NHL Commish Threatening a Minnesota Wild Relocation Out of St. Paul?

Minnesota Wild owner Craig Leipold at Xcel Energy Center
Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-Imagn Images

The Minnesota Wild spent the first half of the 2024-25 NHL season near the top of the Western Conference standings, as they battled a plague of injuries to the best players on roster, including Kirill Kaprizov, Jared Spurgeon, Jake Middleton, Brock Faber, Joel Eriksson Ek and Jonas Brodin (among others).

But those are today’s problems. What happens if we take a step back and look to the future? What does the crystal ball hold for a MN Wild franchise that has yet to make a Stanley Cup Final in its quarter century of existence? The Parise/Sutor cap penalties mostly fall off after this season, finally. That will surely help.

First on the Wild’s offseason agenda will be a Kirill Kaprizov extension. That needs to happen first, or there will be no imminent opportunity to win a Cup. Meanwhile, what is the plan at goalie? Oh, and will Guerin find a way to ship Rossi out of town, even after catapulting past expectations the past two seasons?

Xcel Energy Center needs big price tag renovations

All of these player personnel question marks have Wild fans mostly distracted from the escalating situation with the team’s home arena, Xcel Energy Center. Not only is the naming rights contract coming due after this season, but owner Craig Leipold is also trying to push a massive overdue renovation inside the multi-purpose venue.

Xcel Energy Center- Home of the Minnesota Wild - St. Paul, MN
Credit: Matt Blewett-Imagn Images

According to The Athletic’s Michael Russo — beyond updates to the “HVAC system, cabling and wiring, kitchens and bathrooms” inside the X (which it won’t be called much longer) — the Wild want to add a second escalator, make updates and improvements to the home locker room, and add a team video room. For the fans, the goal is more concession and club options on “all building levels”.

How much will these massive arena renovations cost and who will pay for them? The cost will be in the hundreds of millions of dollars and the Minnesota Wild are requesting tax dollars to help pay for the improvements. Both are standard asks for any professional sports team looking to build new or renovate a home venue.

Related: Sounds Like Brock Nelson is Destined for a MN Wild Homecoming…but When?

As Russo points out in his piece, the Vikings got more than half of U.S. Bank Stadium paid for by taxpayers, the Twins somehow got 77% of Target Field paid for via public funds. Even Target Center got half of their multi-hundred million dollar renovation paid for from tax dollars.

NHL Commissioner comes to side of MN Wild owner Craig Leipold

But NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, who was in town for the Minnesota Wild’s last game vs the Calgary Flames over the weekend, made it very clear to St. Paul political leaders that the Wild and NHL are very serious about receiving these public funds.

“This building is what, 25 years old now? It was designed very well for hockey, but it’s no longer state-of-the-art. It needs a refresh. I’m also mindful of the fact that the other three major sports teams have all gotten stadiums or upgrades with a public-private partnership. Craig obviously is prepared to participate. The Wild are.”

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman – Quote via The Athletic

Then… Bettman did something that’s sure to cause some unwelcome deja vu for local hockey fans. He made a not-so-passive-aggressive threat about a Minnesota Wild move out of St. Paul. The NHL commish says that Craig Leipold is committed to remaining in St. Paul, but Bettman also made it clear that the league is not as committed as the Wild owner.

If the state of Minnesota and the city of St. Paul can’t come to a funding agreement that makes the Wild feel financially supported like pro teams that play in Minneapolis, then there are other “options” on the table, according to Bettman. No, not outside the state. Russo and Smith’s piece at The Athletic makes it very clear the NHL “won’t allow that to happen again” so don’t panic completely.

“[Craig Leipold] is a fan of and committed to St Paul. Though he probably has options, he’s not exploring them because this is where he wants to be and he wants the team to be, and he’s been committed to St Paul for every breathing moment that he’s owned the team.”

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman – Quote via The Athletic

Could Minnesota Wild consider a move out of St. Paul?

Instead, Bettman and Leipold have their eyes on the other Twin City, along with some Minneapolis/St. Paul suburbs. The Athletic’s piece specifically mentions Arden Hills, which was a finalist for U.S. Bank Stadium, before it ended up in downtown Minneapolis.

Related: MN Wild Prospects Turn Heads at 2025 World Junior Championship

If Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez land the Minnesota Timberwolves, they are expected to privately fund a new arena. The Wild could lease there, too. In other words: St. Paul needs to convince state politicians to approve funding for Xcel Energy Center renovations on the East side of the river… or else.

[Bettman] is inferring that other cities and communities might be alternatives if St. Paul, which owns Xcel Energy Center, can’t convince the state to support a renovation. Minneapolis is one option. Depending on how the Timberwolves ownership dispute shakes out, Alex Rodriguez and Mark Lore will be pushing for a privately financed new arena, so the Wild could always try to lease in there.

Plus, remember, when the Vikings were threatening to move out of Minneapolis before U.S. Bank Stadium got funded largely through public support, Arden Hills stepped up as one community trying to attract the Vikings by agreeing with them on a new stadium.

Michael Russo & Joe Smith – The Athletic

Beyond hockey, there is a lot to be figured out for the Minnesota Wild, over the next year or two. One thing is for sure, Gary Bettman does not come out with these public threats to MN and St. Paul politicians, if early talks for funding between Leipold and lawmakers had gone well. Clearly, they have not. Thus, Bettman is trying to put some pressure on. Will it work? Only time will tell.

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