Looking ahead to the Minnesota Wild’s 2022-23 season
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After a fast and disappointing end to the Wild’s playoff run last season, the team looks ahead to a fresh start in October. The Wild broke many franchise records last season with the help of their star Kirill Kaprizov. Kaprizov helped many players on the team have record years such as Ryan Hartman, Mats Zuccarello and Kevin Fiala, placing the team in the elite group of franchises in the NHL. However now with some adjustments, can the Wild perform as well as they did last season?
There have been a few significant changes and events that occurred during this offseason. With the Wild struggling financially, they had to make some difficult decisions that would result in losing key pieces. Kevin Fiala, who proved to be a top forward in the league was traded to the Los Angeles Kings. This loss will shake up the line combinations that the Wild solidified for a large portion of the season. Cam Talbot, who was a fan-favorite goalie was traded to the Ottawa Senators. There were rumors that Talbot wanted to be the go-to starter for the Wild, however with the addition of Fleury, that wouldn’t be the case as they would most likely split the time evenly.
Also, a close and tense situation arose in the summer with Kaprizov not being able to enter the United States as rumors of him being in trouble in Russia came about. However, he is now in Minnesota, showing that everything in most likely clear in that situation.
With these roster and financial adjustments that the team is going through, some of the younger players such as Matt Boldy and Marco Rossi will need to step up and be a reliable option for the team. This year will most likely be the biggest year for the young players and prospects of the team in franchise history. Many players will get their first shot in the NHL and prove who is worthy of solidifying a position on the team for the remainder of the season. As most people predict the Wild to barely make the playoffs this year, it will take the new additions and young players to ultimately place the team high in the standings.
