The Minnesota Wild don't have a history of going far in the Stanley Cup playoffs, but GM Bill Guerin has put together a dynamic Wild team that can contend for a championship. What does Minnesota have to do to take that next step and make themselves a true Cup front-runner?
For much of their existence, the Minnesota Wild have been a study in mediocrity.
Dating back general manager Bill Guerin's first season back in 2019-20, the Wild have finished higher than third in their division just one time, when they placed second in the highly-competitive Central Division in 2021-22.
The Wild have also won just a single Stanley Cup playoff series in that span — and that was last year, when Minnesota beat the Dallas Stars in Round 1 before going out meekly in a five-game elimination at the hands of the Colorado Avalanche.
Following an off-season that wasn’t especially impressive, is this Minnesota team really a legitimate Stanley Cup contender?
From this writer’s point of view, the answer to that question is a highly-qualified 'maybe'. A lot of the Wild's potential in 2026-27 hinges on what other moves Guerin makes from here.
As it stands, it’s hard to see Minnesota getting further in the playoffs than they did in the spring. There's certainly a lot to like about them, including star defensemen Quinn Hughes and Brock Faber, wingers Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy, and a goalie tandem in youngster Jesper Wallstedt and Filip Gustavsson.
That’s more quality talent that most teams can boast on any given night.
However, the Wild are not a perfect team. There’s a clear need for a second-line center, which is why Minnesota has often been linked to Detroit Red Wings pivot Dylan Larkin. But if the Wild had the trade capital and salary cap space to acquire Larkin, they would’ve done so already.
The reason we gave a qualified 'maybe' to the Wild being a true Cup front-runner is that goaltending depth. Gustavsson had off-season hip surgery and he won’t be active at the start of the season, but once he returns to the lineup, Gustavsson will give Minnesota a goaltending tandem most teams can only dream of.
That said, if the Wild are to take that next competitive step, they probably will have to choose one of the two goalies and trade the one they don’t see as their long-term No. 1 option in net.
If the Wild do deal one of Gustavsson or Wallstedt, they should be able to command a huge price, which is where Guerin comes in. He has to find a team not only willing to trade a top-six forward he can plug in at center, but also, one that needs a netminder badly enough to pay that price.
You never know what teams will need a goalie as the season progresses as performance issues and injuries arise. It's hard to blame Guerin for laying low and not showing his hand. The market could change at any time, and Minnesota needs to be opportunistic when the time comes to strike on the trade front.
While we’re certainly not going to suggest the Wild are headed toward disaster and disappointment in 2026-27, we’re also not quite prepared to paint Minnesota as a team set to dominate.
The Wild are going to be a handful this year, but there’s a difference between being a handful and having a hand that can push them into the championship winner’s circle.
Minnesota has a lot to prove, and though we would never count them out, we’re also not ready to tell the world they’re prepared for prime time and a lengthy post-season run that has evaded them for virtually their entire history as a franchise.
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