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Russo's Rants by Michael Russo M H J ON L I N E . C O M | O C T O B E R 2 0 2 5 26 READY TO NOTHER YEAR, another play- off berth for one of the most successful…regular season franchises in the NHL for more than a decade. But when it comes to postseason success, it was another year where the Wild failed to get past the first round. Ten years and counting, to be exact. Sure, it felt different. Sure, the Wild outplayed the Vegas Golden Knights for large chunks. Sure, they may have even won the series Ryan Hartman's late go-ahead goal in Game 5 wasn't overturned because veteran Gustav Nyquist was sloppily offside. But in the end, the result was the same—a first- round exit for the perennial first-round exiters. Fast for ward to this season, where finally the financial shackles have come off. For the first time in five years, the Wild aren't being hand- cuffed by the buyout charges of Zach Parise and Ryan Suter. In fact, the Wild even enter the season with nearly $5 million in cap space barring veteran defenseman Jack Johnson and right wing Brett Leason, both invited to training camp on tryouts, making the team and earning likely league-minimum $775,000 contracts. But if you thought this offseason would trig- ger a spending spree, you were wrong. Plain and simple, the Wild weren't overly impressed by the free agent market after targets like Brock Nelson re-signed with their current clubs. Instead, Bill Guerin decided to save cap space and hopes to pounce on a big fish via trade or free agency in the coming months to year. The Wild worked around the edges by acquir- ing once-studly goal scorer V ladimir Tarasenko from the Detroit Red Wings hoping a fresh start and playing him with talents like Matt Boldy and Marco Rossi, perhaps, can reignite the Tarasenko Wild fans knew and loathed from Photo / Zach Siegert POUNCE Cap relief, young talent, and health could lift Wild to the next level Filip Gustavsson went 31-19-6 with a .914 save percentage, sixth- best in the NHL last season. Photos / Zach Siegert/ZW Photography, Getty Images