With the offseason in full swing, some people are taking part in summer activities while others are looking ahead to next season. There’s a lot that’s taken place this offseason for the Minnesota Wild despite not making any monumental deals apart from adding Patrick Maroon. His addition wasn’t a big hit to the checkbook thankfully but was big in terms of physicality and leadership.
From watching Maroon fit into the lineup to seeing what Kirill Kaprizov can come up with, there’s a lot to look forward to this next season. The Wild have a lot of young faces in the lineup that’ll be looking to prove themselves as well as a new alternate captain making a name for himself among the team’s leadership. It’s going to be fun to see what happens this coming season and these are the five biggest things to look forward to in 2023-24.
Wild’s Kaprizov Has Expectations
Kaprizov is the type of player that will always have expectations to live up to and after last season, he’ll be expecting more from himself as well. With just one goal in six playoff games, he knows he has to be better and will have worked all offseason to make sure that happens. After scoring 108 points in his second NHL season, he had expectations to produce even more this past season until an injury sidelined him and he missed his chance.
This coming season will be a chance to show what he’s capable of and he’ll be gunning for everything he can. He’ll have expectations from coaches, teammates, fans, and most importantly himself. Those expectations of himself will drive him to be better and with his determination, he’ll do it as long as he stays healthy.
It’ll be fun to watch Kaprizov as he’ll be fully healthy and he’ll be looking to score goals and win games. When he finds that scoring touch there’s no stopping him and it may take a few games but he’ll get there. He still managed to have 75 points in 67 games last season with 40 of those being goals. He’ll be looking to hit the 50-goal mark for the first time in his career, and knowing him, he’ll blow past it. It’s just one of the things fans have to look forward to this coming season.
Wild’s Young Guns Step Up
The Wild’s never-ending youth has been talked about for quite a while now and some of them will be able to show their worth this season. Players like Marco Rossi, Brandon Duhaime, Connor Dewar, and Brock Faber will all be looking to contribute and earn their spots. Similar to Kaprizov, they’ll be pushing themselves hard to score goals plus provide defense to help out their team.
Rossi especially will be looking to show he can play with the big boys and will play with a lot of energy and finesse that many have been waiting for with his game. He has a lot to prove and this may be his final chance with the Wild if he can’t get his game together. Duhaime and Dewar have shown some of their capabilities but clearly have a lot more potential. That leaves Faber who will have a whole season to prove he can continue the strong defensive game he had at the end of last season. Watching these guys play their best will be something to look forward to this season.
Wild’s Gustavsson Will Prove Himself
The Wild don’t have a lot of options when it comes to their goaltending situation, but once Filip Gustavsson’s deal is decided, he will have to prove he deserved it. While he did well for the team last season, that’s just one season and the first time he’s played nearly 40 games. He’ll be expected to play more and play his best every night. He’ll be their number-one goaltender with Marc-André Fleury as his backup.
Hopefully, he learned a lot from having Fleury as his mentor because it’s on his shoulders now. However, if he can find his stride like he did last season, Wild fans have nothing to worry about. He’s a good goaltender that needs to remain confident in himself and play his game. On the bright side, he has the experience to fall back on now and knows what to do and what not to do. Hopefully, his game will continue to improve and he’ll be a bright spot for his team moving forward.
Wild Choose an “A”
Something that will be on everyone’s radar this coming season is who will be the new alternate captain to take the vacant “A” that will be left behind when Dumba signs somewhere else. No one can replace Dumba but someone has to step up and fill the void. He was clearly a vocal guy both on and off the ice and that can be hard to fill. General manager Bill Guerin did bring in some experience with the addition of Maroon but he will not be wearing the “A” since he just joined the team.
Related: Wild Losing Defender & Leader With Dumba’s Departure
It’s exciting to introduce a new name to the leadership group but it’s also a sad time saying goodbye to the former name that filled the spot. However, this situation is good for both sides as they both need a fresh start and that’s where the bright spot comes in. Whoever gets the “A” will take a step forward in both their leadership and overall game. They’ll be looking to show they’re worthy of the “A” and follow the theme of players stepping up this season.
Wild’s Boldy Will Step Up
Matt Boldy will be in the first year of his new contract this coming season and he’ll be expected to back it up. Last season when Kaprizov was injured, he found a way to dig deep and lead the team but it didn’t last. When the postseason came around, Boldy did contribute some but not nearly enough for what his team needed.
As soon as Kaprizov was back it seemed like Boldy went back into his shadow and didn’t come out. He’ll find a way around that this season and contribute alongside Kaprizov, but not just in his absence. He has the potential to be a great scorer, but like Gustavsson, he’ll need to dig deep and find that confidence to prove his ability. He’ll be fun to watch when he finds his way and the Wild will have some capable players on their roster to help him do so this season.
Wild Have Fun Season Ahead
Despite what happened at the end of last season, the Wild have a lot to look forward to this season. They’ll have Kaprizov back healthy and ready to produce, and they’ll have their young players ready to step up and prove they’ve earned their roster spots. The team will also have Gustavsson ready to go, a new alternate captain, and finally, Boldy stepping up to prove he was worthy of his contract extension.
However, there’s so much more to look forward to like all the milestones players will hit this season and of course, a hockey season in general is exciting no matter what. Hopefully, the Wild can do better than last season and also make it further in the postseason.
