In the beginning of the season, the Wild faced difficulties and decided to remove Dean Evason as coach on November 27th after a seven-game losing streak (0-5-2). John Hynes took over as coach. During that time, Minnesota ranked 31st in the NHL for goals allowed per game (3.95) and had the lowest penalty-killing percentage (66.7).
The Minnesota Wild were unable to make it to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time in three years after losing 5-2 to the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday.
This is a summary of the events in the 2023-24 season for the Wild and the potential for improvement in the upcoming season.
The skinny
Possible UFAs: Jacob Lucchini, Forward; Alex Goligoski, Defenseman; Dakota Mermis, Defenseman; Marc-Andre Fleury, Goalie.
Possible players eligible for restricted free agency: Adam Beckman, Forward; Mason Shaw, Forward; Sam Hentges, Forward; Declan Chisholm, Defense.
Kirill Kaprizov continues to impress with his performance this season, leading the Wild with a total of 90 points (42 goals, 48 assists) in 71 games. This marks his third consecutive season with 40 or more goals, setting a new record for the franchise. He is also only five goals away from his personal best of 47, set in the 2021-2022 season. At 26 years old, Kaprizov is entering the peak of his career.
What went wrong
The Wild’s goaltending performance this season was not as strong as the previous season. In 44 games (42 starts), Filip Gustavsson achieved a record of 19-18-4 with a 3.11 goals-against average, .898 save percentage, and three shutouts. These statistics were lower than his previous season with Minnesota, where he had a record of 22-9-7 with a 2.10 GAA, .931 save percentage, and three shutouts. With a record of 17-13-5, a 2.87 GAA, and .899 save percentage, Marc-Andre Fleury’s numbers this season are similar to the 2022-23 season, but he has played eight fewer games.
Minnesota has made it to the playoffs for the past four seasons, but they have not advanced to the second round since 2014-15. During that season, they were eliminated in four games by the Chicago Blackhawks.
Potential 2024 Draft picks: 6
Reasons for optimism
Can’t reword