May 1, 2025; Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Wild forward Kirill Kaprizov (97) jumps as he deflects a puck towards Vegas Golden Knights goalie Adin Hill (33) during the second period in game six of the first round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Xcel Energy Center. Nick Wosika-Imagn Images
As the 2025-26 season approaches, we’re previewing each of the Nashville Predators’ Central Division opponents.
This series will feature each team in chronological order and not their predicted order of finish in the division.
Today’s preview focuses on the Minnesota Wild.
2024-25 Season By The Numbers
RECORD
45-30-7 (.591)
OVERTIME
9-4
SHOOTOUT
3-3
OVERALL
13th
OFFENSE
2.74 GPG (25th)
DEFENSE
2.88 GAA (16th)
POWER PLAY
20.9% (20th)
PENALTY KILL
72.4% (30th)
EXPECTED GF/60
2.25 (29th)
EXPECTED GA/60
2.31 (4th)
Season Analysis
Until last December, the Minnesota Wild were flying high. They won 20 of their first 30 games, boasted the best point percentage in the Western Conference and winger Kirill Kaprizov was a front-runner in the League MVP conversation.
Then, things fell apart.
Kaprizov suffered an injury that resulted in his having surgery, and he didn’t return until just before the playoffs. The Wild finished 13th overall in the final standings and were bounced in the first round of the post-season for the eighth time in the last 10 years.
After finally shedding themselves of nearly $15 million in buyouts of Zach Parise and Ryan Suter, Wild fans were hoping the team might make a big splash in free agency.
While they added winger Vladimir Tarasenko via trade in June and center Nico Sturm in free agency, Minnesota did not go on a wild spending spree (pun intended).
Offense
Kaprizov was on fire before his injury, tallying 25 goals in 41 games. If ‘The Thrill’ can come close to that production and remain healthy through a full season, it will take pressure off Matt Boldy (27-46-73), Marco Rossi (24-36-60) and Mats Zuccarello (19-35-54).
The Wild are hoping Tarasenko (11-22-33) and Sturm (7-7-14) can provide some Stanley Cup mojo. Both players have two Cups on their resume. (Sturm is back with Minnesota for his second go-round after breaking into the NHL with the club).
Defense
One of the biggest reasons for the Wild’s 16th-place ranking in goals-against per game (2.88) last season was a rash of injuries on the blue line. Jonas Brodin is still trying to work his way back from surgery during the off-season.
Team captain Jared Spurgeon had a good season (32 points) but Brock Faber had a bit of a sophomore jinx; his 29 points were 18 fewer than in 2023-24.
Minnesota has high hopes for Zeev Buium, who made his NHL debut at 19 in the Wild’s first-round playoff series against the Vegas Golden Knights and tallied an assist in four post-season contests. He showed flashes of the talent that helped the University of Denver win an NCAA National Championship and Team USA capture two gold medals at the World Junior Championship.
After trading multiple picks for David Jiricek last November, the Wild are looking for more contributions from the 21-year-old blueliner, as they show a willingness to trend younger.
Goaltending
After his last season with the Wild, Marc-Andre Fleury signed a PTO with the Pittsburgh Penguins over the weekend.
However, Filip Gustavsson had a bounce-back season (31-19-6, 2.56 goals-against average and .914 save percentage). He’s the clear starter, but the Wild are counting on 22-year-old rookie Jesper Wallstedt to be a capable backup. Wallstedt posted a 4.09 GAA and .843 SP in two appearances with Minnesota last season, and went 9-14-5 with a 3.59 GAA and .879 SP with the AHL’s Iowa Wild.
Special Teams
The penalty-kill unit continued to struggle last season, finishing 30th at 72.4%. The return of Sturm should help, as he played in multiple setups while winning Stanley Cups in Colorado (2022) and Florida (2025).
The power play was somewhat better, but still finished 20th (20.9%). Buium will be counted on to quarterback that unit, something he did during his brief playoff run.
Last Season’s Series
The Predators went 1-2 against the Wild last season, managing to pull out a 6-2 win in the final game of their season series Jan. 18.
2025-26 Season Series
The Predators and Wild will play the first two games of their season series in Minnesota: Nov. 4 and two days before Christmas. The Preds will play host on Feb. 4 and April 11.
The Bottom Line
It’s not that the Wild can’t get to the post-season (they’ve only failed to qualify twice in the past 10 seasons). Getting out of the first round is the issue.
Another concern is the future of Kaprizov. He and the Wild have yet to reach an agreement on a contract extension. How the team performs in 2025-26 could play a pivotal part in that decision if he hasn’t signed by the beginning of the season.