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The Minnesota Wild went into the Olympic break streaking, pulling off yet another overtime victory, this time over the red-hot Nashville Predators on Wednesday. Captain Jared Spurgeon’s overtime goal gave Minnesota its fifth straight win, in an 8-1-1 stretch, before the group broke up to either head to the Olympics or vacation.
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“Obviously, it was a huge stretch here for us to put ourselves in a good position and rest up physically, mentally,” Spurgeon said. “And obviously cheer on the guys we have that are representing their countries and come back to the second half.”
How are Wild fans feeling at the break? We asked for their thoughts and questions for this meaty pre-Olympics mailbag. Part 1 focused on trade talk and options leading up to the March trade deadline. Part 2 turns the attention to other aspects of the team’s roster, from Quinn Hughes’ minutes to what Charlie Stramel might do at the end of the season to AHL Iowa.
(Note: Some questions are edited for length and clarity.)
Is Adam Benak the most valuable asset not on the roster? Could they move (Ryder) Ritchie or (Charlie) Stramel for a significant piece? What goalie could the Wild get in return to take Wally’s role? Any buzz about the Hughes brother uniting? — Soren C.
Benak is an intriguing prospect. The fourth-rounder is tearing up the OHL right now. But Stramel is probably the most valuable trade chip not on the current NHL roster. He’s been one of the best players in college hockey — a driver for one of the top teams at Michigan State.
It’s unlikely that Stramel or Ritchie could be moved for a significant piece on their own, but yes, they could as part of a package. For goalies, it depends on where Wallstedt is theoretically traded to. And Marc-Andre Fleury’s always around if they need a backup, too.
Are you guys concerned that Quinn Hughes is being overused and could burn out? — Michael C.
Somewhat. Anytime you have such a significant player playing the kind of minutes Hughes is — averaging a career high 28:16 — you wonder if the heavy workload will lead to injury. Hughes is already dealing with a lower-body issue as it is, according to league sources, and now he’s going to the Olympics and is expected to play a major role for Team USA.
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Hughes has played more than 30 minutes in six of his first 25 games with the Wild. It’ll be interesting to see how coach John Hynes manages his and Brock Faber’s minutes down the stretch. But a lot of this is on Hughes, too. His shift lengths are long.
Jonas Brodin has had one 70-plus-game season since 2018-19. With two more years left on his contract, would it make sense to move him before his deal expires? — Danny E.
First, for context, you’re including two pandemic-shortened seasons. But it has been four straight seasons now where injuries have caused Brodin to miss 20 or more games, including the lower-body injury that’s forcing him to have surgery and cost him the chance to play in the Olympics.
The 32-year-old Swede would draw interest from other teams. There aren’t many defenders out there who have had the type of success he’s had against Connor McDavid, for example. If the right deal comes together, general manager Bill Guerin would likely consider it.
But Brodin is also still a valuable shutdown defender and is beloved in the room. As much as Daemon Hunt has shown he can play, which would ease a Brodin departure, let’s not rush Brodin out of town.
Both Iowa farm teams are dead last in their leagues. Does Guerin hate Iowa, or does he not know how to run a farm system? — Mark G.
Guerin doesn’t hate Iowa, but it can be argued that he hasn’t given the AHL club enough attention in recent years.
The struggles there have been real the past several seasons, and winning is important to development. Even current Iowa coach Greg Cronin says so. The Wild did hire a more experienced coach in Cronin to take over this season and instill an identity and culture, and the players who have been called up showed they were ready, so that’s progress.
But it’s clear the Wild still need to put more resources into Iowa. The NHL club’s injury situation hasn’t helped.
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When does the transition from Jared Spurgeon to Brock Faber as “The Heir Apparent” to the captaincy happen? Or does that now get put on hold with Hughes contract extension possibilities? — Dono L.
There’s no need to rush it. Spurgeon still has another year on his contract after this one, and he’ll wear the “C” until his career is done in Minnesota.
That said, yes, Faber would make an excellent choice for the next captain. He plays, acts and talks like a captain, and he was one at the University of Minnesota. The Wild will know by the time Spurgeon’s contract runs out whether Hughes is staying, though even if the 2024 Norris Trophy winner signs long-term, we could still see Faber as a captain.
The Wild could also consider Kirill Kaprizov, though both he and Hughes seem more comfortable as lead-by-example stars.
Are the Wild concerned about being able to sign Stramel after this season, since he’s able to sign with any team? — Kevin R.
No. When The Athletic visited with Stramel a few weeks ago for this story, the 2023 first-round pick said he “100 percent” planned to sign with the Wild once his season was over. He grew up a Wild fan and is very happy with how the team stuck with him during his struggles and how present they’ve been with his development.
The only real question is whether Minnesota burns a year of his entry-level contract by signing him before the end of the season or lets it kick in to start next season. The bottom six is pretty full when healthy.
When Mats Zuccarello retires, it appears to me that the top line will consist of Kirill, Joel Eriksson Ek and Boldy. Do the Wild think Danila Yurov will be a long-term second-line center? — Bryan H.
You can’t assume anything with the future roster, long-term or short-term, because everything depends on trades and free-agent signings. The Wild are in win-now mode and will acquire forwards for the top six at some point, which could push Yurov down the lineup or could mean he’s headed the other way in a trade.
Regardless, the Wild are very confident in Yurov’s ability and believe that there’s untapped skill and offense there and that he’ll continue to improve.
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Hughes seems to like it here in Minnesota so far. What’s the chances he re-signs, and what do you think that contract would look like? — Wyatt A.
All indications are he loves it so far, especially the fan base, the team and its future. And the trade has gotten him closer to his family. But he does want to win, so a lot will depend on how the Wild do this postseason and what moves they make to keep building.
At this point, though, it would be a surprise if Guerin doesn’t extend him. How long is subject to debate. Maybe he signs a three-year deal to align himself with the end of Jack’s contract, or maybe he goes eight years, since this is the last time a contract of that length can be signed.
Either way, Hughes and Cale Makar will reset the defenseman market. Few would have foreseen Kaprizov getting $17 million per year, so who knows where this goes? Best guess is the $14 million range.
The Wild have a handful of contracts expiring after this season. Who do you see getting re-signed? My guess would be Zuccarello and Marcus Johansson will be back on cheap deals. Zach Bogosian could return at league minimum if needed. I could also see the Wild re-signing Vladimir Tarasenko at the right price. — Mary M.
Well, you kind of answered your own question — and you might be right on all fronts.
Zuccarello, it’ll be up to him. If he wants to return, the Wild will probably do it. If Johansson wanted to come back on a reasonable deal, same. Bogosian is the a bit more questionable because of his injury-plagued season, the emergence of Hunt and the need to get Jiricek playing. However, Guerin loves him. And Tarasenko keeps playing better and better.
Will Boldy ever transition to center full-time? — Wyatt D.
His versatility is valuable if the Wild are ever in an injury pinch or if they traded for a star winger, but teams don’t have a habit of taking budding superstars and changing their position for no reason.
How badly do the Wild regret trading Marat Khusnutdinov for a bag of pucks now that he’s playing significant minutes — and making a steady impact — for the Bruins? — Derek J.
To be blunt, they don’t. They just didn’t believe in him, to be frank. He didn’t generate shots, wasn’t great on the PK, didn’t win big draws and didn’t elevate when moved up in the lineup. They might have given up on him too soon and for too little in return, but Guerin had his opinion and decided to move him.
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Can you describe how you both take notes during a game? Old school with pen and paper, specific template in Word document or something else? — Steve S.
Russo: I used to do it old school and write down every little thing that happened. Now it’s much less of that because of the play-by-play the NHL tracks and my X account. If you see me post something on X as stupid as “Boldy post,” it’s usually a selfish way to remind myself after the game that it happened. You’d think I’d tweet for you! But often during the game, it’s my way of tracking things.
What I write during the game now is typically stats, nuggets and jots of math that would be nonsensical to anybody but me.
What would the Wild need to see to encourage more over-the-air broadcasts? — Adam C.
To be blunt, they’d need to see FanDuel go under. Not breaking any news here, but broadcasts are extremely expensive to produce, and as long as the Wild are getting a huge rights fee paid on time and in full, it’s hard to say no to those millions of dollars.
As was reported in “Wild insider” a few weeks ago, though, because Wild games are in the higher pricing tier now for fans, the team’s product is seen by less and less of its fan base. The organization doesn’t love that. We all know where this is going eventually.
Russo, your good buddy and fellow traveler, Chad Graff leaves the Wild beat, goes to a very bad New England Patriots team. Now he’s covering a championship run, and you’re still looking for a first-round playoff win. How does that hit? — Craig H.
Russo: That’s downright mean.
In all seriousness, I’m excited for him that he gets this experience and hope to someday report on a long playoff run for Wild fans. I have gotten to cover a couple dozen Stanley Cup Finals at least, and there’s nothing like it. I want Wild fans to get to taste that excitement.