Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/1546920
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 6 26 STAR T he Wild finally got over the hump last season, advanc- ing past the first round for the first time since 2015. U n f o r t u n a t e l y f o r t h e m , t h e y b o w e d out pa inf ully in the second round to the Colorado Avalanche, debilitated by the absences of of t-injured Joel Eriksson Ek and Jonas Brodin. The loss of their two best defensive players was a killer, but the fact they played so well in Game 3 only to no-show in Game 4 and blow a three-goal lead in the Game 5 series-ender was a wake-up call to Bill Guerin that it was time to eat into the core a little bit. Mats Zuccarello, Marcus Johansson and Vladimir Tarasenko weren't re-signed and Jake Middleton, who had an incredibly tough post- season, was traded. Fresh blood can be good sometimes, but the losses of four key veterans, especially Kirill Kaprizov's partner in crime, the playmak- ing Zuccarello, creates a lot of doubt heading into this season. Zuccarello, Johansson and Tarasenko com- bined for 53 goals and 150 points and were replaced by the veteran, 34-year-old, Blake Coleman and second-year Maxim Shabanov, a former star in Russia's Kontinental Hockey League but had a very tough rookie year with the New York Islanders. Coleman scored 30 goals in 2023-24 but has only hit the 20-goal mark three other times, and the undersized but skilled Shabanov is one giant hope and prayer. The fact the Wild plan to give him the first crack at playing with his country- man, Kaprizov, just shows how the Wild didn't have the summer they had so hoped. To this point, they have not traded for that ever-elusive No. 1 center despite pursuing Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin, who wants to come to the Wild, all offseason. And at press time for this publication, superstar defenseman Quinn Hughes hasn't had his contract extended. STRUCK The Wild left Dallas seeing stars in the playoffs. Can they take another step this year? 2026-27 Wild Season Preview Photo / Minnesota Wild/Bruce Kluckhohn Quinn Hughes Brock Faber