Minnesota Wild: Wild fans!!! The Great Minnesota Get-Together (a.k.a. Minnesota State Fair) is now underway which means hockey season is not too far behind. Grab your favorite food on a stick and a beverage let’s start digesting something other than your hot honey jalapeno donut and dill pickle iced tea.
Just announced this week, center Marco Rossi signed a 3-year, $15 million extension to remain with the Wild after summer-long discussions with the team. He previously rejected a 5-year, $25 million extension offered last winter. The 9th overall draft pick in the 2020 draft now clearly faces the most important three years of his career thus far. Will he continue progressing and turn into a legit superstar worthy of asking north of $7-9 million AAV? Or will he plateau and remain a good, not great center for the Wild? You can bet your birthday cake-cookie dough on a stick that he’s going to come out hungry to prove that he can take the next step in his career and we sure hope he does just that.
The other big move of the offseason is definitely an intriguing one. Two-time Stanley-Cup champion, Vladimir Tarasenko, was acquired by the Wild after a trade in which the Detroit Red Wings will receive a bag of pucks and a fresh tube of Ben Gay (or something like that.) It’s a fact that his scoring output has fallen faster than the gloves in last year’s 4 Nations faceoff between Canada and the U.S.
However, he is still going to demand attention on the ice as a talented scorer. He has one year left on a $4.75 million and the Wild are hoping that he can return to his once deadly form. If nothing else, he won’t be scoring against us in clutch moments like he did when he was with the Blues of St. Louis. New teammate and fellow Russian superstar, Kirill Kaprizov, convinced Tarasenko to join the Wild and it could be one of the most underrated moves in the offseason.
Speaking of Kirill the Thrill, Wild GM Bill Guerin and fans everywhere are anxiously waiting for Kaprizov to return to the United States so the contract talks can get serious. All indications are that the terms of the contract negotiations are pretty close between the two sides and are looking to be in the $120 million range with the maximum of eight years ($15M per), which would be the highest contract per AAV in the NHL.
One other lingering question that will be answered one way or another, is if/how Jesper Wallstedt can come in to be a true backup goalie now that the almighty Marc-Andre Fleury has retired. He certainly has big pads to fill as he and fellow Swede, Filip Gustavsson will likely begin the season as the Wild netminders.
Wild fans everywhere were excited for the offseason in 2025 as the largest cap hits from the buyouts of Ryan Suter and Zach Parise came off the books. Prior to this year, the Wild were paying more than $14.7 million per season as a part of the buyouts. Beginning this year and until 2029, that cap penalty will fall to only $1.67 million. Thinking the Wild would make a splashy move in free agency, Guerin instead chose strategic restraint. Perhaps, to see how the upcoming season would play out and make some moves around the trade deadline. Or even to lure Connor McJesus away from Edmonton next year as he becomes an unrestricted free agent (we’re Minnesota sports fans – we ARE allowed to dream.)
The Wild begin their preseason in just under a month when they take on the Winnipeg Jets, last season’s President Cup winners on September 21. The Wild season home opener is Saturday, October 11 against the Columbus Blue Jackets at the Xcel Energy Center, newly re-named, Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul.
NEW Minnesota Hockey Hall of Fame: Also recently announced, the State of Hockey will finally have its own hockey hall of fame once it’s completed in May 2028. Minnesota already has the original Hockeytown USA in Warroad, MN, the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in Eveleth, MN, the largest high school hockey tournament in the nation, more high school boys & girls hockey players than any other state by a wide margin and is home to legendary hockey greats such as Herb Brooks, Neal Broten, Mark Pavelich, Phil Housley, Blake Wheeler, Brock Boeser, Dustin Byfuglien and Zach Parise (sore subject, I know.)
The location of the new $70 million hall of fame, which will include a 20,000 sq. ft. performance theater and a hockey-themed restaurant/bar, is yet to be determined, but officials hope to break ground in June of 2026. It looks to be an amazing facility that will only build upon the proud and unmatched hockey tradition in Minnesota.
Another hockey season is almost upon us. Once again, I will be keeping you up to date on all things hockey in Minnesota this season at The Morning Skate. Not a Wild fan? (cough, loser, cough). Check out coverage of other NHL teams from around the league – from Boston to Calgary and from New York to the Stars formerly known as the North Stars. Until next time, go Wild!!!!
The Morning Skate 