Key Offseason Acquisition Dominating Wild Training Camp Early

It’s an important season for the Minnesota Wild. But with the buyout penalties of Zach Parise and Ryan Suter finally off the books, the 2025-26 Wild — now loaded with cap space — have even bigger problems. A superstar who appears reluctant to sign a long-term deal.

President of hockey operations Bill Guerin was hoping to use some of the Wild’s newfound cap space on another high-end talent to put in the lineup with Kirill Kaprizov, Matt Boldy and Marco Rossi. Unfortunately, with the cap going through major changes over the next couple years, most big-name players chose not to test free agency.

That has left Minnesota with over $10 million in cap space, entering training camp. Guerin was able to swing one noteworthy trade for a player that most Wild fans certainly recognized, 33-year-old Vladimir Tarasenko, who haunted us for years, while in St. Louis.

Vladimir Tarasenko standing out among Minnesota Wild camp

The Minnesota Wild started training camp on Thursday, so the sample size is quite small, but so far the return on their 13-year NHL veteran is already catching the attention of his new teammates.

Through the first two days of camp, Tarasenko has been skating circles around his teammates, potting three goals in scrimmage on day one, and another for good measure, on day two.

Skating on a line with youngster Liam Ohgren and veteran Joel Eriksson Ek, Tarasenko has four goals and two assists in two scrimmages, both wins for his group.

“He’s been pretty good so far, I think,” Eriksson Ek said, laughing. “He can still shoot the puck.”

As for Tarasenko’s solid start to camp — Yakov Trenin joked, “Two scrimmages, he’s killing us” — he’s enough of a veteran to realize these are just scrimmages playing with and against players who are not necessarily professionals yet, let alone NHLers. He called it a “friendly game” with “many work days ahead.”

The Athletic

As The Athletic’s Michael Russo points out, the sight of Tarasenko in a Wild sweater is a weird one. This is a guy who has won a pair of Stanley Cup’s and has twice been named an All-Star. He has 304 career goals under his belt, and is among the more decorated talents across the NHL.

In 80 games last year though, Tarasenko scored just 11 goals and had 33 points while being worth a minus-13. His heyday with the St. Louis Blues seems well in the rearview mirror, but it would be great if his Minnesota teammates rejuvenate him.

The early returns are nice to see from Tarasenko. He’ll need to carry that level of production over to the regular season if the MN Wild are going to escape the first round of the playoffs.

With a track record of success, and knowing what it takes to go deep in the playoffs, Tarasenko’s experience is just as valuable as his abilities. The more he can impart that on his teammates, the better.

MN Wild youth benefitting from Tarasenko’s presence

It’s not just what Tarasenko is able to do on his own, but his ability to level up the youth around him matters too. John Hynes is going to rely on multiple young players this year. Liam Ohgren is among those that must level up quickly. He is currently playing on a line with the veteran.

Initially pegged to play with Matt Boldy and Joel Eriksson Ek, the 33-year-old Tarasenko has been skating next to Eriksson Ek and youngster Liam Ohgren with Mats Zuccarello injured, and coach John Hynes likes how the three have debuted.

“A lot of game develops outside of the hockey [rink], when you can find the same things to talk about when you’re on the bench, when you’re in the locker room, and talking about the game,” Tarasenko said about clicking with linemates. “At the same time when you play with guys who are willing to work hard and they don’t care who scores a goal, you just work for each other. It makes the chemistry a little better.”

Star Tribune

As the Star Tribune’s Sarah McLellan points out, Ohgren will be relied on early with Mats Zuccarello unlikely to start the season healthy. There’s a lot worse landing spots for a young player than to be paired with a decorated veteran. The most chemistry developed between the pair, the better the results should be expected to be.

Ohgren played in 24 games for the Minnesota Wild last season. He scored a pair of goals and averaged just over 11 minutes per game on the ice. It was an opportunity to get his feet wet.

With one training camp under his belt, it’s obvious how much more comfortable he looks. Eriksson Ek noted that Ohgren looks more poised. He’s acting like he belongs, and he sure looks like he belongs on this line with Eriksson Ek and Tarasenko.

Michael Russo – The Athletic

Now paired with Tarasenko, he’ll be tasked with doing more and the Wild need the tandem to help level each other up. If Tarasenko can lead the way as he has shown early, and Ohgren can follow suit, then Minnesota will be in a good spot to start the season.

The Minnesota Wild kick off their regular season on October 9 in St. Louis against the Blues. That presents a pretty fun opportunity for Tarasenko.