Minnesota Wild Future Ranks Among Brightest in NHL
When the Minnesota Wild turned their attention to the 2024-25 NHL season, there was concern over whether they could legitimately compete in a stacked Western Conference. Then, Kirill Kaprizov took the next step in his development, and he’s now a leading candidate for the Hart Trophy (NHL MVP).
The timing couldn’t be any better because he’s due to hit free agency after the 2025-26 season, meaning extension talks will heat up between Kirill’s agent and the Wild this offseason, if not sooner. With Zach Parise and Ryan Suter’s cap penalties finally set to fall off, nobody can pay Kaprizov more than the team that drafted him.
Patience is a virtue. pic.twitter.com/DK3PTbI8uJ
— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) October 23, 2024
Beyond Kirill, who is 27-years-old, the Wild organization is bursting at the seams with young talent. Already playing alongside him in St. Paul, are Matt Boldy (23), Marco Rossi (23) and Brock Faber (22). Hell, Joel Eriksson Ek is only 27 years old too.
Future shining bright for Minnesota Wild
In their prospect system, more talent. Jesper Wallstedt is the highest rated goalie prospect to ever come through this organization. Top prospects Danila Yurov (C), Riley Heidt (C) and Liam Ohgren (LW) all project as top six NHL forwards. On defense, most experts see (D) Zeev Buium as a future top pair lock.
ESPN enlisted a group of trusted hockey insiders to rank the young talent within each NHL organization. They considered factors like roster construction, prospect pools, salary cap situations, and leadership.
Related: Report: Don’t Be Surprised if Minnesota Wild Sign Top Draft Pick After His Sophomore Season
The Minnesota Wild received exceptionally strong marks, securing a fourth-place ranking, with a cumulative score of 84.0, placing them in the “very good” category. Their prospect pool ranked 7th, which was the highest they ranked in any of the four categories.
| Category | Score | NHL Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Roster | 84.7 | 13th |
| Prospects | 88.8 | 7th |
| Cap/contracts | 79.3 | 12th |
| Owner/GM/coach | 81.7 | 11th |
| Overall | 84.0 | 4th |
I’m not quite sure what magic potions director of amateur scouting Judd Brackett and his staff are using to consistently extract value out of the draft, but every year they snag two or three players well past where they should be selected. Zeev Buium and Aron Kiviharju were those two players in 2024, and the Ryder Ritchie selection at No. 45 was a solid one, too. The Wild have signed the highest percentage of their draftees to entry-level contracts since 2020.
Kristen Shilton – (ESPN)
The Minnesota Wild have remained relevant through the Parise/Suter buyout era. Now, it’s about taking that next step. Billy needs to make the right moves, as more money frees up and these blossoming prospects start to make their way to the NHL.
Related: Kirill Kaprizov’s Next Contract is Going to be Massive
Now that the Suter/Parise black clouds are starting to disperse, new opportunities to improve the roster will begin to present themselves. It’s up to the Wild’s president of hockey operations, and his coaching staff, to take advantage, then implement/develop this influx of talent.
“Those savings plus having one of the most consistent farm-to-table setups in the NHL raise questions about whether the Wild can piece everything together to have a long-term winner.”
Ryan Clark – (ESPN)
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