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Filip Gustavsson, Minnesota Wild (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

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Wild’s Best-Case Scenarios for 2026-27

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers
By Mariah E. Stark | Last updated Aug 24, 2026 8:45 AM ET

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The last few weeks of summer are moving along quickly, which means the NHL season is approaching. The Minnesota Wild have a lot of promise with their roster, and although they’ve made a few changes, there’s still excitement. With names like Kirill Kaprizov, Matt Boldy, Brock Faber, Quinn Hughes, and both of their goaltenders, Jesper Wallstedt and Filip Gustavsson, there’s a lot of talent.

Obviously, the end goal for every NHL team, including the Wild, is to win the Stanley Cup, but they have a lot of work to do before that happens. While winning the Stanley Cup would be the best of the best case scenarios, there are others on the list as well. In this article, we’ll take a look at those scenarios, starting with their top line.

Wild Find a Perfect Wing for Kaprizov

Mats Zuccarello signed with the Los Angeles Kings this offseason, and that means Kirill Kaprizov is without his best partner in crime. Zuccarello and Kaprizov had the best chemistry of anyone who’s been paired with Kaprizov over his seasons with the Wild. Now that he’s left, the Wild have to find someone to fill that void, and they do have several players who could, but they also need to spread out the talent.

Matt Boldy has fit nicely paired with Kaprizov, but as stated already, talent needs to be spread throughout the lineup. However, they did pick up a forward during free agency in Maxim Shabanov, and many already expect he’ll get time with Kaprizov at some point after getting comfortable in the lineup.

There may be a couple of other options like Bobby Brink and, of course, Danila Yurov, depending on what way the Wild want to go. They’ll likely try out a number of different combinations to find what suits them, and who knows, they may bring someone in who fits even better, but the best-case scenario is finding someone and doing it early.

Gustavsson Returns Sooner Rather Than Later

Right after the Wild’s season ended, it was announced that goaltender Filip Gustavsson would have to undergo offseason hip surgery and likely wouldn’t be ready to start the season. Of course, that wasn’t a for-sure thing; it all depended on how his recovery went. There hasn’t been any recent news regarding his recovery, but the Wild did sign goaltender Calvin Pickard as their third-string goaltender and possible backup to Jesper Wallstedt if Gustavsson couldn’t start the season.

Obviously, for the Wild, the best-case scenario in terms of goaltending would be to have both of their starters ready to go at the beginning of the season. However, there can be a cost to him returning early: a risk of not being completely recovered. It’s happened to many players who rush themselves back only to find themselves out for even longer because they didn’t allow themselves the time to heal.

While it would be great for Gustavsson to be healthy right off the bat and miss no time, if he does have to miss time, it would be better that it happened for a short time at the beginning of the season than a month during the middle of the season. Hopefully he won’t have to miss any time, but if he does, they need him to return healthy.

Quinn Hughes Signs Before Season

Clearly, the best scenario for the Wild outside of winning the Stanley Cup would be to lock up Quinn Hughes and not have to worry about it. It’s easily the biggest piece of news that’s surrounded the team this season, and it won’t go away until he either signs or decides he wants to leave.

He helped make the Wild a completely different team when he joined them, and he found a perfect defense partner in Brock Faber. They really couldn’t ask for more when it comes to Hughes; he fits in well and is easily their best player, even more so than Kirill Kaprizov. If he signs with the Wild and does so before the season starts, the distraction of what he’s going to do will finally be over.

Of course, professional players shouldn’t be distracted by things like this, but they are human too, and it would be hard not to think about it when your teammate is one of the best in the NHL and may be leaving. Or, you’re the player having to decide what you want your future to be and where you want to go. Hopefully it works out for both the Wild and Hughes that they can get him for at least a few more seasons to see what they can do together.

Again, the absolute best-case scenario for the Wild would be going all the way and winning the Stanley Cup. However, there are things that are second best if they can’t do that, like finding a wing for Kaprizov, Gustavsson not missing any time, and Hughes signing are just the top ones. Of course, they could use more goals, more defense, everything, but hopefully these best-case scenarios work out for them and help them find success.

This article first appeared on The Hockey Writers and was syndicated with permission.

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