The Minnesota Wild took a significant step last season from Stanley Cup pretender to Stanley Cup contender. On December 12th, 2025 the Wild acquired D Quinn Hughes from the Vancouver Canucks for D Zeev Buium, Fs Marco Rossi & Liam Ohgren and a 1st round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft (24th overall – Adam Novotný). That was the majority of the reason that made the Wild a contender for the Cup.

But… there was more to it than just Hughes.

Wild is the Wind

“Hey, where are we going?”

After a 3-6-3 (W-L-OTL) record (6 points) in October which included a 1-3-2 record at home, they went 15-3-2 (32 points) from the beginning of November through December 13th which was the 3rd best record during that span. After acquiring D Quinn Hughes, they went 28-15-7 (65 points), good for 8th best in the entire league.  They were 43-18-9 (95 points) the rest of the season after that terrible start. They finished with the 7th best record in the entire league and 3rd best in the Western Conference. 

So… it wasn’t just the acquisition of Quinn Hughes but…

You can’t spell Hughes without H-U-G-E!

The Minnesota Wild righted the ship then sailed to Vancouver to pick up Quinn Hughes to direct the ship towards the promised land. Acquiring Quinn Hughes was a H-U-G-E boost to the offense. The Wild were 25th in the league offensively at 2.81 goals per game before Hughes (BH) and 5th in the league (3.56) after Hughes (AH). Their power play went from 10th (21.8%) to 4th (27.3%). The offense was clicking big time. 

Quinn Hughes was traded to the Wild on December 12th, played his 1st game with the Wild on December 14th which was also the first game of 6 games over 10 days then the Wild went on the longest road trip in franchise history because the 2026 World Junior Championships were being held at the Grand Casino Arena. That road trip was 7 games in 11 days. 

The NHL schedule was condensed due to the 2026 Winter Olympics. So from the time of the trade to the Olympic break, Quinn played 26 games in 53 days then he went to the Olympics and played 6 games in 11 days* to help Team USA win GOLD!!!

*Team USA played from February 12th through February 22nd. The Wild’s last game before the Olympic break was on February 4th & they started playing again on February 26th. 

That sounds exhausting even for players who weren’t in the Olympics. Add in everything that comes with moving from Vancouver to Minnesota and it makes you wonder… How smooth did that go? Did it affect his play? To put it in some perspective, the 2026-27 season won’t be as condensed as last season. The All-Star break will be 12 days but 2 more games have been added to the regular season making it 84 total games.

Quinn Hughes turned the Minnesota Wild from a playoff contender to a Stanley Cup contender. Now we get to see how a full offseason of work on his craft and knowing the Wild’s system helps him be even better.

Quinn-tessential

American  
[kwin-tuh–sen-shuhl] / ˌkwɪn təˈsɛn ʃəl /
Adjective
1. of the pure and essential essence of something.
2. of or relating to the most perfect embodiment of something.

It’s not difficult to see that Quinn Hughes is a great hockey player. His skating and hockey vision are exemplary. He led the league in assists by defensemen (8th overall). He affects the play so much because of his skating and more to the point, his quick acceleration and knowledge of where he can gain time and space. He can pivot quickly and keep the puck on his stick or push it to open space where he knows he can get to it first. 

Quinn Can Still Get Better Too (or in Two Ways)

The best players are the best because they work on all aspects of their game because they want to be great and they want to win. Quinn can be better by being more of a scoring threat with his shot and by playing better defense. His shot should be more accurate. He’s only had 2 seasons with double-digit goals (‘23-’24 & ‘24-’25). Those seasons also had his highest shooting percentages (8.5% & 8.3%) and his highest shots taken (199 & 193). That’s an average of under 3 shots per game. Improving his shot power & accuracy and encouraging him to shoot more should increase his goal-scoring.

We love his vision and how he finds players for scoring chances but we also want him to score more because that helps everything. The defense then has to respect him as a threat to score.

Defensively, he sometimes tries to make a play on the puck when he could either get his stick or his body in the way of the puck, the offensive player or the offensive player’s vision. He’s too good of a skater not to use that ability to play better defensively and also to know when to look to attack to end a play. 

There was a play in the final preseason game last Friday (September 25th) where he could’ve done just that… 

Quinn Hughes Defense – Skating to Angle off Offensive Attack of Roope Hintz – September 25th, 2026 from NHL.com

Quinn Hughes turns to skate forward because Roope Hintz has some speed on him but he stopped skating and coasted as he waited to see what Hintz would do. He should know Hintz has no passing option so he’s going to try to turn the corner on him so he should attack to end the play. Instead, Quinn goes for the puck while Hintz protects the puck with his left hand and gets to the net. Quinn ends up getting turned around and almost hits his head on the goal post and goes into the net.

Hopefully, Quinn was shown that clip. We know Quinn wants to win the Stanley Cup. He’s also a very smart player who loves the game so we’ll assume he knows what his weaknesses are and wants to improve those parts of his game. We shouldn’t take much from a meaningless preseason game that was the first game for the majority of the lineup. 

A Wild Offseason of Change

Who’s In? Who’s Out?

Every season sees change to an NHL roster. The Minnesota Wild had some major changes this offseason. One of the better free agent signings in Minnesota Wild franchise history, F Mats Zuccarello, signed a 1 year/$1M deal with the Los Angeles Kings. That had Wild fans wondering why they wouldn’t have matched that offer. The main reason is likely the $5M performance bonuses for 10 games played associated with that contract. That turns it into $6M after 10 games. Performance bonuses don’t count against this year’s cap. They do count against next year’s camp and $5M is a pretty significant chunk. So… Peanut Butter & Jelly Time is over!

You Can Still Get the T-Shirt though!

F Marcus Johansson was a free agent and he decided to go home and play in Sweden. He had a really good season and was one of the most valuable players in the entire league. He had 15 goals and 34 assists in 75 games and his contract was only $800K. That’s MoneyBall (or MoneyPuck?), right there.

The Minnesota Wild also let F Vladimir Tarasenko go. He became a free agent after the season and he’s still a free agent even though he scored 23 goals and 24 assists with 5 & 8 of those coming on the power play. Will he be back in the NHL sooner or later depending on injuries. He can clearly still put the puck in the net. That will always keep teams interested.

One day after free agency began, Minnesota Wild GM Bill Guerin must’ve realized he wouldn’t be able to get the number 1 center he so badly wanted from free agency so… he set out to try to improve his team another way.

WE HAVE A TRADE TO ANNOUNCE!!! 

F Blake Coleman and D Olli Maatta both have their names on the Stanley Cup twice and both went back-to-back to do it. That Stanley Cup winning experience is something Bill Guerin appears to value in a player. It makes sense. Players who’ve won it all know what it takes to get it done. 

Blake Coleman is a tw0-way player who can also score goals. He’s scored 20 or more goals in 5 of his 10 NHL seasons and 30 goals once. Olli Maatta looks like a pretty typical bottom paid defensive defenseman.

Not re-signing Fs Zuccarello, Johansson & Tarasenko and trading away D Jake Middleton means the Minnesota Wild lost a total of 55 goals and 111 assists and 14 goals and 29 assists on the power play.

Those players were replaced by F Blake Coleman and D Olli Maatta and… prospects? Fs Bobby Brink and Danila Yurov will get more time and… if you’re…

Maxim-ize who you sign! BOOM! 🎤 🫳🏻

Russian Into Free Agency

Also on July 2nd, the Minnesota Wild signed Russian F Maxim Shabanov to a 1-year/$1.6M contract. Maxim finished his 1st season in the NHL with the New York Islanders with just 5 goals and 13 assists (oooh, 13!) in 44 games played. He missed some time due to some injuries (upper-body early & lower-body late in the season) and coach’s decisions in favor of a heavier lineup and trade acquisitions. The Islanders chose to not tender him a qualifying offer and let him explore free agency.

Maxim Shabanov is 25-years old. He worked his way up the Russian hockey pyramid to reach the KHL as a 21-year old. In 3+ seasons in the top Russian professional hockey league, he developed into a point-per-game player in his last season when he scored 67 points (23 goals, 44 assists) in 65 games. That was good for 3rd in the league for points. He added 20 points (10g, 10a) in the playoffs but lost in the Gagarin Cup finals.
*and probably the 2nd best hockey league in the world

Maxim Shabanov has produced at every level so it seems it’s just a matter of time before he does that in the NHL. It’s his next challenge and he’s on a prove-it 1-year deal that will see him be a Restricted Free Agent after this season. He’s seen these contracts over the last year or so and probably wants a piece of it himself. 

Wild fans hope to be saying OPA a lot this season!

Did An Avalanche of Speed Expose the Wild?

The Minnesota Wild were beat 4 games to 1 by the Colorado Avalanche in the 2nd round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Colorado has a lot of speed and Wild GM Bill Guerin may have noticed and wanted to remedy that for this season.

Is part of the reason the Minnesota Wild let Fs Mats Zuccarello, Marcus Johansson & Vladimir Tarasenko and D Jake Middleton go their speed and Guerin wanted his team to be faster because of it? Blake Coleman, Olli Maatta and Maxim Shabanov are all faster skaters in top speed and on average than Zuccy, Jojo, Vlad and Mids.

Speed kills is a term strictly used for offense. Speed gets oohs & ahhs from the crowd because it’s rare to have elite speed. We’ll see if these changes help the Wild defend better this season.

To Boldy Go… Boldy will Be Better!

Put it in Bold Type! It has happened every season!

We’re already this far in and we haven’t even mentioned Minnesota Wild F Matt Boldy. That’s… uhh… Wild… because Matt Boldy is a superstar! Matt Boldy is entering his 6th season. His offensive output has steadily increased year after year. Last season was his first season at a point-per-game, 85 points on 42 goals, 43 assists, 30 Power Play points (11g, 19a) and 4 short-handed goals. He won a gold medal. He scored in the Gold Medal game. He just keeps finding ways to get better. He has great vision, great hands and just a great feel for the game. 

Can he reach 50 goals this season? 100 points? Bet Boldy Boldly Believes It?

We haven’t mentioned Joel Eriksson Ek either. He’s a beast and now they’re set to be on a line together with just-acquired F Blake Coleman. We know Boldy brings offense but he also plays a good two-way game. So does Ek and wow… so does Coleman so they should shut down opponents defensively and expose them offensively as well. 

Line Ruskie (Roosh-kie)

Speaking of OPA, the top line for the Minnesota Wild is Kirill Kaprizov, Danila Yurov and Maxim Shabanov, an all-Russian line that will start the season. Their performance will depend on how long they stay together.

We already talked about Maxim Shabanov above. 

Kirill Kaprizov doesn’t need much of an introduction if you’ve been watching the Wild for any of the last 6 years. Kap scores goals! Kap wins battles! Kap makes plays! Kap makes Ka$h! He averages 98 points (48 goals, 50 assists (17g, 17a on the Power Play)) over 82 games. The only season he didn’t have a point-per-game was his first season (51 points in 55 games) but in the other 5 seasons he has 424 points over 342 games. 

F Danila Yurov is entering his 2nd season just like Maxim Shabanov. Isn’t that ironic? Like a free ride when you’ve already paid? Danila had a similar rise to the top of Russian hockey. It just happened at an earlier age and he ended up winning the Gagarin Cup in his last season. They both led their team in scoring when they made it to the Finals. Maxim is older and probably a better offensive player right now but Danila may end up being the better player overall.

Yurov is getting the chance to be the Minnesota Wild number 1 center. That doesn’t happen by chance. He’s shown the front office and the coaches he deserves it. We believe part of the reason why is because of how he learns and changes his game. If he makes a mistake and they talk to him about it, he doesn’t make that mistake again.

From Wild on 7th, Episode 153 – Season Wrap with Bill Guerin:

“My last hockey question, Danila Yurov. John Hynes has mentioned Eriksson Ek traits to his game. What do you see? We talk about investment. That kid’s running stairs after morning skate. We know he’s a great defensive player. What do you see? What are you excited about from your end? 

Yeah, he’s a real pro, and you know what? He’s doing things. He does things at a young age that you expect, like a seasoned veteran to do, like with all that stuff, like taking care of yourself and, you know, the little extra that you do, the dedication to the details. And as a young player on the ice, he does the things that you normally beg young players to do, like be on the right side of the puck, defend this way, you know, limit your turnovers. So, to be honest with you, I was really happy with Danila. He’s got a very bright future ahead of him. Now the only thing is, you know, we got to make sure… train like an animal and get stronger. And I think there’s another level or two or three to the offensive side of his game. But, like I said, the things you normally beg young players to do, he already does them. 

And the one thing is he was in early against Dallas then we took him out. John had a conversation with him, and he said to John, he’s like, Ooh, it’s different. It’s a different level. And Hynes is like, Yeah. But then we put him back in, and he’s at that level. He adjusted. He knew where he had to take his game, and that’s an incredibly good sign. 

‘Yeah, the experience for him, first taste of it, invaluable.’ 

Yeah. I love what John said at the end of the year presser too, is that experience is the best teacher.”

‘The offensive want started to show up, I think, later in the playoffs too, which was kind of exciting.’ 

McCarron & the Foligno Bros!

Bookended Impact

Is that a band? A law firm? Folig-NO! It’s the 4th line and you better keep your head up ‘cause they’re coming for you! “NEVER TOUCH MY PUCK!”

There will be impact from that line, literally and figuratively! Usually the Minnesota Wild has a 4th line of young players who are still learning how to play that role. Not this season. Those 3 know, show and say… 

“This is the Way!”

B-Rock Star!

Brock Faber is one of the best defenseman in the NHL

Minnesota Wild D Brock Faber could be their number 1 defenseman. If they didn’t acquire Quinn Hughes, he would be but playing alongside Quinn Hughes and seeing how Quinn plays has and will up his offensive game. He’s seeing what’s possible for what he can do and when to do it. 

Defensively and skating, Brock Faber is elite. 

Matt Boldy talked about his skating. 

Hopefully, how Brock plays is showing Quinn so he will improve his defense too. Brock’s offense is ready to come out. It’s there. He doesn’t show it as often as he probably should. 

Depth on the Blue Line

(Brock Faber Injured in Final Preseason Game!) 
Likely out months with a skull fracture.

Unfortunately, we’ll have to wait for Brock to take the ice after he took a puck off the left side of his face in the final preseason game. It fractured his skull and no timetable had been announced for his return. Word is he is “doing very well” resting at home. Crazy how much life can change in a matter of 5 seconds. We’re not even talking about hockey now. We just hope Brock gets well ASAP so he can return to normal life first then see how he can return to hockey. 

It looks like the depth on the blue line will be tested pretty quickly. D Daemon Hunt is now the 6th defenseman with David Spacek taking the 7th defenseman role. Will they alternate being in and out of the lineup? Will Hunt get more time because he’s had more experience? Results will likely dictate the rotation.

The good thing is the Wild did sign college free agent D Viking Gustafsson Nyberg and Ben Dexheimer to improve that depth. They still have Carson Lambos and veteran Matt Kiersted in Iowa too.

We may find out the severity of Faber’s injury 2-3 weeks into the season if Bill Guerin goes out and gets a veteran defenseman to strengthen the depth on the big club.

A Wall went up in St. Paul

The Minnesota Wild won their first playoff series in 11 years when they beat Dallas* in 6 games at the end of April and a lot of the credit for that should go to G Jesper Wallstedt because he was Wallstedt-y in the crease. He took over the number 1 goalie job from Filip “the Gus Bus” Gustavsson and now… Gus is out after hip surgery so… The Wall of St. Paul will be in front of the net at the Grand Casino Arena for most of the beginning of the season. Will Jesper hold down the job while likely getting the majority of the starts early in the season?
*Norm Green Still Sucks!

The Wild signed veteran backup goalie Cal Pickard to be the acting backup until Gus gets back. He was the backup in Edmonton the last 3 seasons. He had a couple pretty good seasons with them but then kind of a down year last season but it’s hard to tell from stats because of defense.

X-Factor/s for the ‘26-’27 season

Who will be an X-Factor for the Minnesota Wild this season? Who will step up to make a difference in how this season plays out for this team?

F MaXim Shabanov has an X in his name and certainly deserves to be on the list. 

F Blake Coleman & D Olli Maatta can be X-Factors due to their Stanley Cup-winning experience and leadership. Their speed will help too.

A full season with a healthy Bobby Brink could definitely affect the team’s performance. He’ll be the right wing on the 3rd line with Yakov Trenin at left wing and Ryan Hartman at center.

Other candidates: 

F Charlie Stramel will start in the minors but he’s one of many reasons Wild fans should add the Iowa Wild to their interests this season. New coach Stu Bickel has a lot of players to develop and will be looking to change that team into a winning team.

D David Spacek made the roster out of training camp. He’s going to get a look sooner or later and right now it looks like sooner.

Fs Hunter Haight, Nico Sturm, Mason Shaw, Riley Heidt, Rieger Lorenz, someone else, Waiver claim?

Opportunities Abound

So… there are opportunities for the Minnesota Wild as a team to go on a long playoff run and build a confident, consistent winning team but there are also plenty of opportunities for each forward line & defensive pair and for individual players to improve their play and production.

We believe this team is set up to win Right Now! The Brock Faber injury sucks but it could allow Daemon Hunt and/or David Spacek or even another defenseman the time to get comfortable in the lineup. They schedule is not ideal but there are always parts of the schedule that aren’t ideal. This team won’t make any excuses and they have the players in the room that should get them to play the right way from the drop of the puck on Thursday, October 1st and through the entire season.

It takes more than 25 players to win a Stanley Cup! It takes the coaching staff, the equipment staff, the training staff, the front office staff, the general manager and the owner to get it done. There are a lot of people on those staffs that already have their name on the Cup. Let’s see if they can break down that door and seize the opportunity they have this season!

––––– CP –––––

Alright. Enough words. Let’s…

Drop the ClutterPuck for the 26th Season of Minnesota Wild Hockey!!!

––––– CP –––––

Next up: 

Wild at the Nashville Predators on October 1st at 7pm CST on Wild+ on Prime, FUBO or Spectrum Sports.

Bring the Clutter Every Day in Every Way, ‘Puckers!!!

––––– CP –––––

Thanks for Reading!!! 

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