Hockey Wilderness
A Minnesota Wild Blog that WON'T make you sick and kill you!
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A Tryout With the Wild Launched Joel Ward's Improbable Career
It wouldn't be fair to categorize the Minnesota Wild's state at this year's NHL Draft as dormant. Still, they are without their first- and second-round picks, which puts them in an odd spot. History has shown that selecting high in any draft can be a pivotal step in quickly changing a team's p...
Are the Wild's Prospects Good Enough to Trade?
That's Wild We all know the Minnesota Wild and Bill Guerin are looking to make that big swing this summer. In addition to getting Quinn Hughes last season (and probably re-signing him this summer), they need to add some sort of top-six forward to the group. To do that, they need to trade. An...
The Wild Must End the Jacob Middleton Experiment
The Minnesota Wild entered the postseason hoping that stability on the blue line would help carry them deeper into the playoffs. Instead, one of the most persistent storylines became their continued reliance on Jacob Middleton – a decision that increasingly looks like an experiment that has run its...
Brady Tkachuk Validated the Minnesota Wild
If the walls in Winnipeg could talk, they’d tell you that Keith Tkachuk was persona non grata 500 miles north of St. Paul. He’s also probably not welcome in Minnesota’s capital city after the Ottawa Senators traded his son, Brady Tkachuk, to the Florida Panthers over the weekend. The trade reu...
Wild Could've Had Brady Tkachuk, But Missed Their Opportunity
Sunday night was supposed to be fairly quiet heading into what was bound to be an eventful week in the NHL, as the 2026 NHL Draft is next weekend. Fortunately for everyone wanting some drama heading into Monday, the Ottawa Senators traded captain Brady Tkachuk to the Florida Panthers to reunite with...
What Are the Wild Weighing With A Zuccarello Extension?
Before the playoffs ended, Mats Zuccarello told The Athletic that he had “more years” left in him. He also reiterated he wanted to re-sign with the Minnesota Wild. GM Bill Guerin has said the Wild “always have interest in Zuccy.” The issue when considering Zuccarello’s possible extension is not lack...
In 1993, One Terrible Rumor Became Reality For Minnesota Hockey
If you’re looking for a place where rumours run rampant, look no further than June through September during the NHL offseason. It’s hard to believe what you hear during this stretch; it feels like no organization, staff member, player, or even jersey colour is safe. Change is inevitable in the NHL,...
Does Vegas’ Playoff Run Reframe the Wild’s Second-Round Loss?
John Tortorella is gone as soon as he came. The Vegas Golden Knights hired him with eight games left in the season, and he led them to a 28-8-1 record, including the playoffs. Vegas swept the Colorado Avalanche after the Avs eliminated the Wild in the second round before losing to the Carolina Hurri...
The Wild Need Their Own Taylor Hall
The Carolina Hurricanes' Stanley Cup run offers an alternate model for teams to build contenders. Rather than "tank for years and get a generational talent," the Hurricanes built a powerhouse team with just one top-10 pick in their past 10 drafts, which they used on non-franchise player Andrei Svech...
Wild Need a New AHL Head Coach
That's Wild Greg Cronin, coach of the AHL Iowa Wild, has been scooped up by the St. Louis Blues and hired as an assistant coach for the Wild's divisional rivals. So now, the Wild need to get a new bench boss for their farm team and there have not been any leads named. [The Athletic] Fr...
Free Agency May Not Be the Answer For the Wild This Summer
Now that the NHL season has come to a close, attention can turn fully to how the Minnesota Wild will tinker with their roster. Minnesota’s offseason will undoubtedly be interesting. We know they won’t be able to take any top-level prospects at the NHL Entry Draft, given that they won’t pick un...
How Aggressive Will the Wild Be This Summer?
That's Wild There are a number of NHL teams who could be more all-in this summer than expected. Over at The Athletic they did a practice of naming eight teams who could be hyper-aggressive this offseason to add as much talent as possible as they are under substantial pressure to finish next...
Michael McCarron’s Contract Is About More Than Stats
This week, the Minnesota Wild heeded social media's pleas and re-signed Michael McCarron to a six-year, $3.33 million contract. While the fun side of Wild Twitter is rejoicing over the return of Big Sexy, there are plenty of detractors who want to talk about why this contract is bad. This isn’...
McCarron's Contract Reflects His Value To A Championship Roster
Michael McCarron is a fourth-liner, 31 years old, and locked up through the 2031-32 season at $3.33 million per year, with a full no-movement clause attached – a classic Bill Guerin contract. When the Minnesota Wild announced McCarron's new contract Tuesday, the consensus formed fast: Guerin had ove...
Signing Anders Lee Would Solve A Longstanding Wild Issue
The Minnesota Wild’s need for a legitimate top-six center has been one of the organization’s most persistent issues. If the trade market fails to produce a solution, the team should strongly consider pivoting in free agency, specifically toward New York Islanders captain Anders Lee. While Lee...
Dylan Larkin Needs the Wild As Much As Minnesota Needs Larkin
It's been a week since the bombshell news of Dylan Larkin's trade request hit the NHL, and the hockey world has been trying to figure out where he'll land. At first, it seemed as if Larkin had just three destinations he'd waive his no-move clause for, but he has expanded his list recently. The...
Wild Just Don't Have Enough To Land Dylan Larkin
The Minnesota Wild are going to go hard after Dylan Larkin. Almost immediately after the Detroit Red Wings captain and first-line center requested a trade out of Michigan, the entire Wild front office leaped to their phones to ask Steve Yzerman what he wants from their roster to get the 29-year-old...
Do the Wild Have To Trade For the First 1C Available?
The Vegas Golden Knights will have screwed with everyone’s expectations once the season ends, especially the Minnesota Wild’s. Vegas hovered around +1000 odds (bet $100 to win $1000) of winning the Stanley Cup most of the season, meaning they were fringe contenders. Their odds naturally were h...
Do Carson Lambos and David Spacek Still Have A Future With the Wild?
I watched a lot of Iowa Wild games this year, took my annual road trip to catch a home series, and also went down to Des Moines to cover the team’s final two games of the season. Through it all, I was able to observe and document the growth, difficulties, and progress that players encountered as the...
Wild Suddenly Have More Competition For Dylan Larkin
The Minnesota Wild were named as a team that Dylan Larkin wants to go to after his trade request. Initially, it was assumed that they would only face competition from the Vegas Golden Knights and the Florida Panthers to get the 30-year-old center, but now it seems like there are going to be several...
The McCarron Contract Is A Product Of Guerin Prioritizing Certainty Over Upside
Listen to Bill Guerin talk about Michael McCarron after signing him to a six-year, $20 million contract, and you’ll hear a similar refrain. McCarron is a core player, a good locker room guy, and helps them on the ice. “He’s become an integral part of the team,” Guerin said Tuesday after negotia...
Dylan Larkin Would Add Dimension the Wild Desperately Need
The Minnesota Wild have spent the past several seasons building a competitive roster defined by structure, discipline, and strong defensive play. While that identity has kept them in the playoff picture, it has also exposed a persistent issue: a lack of elite, game-breaking offensive talent down the...
Michael McCarron Might Still Be An Overpay Despite Giving the Wild A Discount
Two things are true at the heart of Michael McCarron's six-year, $20 million contract. The first is that McCarron proved he can help a team win. His two goals both swung momentum the Minnesota Wild's way at crucial moments. McCarron was their leading penalty killer at forward, playing 30 short...
Joel Eriksson Ek Can't Be Part Of the Wild's No. 1 Center Trade
Bill Guerin has been forthright in saying he’s trying to add a No. 1 center, so naturally there’s a lot of speculation about who the Minnesota Wild are targeting. While bringing in a new player will be exciting, it’s also vital to examine the other part of those transactions. What the Wild will...
The Ducks Are The Perfect Dylan Larkin Trade Partner
The Minnesota Wild want Dylan Larkin, and Larkin wants to play in St. Paul. Detroit Red Wings’ general manager Steve Yzerman had Larkin submit his list of teams he wants the Red Wings to trade him to, and he chose the Wild, the Vegas Golden Knights, and the Florida Panthers. However, Yzerman wants a...
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