’s ready to become Minnesota’s long-term No.
- Calvin Pickard sits behind him as the veteran insurance policy until Gustavsson returns.
As for the extras, Nico Sturm projects as a useful veteran forward scratch, while Daemon Hunt fills the same role on defense. Hunter Haight and Charlie Stramel are also names that could be in the mix for minutes.
The roster now has more skill, more depth and a blue line that looks dramatically different with Hughes in the fold. Coleman strengthens the top six.
Shabanov and Yurov bring youth and offense. The real question is whether it all stays together.
If Kaprizov, Eriksson Ek or Boldy miss significant time, Minnesota’s forward depth will be tested quickly. But if this group gets to Opening Night healthy, the Wild have every reason to believe they can push toward the top of the Central Division.
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But the numbers from last season still hint at the problem that has to be solved first. Minnesota finished 18th in the league with a net rating of minus-3, a reminder that the gap between being a playoff hopeful and a true contender is still real, even with a star at the top of the lineup and young pieces like Brock Faber, Jesper Wallstedt and Matt Boldy expected to keep growing into bigger roles. [Read more 🡒]