Post-Mortem: Minnesota Wild Reminded They Aren't Cup Front-Runners Yet
In recent years, the Minnesota Wild have put together a clearly excellent hockey team.
Wild GM Bill Guerin deserves credit for assembling a deep, well-balanced squad – not to mention pulling off the NHL's biggest blockbuster trade this year, acquiring superstar defenseman Quinn Hughes from the Vancouver Canucks.
The Wild finished third in the ultra-competitive Central Division with a 46-24-12 record, and they beat the league's third-best team, the Dallas Stars, in Round 1 of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
There's a lot to like about what Guerin has assembled in Minnesota, including one of the NHL's biggest superstars in left winger Kirill Kaprizov, and a terrific goaltending tandem in rookie Jesper Wallstedt and Filip Gustavsson.
Minnesota's Historic Collapse Ends With Tough Questions For Kirill Kaprizov
A record-breaking contract brings unprecedented expectations. After vanishing during a devastating playoff exit, the NHL's highest-paid star must now face the harsh scrutiny reserved for the league's elite.
What's Next For The Wild?
Guerin has managed his player salaries responsibly, as the Wild have a projected $13.5 million in cap space to use this summer and eight pending UFAs. Their top forwards and defensemen and both goalies are under contract at least through the 2026-27 season.
There will be a financial reckoning for Hughes when he becomes a UFA in the summer of 2027, but the expected rise in the cap ceiling for the foreseeable future means they'll be able to keep Hughes around – if he wants to stay.
That said, Hughes should want to stay in Minnesota. He's going to have his best chance at winning a Cup with the Wild, and not with his brothers, Jack and Luke, with the New Jersey Devils. The Wild took a notable step forward this season, but winning a championship is still very much a process. And although Minnesota couldn't get over the hump against a divisional rival in Colorado, the reality is they don't have many holes for Guerin to fill this summer.
It's no comfort for Wild fans to hear, but the truth is the Avalanche and Stars will be very good for a long time, and the Utah Mammoth are pushing up from below in the Central. So while it's going to be difficult for Minnesota to get beyond Round 2 in the 2027 playoffs, with the right tweaks by Guerin and a bit of puck luck, the Wild could evolve further and push into the Western Conference final and beyond.
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This story was originally published May 14, 2026 at 1:19 PM.