The Minnesota Wild have already spent the first month of the season dealing with more than their share of uneasy storylines. Through 15 games, they’ve navigated injuries, watched an unsigned situation linger, and seen their special teams go from sharp to shaky and back again. Even so, they’ve kept finding ways to get through it.
The injury list is the biggest reason for concern, and it hasn’t been limited to one type of setback. Filip Gustavsson is still working his way back while on long-term injured reserve, though head coach John Hynes recently told the media at morning skate ahead of the Wild’s eventual overtime loss to the New York Islanders on Thursday, Oct. 29, that Gustavsson is skating regularly.
Brock Faber’s situation has been even more alarming. He suffered a skull fracture in a preseason game after taking a puck to the side of the head, one of the scariest injuries the franchise has dealt with. The good news is that he is moving forward: in the same update, he was cleared for workouts, and a few days later Hynes said he had started light skating, according to Joe Smith of The Athletic.
Nico Sturm also took a puck to the side of the head, though his injury was not as severe. He spent time in concussion protocol before returning to the lineup a little over a week later.
Then there’s Jared Spurgeon, who blocked two shots and is now week-to-week with a lower body injury. As one of the Wild’s best defensemen and their captain, he is a major loss for a team that leans on him for both play and leadership.
Another uneasy situation is Quinn Hughes still being unsigned. Many expected something to get done in the offseason or at least before the regular season began, but that never happened. There is still time for a deal, but the longer it stretches on, the less confidence there seems to be around it.
The surprise factor around Hughes is part of what makes this so hard to read. The Wild’s move to bring him in came out of nowhere, and a possible re-signing could just as easily blindside everyone.
General manager Bill Guerin addressed the situation on a local radio show this past week and said he hasn’t spoken with Hughes’ camp in a while. He added that there’s nothing to discuss right now, that the focus is on the team, and that it will get figured out in time.
Special teams have also been a problem, even if the Wild have managed to steady that area more than once. They opened the season with strong play on both units and a good run built on it, but that fell apart quickly. The issues weren’t isolated to one mistake here or there; the whole thing seemed to unravel at once.
After two games, they had mostly corrected it, only for new bumps to show up again. The encouraging part is that they responded quickly and have looked more solid lately, even if there are still details to clean up. That matters, because special teams have already played a major role in how this season has gone.
For all the concerns, the Wild are still near the top of the league. They’ve absorbed a lot, kept competing, and found ways to win while waiting for things to settle down. As the calendar moves toward the American Thanksgiving holiday near the end of November, they’ll be hoping the injury situation, the Hughes uncertainty, and the special teams swings all start trending in the right direction.
In Other News...
Wild May Have The Best Dylan Larkin Offer And Still Miss Out
The talk around Dylan Larkin has put Minnesota in an interesting spot, because the Wild are believed to have put together the strongest offer among the teams he would actually consider. According to NHL Networks Elliotte Friedman, that package has drawn attention for its size and ambition, with the Wild clearly signaling they are willing to pay up if it means landing a top-line center.
But the Red Wings have not taken the deal, and the gap appears to be about more than just interest. Detroit is said to want more value for the present, not simply a stack of future assets, which leaves Minnesota waiting even after making what is viewed as the best approved offer. Other clubs, including Montreal, Buffalo and St. Louis, have also shown interest, but none are on Larkins approved list, keeping the Wild in the mix even as the finish line remains out of reach. [Read more 🡒]
Mikko Rantanens Deal Says Everything About Dallas Next Big Negotiation
Mikko Rantanens new eight-year, $96 million extension in Dallas landed as one of those deals that says as much about the player as it does about the team. In an NHL market where the salary cap keeps climbing and top-end stars keep pushing the number higher, Rantanen chose stability over squeezing every last dollar, giving the Stars a major long-term piece while resetting the conversation around what elite forwards can command.
For Minnesota fans, the ripple effect is easy to spot in the background, because Dallas now has another star contract to navigate while Jason Robertson sits on a one-year deal that expires after this season. The timing matters, too, with negotiations always looking different when a player is headed toward the open market and when a team is trying to keep its core intact under a cap that is changing fast. [Read more 🡒]
Stars Could Expose Whether Capitals Hot Start Is Actually Real
Washington has opened the 2026-27 season with an 8-4-0 record and sits third in the Metropolitan Division, a start that has given the Capitals some early breathing room in a crowded race. Alex Ovechkin is still driving the offense, and the team has done enough through the first month to look like more than a slow starter trying to find its footing.
The next stretch should say a lot more about how real this beginning is. Minnesota is on the schedule, but the bigger measuring sticks come right after, with Dallas and Florida waiting to test whether the Capitals can keep producing against playoff-caliber opponents while dealing with some issues on the back end. If the results hold, the early standings will look a lot more meaningful, and if they do not, the hot start could start to feel a little less secure. [Read more 🡒]