Six Questions Facing The Wild Entering Training Camp

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Minnesota Wild training camp is almost here. With day one starting on Thursday, we have some questions.

The Wild announced a 48-player training camp roster that will report to TRIA Rink beginning Sept. 17, officially beginning preparations for the 2026-27 season.

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Minnesota enters camp with Stanley Cup expectations, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t questions surrounding the roster.

From the middle of the ice to the crease, there will be plenty to watch over the next few weeks. Here are six of the biggest questions facing the Wild as training camp gets underway.

Who Will Emerge As The Wild’s No. 1 Center?

This might be the biggest on-ice question facing Minnesota.

Joel Eriksson Ek, Ryan Hartman and Danila Yurov all provide coach John Hynes with options down the middle, but who will ultimately center the Wild’s first line?

Eriksson Ek is probably the most natural answer. He has already shown chemistry with Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy, and putting those three together would give Minnesota a legitimate loaded top line.

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But doing so could also create questions farther down the lineup. We will get to the depth topic later.

Hartman has spent significant time alongside Kaprizov in recent seasons and could once again get an opportunity there. Yurov is perhaps the most intriguing option.

The 22-year-old recorded 27 points during his rookie season and spent stretches playing between Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello. A significant step forward from Yurov could completely change the construction of Minnesota’s lineup.

And then there is another possibility: What if the answer isn’t currently on the roster?

General manager Bill Guerin has repeatedly shown a willingness to make significant trades when he believes they improve his team. The Wild don’t necessarily have to solve their No. 1 center question during training camp, but camp should give us the first indication of how they plan to approach it.

Quinn Hughes Says Wild Could Make ‘Massive Trade’ As Dylan Larkin Situation LoomsMinnesota’s superstar defenseman fuels speculation that Bill Guerin may strike again, as Dylan Larkin’s trade request from Detroit creates a potential opening for another blockbuster roster addition.

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What Will Quinn Hughes Say About His Future?

Get ready for this one.

When Quinn Hughes speaks to the Minnesota media during training camp, there is little doubt where the questions will begin.

Hughes is entering the final season of his contract and recently made it clear at the NHL/NHLPA Player Media Tour that he doesn’t feel pressured into getting an extension done before camp.

“This is going to be done whenever I feel like it needs to be done,” Hughes said in Las Vegas. “I don’t feel backed up against a wall.”

Hughes added that conversations with the Wild hadn’t been extensive over the summer because he wanted an opportunity to reset, but said he expects things to “heat up” as the season gets closer.

‘I’m Excited To Get Going’: Quinn Hughes Says Wild Have Nothing Left To Prove To HimThe star defenseman praises Minnesota’s roster and coaching staff while delaying contract talks, insisting his long-term future hinges on personal timing rather than the team’s championship potential.

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Now he arrives in Minnesota.

Hughes may not reveal anything more than he did in Vegas, but every answer will be dissected. Does he sound like someone who sees Minnesota as his long-term home? Have negotiations progressed? Is there any timetable?

Until Hughes signs an extension, his contract situation will hover over everything the Wild do.

Training camp will give Minnesota reporters their first opportunity to ask him about it on home soil.

Is Jesper Wallstedt Ready To Take Over The Crease?

For Jesper Wallstedt, this isn’t just another training camp.

Filip Gustavsson is expected to begin the season on injured reserve as he continues recovering from offseason hip surgery, leaving Wallstedt and offseason addition Calvin Pickard as Minnesota’s NHL goaltenders entering camp.

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That puts Wallstedt in position to carry a significant workload to begin the season.

The good news for Minnesota is that he has already shown he can handle NHL competition.

Wallstedt, 23, went 18-9-6 with a .915 save percentage during the 2025-26 regular season before eventually taking over the crease during the playoffs. He started 10 postseason games and helped Minnesota defeat the Dallas Stars in the opening round.

Now comes another step.

Instead of being the young goalie pushing Gustavsson for playing time, Wallstedt enters camp knowing Minnesota could need him to be its No. 1 goaltender for an extended stretch.

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How he looks during camp and the preseason will be one of the biggest storylines to follow.

How Will The Wild Replace All Of The Offense They Lost?

Minnesota’s forward group will look considerably different this season.

Mats Zuccarello, Marcus Johansson and Vladimir Tarasenko are all gone, leaving the Wild without three forwards who played significant offensive roles last season.

That is 53 goals and 150 points between the three of them.

Replacing that production won’t fall on one player.

The Wild added Blake Coleman and Maxim Shabanov during the offseason, while Yurov and Bobby Brink could be asked to take on larger roles. Minnesota will also need continued high-end production from Kaprizov and Boldy.

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Coleman brings four 20-goal seasons to Minnesota, while Shabanov is one of the most interesting wild cards on the roster after recording 18 points in 44 games with the New York Islanders last season.

The Wild may have replaced some of the departed players stylistically, but replacing their combined offensive production is another matter.

Camp will provide the first look at how Hynes plans to redistribute those minutes and opportunities.

Who Plays With Kirill Kaprizov?

For years, this question barely needed to be asked.

If Kaprizov was healthy, there was a pretty good chance Zuccarello would be next to him.

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Not anymore.

Zuccarello’s departure creates an opening alongside Minnesota’s superstar, and there are several ways Hynes could approach it.

The easiest solution would be loading up Kaprizov, Eriksson Ek and Boldy. That trio has been dominant when used together, but separating Boldy from Kaprizov gives Minnesota another elite offensive threat capable of driving his own line.

Shabanov could also get a look alongside Kaprizov. So could Yurov. Hartman remains an option, and Hynes could spend much of camp experimenting with different combinations.

Whoever gets the opportunity will be stepping into one of the most important roles on the roster.

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Finding Kaprizov’s next running mate begins in camp.

Is Maxim Shabanov A Legitimate Top-Six Forward?

Perhaps no newcomer will be more interesting to watch than Shabanov.

Minnesota signed the 25-year-old forward to a one-year contract after his first NHL season with the Islanders, where he recorded five goals and 18 points in 44 games.

Those numbers don’t scream top-six forward.

But the skill that made Shabanov an intriguing player coming out of the KHL hasn’t disappeared, and Minnesota may provide him with a much different opportunity.

Bill Guerin told us that he identifies Shabanov as a player who could see time in the Wild’s top six.

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“We see him in that top-six role, but we have to see who he’s going to have the best chemistry with.”

Could that include playing alongside Kaprizov?

That’s what makes camp so interesting.

Before making the jump to North America, the 5-foot-8 winger starred in the KHL with Traktor Chelyabinsk, posting 23 goals and 44 assists for 67 points in 65 games during the 2024-25 season, establishing himself as one of the league’s most dynamic offensive players.

If Shabanov proves capable of producing in a top-six role, the Wild’s forward group suddenly looks considerably deeper. If he doesn’t, Minnesota may still have a hole to address.

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The preseason won’t answer every question about Shabanov, but we should quickly learn how the Wild view him.

And if he’s skating next to No. 97 when camp begins, we’ll have our first clue.

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