Minnesota’s first line has done more than get hot. It has warped the scoreboard.
Kirill Kaprizov, Joel Eriksson Ek and Matt Boldy have been steamrolling opponents at 5-on-5 ever since John Hynes put them together, and the production has been impossible to miss. The trio has combined for 23 goals, with Kaprizov responsible for 14 of them on his own. Watching them is one thing; seeing where they sit across the league’s expected-goals leaderboards is another level entirely.
Before Thursday’s action, the NHL’s individual expected-goals rankings on Evolving-Hockey had Kaprizov first at 14.37, Eriksson Ek second at 12.23 and Boldy third at 9.21. The next names on the list were Auston Matthews at 8.45 and Zach Benson at 8.18.
Natural Stat Trick tells the same story, with Kaprizov, Eriksson Ek and Boldy again occupying the top three spots. MoneyPuck does too, with 97, 14 and 12 lining up in that same order.
That kind of teammate overlap at the very top almost never happens. Teams have placed two players high on those lists before, and the 2025-26 Oilers did it with Zach Hyman and Connor McDavid finishing first and third.
But only one club has ever landed three teammates in the top 10 since tracking began in 2007-08: the 2013-14 Sharks, when Patrick Marleau was fourth, Joe Pavelski sixth and Logan Couture 10th. Even then, those three shared the ice for just 42 minutes on the same line.
Minnesota’s trio has been together for more than half of its 5-on-5 minutes. That matters because hockey only gives everybody one puck, and sharing usually limits how far elite shot rates can go.
This line has somehow blown past that problem. Kaprizov, Eriksson Ek and Boldy have all been getting theirs.
The power play has pushed the numbers even higher. Minnesota’s setup is clear: Maxim Shabanov and Quinn Hughes work the puck to Kaprizov or Boldy, then Eriksson Ek goes to work around the crease. Shabanov and Hughes have combined for 27 shot attempts on the man advantage, which is fewer than Eriksson Ek’s 28, Kaprizov’s 32 or Boldy’s 36.
That makes the group tough to pin down. Kaprizov and Boldy force defenders to respect the shot, while Eriksson Ek can bully his way into rebounds and loose pucks in front. Teams have not found an answer yet, though they have had a little luck at times.
Minnesota is already sixth in the NHL in power-play conversion at 26.5% and sixth in power-play goals per hour at 10.71. The underlying numbers say there may be more there, too.
The Wild lead the league with 15.66 expected goals per hour on the power play, more than two goals better than the second-place Oilers. Their top unit is also sitting at nearly 17 expected goals per hour at 5-on-5.
It is a small sample, and probably not something that lasts at this pace. But through October, the Wild’s top line has been as overwhelming as any group in the league, and the numbers make that impossible to ignore.
In Other News...
Wild Fans Should Be Worried About This Dylan Larkin Push
The idea of the Wild chasing Dylan Larkin is the kind of rumor that naturally gets attention in Minnesota, especially with the club looking for ways to sharpen its long-term outlook. Larkin is a productive center and a legitimate top-end player, but the discussion around him is less about star power alone and more about what kind of roster shape Minnesota would be buying into if it pushed hard for a deal with Detroit.
The problem is that a move like this would not come cheap, and the Wild would have to weigh immediate help against the cost of thinning out a prospect pool that still matters to their future. Any serious pursuit also comes with the usual trade-off questions about whether a team is adding the right piece for contention or overpaying for a player who raises the floor without changing the ceiling in the way a true franchise centerpiece would. [Read more 🡒]
Wild Blue Line Crisis Makes One Recent Decision Look Much Worse
The Wilds blue line has been under constant strain, and a decision from late October looks a lot shakier in hindsight. Minnesota put Daemon Hunt on waivers on Oct. 23 because of salary cap constraints and roster management, a move that came when the defense group still had more breathing room than it does now. Since then, the Wild have been forced to keep patching together their back end, with Carson Lambos recalled and Cameron Crotty brought in as the injuries and lineup shuffling piled up.
What makes the Hunt move stand out is how quickly the situation changed around it. Jared Spurgeon and Brock Faber have both been unavailable, leaving Minnesota thin on the blue line and searching for answers while it continues to juggle roster moves and trade discussions. In that context, losing a young defenseman for nothing has become another reminder of how narrow the margin has been for the Wild as they try to stabilize the position. [Read more 🡒]
Hurricanes Fans Will Recognize The Trade Problem In Quinn Hughes Situation
Quinn Hughes has put the Wild in a familiar kind of waiting game, one that leaves front offices trying to read tea leaves without much help from the player side. His future in Minnesota remains uncertain, with no clear sign yet on whether he will commit to an extension or drift toward free agency, and that uncertainty is already shaping how the team has to think about its next move.
Elliotte Friedman pointed out the wrinkle that makes this situation especially tricky: unlike Mikko Rantanen, Hughes has not given Minnesota a list of teams he would be willing to sign with. That leaves the Wild with a hard choice between holding onto him and exploring a trade, but any deal would still come with the uncomfortable possibility that a new team could pay the price and still end up watching him walk away. [Read more 🡒]