Training camp for the Minnesota Wild is about to get underway on Thursday, Sept. 18, and everyone is ready for the season to get going. It’s been a long offseason, and hopefully the Wild can get off to as strong a start as last season but keep it going. Last season was Wild head coach John Hynes’s first full training camp, and it was a demanding camp from start to finish.
Several players had stated how the camp was more intense than in previous years, but that it was a good thing. It’ll be interesting to see if Hynes takes the same approach this season and how the players respond. In this article, we’ll take a look at several storylines to keep an eye on and several players as well, starting with who could surprise everyone.
Wild’s Surprise Step Up
Training camps are an opportunity for veteran players to get back on the ice after a long offseason and get back into the routine of playing with their teammates. It’s also a chance for younger players who haven’t yet cracked the lineup to show their skills and potentially steal a spot if they do well enough. It’s a pretty hard thing to do, but it’s not impossible and has happened on occasion.
There aren’t a lot of spots open on the Wild’s roster this season, as long as all the veterans show up as expected in shape and ready to go. There are going to be quite a few young players hoping to impress, but the one who won’t be a surprise for how hard he works, and likely not a surprise if he makes the initial roster, is Zeev Buium. He always gives 100 percent, and he’s going to make a solid defenseman with more ice time under his belt.
While Buium may not be much of a surprise, there is another player who showed up well at the Tom Kurvers Prospect Showcase and could make it hard on the coaching staff if he does the same in training camp, and that’s Jack Peart. He’s shown a lot of skills, and his name was said a lot during the showcase. While it’ll be a very difficult task to crack the lineup for opening night, it’s not impossible, especially if he outshines someone else. However, if he doesn’t make the roster to start with, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him down the road later in the season when the injuries happen that always do.
Wallstedt Looks to Prove Himself
Filip Gustavsson has the starting spot locked down, but his backup, Jesper Wallstedt, will be looking to prove himself and show he has the capability to be in the NHL. It’s taken him a little longer to make it to the NHL than everyone thought, but they also didn’t need to rush him when they had a capable tandem in place. However, now that tandem is gone, and he’ll have to step up to fill the void.
The original plan back when Wallstedt was drafted was that he was going to take over the number one spot when Cam Talbot moved on, but then the Wild brought in Gustavsson, and he surprised everyone with his performance. Marc-André Fleury also stuck around, so that made Wallstedt’s debut take a little longer, which again was good because it gave him time to develop more in the American Hockey League (AHL), something that young goaltenders need.
However, the time spent in the AHL is over as the Wild need Wallstedt to step up and be their full-time backup. It’ll take him some time to adjust to the NHL, but hopefully, after a handful of games consistently, he’ll find that comfort level and help them win games.
Kaprizov’s Contract Extension
Kirill Kaprizov’s contract. It’s all anyone’s talked about all offseason and even more so in the last week after the reported news that he supposedly turned down an eight-year deal worth $128 million, but it was never confirmed. His last contract he signed right before training camp started, so it wouldn’t be surprising if he does the same thing, but it also wouldn’t be surprising if it takes a little longer.
Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel have yet to sign extensions, so it’s not a huge surprise Kaprizov hasn’t. However, it would be great for both him and the team to get it done sooner rather than later so they can focus on the season ahead. Of course, they’re professionals and know how to focus, but they’d be lying if they said it wasn’t on the back of their minds the longer it goes on.
Related: Minnesota Wild Can Be Patient With Kaprizov Extension
Hopefully, they can get it done soon and just allow the season to progress normally rather than worrying about the business side. The Wild have stated numerous times that they intend to re-sign Kaprizov no matter what it takes, so at this point, it should only be a matter of time.
Apart from who will make the lineup as a surprise, Wallstedt’s efforts and Kaprizov’s contract, it’ll be interesting to see what other stories unfold during training camp, as there’s always something that comes up. It would be great if this training camp is the start of another strong season for the Wild that makes it all the way to the end.
