Sports

Wild’s roster overhaul brings something that was long overdue

Gone Puck Wild · Jul 22, 2026 12:00 · 4 min read

Wild’s roster overhaul brings something that was long overdue — Mar 10, 2026; Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Wild right wing Bobby Brink (10) looks on during the first period against the Utah Mammoth at Grand Casino Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Minnesota Wild's youthful additions could extend their championship window and potentially lead to their next blockbuster trade.

When the Minnesota Wild were eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs last year, it was clear that changes needed to be made to help the team win a championship. While general manager Bill Guerin had built a roster that got out of the first round of the playoffs since 2015, that team wasn’t good enough to get past the Colorado Avalanche, who disposed of Minnesota in five games during the second round.

To this point, a lot of the things Wild fans have been hoping for – including a top-line center and a contract extension for Quinn Hughes – haven’t arrived. But if there’s one thing that can help their push for the Stanley Cup, it’s an injection of youth.

The Wild got rid of most of their young players to bring Hughes in last December and traded even more of its future assets ahead of the trade deadline. As a result, the Wild had the oldest roster in the NHL with an average age of 30.45 years. But as Minnesota prepares for this season, the average age has gone down to 29.41 years.

While it’s not a massive decline, it is enough to make a difference and it could be a long-overdue change that could extend their championship window if their gambles pay off.

Wild’s youthful moves could extend its championship window

The Wild have built an exciting young core around Kirill Kaprizov, Matt Boldy and Brock Faber. But for the past few years, they’ve been surrounded by players who have been on the older side of 30. Marcus Foligno, Mats Zuccarello Jonas Brodin and Jared Spurgeon were just some of the players that aren’t getting any younger and the Wild’s cap restrictions due to the Zach Parise and Ryan Suter buyouts resulted in plenty of one-year bets on older players coming at a cheaper price.

When the Wild entered the bulk of those penalties, many figured that prospects such as Zeev Buium, Liam Ohgren and Marco Rossi would be part of the real core that would fill in around their three homegrown stars. But that plan was thrown upside down when the Wild sent all three to the Vancouver Canucks to acquire Hughes.

Hughes helped the Wild pick up the pace after his arrival last season. But there was only so much he could do to elevate players over the age of 35. Injuries to Joel Eriksson Ek and Jonas Brodin during the playoffs emphasized the need to get younger and it led to some tough decisions to be made.

Getting rid of Zuccarello, Vladimir Tarasenko and Marcus Johansson removed 150 points out of the Wild’s lineup from last season. But it also freed up playing time for Bobby Brink, who will assume a top-six role next season. Maxim Shabanov is another youthful gamble at 25 years old and could be the answer to the Wild’s scoring woes in the middle six or even in a top-line role if they decide to split up Kaprizov and Boldy on different lines.

While the Wild did get older swapping out Jake Middleton (29) for Blake Coleman (34) and Olli Maatta (31) and could get older if they throw Danila Yurov (22) into a trade for Dylan Larkin (29), having some youth on the team has benefits. A team founded on grit could have some speed and some upside depending on how this year pans out.

This is important to note for a few reasons. The first is that Brink and Shabanov have experience in the NHL, giving the Wild a good glimpse of what they are compared to what they could be with some of their younger prospects.

It’s also important to note that the Wild are now younger than the Dallas Stars (29.6 years) and Colorado Avalanche (30.6) as they go head-to-head in a loaded Central Division.

But the biggest benefit could be what’s holding the Wild back from making a blockbuster deal this summer.

While it would be nice to force a trade for Larkin, Minnesota may also have to wait until the next star appears. If Brink, Shabanov, Yurov or even former first-round pick Charlie Stramel show something in the meantime, it could restock the Wild’s prospect cabinet and bring a player like Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews or even Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid as ESPN’s Erik Johnson predicted earlier this summer.

Running out the same core and expecting the same results wasn’t going to cut it for a team that was the oldest in the NHL at the end of last season and the Wild’s youth infusion could help Minnesota not only compete for a cup but give them the flexibility to take one more big swing in the coming years.