Hockey Wilderness
A Minnesota Wild Blog that WON'T make you sick and kill you!
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The Wild Must Navigate An Undefined Timeline For Brock Faber's Recovery
The Minnesota Wild don’t have a definitive timeline for Brock Faber’s return, and that uncertainty is the hardest part of losing one of their most important players. Faber remains out indefinitely following surgery to repair a fractured skull. Minnesota’s challenge is clear: Keep competing wit...
The Wild's Power Play May Finally Have Real Depth
Look at last season's leaders in power-play minutes. Three of the top 15 were with the Minnesota Wild. Part of the reason is that Kirill Kaprizov, Quinn Hughes, and Matt Boldy are elite options who can handle long shifts on the man advantage. That's the positive way to look at it. The other side of...
The Wild's Blown Lead Shouldn't Diminish Kaprizov's Milestone
Kirill Kaprizov’s 400th NHL game deserved a better ending. Instead, the Minnesota Wild left Buffalo with a frustrating reminder that even a milestone night for their biggest star cannot overshadow a game that slipped away. Minnesota surrendered a two-goal third-period lead Tuesday before Owen...
Wild Blow Lead Against Sabres, And They Deserve It
That's Wild The Minnesota WIld visited the Buffalo Sabres on an early-season trip out east and while they held a 2-0 lead thanks to two second-period goals from Danila Yurov and Maxim Shabanov, they ended up losing 3-2 in overtime. Tage Thompson and Noah Ostlund scored in the first half of the...
The Wild's Fourth Line Isn't Playing Like A Typical Fourth Line
Michael McCarron, Marcus Foligno, and Nick Foligno are all hammers, and the NHL is a nail. Despite each player averaging under 13 minutes a night, they averaged 2.7 hits each per game. Add that up, and the Minnesota Wild can count on its fourth line for eight impacts a night. Bill Guerin is co...
Olli Määttä Has Been Reliable When the Wild Need Stability
The Minnesota Wild are off to a strong start, winning their first two games. Their suffocating defense headlined both games. The team has allowed two goals and, according to Money Puck, only one high-danger shot attempt to reach Jesper Wallstedt. Several factors have contributed to Minnesota's domin...
Brock Faber's Latest Injury Update Is Terrifying
That's Wild Brock Faber suffered a fractured skull during the Minnesota Wild's final preseason game and is out indefinitely. We haven't been given much more information than that, but on a recent KFAN hit, The Athletic's Michael Russo offered up some more details and they are a little bit terri...
The Wild Created A Winning Blueprint Against Boston
The Minnesota Wild’s 4-1 home-opening win over the Boston Bruins wasn't a perfect 60-minute performance. Still, it was an encouraging blueprint for how this group can win games. Their stars displayed elite skills. They also had timely special teams, resilient goaltending, and a far stronger finish t...
Jesper Wallstedt Is Looking Like A Workhorse Goalie
For the first time in his career, Jesper Wallstedt has the cage all to himself. Ever since the Wall of St. Paul was the Wall of Lulea in Sweden, Wallstedt has been in a tandem. That continued with the Iowa Wild in the AHL, where he maxed out at 45 starts in the 2023-24 season. With Filip Gusta...
Kirill Kaprizov Is Adapting To Life After Zuccarello
Kirill Kaprizov scored twice Saturday night as the Minnesota Wild bested the Boston Bruins 4-1 in their home opener at Grand Casino Arena. He followed up on his goal Thursday in Minnesota’s season-opening win over Nashville. Two games into the season, Kaprizov already has three goals, and the Wild a...
Jonas Brodin Is Already Showing Why Wild Were Smart to Keep Him
In a summer when the Minnesota Wild started dropping core pieces like Mats Zuccarello and Marcus Johansson, it was natural to wonder whether Jonas Brodin was next. Brodin has been a rock for the Wild's defense for over a decade, but there were two reasons to think Minnesota might have finally parted...
Can Jared Spurgeon Do Enough to Replace Brock Faber?
That's Wild Brock Faber is going to miss some time. It's still undetermined for how long but now matter what, the Minnesota Wild have to keep playing hockey games in his absence. Captain Jared Spurgeon was once the leader of the blue line but has been surpassed by Faber and Quinn Hughes as t...
Fashion Could Be the Key To Predicting the Wild Season
The 2026-27 season is starting with a few wrenches thrown in. The Minnesota Wild haven't re-signed Quinn Hughes. Filip Gustavsson is recovering from hip surgery while his fill-in (Calvin Pickard) is struggling. Maybe worst of all, everyone’s favorite Minnesotan Brock Faber is out for an undetermined...
The Wild Opened the Season With Poised In 3-1 Win Over Predators
The Minnesota Wild opened the 2026-27 NHL season with a composed 3-1 road victory over the Nashville Predators on Thursday night at Bridgestone Arena. They used a fast first period, a perfect penalty kill, and timely scoring from key veterans to set an encouraging tone. Nick Foligno and newcom...
Bobby Brink Made A Strong Second Impression on Opening Night
Bobby Brink got something rare on Thursday night: A second chance to make a first impression. The Minnetonka native arrived in a deadline trade that sent David Jiříček to the Philadelphia Flyers, but he couldn't manage to make a splash. A shoulder injury in his first game with the Minnesota Wild did...
Blake Coleman Immediately Fit In With the Wild On Opening Night
The Minnesota Wild welcomed offseason acquisitions Olli Maatta, Maksim Shabanov, and Blake Coleman when they opened their new season on October 1. Minnesota traded for Coleman over the summer, and on Thursday, he became the 34th Wild player to score in his first game with the team on the back end of...
Wild Wins Season Opener Over Predators, Powered By Depth
That's Wild The Minnesota Wild have started their season on the right foot. With goals coming from Blake Coleman, Nick Foligno (and Kirill Kaprizov), they were able to power through the Nashville Predators by a score of 3-1. The stars played well, and the depth showed that they can be leaned...
The Wild Must Finally Lean On Its Youth to Succeed This Season
If you ask anyone around the team, the Minnesota Wild’s time is now. The Wild were one of the best teams in the NHL last season, and while the Colorado Avalanche eliminated them in a gentleman’s sweep to end their season, they're expected to take another step forward this year. Like most teams...
Will the Wild Handle the Preseason Differently After Faber's Injury?
The Minnesota Wild received the kind of preseason news every NHL team dreads: Brock Faber suffered a skull fracture in Friday’s exhibition finale against the Dallas Stars. Brock Faber underwent surgery Sunday and is now out indefinitely with no timetable for his return. For a team about to begi...
Bill Guerin's Offseason May Officially Be A Failure
Imagine if you will: The Minnesota Wild are ready to take the ice for their home opener. Quinn Hughes is the first out of the Wild locker room, but he’s alone. Seemingly by design (or following the ghosts that plague him), he makes his way out to the ice, only to be met by Wild general manager...
Bill Guerin's Throwback Vision Will Be Tested This Season
The Minnesota Wild finally open their season on Thursday, and as the big day approaches, the season previews are trickling in. So let's do a quick Google search and check out what some of the league's experts are saying about the squad, and... oh, no. When you actually delve into the prev...
How Will the Wild Survive Without Brock Faber?
That's Wild Brock Faber has a fractured skull and there is no timetable for his return. That's not good for him, and less important than that, it's not great for the Minnesota Wild to lose one of their top defenseman before a pivotal season. How can the Wild survive losing Faber? And, how ca...
Will Brock Faber's Absence Be An Eye-Opener For Quinn Hughes?
This may change between now and when you read this, but as of 3:00 pm Central on Tuesday, the Minnesota Wild still haven't signed Quinn Hughes to an extension. We're two days from Opening Night, which is unofficially the date to hit the "Start Panicking" button. And if that anxiety wasn't bad enough...
Are the Wild Asking Too Much Of Joel Eriksson Ek?
Despite being one of the league's most overlooked players, Joel Eriksson Ek has been a core Minnesota Wild player since his NHL debut in 2016-17. Eriksson Ek is set to play a crucial role again this season on a Wild team that hopes to contend for a Stanley Cup. While the centerman has continued to s...
David Spacek Has An Opportunity To Become Part of the Wild's Future
The 2026-27 season didn't even need to start to make it clear that David Spacek would finally get opportunities with the Minnesota Wild this year. Brock Faber's trip to the IR let the 2022 fifth-rounder sneak onto the Opening Night roster, and we don't know how long that will last. The Wild announce...
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