🧢🧢🧢 pic.twitter.com/BQTFgbvrY0

— x - Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) April 5, 2026

Minnesota (44-21-12) is up 100 points, only two behind the Dallas Stars (45-20-12) for second place in the Central Division with five games to go. It's a critical battle, as the team that finishes in second place will undoubtedly have home-ice advantage in a best-of-seven playoff series against the other.

Kaprizov's winning shot came after Patrick Kane, one of the best players in American hockey history, blatantly tripped Quinn Hughes away from the play with 3:37 left in the third period, and not long after, the Red Wings rallied to tie the game after falling behind by three goals.

Minnesota trailed 1-0 after one period, only to send the Red Wings into the second intermission to the sound of home fans booing them off the ice after the Wild scored four times in the middle frame.

Matt Boldy's 41st goal of the season came just 18 seconds into the second period, and Kaprizov followed 67 seconds later with his 41st goal of the season. Vladimir Tarasenko made it 3-1 with his 22nd goal at 7:03 of the period, and Kaprizov's second goal came at 12:32 of the second.

Detroit came back with three goals in the span of 7 minutes, 18 seconds in the third period, only to have Kane's penalty, which came three minutes after his goal tied the game, proving deadly against Minnesota's fourth-ranked power play.

All eyes are on Minnesota and Dallas as the NHL regular season wraps up between now and April 15, and the biggest game of them all could very well be on Thursday in Dallas when the Stars host the Wild.

At the same time, the Wild need to keep piling up points, starting Tuesday night at home against the Seattle Kraken. Dallas is also in action Tuesday at home against the Calgary Flames.

This game meant more to the Senators than it did to the Wild. Ottawa is in the middle of a heated race for a wild card spot in the Eastern Conference, so this home loss dealt a blow to that pursuit. Minnesota officially clinched a playoff spot on Thursday, and the only thing on the line for the Wild — other than trying to take some momentum into the postseason — is potentially catching the Stars for home-ice advantage in their first-round series.

This was an intense, physical game between two good teams, but the Senators could never put together much sustained pressure on the Wild's net. Although Ottawa had a 34-23 advantage in shots on goal, Minnesota was clearly the more dangerous team in the offensive zone.

Wallstedt came a few minutes from what would've been his fifth shutout of the season. He'll settle for stopping 33 of 34 shots in his 16th victory of the year. The .971 save percentage is his best mark in a start since he recorded shutout No. 4 all the way back on December 12.

The Wild struck first midway through the game's opening period with a Jonas Brodin goal that took a couple fortunate bounces and got past Ottawa's Linus Ullmark. It was Brodin's fourth goal of the year, with assists from Vladimir Tarasenko and Jared Spurgeon.

Later in the period, Hartman's 21st goal of the season made it 2-0, as Mats Zuccarello found him on the back door to cap off an odd-man rush right after the conclusion of a Senators power play. That marked the fourth straight game with a goal for Hartman. And he wasn't done.

Late in the second period, Zuccarello set up Hartman again to make it 3-0. That's two straight games with two goals for the Wild's top-line center, who previously hadn't had a multi-goal game since the season opener. He's scored six times in the last four games and is up to 22 goals on the year.

Hartman and Zuccarello connect for a beauty and it's a 3-0 Wild game. pic.twitter.com/Cq8Yfy0iMN

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) April 4, 2026

With seven minutes left, Quinn Hughes' 68th assist of the season set up Jake Middleton's second goal of the season. The Senators spoiled the shutout with a Drake Batherson goal with a little over three minutes left, but they didn't have nearly enough time to mount a comeback.

The Wild have another weekend matinee game on Sunday, as they'll take on the Red Wings in Detroit at 12 p.m. CT. Then they'll be back in St. Paul for their penultimate home game of the regular season against the Kraken on Tuesday night.

With their 5-2 victory over the lowly Vancouver Canucks, the Wild (42-21-12) officially clinched a playoff spot. They've been headed for the postseason for months now, but this win finalized their berth.

Three of the five goals were scored by the Wild's star forwards, Matt Boldy and Kirill Kaprizov. Both Boldy — who scored twice — and Kaprizov reached 40 goals on the season on Thursday. It's the first time in franchise history that two players have hit the 40-goal mark in the same season.

These are just the sixth and seventh 40-goal seasons in Wild history. Kaprizov has four of them, having reached that mark in each of his last four fully-healthy seasons. The others belong to Marian Gaborik, Eric Staal, and now Boldy.

This was also a full-circle game for several players. It was the first time the Wild and Canucks have played since the teams pulled off a blockbuster trade that sent Quinn Hughes to Minnesota in exchange for Zeev Buium, Marco Rossi, Liam Ohgren, and a first-round pick in December.

Hughes recorded his 67th assist of the season (his 46th in 43 games with the Wild) and was a plus-4 in the win over his old team. None of the three ex-Wild players got on the scoresheet for Vancouver (22-45-8).

Filip Gustavsson made 29 saves for Minnesota in his 100th victory in a Wild sweater.

Boldy came into this game having gone a season-high seven consecutive contests without a goal. He ended that drought by opening the scoring midway through the first period, with assists from Marcus Johansson and Joel Eriksson Ek.

The Canucks tied it later in the period when a puck caromed off of the end wall and Gustavsson was caught out of position. Vancouver struck 42 seconds later on a Jake DeBrusk power-play goal to surge in front.

Just 23 seconds into the second period, Boldy scored his 40th of the season on a breakaway to knot the game at 2. Around six minutes later, Kaprizov matched him at 40 on a beautiful give-and-go with Mats Zuccarello that gave the Wild a lead they wouldn't relinquish.

Two goals from Ryan Hartman in the third period sealed the deal for Minnesota. He tipped in a Zuccarello shot to give the Wild some breathing room, then added an empty-netter — with assists from Kaprizov and Boldy — for his 20th goal of the campaign.

The Wild, who have seven games left in the regular season, will be back in action in Ottawa on Saturday. They're all but locked into a first-round series against the Dallas Stars.

Entering play Monday, Minnesota and Dallas have each played 74 games. The Wild (41-21-12) have 94 points, six behind the Stars (44-18-12). Colorado, with 106 points, has two games in hand, making them a cinch to clinch the Central Division and the No. 1 overall seed in the Western Conference.

It won't be easy for the Wild to chase down the Stars, but it's possible.

First, the Stars have a more difficult remaining schedule. According to Tankathon, the Stars' have the third-hardest remaining schedule in the West, with an opponents' win percentage of .577. Minnesota sits in the middle of the 16-team West, with the eighth-easiest remaining schedule based on an opponents' win percentage of .543.

Of Dallas' final eight opponents, four are currently in the playoff picture. Additionally, the Stars are at home, where they're 22-10-4 this season, in five of their last eight games.

• Mar. 31: at Boston (92 points)
• Apr. 2: vs. Winnipeg (74 points)
• Apr. 4: vs. Colorado (106 points)
• Apr. 7: vs. Calgary (70 points)
• Apr. 9: vs. Minnesota (94 points)
• Apr. 11: vs. NY Rangers (69 points)
• Apr. 13: at Toronto (75 points)
• Apr. 15: at Buffalo (98 points)

Of Minnesota's final eight foes, only two are currently in the playoff picture, though that comes with a caveat. Additionally, the Wild are on the road, where they are 21-11-4 this season, for five of their last eight games.

• Apr. 2: vs. Vancouver (50 points)
• Apr. 4: at Ottawa (86 points)
• Apr. 5: at Detroit (86 points)
• Apr. 7: vs. Seattle (75 points)
• Apr. 9: at Dallas (100 points)
• Apr. 11: at Nashville (77 points)
• Apr. 13: at St. Louis (73 points)
• Apr. 14: vs. Anaheim (86 points)

The caveat is that Ottawa, Detroit, Seattle, Nashville, and St. Louis, despite currently not occupying one of the eight playoff spots, are all within striking distance in the wild-card race. That means the only "easy" game left on the schedule is Wednesday against the NHL-worst Canucks.

It's going to be a grind, and it could very well come down to the result of the April 9 game against Dallas. Either way, the Wild and Stars will likely meet in the first round, and that will serve as the ultimate test for a Minnesota team that hasn't advanced past to the second round since 2015.

Those playoff failures include first-round playoff losses to the Stars in 2016 and 2023.

On just his fourth shift of the game, Stramel suffered the injury while blocking a shot and did not return. Michigan State went on to take a 3-1 lead, but the Badgers rallied with two late goals and won in upset fashion in overtime to advance to the Frozen Four.

Despite the injury, the Wild are still working on signing Stramel to his NHL entry-level contract, according to Michael Russo of The Athletic. That would allow him to join the team for his rehab process as he recovers from injury.

Had Stramel been healthy, he could've been a candidate to make his debut for the Wild in April and perhaps play in the postseason, like Brock Faber did in 2023 and Zeev Buium did last year. With that said, there may not have been room for Stramel in the lineup after the Wild's trade deadline additions of bottom-six centers Michael McCarron and Nick Foligno. Centers Nico Sturm and Danila Yurov were scratched on Saturday, so there's some depth at that position.

Stramel, a Rosemount native, had quite the senior season at MSU. Across 37 games, scored 19 goals and added 25 assists for 44 total points. He was a plus-29. He played on the Spartans' top line with 2025 sixth overall pick Porter Martone, who just signed his entry-level deal with the Flyers.

The Wild drafted Stramel with the 21st overall pick in the 2023 draft, despite the fact that he was coming off a quiet freshman season at Wisconsin (12 points in 33 games). Stramel's sophomore year was even less productive, with just 8 points in 34 contests. But the former U.S. National Team Development Program standout transferred to Michigan State for his junior year, and that move proved to be a great one. He broke out with 27 points in 37 games last season and then was even better this year.

Stramel, 21, projects as a bottom-six center in the NHL, with a chance to be a second-line player. He's a right-shot center with solid size at 6'3" and 216 pounds. He plays a physical game, scores goals around the net, and has some playmaking skill. Stramel could make his NHL debut as soon as next season, although it's also possible he spends some time at AHL Iowa depending on the Wild's depth situation.

That moment, which has felt like a formality for months now, will have to wait. The Wild fell behind 3-0 early in the game and couldn't quite complete a comeback attempt. They made it a 4-3 game in the third but ultimately lost 6-3 to the Bruins.

The good news for Minnesota (41-21-12) is that there are still eight games on the regular season schedule to get the job done. They're at no real risk of missing the postseason and are almost certainly headed for a heavyweight first-round series against the Dallas Stars. Saturday's loss hurt the Wild's pursuit of home-ice advantage in that series more than anything else.

Minnesota has largely been treading water over the past month, going 6-7-2 over its last 15 games. The last couple weeks of the regular season will be about staying healthy, mixing different players into the lineup, and trying to find some momentum before the playoffs.

Ryan Hartman and Mats Zuccarello each had a goal and an assist for the Wild on Saturday. Quinn Hughes picked up two more assists, giving him 66 this season. But Pavel Zacha and Elias Lindholm each scored a pair of goals for the Bruins (41-24-8), who got three assists from Minnesota native Casey Mittelstadt in the win.

Matt Boldy, who has 38 goals this season for Minnesota, has now gone seven straight games without one, marking his longest goal drought in over a calendar year.

The Bruins opened the scoring a minute into Saturday's game, then tacked on another in the first period on a 2-on-1 rush. They made it 3-0 midway through the second.

Kirill Kaprizov got the Wild on the board in the second period off a great feed from Hartman, but the Bruins responded with a goal early in the third. Things got interesting later in the period when Zuccarello scored late in a two-man advantage and Hartman cut the deficit to one with a little over six minutes to play. But the Bruins sealed the deal with Zacha's second goal and then an empty-net tally from Lindholm.

The Wild don't play until next Thursday against the Canucks in what will be Hughes' first game against his former team (and the return to Minnesota for Marco Rossi, Zeev Buium, and Liam Ohgren). By then, the Wild may have already clinched a playoff spot, pending results elsewhere in the league.

In the early moments of the Wild's thrilling 3-2 win over the Panthers in Sunrise, FL on Thursday, LaPanta posted a photo with a dig at the attendance on his personal social media account. In the post featuring a picture of the crowd at Amerant Bank Arena, LaPanta said, "Good to see that all of those 'diehard life long Panther fans' that were seen in public for the first time ever during the Stanley Cup Finals have gone back into hiding."

Good to see that all of those “diehard life long Panther fans” that were seen in public for the first time ever during the Stanley Cup Finals have gone back into hiding. pic.twitter.com/LIhhTQUb3z

— Anthony LaPanta (@AnthonyLaPanta) March 26, 2026

The cheap dig instantly garnered plenty of negative reaction from Panthers fans, with the play-by-play voice for Florida Atlantic football and basketball, Ken LaVicka, responding "you're a child."

you're a child.

— Ken LaVicka (@KLVsays) March 27, 2026

One commenter responded with a screenshot of an article from The Athletic that ranked the Wild's television broadcast as the 27th best in the NHL.

27th ranked broadcast team for a reason I guess pic.twitter.com/lyzukhlMEE

— David (@David954FLA) March 27, 2026

There were numerous comments referencing the North Stars leaving and the sparse attendance before their departure. Several comments also referenced the Wild's lack of championships, while boasting about the Panthers' two straight Stanley Cup titles.

The 'backlash' continued Friday morning with The Dan Le Batard Show getting in on the action.

After briefly recapping the "tough loss" for the Panthers, radio host Jonathan Zaslow began going in on LaPanta, who he calls "some guy," for the shot.

"All right, it's very early in the game and the Minnesota Wild play-by-play guy decides, in the middle of calling the action, I'm going to take a photo of the crowd and I'm going to post on Twitter," said Zaslow. "So, this isn't some podcaster who follows the Minnesota Wild. This isn't some blogger who follows the Minnesota Wild. This is their actual play-by-play television announcer who decides we are going to come after Panther fans for not showing up at the end of the season. Which, by the way, the announced crowd last night was just under 19,000."

https://www.youtube.com/live/fjPtJNMzoCQ?si=OFduunuAru5Or86E

According to official league game summary, attendance on Thursday evening in Miami was 18,979, which is just under 1,000 fewer fans than Florida's average attendance this season. According to Hockey-reference, the Panthers average around 19,895 fans, which ranks third-best in the league. For reference, the Wild average around 17,940 fans this season,14th-best in the league. However, that's because the Panthers' home capacity is 19,677, which is just under 2,000 more seats than the Wild's Grand Casino Arena at 17,954.

While the photo LaPanta posted does show plenty of vacant seats at the Arena, Zaslow points out there's probably a good reason for that.

"He's pointing the picture at Club Red, or whatever it's called," continued Zaslow. "This is the two sections, center ice, which have the all-you-can-eat buffet. I don't know about you, but if I purchase those seats, I'm probably going to spend a few minutes at the all-you-can-eat buffet before I get to my seats."

"It's a big-time hospitality area for the Panthers," added Le Batard Show producer Michael Ryan Ruiz.

Zaslow then shifted to taking a shot at the team and state LaPanta commentates on.

"And so, he points there and does the whole 'Diehard lifelong Panther fans have gone back into hiding,'" Zaslow continued. "Let me also remind everybody that this dolt doesn't point out to everyone. Let me remind everybody, the Minnesota, the city of Minnesota had their hockey team taken from them. And I'm sure it had nothing to do with fan support. Their team moved to Texas. Texas!"

Moving past the 'city of Minnesota' comment, Zaslow is inadvertently correct that the North Stars' departure did have nothing to do with fan support.

The then-owner of the North Stars, Norm Green, moved the team after the Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission denied the organization the opportunity to improve the Met Center. According to HockeyDB.com, North Stars attendance figures averaged 13,910 in the team's final season in Minnesota, in an arena that sat approximately 15,784 for hockey.

Upon hockey's return to Minnesota, the fans showed up by regularly selling out the home arena, oftentimes with less than stellar play from the Wild. That includes a 230-game regular season sellout streak from Dec. 2, 2013 to Oct. 20, 2019.

"Pretty crappy stuff out of the play-by-play guy from Minnesota," added co-host Dave Dameshek.

Cheap dig at the Florida fan base? Sure. Funny comment? You be the judge. The post may have been an attempt at a quip from LaPanta at his Worst Seats in the House podcast co-host Michael Russo, who covers the Wild for The Athletic and covered the Panthers before coming to Minnesota. Russo commented on the post, saying, "About as smart a take as your playoff format one."

About as smart a take as your playoff format one 🙄

— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) March 27, 2026

After winning back-to-back Stanley Cups and making three straight Cup Final appearances, the injury-riddled Panthers are going to finish well short of the playoffs this season.

Joel Eriksson Ek stole the show with the winning goal with five seconds remaining in the third period, and his shot was the 50th on goal in a game that saw Florida goalie Daniil Tarasov make a whopping 47 saves.

MINNESOTA CALLS GAME AGAINST FLORIDA WITH 4 SECONDS LEFT 🥶 pic.twitter.com/R5KspRG4kn

— ESPN (@espn) March 27, 2026

Minnesota built a 2-0 lead on second-period goals by Marcus Foligno and Ryan Hartman, but Florida bounced back with a goal by Matthew Tkachuck 42 seconds into the third period and then tied it on Aaron Ekblad's goal with 1:13 left in regulation.

Overall, it was a solid night for the Wild, who made some history with Marcus and Nick Foligno playing on the same team together for the first time in their long NHL careers. The Wild acquired Nick from the Blackhawks before the trade deadline, and Marcus played for the first time after missing 12 games due to a lower-body injury.

There was one injury scare for Minnesota. Jared Spurgeon fell face first into the goal post and wound up suffering a cut on his face. Head coach John Hynes revealed afterward that Spurgeon would be alright despite needing some stitches.

At 41-20-12, the Wild moved within three points of the Dallas Stars for second place in the Central Division. It's all but a foregone conclusion that Minnesota and Dallas will meet in the first round of the playoffs; it's just a matter of which team will have the home-ice advantage to start the series.

Dallas (43-18-12) lost a fourth consecutive game Thursday night, falling 2-1 to the New York Islanders.

The Wild are back on the ice at Boston on Saturday. The puck drops just after 4 p.m. CT.

The backbreaking moment came on one of the oddest goals you'll ever see. Tied 3-3 with 2:53 remaining in the third period, Erik Cernak was gifted the go-ahead goal after defenseman Charle-Edouard D'Astous fired the puck off the end boards and goalie Filip Gustavsson fumbled it between his legs, giving Cernak an open net to score on.

Erik Cernak SHATTERED the camera in the back of the net 🤯📸 https://t.co/DOO4POErk2 pic.twitter.com/IDTn65rGix

— TNT Sports U.S. (@TNTSportsUS) March 25, 2026

Mats Zuccarello and Brock Faber scored in the first period to give the Wild a 2-0 lead, and Vladimir Tarasenko's goal at 9:51 of the second period made it a 3-1 game. The Lightning responded with two goals before the end of the second period to tie the game, although Minnesota can argue that it should've led 4-3 going into the third had it not been for Michael McCarron's goal being disallowed with 1:07 remaining.

You can be the judge for yourself in the replay below, but the Lightning challenged for goaltender interference, and the officials determined that Bobby Brink caused a Tampa Bay player to contact goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy before McCarron scored.

No goal pic.twitter.com/8nsHDcIIFA

— Spoked Z (@SpokedZ) March 25, 2026

The game also featured a couple of intense fights, including McCarron delivering a nasty uppercut punch to Corey Perry.

Michael McCarron fed Corey Perry a LETHAL uppercut 😳
pic.twitter.com/lIESF1b9gA

— Spittin' Chiclets (@spittinchiclets) March 24, 2026

Minnesota's Nick Foligno also left Tampa's Scott Sabourin bloodied after a lengthy fight at center ice.

SCOTT SABOURIN AND NICK FOLIGNO GIVE THE PEOPLE A CENTER ICE SHOW 🍿 pic.twitter.com/ycn0Sdiv2s

— Spittin' Chiclets (@spittinchiclets) March 25, 2026

At 40-20-12, the Wild have 90 points and are still five points behind Dallas for second place in the Central Division. Assuming Colorado wins the division, the Wild and Stars are locked into facing each other in the first round of the playoffs. It's merely a matter of which team will have the home-ice advantage.

A GoFundMe campaign was launched late Sunday afternoon to help Pierce's husband, Mike Hinrichs, in the aftermath of his devastating loss. By Monday morning donations had exceeded $87,000, since when several large commitments have been pledged by NHL teams, with the total now nearing $200,000.

The Minnesota Wild and Columbus Blue Jackets each donated $10,000 to the GoFundMe campaign. The NHL Players Association donated $5,000, the Professional Hockey Writers Association donated $1,000, and NHL.com staff donated $2,235.

Pierce, 37, legal name Jessi Hinrichs, died along with her three children Hudson, 8, Cayden, 6, and Avery, 4, and the family dog in a house fire at their White Bear Lake home early Saturday morning.

She was well-known local media personality covering the Minnesota Wild as a game day and feature reporter for NHL.com. She also co-hosted the Bardown Beauties hockey podcast in collaboration with Skor North, as well as appearing regularly on Skor North's Judd's Hockey Show podcast.

In a Monday evening post, the White Bear Lake Fire Department said the cause of the fatal fire is still under investigation, but its "preliminary findings have not led to any evidence that the fire was set intentionally."

In an emotional tribute podcast on Judd's Hockey Show, Pierce's longtime Bardown Beauties co-host Kirsten Krull said Pierce was "one of the most amazing moms I ever met."

"Like, human, friend, she was like a big sister to me. I always told people that. I was like, 'Well, she's my podcast co-host, but honestly, she's like another big sister to me.' So, I always thought of her that way and referred to her to other people," she said.

AJ Fredrickson, a co-host of Judd's Hockey Show, said, "It's hard to not mention Jessi without mentioning her kids because they were such a big part of her life."

"She was such a great person," continued Fredrickson. "The amount of people that have shared an experience of how she touched their lives and vice versa, I mean I expected a lot but it's been incredible."

"I don't think I've ever met anyone who was as beloved and yet was so unapologetically themselves," said Skor North's Judd Zulgad. "My observation was she was beloved. People loved her... I admired it."

The Wild shared a tribute video on Monday that included comments from general manager Bill Guerin, head coach John Hynes, as well as longtime star Jared Spurgeon.

The team plays their first game since the news became public on Tuesday night. The Wild are in Tampa to take on the Tampa Bay Lightning, who have left a seat open in their press box in honor of Pierce.

Incredibly classy move by the @TBLightning tonight, saving a pressbox seat for a friend we all wish was covering this #mnwild game with us. 😥 pic.twitter.com/yRa3tStBGo

— Jess Myers (@JessRMyers) March 24, 2026

Kirsten Krull co-hosted the Bardown Beauties podcast with Pierce, likening her to a "big sister" who was always there for her "without hesitation."

"Family isn’t always blood, but the people you choose and that couldn’t have been more true. Jessi was like another big sister to me. She had a confidence and a way of being able to talk to anyone that I envied. She had an unmatched work ethic and a huge heart. Any time I needed help, needed to rant, or needed someone she was there without hesitation. Most importantly, she was the best mom and loved her kids and family fiercely," Krull stated.

"She brought me into her world and introduced me to her family and friends and I’m so grateful she did. Hudson, Cayden and Avery were the best kids and I’m so grateful she let me be part of their lives. The visits on game days, being able to come to their house and hang out with the family are memories I cherish."

Family isn’t always blood, but the people you choose and that couldn’t have been more true. Jessi was like another big sister to me. She had a confidence and a way of being able to talk to anyone that I envied. She had an unmatched work ethic and a huge heart. Any time I needed… pic.twitter.com/R0Ug5fjwEj

— Kirsten Krull (@KirstenKrull) March 22, 2026

According to the White Bear Lake Fire Department, the fire was reported at a home on the 2100 block of Richard Avenue at 5:26 a.m. Saturday. Firefighters discovered four victims and a deceased dog inside the home.

News of the tragic house fire has stretched far and wide, a result of Pierce's larger-than-life media personality. From SportsCenter anchor Linda Cohn to Spittin' Chiclets co-host Ryan Whitney, and the National Hockey League itself, tributes are being paid to the Minnesota mother of three.

“The entire National Hockey League family sends our prayers and deepest condolences to the Pierce family on the passing of Jessi Pierce and her three young children,” the NHL said in a statement. "Jessi loved our game and was a valued member of the NHL.com team for a decade. We will miss her terribly.”

"Devastated and heartbroken," Cohn, the longtime ESPN anchor, said. "Jessi was beautiful inside and out. Her passion outside of her family, was hockey. I was such a huge fan. Was always thrilled and shared so many laughs with her when I came on her show Bardown Beauties. She was so genuine and stayed true to herself. My heart aches for Jessi, her 3 children and their dog. This is so hard to accept. May they all RIP."

Words cannot describe the profound loss the hockey world is grappling with this weekend - a cherished colleague and friend in Jessi Pierce, alongside her three beautiful children.

Jessi’s spirit and enthusiasm at the rink was so infectious. It just can’t make sense. 💔😭🙏

— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) March 22, 2026

"This is a beyond heartbreaking story out of Minnesota. Feel sick for Jessi’s husband and her entire family," said Whitney, who played nine years in the NHL after being the fifth overall pick in the 2002 NHL Draft.

Dave McCarthy, an NHL.com correspondent for the Toronto Maple Leafs and host on NHL Network Radio, spent a few minutes Sunday talk about the impact Pierce had on his life.

"She was an absolute model about the way to live your life and the way to do the job that she did so well," McCarthy said, commending Pierce for being an incredible mother and colleague. "She just did what needed to be done, and that's what she was always all about."

On my dear friend and colleague Jessi Pierce.

A wonderful reporter and an even better mom.

She set a standard on how to do it all. I will miss her. pic.twitter.com/sLMxGdr50C

— Dave McCarthy (@DaveAMcCarthy) March 22, 2026

Locally, Pierce's colleagues, those who knew her or encountered her in passing, have also offered words of admiration and respect.

"Twitter is filled w/ odes to Jessi Pierce from people who spent hours with her weekly as she covered Wild. Me? I might see her once a month in (the) press box, but Jessi always had mercy on (the) old guy who could use team info — plus a few minutes pregame convo that was laugh-filled," longtime Minnesota sports columnist Patrick Reusse said.

"My greatest compliment for anyone encountered in the sports world (or life) is that he or she is a 'character' … meaning, unique & enjoyable to be around. And that was always my read on Jessi: 'What a character.'"

There are no words to express how heartbroken we all are.

Jessi Pierce (Hinrichs) was the most vibrant person - the life of the party, always with a smile on her face, always bringing a passion to every article and podcast and interview she did. Jessi simply loved covering the…

— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) March 22, 2026

Yesterday was an absolute nightmare and it hasn’t subsided. Jessi was so much more than just a contributor to us, she was a friend, a super mom, and a wife. She commanded every room she walked in. I was literally booking a tee time with her on Thursday. I’m heartbroken.

— Declan Goff (@DexsTweets) March 22, 2026

We are heartbroken and join the State of Hockey in mourning the tragic loss of Jessi and her children. May they rest in peace 💔. pic.twitter.com/H8L8Wgu6l4

— x - Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) March 22, 2026

SKOR North's Judd Zulgad spoke with Pierce on his hockey podcast on Friday, noting that Pierce's kids burst into her podcast studio in the middle of the show. One day later, his friend and her children were gone.

"It still doesn’t seem real and it certainly doesn’t seem fair," Zulgad wrote in a tribute to Pierce. "There are no words to describe this tragedy and yet there are countless words to describe Jessi. She was special in so many ways."

Now, as acquisition speculation turns toward this summer, insiders across the league are once again hinting and speculating that Guerin could be lining up for another swing at a blockbuster move.

Much of the speculation surrounding the Wild throughout January and February revolved around a potential move for Rangers center Vincent Trocheck. The veteran winger was a surprise addition to Team USA's roster for the Olympics, one that Guerin, as U.S. GM, helped put together. Trocheck proved to be a vital piece of a penalty kill unit that didn't allow a single goal during the tournament. However, as the deadline passed, Minnesota didn't make a move for Trocheck, with reports later coming out that the Wild thought New York's asking price was too steep.

After staying patient at the deadline, Guerin is potentially gearing up for another blockbuster trade this summer. The Athletic's Michael Russo and Joe Smith are reporting that Guerin has "every intention" of pulling off another trade for a star, either this offseason or at next year's deadline.

So who could that possibly be? Well, Russo and Smith threw out names like St. Louis' Robert Thomas and Ottawa's Brady Tkachuck. Also listed was Hughes' brother Jack, who plays for the New Jersey Devils. Those are elite players, but one player Guerin hasn't been shy about publicly applauding is Toronto superstar Auston Matthews, who captained Team USA in Italy.

"I think the world of him," Guerin said on TSN radio last Thursday when asked about Matthews.

"There are different types of leadership. I think a lot of people expect the captain to be this 'rah-rah' guy, stand up in the locker room and give a big speech. He's not that type of guy. To be quite honest with you, most of the captains that I played with in the National Hockey League were not those types of guys. Scott Stevens never had a speech for us. Kelly Buchberger never had a speech. Guys like that, they do their leading on the ice and I think that's what Austen is. He's an unbelievable guy."

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Matthews was recently ruled out for the season after sustaining a torn MCL in a controversial collision caused by Anaheim's Radko Gudas. The injury comes at a time when Toronto has struggled for wins and sits near the bottom of its division, though the Leafs did beat the Wild in St. Paul on Sunday night.

There is also growing speculation that the Leafs could be willing to throw in the towel on their current roster and prepare for a reset. If that happens, Matthews would be one of the biggest names to hit the trade block in a long time.

After not giving in to the high asking price for Trocheck in March, the Wild have kept a stockpile of key assets to use as trade bait this summer. Guerin will have his 2027 first-round pick, along with young stars and prospects like goaltender Jesper Wallstedt, center Danila Yurov, and prospects Charlie Stramel and Adam Benak.

Of course, it might take all of them to land a player of Matthews' caliber.

"He's one of the best two-way guys in the game," Guerin told TSN. "I think his defensive game, his two-way game, and I know he gets credit for it, but I think it's completely underrated. How dedicated he is to his own end. His stick and striping pucks, I don't know, he's a hell of a player, man. I know he deals with a lot there in Toronto, but I think the world of him."

League insider Elliotte Friedman mentioned on a recent edition of his 32 Thoughts podcast that he was talking with a rival executive who joked that Guerin may as well have a bright neon sign outside Grand Casino Arena saying, "Come here, Auston. Quinn is waiting for you." Guerin hasn't been shy about making big moves, so why would he stop when an opportunity to land a 28-year-old superstar center is potentially on the table?

"I really think the world of him as a person," said Guerin. "He delivered for us."

It was an uninspiring home loss for the Wild (38-18-12) against a Leafs team that sits near the bottom of the Eastern Conference (29-27-12) and had lost nine of its last ten games coming into this one. Toronto was also without its best player in Auston Matthews, who will miss the rest of the season after suffering a significant injury this week.

The Maple Leafs stunned the St. Paul crowd — a group of fans that braved a Minnesota snowstorm to attend the game — with three goals in a span of about seven minutes early in the second period. The Wild got back into the game when Vladimir Tarasenko scored twice in less than 30 seconds early in the third period, but the equalizing goal eluded Minnesota after that. Despite out-shooting the Leafs 38 to 26, the Wild left empty-handed.

Neither team got on the board in the first period. Once the second began, the Leafs struck quickly. Morgan Rielly laced home a wrist shot just over a minute after the first intermission ended. About a minute later, Bo Groulx tipped home a Troy Stecher shot to double the lead. Six minutes after that, Groulx scored again off of a Matt Boldy giveaway. Those were just the third and fourth goals of Groulx's 69-game NHL career.

Heading into the third period, Wild coach John Hynes tried to give his trailing team a spark by shaking up his forward lines. Kirill Kaprizov moved to play with Boldy and Joel Eriksson Ek, with Vladimir Tarasenko joining Ryan Hartman and Mats Zuccarello, among other changes.

It worked. Five minutes into the third, the Wild got on the board when Tarasenko scored a goal from Zuccarello and Hartman. Then, off the ensuing faceoff, Tarasenko scored again, with the same two players getting the assists. Those two goals in a span of 23 seconds got the home crowd going, and it felt like the Wild weren't done.

But the third goal never came to fruition. Zuccarello had a great chance in front of the net that he couldn't get past Toronto goaltender Anthony Stolarz, who made 36 saves on the night. And Knies wrapped it up with an empty-netter in the final minute.

The Wild have now lost four of their last five games, including three straight home defeats against non-playoff teams from the East. It's looking more and more like they'll finish in third place in the Central Division and open the postseason with a difficult first-round matchup against Dallas or Colorado.

The Wild's next game comes on Tuesday night in Chicago against the Blackhawks, who have the third-fewest points in the West. Then Chicago comes to St. Paul on Thursday to complete a two-game set between the teams.

"I mean, me personally, I would like to see it changed but I understand why we don't," Guerin said Thursday on TSN's First Up with Korolnek & Colaiacovo show. "It goes year to year. Like, I think this year is just really unique in that you have these three real strong teams, all in one division. You don't see that a ton."

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Under the current format, the Minnesota Wild and Dallas Stars would square off in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Both the Wild and Stars are two of the four best teams in the entire league, meaning one of the favorites to win the Stanley Cup would be guaranteed to be out after just one round.

What makes it even more unique is that Dallas and Minnesota aren't even the best teams in their own division. The Colorado Avalanche currently have the most points (97) in the league. That means the Central Division features three of the four best teams in the league by total points. And because of the format, whoever wins the Dallas/Minnesota series would likely take on the Avs in round two of the playoffs, resulting in two of the Cup favorites being out before the league gets to the conference finals.

Gripes about the playoff format have been around since the league switched to the current format in 2014. Calls for change have only grown louder as this season has gone on and Colorado, Dallas, and Minnesota continue to assert their dominance in the league. Guerin, while potentially being a victim of the current format this year, noted that you have to be careful what you wish for in wanting change.

"It doesn't really matter because who do you play? Do you play Dallas or do you play Edmonton? OK, good luck with that," continued Guerin. "Do you play Utah, who we've had a hard, hard time with until last game? You're going to play a good team no matter what. The parity in the league is so strong that you're going to play somebody good."

"On the other side of it, the teams that work so hard to get to the top, you know what, maybe deserve to play one of the teams that hasn't gotten there. So, I see both sides of it, to be honest with you."

It's certainly an issue many Wild fans have been dreading this season. The Wild are having one of their best seasons in franchise history, yet their current 88 points are still a bit off the Avs (97 points) and Stars (92 points), who both have games in hand on Minnesota.

Guerin calls the guarantee of one of the best teams in the league being out in the first round "unfortunate."

"That's really the crappy part of it, is somebody's going home," continued Guerin. "I guess, competitively if you look at it, you're going to play a good team anyways. But, I do agree with you that one of the top three teams should not be going home (in round one)."

The Wild are having an incredible regular season. But because of the playoff format, they're almost certainly going to have to play a conference finals-caliber series just to end their drought and get past the first round for the first time in 11 years.

With just over a minute left in overtime, Avs star Nathan MacKinnon was called for an interference penalty, giving the Wild a 4-on-3 power play. Colorado was able to hold on for that final minute and send the game to a shootout. Matt Boldy scored a pretty shootout goal for the Wild, but they went 1 for 4 in total and MacKinnon delivered the winner in round four.

Kirill Kaprizov and Nico Sturm scored third-period goals for the Wild (37-16-11) to turn a one-goal deficit into a one-goal advantage. Their lead lasted less than six minutes, as the Avalanche (43-10-9) tied it via a Nicolas Roy deflection. Jesper Wallstedt's 34 saves weren't quite enough for Minnesota.

Had they won, the Wild would've become the first team all season to beat Colorado when trailing after two periods. Instead, the Avs improved to 34-0-0 in those situations. They're also a perfect 17-0-0 when scoring the first goal at home this season.

Neither team got on the board in a first period where the Avs out-shot the Wild 14 to 8. The scoring opened with MacKinnon's NHL-leading 43rd goal midway through the second. A Quinn Hughes turnover was snagged by Nazem Kadri, who picked up an assist in his first game back with the Avs following the trade deadline.

Early in the third period, the Wild went on the man advantage. And they cashed in on the power play after just four seconds. Joel Eriksson Ek won the faceoff, Hughes passed the puck to Kaprizov, and his centering pass deflected off of Brent Burns' stick and into the Colorado net. Matt Boldy's stick was also right there, but the goal has been credited to Kaprizov. It's his 36th of the season, breaking a tie with Boldy for the team lead.

A few minutes later, the Avalanche were on a power play when Nico Sturm got a shorthanded breakaway opportunity and went bar-down to give Minnesota the lead. Colorado was 0 for 5 on the power play in the game.

With a little over seven minutes remaining, Roy's deflection from Brett Kulak knotted the score at two. The Wild had a power play late in the third period — and newcomer Bobby Brink had a decent chance with the second unit — but couldn't score.

The Wild, who remain in third place in the stacked Central Division, will be back in action on Tuesday night against the Utah Mammoth in St. Paul.

Nick Foligno, 38, has just 11 points (three goals, eight assists) this season in 37 games for the Chicago Blackhawks, with Minnesota sending "future considerations" to Chicago to bring in the veteran winger.

The Wild are his sixth NHL team, after stints with the Ottawa Senators (2007-2012), Columbus Blue Jackets (2012-2021), Toronto Maple Leafs (2021), Boston Bruins (2021-2023), and the Chicago Blackhawks (2023-2026).

He has 608 career points (250 goals, 358 assists) in 1,270 games during his 19-year NHL career.

Nick will now team up with younger brother Marcus, who has played for the Wild since 2017. Marcus has 11 points (six goals, five assists) in 48 games for Minnesota this season. He has tallied 218 points (97 goals, 121 assists) during his nine seasons with the Wild.

The Wild will likely see Nick Foligno as another veteran depth piece as they chase a deep run in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Foligno is the latest fringe/edge-of-the-roster move made by Minnesota over the past week. Earlier on Friday, the Wild acquired Minnesota native Bobby Brink from the Flyers. They also landed veteran center Michael McCarron from Nashville earlier in the week.

Wild fans have been eagerly anticipating a big trade during deadline day. However, indications are that Wild GM Bill Guerin is likely not to take a big swing ahead of the 2 p.m. CT trade deadline.

The team reportedly has an offer out to the Rangers for star center Vincent Trocheck, but it appears New York doesn't feel the offer meets their asking price.

Brink, who hails from Minnetonka, is an undersized (5'8") right-shot forward who has 13 goals and 13 assists in 55 games with the Flyers this season. It's a similar scoring pace to the one he held last season, when he put up 12 goals and 41 points in 79 games with Philadelphia. For his career, he has 36 goals and 94 points in 201 contests.

The Wild are parting ways with Jiricek a year and change after sending a first-round pick and several other draft picks to acquire him from the Columbus Blue Jackets in November 2024. Minnesota clearly believed the former sixth overall pick would become a big part of their future, but that move hasn't panned out. Jiricek has cracked the Wild's lineup for only 31 games over the past couple seasons, scoring two points. Now he'll look to get his NHL career going in Philadelphia.

While Wild fans wait for a big move from general manager Bill Guerin before the deadline, it's possible that won't come to fruition. Indications are that they have an offer on the table for Rangers center Vincent Trocheck that doesn't meet New York's asking price. In a seller's market, the Wild may elect to hold onto their top assets — Jesper Wallstedt, Danila Yurov, Charlie Stramel, future first-round picks — to potentially chase a bigger fish this offseason. But we'll see.

Brink is the latest in a string of fringe/depth additions for the Wild. This week, they've also traded for hulking center Michael McCarron from Nashville and veteran defenseman Jeff Petry from Florida. Throw in waiver claim Robby Fabbri, and Minnesota has four new veteran players on its roster.

Brink is the son of Andy Brink, who played for the Gophers in the 1990s. Bobby grew up in Minnetonka and led the Skippers to their first Class AA state championship in 2018. He then began his junior career and had a huge season (35 goals, 68 points in 43 games) for the Sioux City Musketeers in the USHL in 2018-19. Following that season, the Flyers selected Brink with the 34th overall pick in the 2019 NHL draft. He then attended the University of Denver, where he led the country with 57 points in 41 games as a junior.

In April 2022, after concluding his season with Denver, Brink made his NHL debut with the Flyers. The following offseason, he got injured and wound up spending the year in the AHL after returning to health. Brink began the 2023-24 season with the Flyers but was sent back down to the AHL for a bit in January and February. Last season was his first full NHL campaign.

Brink is on a $1.5 million cap hit this year and will be a restricted free agent after the season. He figures to play in the Wild's bottom six, perhaps bumping out someone like Fabbri or Vinnie Hinostroza. Minnesota now has plenty of forward depth, even with Marcus Foligno on IR and Marcus Johansson currently banged up.

Guerin has been busy, trading for all-world defenseman Quinn Hughes on Dec. 12, and then adding fourth-line center Michael McCarron from Nashville and defenseman Jeff Petry from Florida this week.

All eyes are on Minnesota and the New York Rangers, who are reportedly asking for a ton for star center Vincent Trocheck. It's unclear if the Wild are out on Trocheck, but Michael Russo of The Athletic says the price is sky-high and Minnesota could look for other top-six centers if they can't strike a deal for the Rangers' star.

We'll be providing updates up to the deadline, so check back for the latest.

2:03 p.m. — Wild officially done

The trade deadline has passed, and the Wild did not make any additional moves, per Michael Russo. In total, they brought in four NHL players via trade (F Michael McCarron, D Jeff Petry, F Bobby Brink, F Nick Foligno) and sent out two (F Vinnie Hinostroza, D David Jiricek). Just depth moves, no major splashes (though they already made the biggest splash of the season back in December by landing Quinn Hughes).

It'll be very interesting to see what the Wild's lines look like late this evening in Vegas. Bill Guerin is clearly hoping the team's current group of centers (Joel Eriksson Ek, Ryan Hartman, Danila Yurov, Nick Foligno, McCarron, and Nico Sturm) will be good enough in the playoffs. And by holding onto top assets like Jesper Wallstedt and Charlie Stramel, the Wild could be in the mix to land a big name this summer.

12:02 p.m. — Hinostroza traded to Florida, Wild could be done

The Wild traded forward Vinnie Hinostroza to the Panthers for future considerations, according to Michael Russo, who also says the Wild could be done.

"As of this moment, I'm not expecting anything else from the [Minnesota Wild], Russo wrote on X.

10:44 a.m. — Wild trade for Nick Foligno

According to The Athletic's Michael Russo, the Wild are acquiring veteran winger Nick Foligno from the Chicago Blackhawks. Foligno joins his brother Marcus on the Minnesota roster. Minnesota is sending "future considerations" to Chicago in the trade.

Foligno, 38, has 11 points (3 goals, 8 assists) in 37 games this season for Chicago. The 19-year NHL veteran has tallied 608 career points (250 goals, 358 points) for the Ottawa Senators, Columbus Blue Jackets, Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins, and Chicago Blackhawks.

Foligno is another depth piece for the Wild as they continue to load up their roster for a deep playoff run.

9:25 a.m. — Wild trade for Bobby Brink

According to reports, the Wild are trading defenseman David Jiricek to the Philadelphia Flyers for right wing Bobby Brink.

Brink, 24, went to Minnetonka High School before playing at the University of Denver. He was Philadelphia's second-round pick (34th overall) in the 2019 NHL Draft. He has 13 goals and 13 assists in 55 games this season.

Brink will likely slot into the third line while Marcus Foligno is on injured reserve.

8:35 a.m. — Could the Wild go for Ryan O'Reilly?

O'Reilly, 35, would be a legitimate top-six center for Minnesota, but are the Wild willing to pay the price to get him? According to insider Pierre LeBrun, it might cost the Wild a first-round pick, a top prospect, and maybe more to get him. He's signed through next season at a $4.5 million cap hit, which is a bargain for a center who still produces at a high level (22 goals, 37 assists this season).

Russo says the Wild would have interest in O'Reilly, but he might not want to be moved out of Nashville. He doesn't have a no-move clause in his contract, but Russo says the Predators are treating him as if he does.

Latest on Ryan O'Reilly, there hasn't been a trade offer yet on the table for Nashville to consider seriously. Given the price paid for Nic Roy yesterday, it's at least a 1st and a top prospect if not more for a team to get ROR. ROR could very well stay put (which I think he…

— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) March 6, 2026

8:15 a.m. — Names to possibly cross off the list

According to Russo, it's "extremely unlikely" the Wild will have interest in Vancouver's Elias Pettersson, while Nazem Kadri's age and salary make him unpalatable to Minnesota. Old friend Charlie Coyle is a possibility, but his game is declining. And St. Louis star Robert Thomas might be too expensive.

8 a.m. — Rangers prepared to keep Trocheck

After the Rangers held Trocheck out of the lineup Thursday night due to "roster management" purposes, NHL insider Elliotte Friedman reported Friday morning that the Rangers are prepared to hold onto Trocheck "if they don't get what they feel they need."

Good morning.

NYR have indicated they are prepared to keep Vincent Trocheck if they don't get what they feel they need. Told teams, they are not trading him just for the sake of making a trade.

Deadlines spur action...we will see what the day brings.

— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) March 6, 2026

Minnesota is initially sending a 2026 seventh-round pick for Petry, though that becomes a fifth-round pick if the Wild win two playoff rounds and the veteran defenseman plays in 50 percent or more of the team's playoff games in the opening two rounds.

Petry, 38, is a respected veteran defender in the league. He has tallied eight assists in 58 appearances this season. During his 16-year NHL career, he has appeared in 1,039 games split between the Edmonton Oilers (2010-15), Montreal Canadiens (2015-22), Pittsburgh Penguins (2022-23), Detroit Red Wings (2023-25), and Florida Panthers (2025-26). He has registered 393 points (96 goals, 297 assists) during his career.

The veteran defenseman inked a one-year deal with the two-time defending champion Panthers last summer. With Florida's playoff possibilities dwindling, Petry will now get a chance to compete for a Stanley Cup with the Wild, who sit third in the Central with just 20 games remaining in the regular season.

Petry will join the Wild on Friday when they take on the Golden Knights in Las Vegas. Puck drop is set for 9 p.m. CT.

Latest trade speculation

According to numerous reports it appears the likelihood of the Wild landing Rangers center Vincent Trocheck is dwindling as we approach the Friday deadline.

The Athletic's Michael Russo and Joe Smith noted that Minnesota's hopes of landing the star center are "fading." The sticking point is the price that New York is asking for the center. Hockey insider Elliotte Friedman said on the FAN Hockey Show on Thursday that the Wild have "stepped back" in their talks with the Rangers.

With Trocheck seemingly on the backburner for now, the Wild could look elsewhere for center help. Russo and Friedman have previously noted that the Wild have looked all over for other options in case they couldn't land Trocheck.

Those searches have reportedly seen them look into Columbus' Charlie Coyle and Nashville's Ryan O'Reilly. The Blue Jackets have insisted their not looking to move Coyle at this point. Meanwhile, O'Reilly has indicated he's not interested in moving from Nashville.

Already leading 3-1 behind goals from Brock Faber, Mats Zuccarello, and Yakov Trenin, Hughes made it 4-1 at 6:53 of the third period when he cut from the left point through the slot and fired a shot past Andrei Vasilevskiy.

Quinn Hughes is on another planet. This is one of the best goals of his career. The speed he put on display here and the slick backhand to forehand finish is just lethal. #mnwild with a statement game vs TBL tn.

pic.twitter.com/nRMusSyr69

— Jack Jablonski (@Jabs_13) March 4, 2026

Hughes has been on an incredible run. After three weeks in Italy with Team USA for the Olympics, he visited the White House and attended President Trump's State of the Union address on Tuesday, Feb. 24.

The next day, he joined the Wild for a road trip, playing games against Colorado and Utah on Thursday and Friday, followed by a flight to New York to appear on Saturday Night Live. He played with the Wild on Sunday before traveling back to New York to appear on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, which was followed by a return trip to Minnesota for Tuesday night's game against Tampa Bay.

Meanwhile, after Hughes' goal put the game out of reach, Kaprizov scored on an empty net for his 220th career goal, passing Marian Gaborik on the Wild's all-time goals list.

AND THAT'S HISTORY pic.twitter.com/9u2gl9D3hu

— x - Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) March 4, 2026

“If you watch other players who have 500, 600 or 700 (goals), I feel like 200 is not a lot," Kaprizov said after the game, downplaying his achievement.

“It’s always nice to break some records and you feel better when you see this and want to keep going. It feels good, it means a lot to me for sure, but I don’t think about it anymore. It’s nice to have this record.”

Kaprizov set the record in 381 games, compared to 502 for Gaborik, who scored 219 goals. Mikko Koivu is third on the list with 205 goals in 1,028 games.

Is Kaprizov the best player in franchise history?

“I don’t know if I’m best player to ever play for this team, there’s a lot of good players who play right now and play before me,” Kaprizov said. “It for sure feels good. When you go somewhere, or see someone, they always recognize you and always say good luck.”

Kaprizov, Hughes, and the Wild now get a nice break before returning to the ice Friday night for a game in Las Vegas against the Golden Knights.

McCarron is a 6-foot-6 center who will provide physicality for the Wild, having led Nashville with 165 hits this season. Wild center Yakov Trenin leads the league in hits with 300. Marcus Foligno is second on the team with 151 hits, but he was placed on injured reserve Monday with a lower-body injury.

The veteran center turns 31 on Friday and has a career faceoff win percentage of 52.8. Minnesota has struggled on faceoffs this season, currently holding the second-worst win percentage in the league at 46.2%.

McCarron has spent five-and-a-half seasons in Nashville, where he played for current Wild head coach John Hynes from 2020 to 2023. He has tallied 74 points (33 goals, 41 assists) during his nine-year NHL career.

McCarron is the second depth forward acquired by the Wild in as many days. On Monday, Minnesota claimed former first-round pick Robby Fabbri off waivers.

The Wild, who host Tampa Bay on Tuesday night, sit three points back of Dallas for second place in the Central Division and nine points behind Colorado for first. The Stars have one game in hand on Minnesota, while the Avalanche have two.

The NHL team and St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her announced the agreement Tuesday morning, revealing that two-thirds of the cost will be privately funded, with the remaining one-third coming from the state.

The $600 million will be used to update Grand Casino Arena, the St. Paul RiverCentre, and Roy Wilkins Auditorium. $450 million supports the arena, while $150 million provides upgrades to the RiverCentre and Roy Wilkins Auditorium.

The next step in the process will be getting the Legislature to approve $200 million in state funding: $125 million for Grand Casino Arena and $75 million for the RiverCentre and Roy Wilkins Auditorium.  

Of the other $400 million, the Wild and St. Paul will each contribute $162.5 million, with the city working with the Wild as a "preferred partner" to generate another $75 million.

St. Paul's funds will come via an extension of the city's half-cent sales tax, which originated in 2000 as part of the city's Sales Tax Revitalization (STAR) program designed to fund expansion and remodeling of the RiverCentre complex.

In June 2025, state legislators shot down a proposal to help fund a $488 million remodel, which was scaled back after the original proposal in March 2025 called for $769 million in renovations to the arena, as well as the RiverCentre and Roy Wilkins Auditorium.

In the two proposals last year, the plan went from using roughly $395 million in taxpayer dollars to $50 million. However, the June proposal eliminated upgrades to the RiverCentre and Roy Wilkins Auditorium, so those are now back on the table in the latest proposal.

“This arena is one of the most important economic engines driving Saint Paul’s economy. It’s booked 150 nights a year with events and entertainment – more than any other venue in Minnesota," Leipold said in a statement. "Like any 25-year-old building, it’s ready for an update and we’re ready to invest – in the fan and visitor experience, in the event space, in safety and accessibility."

Mayor Her says the proposal "ensures our facilities remain competitive," adding that she is "committed to being a good steward of taxpayer dollars."

More information is expected to be revealed at an 11 a.m. press conference.

Foligno, 34, has appeared in 48 games for the Wild this season, tallying 11 points (six goals, five assists). He logged 12 minutes of ice time in Minnesota's 5-2 loss to Utah on Friday but missed Sunday’s 3-1 loss to St. Louis.

Fabbri, 30, was waived by the Blues on Sunday. A former first-round pick, he has appeared in more than 450 NHL games, including 10 playoff games during St. Louis' run to the Stanley Cup in 2019.

In 457 career games, Fabbri has recorded 220 points (107 goals, 113 assists) in his 10-year career. He has eclipsed 15 goals four times, most recently during the 2023-24 season with Detroit.

He has become something of a journeyman in recent years, finishing a four-and-a-half-year stint with the Red Wings in 2024 before playing for Anaheim in 2024-25. After his lone season with the Ducks, Fabbri had a professional tryout with the Penguins but never appeared in a game for Pittsburgh.

The Blues picked him up in December, and he played 15 games for St. Louis before being placed on waivers over the weekend.

The veteran center will likely slot in on the Wild's fourth line and penalty-kill unit. He owns a career 47% faceoff win rate, which doesn’t necessarily address the team’s glaring need in that area.

Minnesota remains linked to a potential big move ahead of Friday’s trade deadline. The Wild have specifically been connected to Rangers center Vincent Trocheck, whose ability to win faceoffs and contribute on the penalty kill are two areas Minnesota needs to shore up heading into the final stretch of the season.

No major deal has materialized yet, but the Wild remain heavily linked to Rangers center Vincent Trocheck. However, a new wrinkle has emerged in those talks over the past couple of days.

Speculation that the Rangers could deal Trocheck has been building for some time. New York's season is going nowhere, and they've already moved star forward Artemi Panarin. With the Wild in need of a top-line center, the connection to Trocheck has been easy to make. Add in the fact that Trocheck was part of the U.S. Olympic team that Guerin helped construct as GM, and the links become even stronger.

However, Trocheck has made it clear he prefers to stay in the East if he’s moved. Rangers beat reporter Vince Mercogliano of The Athletic reported Monday that Trocheck told the media winning is a priority for his next destination, but added, "It's no secret. (West teams) are on my no-trade list."

Just had a good, open convo with Vincent Trocheck, who very much realizes a trade could be coming. He said winning is a priority for his next destination and he confirmed that he prefers to stay east. “It’s no secret. (West teams) are on my no-trade list.” #NYR

— Vince Z. Mercogliano (@vzmercogliano) March 2, 2026

That would seemingly take Minnesota out of the race, right? Not exactly, according to Wild insider Michael Russo. "West, geographically," Russo wrote on X. "Minnesota is not West. Wild’s not on his no-trade list and are very much interested."

Speaking on NHL on TNT on Sunday, insider Elliotte Friedman noted that Trocheck has "some control" over where he goes and would prefer to stay in the East. Friedman added that the Los Angeles Kings and the Utah Mammoth have been "around" trade discussions for Trocheck, but that "those teams know it's not likely." Regarding Minnesota, Friedman said they’re "not that far away, Central Time Zone, I think they're still in it." He added that Carolina and Detroit are also involved in discussions.

When asked whether Guerin is done making moves, Friedman said no and indicated that Trocheck is Minnesota’s primary target ahead of Friday’s deadline.

"I think the Rangers know exactly what Trocheck is going to cost and what Minnesota is willing to do for Trocheck," Friedman said. "I think they know exactly, and I think they're looking around and saying, 'Alright, do we take that deal or do we find another deal elsewhere that beats it?' So I think most people believe Minnesota has a standing offer for him, and we'll just see what the Rangers decide to do.

"I think (the Wild) also looked at Charlie Coyle, but I don't think, at this time, Columbus is willing to do that. I think Columbus is willing to let this play out, especially to see how they do this week. But that's the kind of player Minnesota is looking at, and I think Trocheck is the guy on their list. I think they've got something out there, and it's up to the Rangers to make the decision. Do they go with the Wild's offer, or do they go somewhere else?"

Trocheck would address the Wild’s biggest need and most glaring weakness as they look to make an extended playoff run. Minnesota ranks 31st in faceoff win percentage at 46.2%. Trocheck, meanwhile, owns a 57.4% faceoff win rate this season. He was also a key part of a U.S. penalty kill that went a perfect 18-for-18 at the Olympics. Minnesota’s penalty kill ranks 22nd in the league.

After a pair of disappointing losses to the Mammoth (5-2 on Friday) and the Blues (3-1 on Sunday), the Wild sit one point behind the Stars for second place in the Central Division and seven points behind the Avalanche for the top spot.

Minnesota has just 21 games remaining as it looks to advance past the first round for the first time in its past eight postseason appearances.

Joel Eriksson Ek scored a pair of goals, Filip Gustavsson made a whopping 44 saves, and Matt Boldy added a couple empty-net tallies as the Wild pulled away late to take down the Avs 5-2 on Thursday night. It's the sixth straight victory for Minnesota, who moves to within five points of Colorado in the Central Division standings (though the Avs have two games in hand).

Gustavsson didn't have a strong Olympics for Team Sweden, but he was in peak form on this night despite apparently being under the weather. His 44 saves are the second-highest total of his career in a game that didn't go to overtime. Gustavsson was only beaten once by the league's highest-scoring team before leaving the game with a little over a minute left. Jesper Wallstedt came in and allowed Colorado's second goal.

Boldy, who played a big role in Team USA's gold medal triumph in Milan, had a four-point night for the Wild. He assisted on both of Eriksson Ek's goals in the second period, then sealed the deal by scoring his 33rd and 34th goals of the season with the Colorado net empty late in the third period.

The first period was entertaining despite neither team finding the back of the net. Both teams had chances, with the Avs starting strong and then the Wild finding their game after perhaps shaking off some early rust. Minnesota had a couple power play chances and hit the post twice in the opening 20 minutes.

The Wild opened the scoring when Eriksson Ek buried a Boldy rebound on the power play midway through the second. The Avalanche answered not long after, with Nathan MacKinnon setting up Martin Necas for a top-shelf snipe. But the Wild regained their lead thanks to some extended power-play time. The Avs sent three players to the penalty box in quick succession. They were able to kill almost two minutes of a Minnesota 5-on-3, but the puck never left the offensive zone and Eriksson Ek got a fortunate bounce during the final Colorado penalty.

Team USA star Quinn Hughes picked up an assist on the goal, extending his streak to 11 consecutive NHL games with an assist. Including the Olympics, he's recorded a point in each of his last 17 hockey games.

The Wild's 2-1 advantage held up until Mats Zuccarello scored on another fortunate bounce with around five minutes left in the game. A couple minutes later, Boldy snagged the puck and scored his fourth shorthanded goal of the season to all but seal it.

Minnesota will be back in action on Friday night against the Utah Mammoth. They'll be back in Denver for a rematch a week from Sunday.

Speaking for the first time since the video was released, Minnesota Frost stars Taylor Heise, Kelly Pannek, and Britta Curle-Salemme all chose to focus on the support the men's team gave them throughout the tournament in Italy.

"Our experiences with the men's team is different, I think," said Pannek. "That's something that we all know, being there, what it felt like to have their support throughout the tournament, to support them. And how great of a moment it was for everyone that was a fan of both teams to come together and say how great it was that we both won a gold medal together for the first time ever. It really was such a special feeling being there. Even being able to spend some time with them after their win and the respect that they were showing us."

Following their overtime win against Canada in the gold-medal game, the U.S. men's team was seen on video celebrating in the locker room with FBI Director Kash Patel. Speaking through Patel's phone, Trump invited the team to the White House and joked that he's "going to have to bring the women's team," noting that he would "probably get impeached" if he didn't extend an invite to them as well.

In the now-viral video, the men's team can be seen laughing at the president's remark, which has since sparked backlash and criticism.

"I think, obviously, is that the perfect response? Is it an appropriate comment or joke to make? No, I don't think so," said Curl-Salemme. "But I just go back to the way that they treated us and the support they gave us. They were as happy as anyone to see us succeed, and same with us for them."

Pannek and Curl-Salemme were two of eight players on the women's team with connections to Minnesota.

• Rory Guilday (Chanhassen)
• Taylor Heise (Lake City, Minnesota Frost)
• Kelly Pannek (Plymouth, Minnesota Frost)
• Lee Stelein (Roseville, Minnesota Frost)
• Grace Zumwinkle (Excelsior, Minnesota Frost)
• Kendall Coyne-Schofield (Minnesota Frost)
• Britta Curl-Salemme (Minnesota Frost)
• Abbey Murphy (Minnesota Gophers)
  

Citing "timing and previously scheduled academic and professional commitments," the women's team declined Trump's invitation. All but four players on the men's team were in attendance for the visit, including Minnesota Wild stars Matt Boldy, Brock Faber, and Quinn Hughes. They also made an appearance at Trump's State of the Union speech on Tuesday.

"Obviously, you know, things are said and things are done," Heise said. "At the end of the day, I respect the men's team. I think winning gold is really hard and it's really tough. Obviously, we showed what it was like first, and I remember we were sitting in the training room and they gave us props, and they left us beers in the fridge, and were super nice about it."

Heise's assist in overtime helped secure gold for the women's team against Canada. Overall, Heise registered five points (two goals, three assists) for the U.S. women during the tournament.

"When they won, too, the first thing they did when we saw them in the (cafeteria) was, I got a big hug from, I think, Auston Matthews and Charlie McAvoy," continued Heise. "Like, they were just so excited to be there. We have major respect for them. Obviously, things are taken out of turn and things like that. At the end of the day, it's hockey, and we try to keep politics out of it."

Pannek noted there were elements of the phone call that were "not surprising." However, her focus is on turning the attention back to what the U.S. team accomplished on the ice, which, to her, was "dominant hockey."

More from Kelly Pannek:

"With the phone call specifically, it's not surprising, to be frank. So, I don't know why we expect differently? But I think for us it's also just about getting back to the focus on our team and what our team accomplished... dominant hockey." pic.twitter.com/V0RRiSvQgN

— Heather Rule (@hlrule) February 25, 2026

The women's team won all four of its group games, scoring 20 goals while allowing just one. That dominance continued into the knockout rounds, where the U.S. beat Italy 6-0 in the quarterfinal, defeated Sweden 5-0 in the semifinal, and topped Canada 2-1 in the final.

"We respect the heck out of them," Heise said of the men's team. "Obviously, you take what you may with what was said. At the end of the day, it's a gold medal around our necks, and theirs as well. And we're coming to the Frost with a win, so that helps."

The Frost return to action when the PWHL season resumes on Sunday, March 1, with a game against the Montreal Victoire.

With 15 games remaining, the Frost are chasing a third straight PWHL title. The Frost are currently second in the league with 28 points, just two points behind the Boston Fleet.

The Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics are in the rearview mirror, and on Thursday night, the Wild will play their first game in 22 days. Their opponent? The league-leading Colorado Avalanche, who are 37-9-9 (83 points) and boast a +74 goal differential. Minnesota will be thrown right back into the fire at Ball Arena in Denver, where the Avs are 21-3-4 this season.

The good news for the Wild (34-14-10, 78 points) is that they'll be close to full strength for this marquee showdown between the two teams with the most points in the Western Conference. There was perhaps some uncertainty about the availability of Team USA Olympians Quinn Hughes, Matt Boldy, and Brock Faber, who visited the White House on Tuesday after beating Canada to win gold in Milan two days earlier.

It sounds like all three will be good to go. According to The Athletic's Michael Russo, Wild owner Craig Leipold sent his plane to Washington D.C. to pick up the Wild's three gold medalists on Wednesday, so they'll be back in Minnesota in time to fly with the rest of the team to Denver. Head coach John Hynes said he expects the three to play.

All of the Wild's other Olympians have been back in Minnesota for a bit. That includes Team Sweden players Joel Eriksson Ek, Marcus Johansson, Filip Gustavsson, and Jesper Wallstedt. Sweden fell to the USA on Hughes' overtime winner in the quarterfinals. Nico Sturm's Germany team lost to Slovakia in the quarters.

Another potential advantage for the Wild on Thursday night is that the Avalanche, who play the Utah Mammoth on Wednesday, will be on the second leg of a back-to-back. Still, one would imagine Colorado superstars Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar of Team Canada will be fired up to go against the Wild and their trio of U.S. Olympians. The Avalanche also had Brock Nelson in Milan with Team USA and several other Olympians, including bronze medalists Martin Necas and Arturi Lehkonen of Team Finland.

MacKinnon leads the NHL with 40 goals and is second behind Canadian teammate Connor McDavid with 93 points, but his miss of an open net in Sunday's gold medal game loomed large. He was on the ice in overtime for Jack Hughes' game-winner. Makar and fellow Avalanche defenseman Devon Toews were split by Boldy in remarkable fashion for the game's opening goal in the first period.

Quinn Hughes was the only American player to record a point in all six games, finishing with a goal and seven assists. Boldy (2 goals, 2 assists) and Faber (1 goal, 1 assist) also played important roles in the USA's 6-0 run through the tournament. They'll now look to carry that momentum over to the final 24 games of the regular season and into a massive postseason for the Wild, who hope to at least advance past the first round for the first time since 2015.

Gustavsson will start in net for the Wild, who remain without defenseman Jonas Brodin due to a lower-body injury that forced him to miss the Olympics.

After facing the Avs, the Wild will head to Utah to take on the Mammoth on Friday night. They'll then come home and play a third game in four days when they host the St. Louis Blues on Sunday. The stretch run in the NHL begins now.

Speaking via FBI Director Kash Patel's phone to the men's team after beat Canada to win the gold medal on Sunday, Trump invited them the White House and joked that he's "going to have to bring the women’s team" as well, noting that he'd "probably get impeached" if he didn't invite them, too.

This prompted a flurry of laughter from some of the men's players, which in turn has sparked criticism from Merrill, who played for the Wild from 2021 to 2025.

Merrill was speaking via Hockey's Beauty Club, which he launched in 2025 in collaboration with the NHL Player Inclusion Coalition. The club's goal is promote inclusivity and to combat bullying in hockey.

"It is too important to not speak out on the video that has gone viral of the USA Men’s Olympic hockey team laughing along as the President of The United States made a joke of women’s hockey," Merrill stated.

"These women — who went out and played their hearts out (just like the men), sacrificed their bodies (just like the men), and played through injuries (just like the men) — are unreal athletes and deserve far more respect than what was shown in that video.

"The culture in men’s and boys’ hockey needs the next generation of beauties to show more love and appreciation for our female players. The women in our lives – our mothers, sisters, daughters, and more – are counting on it and deserve better."

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Among the players on the men's team Merrill called out are three Wild players: Matt Boldy, Brock Faber, and Quinn Hughes.

"Me and Jack (Hughes) were there, we watched [the women's team] win the gold medal," Quinn said in an interview on Tuesday. "They came to our game and were able to watch us. So, just the support back and forth, just to get to know them a little better was special, too."

Boldy, Faber, and Hughes visited Trump at the White House and attended his State of the Union speech on Tuesday. Twenty of the 25 players on the men's gold medal-winning team were there, with exceptions including Brock Nelson, Jake Oettinger, Jake Guentzel, and Jackson LaCombe.

Nelson (Warroad), Oettinger (Lakeville North), and Guentzel (Hill-Murray) were star hockey players at Minnesota high schools, while LaCombe was a standout for the Minnesota Gophers before turning pro.

None of the five has publicly said they declined the invitation to the White House for political reasons.

The women's team declined the invitation from Trump, citing "timing and previously scheduled academic and professional commitments." 

Trump claimed during his State of the Union address that the women's team will "soon" visit the White House.

"They beat a fantastic Canadian team in overtime as everybody saw, as did the American women who will soon be coming to the White House," Trump said.

It's unclear if the U.S. women's team will make a trip to visit Trump at the White House, as USA Hockey has not confirmed the president's claim.

Of the 23 players on the women's roster, eight have connections to Minnesota: 

• Rory Guilday (Chanhassen)
• Taylor Heise (Lake City, Minnesota Frost)
• Kelly Pannek (Plymouth, Minnesota Frost)
• Lee Stelein (Roseville, Minnesota Frost)
• Grace Zumwinkle (Excelsior, Minnesota Frost)
• Kendall Coyne-Schofield (Minnesota Frost)
• Britta Curl-Salemme (Minnesota Frost)
• Abbey Murphy (Minnesota Gophers)

Wild GM invited Kash Patel into locker room, report says

Minnesota Wild general manager Bill Guerin was reportedly responsible for inviting FBI Director Kash Patel to celebrate with Team USA men’s team after their gold medal win over Canada.

The Athletic reports that it was Guerin – who served as GM of Team USA for this year’s Winter Olympics – who made the call to let Patel into the locker room, with The Athletic describing Patel as a "friend" of Guerin’s.

The FBI director’s presence at the Olympics has since sparked accusations of misusing public funds, the latest instance in which Patel has faced scrutiny for what the New York Times has described as "blurring the lines between personal recreation and professional responsibility."

Guerin’s involvement adds another layer of controversy given he is the general manager of a Minnesota team at a time the Trump administration is operating the immigration crackdown, Operation Metro Surge, in Minnesota.

Investigators from the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension have found themselves blocked by Patel’s FBI from accessing case details in the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis.

It has also been reported that federal prosecutors in Minnesota had started a civil rights investigation into Good’s killing by ICE agent Jonathan Ross, but were ordered to stop by several Trump administration officials – including Patel. This order prompted a flood of resignations from Minnesota’s U.S. Attorney’s Office.

All of them helped the United States defeat Canada in an overtime thriller in Sunday's gold-medal game at the Milano Cortina Olympics. After the win, FBI Director Kash Patel, celebrating in the locker room with the players, held up his cellphone so Trump could congratulate them over the speaker, and invite them to the nation's capital to celebrate the first men's hockey Olympic gold for the U.S. since the 1980 "Miracle on Ice." 

During the call, Trump joked with the men's team that he's “going to have to bring the women’s team" as well, noting that he'd "probably get impeached" if he didn't invite them after they went undefeated in Italy and beat Canada in the gold-medal game.  

Of the 23 players on the women's roster, eight had connections to Minnesota: 

• Rory Guilday (Chanhassen)
• Taylor Heise (Lake City, Minnesota Frost)
• Kelly Pannek (Plymouth, Minnesota Frost)
• Lee Stelein (Roseville, Minnesota Frost)
• Grace Zumwinkle (Excelsior, Minnesota Frost)
• Kendall Coyne-Schofield (Minnesota Frost)
• Britta Curl-Salemme (Minnesota Frost)
• Abbey Murphy (Minnesota Gophers)

The women's team declined the invitation from Trump, citing "timing and previously scheduled academic and professional commitments." 

During an interview on "Good Morning America" on Tuesday, Quinn and his brother Jack Hughes, who scored the winning goal in overtime against Canada in the gold-medal game, were asked if they were going to D.C. 

"I don't know how much I'm allowed to say, but yes," Quinn said. "We're excited to go. It's something you don't get to do (every) Tuesday."

Not only did Trump's comments about the women's team put the men's team in an awkward position, but the Wild stars are in an even more delicate position due to the political unrest caused by the Trump administration's controversial immigration enforcement surge that is winding down after nearly three months in Minnesota. 

The three Wild stars weren't the only members of the U.S. men's team with Minnesota connections. Brock Nelson grew up in Warroad, Jake Guentzel starred at Hill-Murray School, Jake Oettinger was a star goalie at Lakeville North, and Jackson LaCombe played for the Golden Gophers. 

Nelson, Guentzel, Oettinger, and LaCombe were among the five players from the team, the other being Kyle O'Connor, who did not make the trip to the White House. 

None of them has disclosed why they declined.

Nelson plays for the Colorado Avalanche, who host the Wild on Thursday night. Guentzel, Oettinger, and LaCombe will all be back on NHL ice playing for their respective teams (Tampa Bay, Dallas, and Anaheim) on Wednesday night. 

It feels like almost a foregone conclusion that Wild general manager Bill Guerin, having just watched the United States team he assembled win gold in Milan, will make another move of some sort to bolster Minnesota's odds of making a deep postseason run. Having already swung a blockbuster deal for Quinn Hughes this season, Guerin is clearly in the market to add an impact forward — in part because playoff success is likely the best way to convince Hughes to stick around beyond next season.

The name that keeps coming up as a logical Wild target is New York Rangers center Vincent Trocheck. Minnesota appears to be a "frontrunner" to acquire Trocheck, according to insider James Murphy, though the Red Wings and other teams are also in the mix.

Trocheck, 32, was a somewhat surprising pick by Guerin to be on the USA roster at the Winter Olympics. He's not as dynamic of an offensive player as some of the stars who were left off the roster, including Jason Robertson and Cole Caufield. But Guerin wanted a few guys who could play physical bottom-six roles, win faceoffs, and kill penalties. After the U.S. went 6-0 and beat Canada for gold, that approach looks brilliant.

Across six games in Milan, Trocheck won 38 of 57 faceoffs (66.6 percent). He also chipped in three assists and was a plus-two. He was a significant part of a U.S. penalty kill that was a perfect 18 for 18 in the tournament, most notably killing 90 seconds of a Canada 5-on-3 in the gold medal game.

A 13-year NHL veteran, Trocheck would help address some of the Wild's notable weaknesses. They're 31st in the league in faceoff percentage at 46.4 percent; Trocheck has won 57.9 percent of his draws in four years with the Rangers. The Wild's penalty kill ranks 24th; Trocheck is a respected penalty killer who led the league with six shorthanded goals last season.

Overall, Trocheck is a low-end first-line center or a high-end second-line center who can also play on the power play. He's a two-time All-Star who has 235 goals and 614 points in 844 career regular season games with the Panthers, Hurricanes, and Rangers. He has 36 points in 43 games this season and had a career-high 77 a couple years ago. Trocheck also had 20 points in 16 games in the 2024 postseason with New York.

The projected cost for the Wild to acquire Trocheck would be something in the range of this mock deal from The Athletic: Minnesota's 2027 first-round pick, C prospect Charlie Stramel, and D prospect Carson Lambos. Stramel, the Wild's first-round pick in 2023, is having a big senior year at Michigan State this year. Lambos was a first-round pick in 2021 who has seen his prospect status fade during his time in the AHL. Parting with Stramel and a first-rounder wouldn't be easy, but that's likely what it would take to acquire a player of this caliber.

If Guerin can get the deal done, Trocheck would slot into the Wild's top line alongside Kirill Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello. That would bump Ryan Hartman down to a spot in the bottom six. Trocheck would also play on the penalty kill and the power play.

If the price for someone like the Blues' Robert Thomas is too high, Trocheck might be the most logical player for Guerin to go out and acquire before the deadline. His skill set could help the Wild get past the first round and perhaps make a deep run through the treacherous Western Conference.

The forward juggled the puck as he forced his way through Canada's Cale Makar and Jonathan Toews before finishing past Jordan Binnington.

Boldy's moment of magic came against the run of play, with Canada having the better of the early exchanges.

THE USA STRIKES FIRST. MATT BOLDY PUTS THE AMERICANS ON THE BOARD. ‼️ pic.twitter.com/oO5Am72qa7

— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) February 22, 2026

Wild players are having a big impact on the USA's Olympic bid, with an overtime winner from Quinn Hughes sending the team into the semifinals earlier this week against Sweden.

Boldy's goal sparked big celebrations in his native Massachusetts, where his mother works as a bartender.

The Catman Cafe in Mansfield goes WILD as Matt Boldy, whose mom works here as a bartender, scores the opener against Canada. 1-0 USA @wbznewsradio pic.twitter.com/fVEoDscqpk

— Kyle Bray (@KyleBrayWBZ) February 22, 2026

The 7:10 a.m. start didn't deter sports fans from packing out bars in the Twin Cities, with Tom Reid's Hockey City Pub in St. Paul opening early for the final.

Tom Reid's is PACKED! 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/9NdXp4G4PV

— 10,000 Takes (@10k_Takes) February 22, 2026

(Note: All times below are CT)

Women's curling

USA vs. Great Britain - 2:05 a.m. - Peacock | Tape delay: 8:15 a.m. - USA Network

The five-member U.S. women's curling team all are either Minnesota natives or have a connection to the state. Aileen Geving (Duluth), Cory Thiesse (Duluth), Tabitha Peterson Lovick (Eagan), and Tara Peterson (Eagan) are all native Minnesotans, while Taylor Anderson-Heide is a Gopher alumna.

The U.S. enter the second-to-last day of round robin play tied for second in the standings, having won five matches and lost two. They have two games left, against Great Britain (7th) on Wednesday and Switzerland (tied 2nd) on Thursday. The top four teams qualify for the playoffs.

Men's hockey

Slovakia vs. Germany - 5:10 a.m. - Peacock
Finland vs. Switzerland - 11:10 a.m. - Peacock
USA vs. Sweden - 2:10 p.m. - NBC

The quarterfinals feature numerous Minnesota connections. The only game that doesn't feature a connection to the state is Canada's game against Czechia at 9:40 a.m. Below are the Minnesota connections for each team:

Slovakia  - Adam Gajan (current UMD player)

Germany - Nico Sturm (Wild)

Finland - Erik Haula (former Gopher)

USA -  Jackson LaCombe (Eden Prairie), Brock Faber (Maple Grove/Wild), Jake Guentzel (Woodbury), Brock Nelson (Warroad), Jake Oettinger (Lakeville), Matt Boldy (Wild), Quinn Hughes (Wild)

Sweden -  Jesper Wallstedt (Wild), Filip Gustavsson (Wild), Jonas Brodin (Wild), Joel Eriksson Ek (Wild), Marcus Johansson (Wild)

After finishing the group stage with a perfect 3-0 record, the U.S. enters the playoff bracket as the No. 2 seed, having seen Canada take the top spot on goal differential. The playoff bracket will be reseeded after the quarterfinals are done, so it's currently unclear who their opponent will be if they advance to the semifinal round.

Men's curling

USA vs. Great Britain - 7:05 a.m. - Peacock

Four of the five members of the U.S. men's curling team have Minnesota connections. Aidan Oldenburg (Mapleton), Luc Violette (Eagan), and Rich Ruohonen (Brooklyn Park) are all native Minnesotans, while Daniel Casper is a Gopher alumnus.

The U.S. enters Wednesday in a must-win situation while also needing some help. After losing to Italy 8-5 on Tuesday, the U.S. is now tied for fifth place with Great Britain heading into their final day of round robin play.

Only the top four teams advance to the playoffs. Switzerland and Canada have already qualified. Meanwhile, Italy and Norway are tied for third and have two games left, compared to just one for the United States. 

Italy has games against Canada (Wednesday) and Switzerland (Thursday). Norway will play Switzerland (Wednesday) and Canada (Thursday).

In order to qualify, the United States will have to beat Great Britain on Wednesday and hope for one of two scenarios: Italy drops both games, as the Italians hold the tiebreaker over the U.S., or Norway loses at least once. 

Brock Faber lights the lamp and Team USA is ROLLING. 🤩#WinterOlympics pic.twitter.com/RM4GZaW6Ka

— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) February 15, 2026

This year is Faber's second time playing in the Olympics. He was a member of Team USA in 2022, when NHL players did not participate, and he was still at the University of Minnesota. He did not score a goal in Beijing, so Sunday was his first time finding the back of the net in Olympic play.

Hughes continued to prove his one of the best hockey players in the world, and he was all over Sunday's game. He, Auston Matthews, Brady Tkachuck and Matthew Tkachuck and the only three members of Team USA to record at least one point in all three games. 

Hughes, Faber and Matt Boldy weren't the only Wild stars on the ice on Sunday. They took down forward Nico Strum, who is representing his home country of Germany at the Olympics.

Boldy led Team USA with eight shots on Sunday, but he wasn't able to find the back of the net after having a wrap-around goal on Saturday against Denmark. 

Team USA beat Latvia 5-1, Denmark 6-3 and Germany 5-1 in their three preliminary round games. They dominated their group by a combined score of 16-5, but they will earn the two seed of the knockout stage behind Canada, who won their group by a combined score of 20-3.

Team USA will await the winner of Sweden and Latvia for their first play-off game.

(Note: All times below are CT)

Men's hockey

Four games on Saturday feature 15 Minnesota-connected athletes. The schedul for Saturday is below, followed by who is playing in each.

Germany vs. Latvia - 5:00 a.m. - CNBC

Wild forward Nico Sturm is representing Germany

Sweden vs. Slovakia - 5:10 a.m. - Peacock

Wild stars Jesper Wallstedt, Filip Gustavsson, Jonas Brodin, Joel Eriksson Ek, and Marcus Johansson will be representing Sweden. UMD player Adam Gajan is playing for Slovakia.

Finland vs. Italy - 9:40 a.m. - USA Network

Former Gopher Erik Haula represents Finland.

USA vs. Denmark - 2:10 p.m. - USA Network (Replay: 10 p.m. USA Network)

Team USA features seven players with Minnesota connections, including Minnesota natives Jackson LaCombe (Eden Prairie), Brock Faber (Maple Grove/Wild), Jake Guentzel (Woodbury), Brock Nelson (Warroad), and Jake Oettinger (Lakeville), as well as current Wild stars Quinn Hughes and Matt Boldy.

Men's curling

Four of the five members of the U.S. men's curling team have Minnesota connections. Aidan Oldenburg (Mapleton), Luc Violette (Eagan), and Rich Ruohonen (Brooklyn Park) are all native Minnesotans, while Daniel Casper is a Gopher alumnus.

Team USA will take on Germany in their fourth match of the round robin portion of the tournament. That match gets underway at 7 a.m. on Peacock, with replays set to be broadcast at noon on CNBC and at 7 p.m. on USA Network.

Women's biathlon - 7.5 km sprint

Two Minnesotans, Lucinda Anderson (Golden Valley) and Margie Freed (Apple Valley), will compete in the women's biathlon 7.5 km sprint, in which competitors complete three laps around the biathlon arena, while stopping twice to shoot, trying to hit five targets each time.

The event is a staggered start and begins at 7:45 a.m. on NBC. Freed gets underway at 8:14 a.m., while Anderson starts at 8:18 a.m.

There is no set replay of the event, but results can be found here.

Women's speedskating - team pursuit

The quarterfinals of the women's speedskating team pursuit get underway at 9 a.m. on USA Network. A re-air of the event is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. on USA Network.

Two Minnesotans, Giorgia Birkeland (White Bear Lake) and Greta Myers (Lino lakes), are part of the U.S. team.

The semifinals and finals take place on Tuesday.

Women's hockey

Twelve women's hockey players are in action Saturday across the pair of quarterfinal games. Below is the schedule and who is involved.

Canada vs. Germany - 9:40 a.m. - CNBC

Former UMD Bulldog Jocelyne Larocque represents Canada. Meanwhile, Germany features three players with connections to the state: Svenja Voigt (current St. Cloud State player), Nina Jobst-Smith (UMD alumna), and Laura Kluge (St. Cloud State alumna).

Finland vs. Switzerland - 2:10 p..m. - CNBC

Finland features five players with Minnesota connections, including current Gopher Nelli Laitinen, current St. Cloud State players Emilia Kyrkkö and Siiri Yrjölä, as well as St. Cloud State alumna Sanni Ahola and Jenniina Nylund. Across the ice, Switzerland has three players with Minnesota connections: Laura Zimmermann (St. Cloud State alumna), Lara Stalder (UMD alumna), and Saskia Maurer (St. Thomas alumna).

Men's speedskating - 500m

Macalester alumnus Conor McDermott-Mostowy goes for a medal in Saturday's men's speedskating 500m race. It starts at 10 a.m. on NBC, with a replay broadcast on NBC at 3:30 p.m.

Women's curling

The five-member U.S. women's curling team consists entirely of either Minnesota natives or those who have a connection to the state. Aileen Geving (Duluth), Cory Thiesse (Duluth), Tabitha Peterson Lovick (Eagan), and Tara Peterson (Eagan) are all native Minnesotans, while Tayler Anderson-Heide is a Gopher alumnus.

In their fourth game of the round robin portion of the tournament, Team USA takes on Japan. That match begins at 12:05 p.m. on Peacock, with a replay scheduled for 4:30 p.m. on CNBC.

Here are some Minnesota Wild-specific updates through one day of action.

USA lines/pairings

As they prepare for their first game on Thursday against Latvia (2:10 p.m. CT), the U.S. has held several practices that have provided a glimpse into the expected forward lines and defense pairings for head coach Mike Sullivan's team.

Notably, Wild defensemen Quinn Hughes and Brock Faber have been split up. They're the top pairing in Minnesota and have shown quite a bit of chemistry, but they won't be skating together in these Olympics (at least initially). Hughes is with Boston's Charlie McAvoy in the top pairing, while Faber is with Carolina's Jaccob Slavin. The latter duo played quite well together at the 4 Nations Face-Off last year.

The Wild's other American star, winger Matt Boldy, is on the USA's second line with Toronto's Auston Matthews and Tampa Bay's Jake Guentzel. Boldy, who is the leading NHL goal scorer on this U.S. roster, is also on the second power-play unit and the top penalty kill group. Hughes is on PP1 with Matthews, Jack Eichel, Matthew Tkachuk, and Tage Thompson. Faber will be on the PK with Boldy.

USA lines (13 forwards, 7 D play)

Brady-Eichel-Matthew
Guentzel-Matthews-Boldy
Connor-Larkin-Thompson
Hughes-Nelson/Trocheck-Miller
Keller

Hughes-McAvoy
Slavin-Faber
Sanderson-Werenski
Hanifin
Lacombe

— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) February 11, 2026

Team USA will be heavily favored in all three of its games against Group C foes Latvia, Denmark, and Germany.

Sweden survives slight scare

The Wild have more Olympians representing Sweden than any other team. However, of their five selections, only two played in Sweden's opener on Wednesday against Italy. Jonas Brodin is out for the tournament, and both Marcus Johansson and Jesper Wallstedt were inactive for game one.

Filip Gustavsson got the nod in goal against an Italy team that is, on paper, the weakest in the 12-team field. The Gus Bus had a very rough go of it early on. He coughed up an awful rebound on a routine play early in the game, leading to a surprising Italian goal. He then surrendered a second goal on Italy's fourth shot early in the second period.

Despite an extremely lopsided SOG total, this was a 2-2 game until late in the second period and a 3-2 game until the final minutes, largely due to an incredible showing from 21-year-old Italy goaltender Damian Clara. Ultimately, Sweden pulled away for a 5-2 win in which it out-shot the overmatched host nation 60-22.

Wild center Joel Eriksson Ek, who plays on Sweden's top line and top power play unit, had two golden chances early on but finished without a point. He did lead the Swedes with nine shots on goal, four more than his closest teammate. 

Hlavaj steals one for Slovakia

The first game of the day — and the tournament — featured Finland as major favorites against Slovakia. Finland's entire roster consists of NHL players (including former Wild forward Erik Haula), while Slovakia boasts only seven of them. 

Nonetheless, Slovakia pulled off an impressive 4-1 upset by scoring three goals in the third period. Montreal's Juraj Slafkovsky, the team's best player, scored two great goals to lead the way offensively. But the story of the game for Slovakia was the performance of goaltender Samuel Hlavaj, who stood on his head with 39 saves on 40 shots against a loaded Finnish attack.

When he's not in the Olympics, Hlavaj plays for the Iowa Wild in the AHL. He hasn't put up great numbers there this season, but Iowa is the worst team in the AHL so he likely doesn't get much help from his defense. This was an incredible performance from Hlavaj that suggests he could be an option as a future No. 2 NHL goalie if Minnesota ends up trading Wallstedt at some point.

#mnwild Olympic update, February 11:@IAWild goaltender Samuel Hlavaj saved 39-of-40 shots faced to lead Slovakia 🇸🇰 to a 4-1 preliminary-round victory over Finland.

— Minnesota Wild PR (@mnwildPR) February 11, 2026

Men's Olympic hockey continues with four games on Thursday.

(Note: All times below are CT)

Women's curling

The five-member U.S. women's curling team all are either Minnesota natives or have a connection to the state. Aileen Geving (Duluth), Cory Thiesse (Duluth), Tabitha Peterson Lovick (Eagan), and Tara Peterson (Eagan) are native Minnesotans, while Tayler Anderson-Heide is a Gopher alumna.

The U.S. has two games on Thursday. They will open the round robin session against South Korea at 2:05 a.m., streamed live on Peacock with a replay at 9:15 a.m. on USA Network. Then, the U.S. takes on Sweden at 12:05 p.m., streamed live on Peacock and with a replay set for 9:30 p.m. on USA Network.

Cross-country skiing - Women's 10km

Jessie Diggins looks for her first medal of the 2026 Olympics in her final event on Thursday. The Women's 10km Interval Start Free begins at 6:15 a.m. on USA Network. Diggins' start time is set for 6:22 a.m. If you miss the initial viewing, a replay is scheduled for 3 p.m. on NBC.

Men's curling

Men's curling continues its quest for gold with four of the five members of Team USA having Minnesota connections. Aidan Oldenburg (Mapleton), Luc Violette (Eagan), and Rich Ruohonen (Brooklyn Park) are native Minnesotans, while Daniel Casper is a Gopher alumnus.

The U.S. takes on Switzerland at 7:05 a.m., which will be streamed live on Peacock. A replay of that event is set for 4 p.m. on CNBC.

Women's hockey

The rescheduled women's hockey game between Finland and Canada set for Thursday morning features six athletes with connections to Minnesota. Canada's Jocelyne Larocque is a Minnesota-Duluth alumni. Meanwhile, Finland features current Gopher Nelli Laitinen, current St. Cloud State stars Emilia Kyrkkö and Siiri Yrjölä, as well as St Cloud State alumni Sanni Ahola and Jenniina Nylund.

That game is set to air live on Peacock at 7:30 a.m.

Women's speedskating - 5000m

Speedskaters Greta Myers (Lino Lakes) and Giorgia Birkeland (White Bear Lake) compete for a medal in the women's 5000m event, which will be streamed live on Peacock at 9:30 a.m. A replay of the event can be seen at 1 p.m. on USA Network.

Men's hockey

Eight with Minnesota connections take part in the pair of men's hockey games on Thursday. Team USA takes on Latvia, and Germany plays Denmark, with puck drop for both games set for 2;10 p.m. 

The U.S. game will be aired live on USA Network, with a replay set for 10 p.m. on USA Network. Germany and Denmark will stream live on Peacock, with a replay set for 7 p.m. on USA Network.

Team USA Minnesota connections

• Matt Boldy (Wild player)
  
• Quinn Hughes (Wild player)
  
• Brock Faber (Wild player, Maple Grove)
• Jackson LaCombe (Eden Prairie)
• Jake Guentzel (Woodbury)
• Brock Nelson (Warroad)
• Jake Oettinger (Lakeville)

Elsewhere, Wild forward Nico Sturm will be representing Germany.

Boldy assisted on Minnesota's opening goal of the game against Montreal on Monday, as well as the game-winning goal in overtime.

He followed that up with an incredible performance in Nashville, scoring a first period hat-trick and again assisting on the game-winning goal in overtime. By scoring all three goals in the first 12 minutes and 58 seconds on Wednesday, Boldy recorded the earliest hat-trick in franchise history.

the 𝗯𝗼𝗹𝗱est star

congrats on @NHL 1st star of the week, Matt ⭐ pic.twitter.com/VYeg8zfGKe

— x - Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) February 6, 2026

It brings him up to 62 points on the season, with 32 goals and 30 assists. That is second on the Wild, behind only Kirill Kaprizov's 70 points, 32 goals and 38 assists. Boldy is now just 11 points behind his career high of 73 points, which he set just last season. The Wild still have 26 games left in the season.

It is the first time in Boldy's career he has earned a Star of the Week honor, and the second time a Wild player has been named First Star in the past three weeks, after Kaprizov earned the honor after scoring nine points in the week starting Jan. 25.

Earlier this season, goalie Jesper Wallstedt was named the Rookie of the Month for November, and Joel Eriksson Ek was the Third Star for the week of Dec. 14.

The NHL is now in a three-week Winter Olympics break. Minnesota entered the break on a five game winning streak and have closed the gap behind the Colorado Avalanche to just five points. However, the Avs have three games in hand on Minnesota.

The two teams return from the Olympic break with a game in Denver on Feb. 26, puck drop is set for 8:00 p.m. CT.

For the 23rd time this season, and the third time in three meetings against the Predators, the Wild needed more than 60 minutes of hockey to determine a winner. Matt Boldy's very early hat trick wasn't enough. But Boldy wasn't done, as he assisted on Jared Spurgeon's overtime winner in an exhilarating 6-5 victory in Nashville on Wednesday night.

It was a crazy game that featured 11 combined goals and 79 shots on goal in front of a raucous Nashville crowd. And the Wild (34-14-10) will now break for three weeks while riding a five-game winning streak and an 8-1-1 record in their last ten games, six of which have gone past regulation.

Boldy got the Wild off to quite the start by scoring the earliest hat trick in franchise history. He scored two goals in the first four minutes of the game and then tallied his third at 12 minutes and 58 seconds into the period. The previous record belonged to Zach Parise, who recorded a hat trick at 16:33 of the first period in March 2016.

Boldy's first goal, his 30th of the season, came on a breakaway off of a perfectly floated stretch pass from Zach Bogosian. His next goal just snuck through Juuse Saros, and he completed the hat trick with a one-handed swat of his own rebound near the crease. His 32 goals are already a new career best.

A FIRST PERIOD HAT TRICK FOR MATT BOLDY!! 😱 pic.twitter.com/Rvz0K422O1

— NHL (@NHL) February 5, 2026

But the Predators were hardly fazed. Filip Forsberg scored a power-play goal between Boldy's second and third tallies. Steven Stamkos and Erik Haula then scored late in the period to send the game to intermission tied 3-3 after a highly eventful 20 minutes.

The scoring eventually slowed down a bit — although not right away. 41 seconds into period No. 2, Luke Evangelista gave Nashville its first lead of the night. But with four minutes left in the second, the Wild's Yakov Trenin took advantage of a Predators misplay and tied the game with his fifth goal of the season.

The third period was quiet for a while, then got crazy at the end. Vladimir Tarasenko gave the Wild a 5-4 lead with five minutes left when his shot deflected off a Predators player and went in. It was a night full of strange bounces for both teams. 34 seconds later, the Preds won a faceoff in the offensive zone and tied it on a goal from Roman Josi. Both teams had golden chances in the final four minutes of the period.

Once overtime began, the Wild were able to possess the puck for almost all of the first four minutes. And then Kirill Kaprizov passed it up the ice to Boldy, who completed his fourth career four-point game by setting up Spurgeon for the game-winner.

THE CAPTAIN GETS IT DONE!! 👏

Jared Spurgeon wins it for the @mnwild in @Energizer overtime! pic.twitter.com/d5b3RHuxSV

— NHL (@NHL) February 5, 2026

It took Quinn Hughes exactly 25 games to tie that record.

Hughes, the superstar defenseman the Wild acquired from the Canucks in mid-December, had three assists in a 4-3 overtime win over the Canadiens on Monday night in St. Paul. He's done that five times in less than two months since joining Minnesota. Hughes has 29 assists (and 3 goals) in his first 25 games with the Wild.

It's not exactly fair to compare Suter to Hughes, but think about that stat for a second. 25 games is 3.8 percent of 656. In third place on the list is Wild captain Jared Spurgeon, who has played 990 games for the franchise and has recorded three-plus assists in a game three times.

With 3 assists tonight, Quinn Hughes has now tied Ryan Suter for the most 3+ assist games in #mnwild franchise history by a defenseman.

Ryan Suter played 656 games for the Wild

Quinn Hughes HAS PLAYED 25 GAMES with the Wild 🤯 pic.twitter.com/JHqAjSljOF

— Jack Jablonski (@Jabs_13) February 3, 2026

Hughes also passed Kirill Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello for the most three-assist games by a Wild player in a single season, regardless of position. They each did it four times in a full season. Including his time with the Canucks, Hughes leads the NHL with eight three-assist games this season. His 50 total assists are sixth among all players and first among defensemen.

And here's a couple more Hughes stats to watch: Suter holds the franchise single-season records for points (51) and assists by a defenseman (45). Hughes is on pace to blow past both of those over the final 25 games of this season. He's a special talent who has elevated the Wild massively since his arrival.

On Monday night, Joel Eriksson Ek got the scoring started for the Wild (33-14-10) just 38 seconds into their game against the Canadiens (31-17-8). Hughes then set up Kaprizov's 31st goal of the season to make it 2-0. But Montreal responded with a goal in the final minute of the first period and another one in the final minute of the second. The Canadiens then took the lead 12 seconds into the third.

Hughes' second assist came when his defense partner, Brock Faber, burst into open space and buried a game-tying goal about seven minutes into the period. Faber is up to 13 goals this season, putting him just four behind Brent Burns' single-season record for a Wild defenseman. That's a record that's in serious jeopardy as well.

ANYBODY'S GAME pic.twitter.com/LH3KrbPgpH

— x - Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) February 3, 2026

The score was tied at the end of regulation for the 22nd time in a Wild game this season. And after Kaprizov drew a hooking call to put Minnesota on a 4-on-3 power play, he delivered in overtime once again. Off of assists from Hughes and Matt Boldy, Kaprizov rifled home the 14th OT winner of his career. That's tied (with Carolina's Sebastian Aho) for the most in the league over the past six seasons.

THAT'S JUST WHAT HE DOES. pic.twitter.com/uGGFS6UIY9

— x - Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) February 3, 2026

The Wild's final game before the three-week Olympic break is on Wednesday night in Nashville.

Two early goals, both aided by a player catching and then dropping the puck, gave Minnesota a first-period edge against the Calgary Flames at Grand Casino Arena. Then, late in the third period, the Wild's trio of superstars provided the knockout blow in a 4-1 victory.

Filip Gustavsson made 29 saves for the Wild, who improved to 31-14-10 on the season and won three of their four games in a now-concluded homestand. It was the tenth loss in 13 games for the Flames (21-26-6).

Less than three minutes into the game, Vladimir Tarasenko gloved the puck and quickly fired a backhand pass across the slot to Danila Yurov, who buried his eighth goal of the season.

Danila picking up what Vladi was puttin' down pic.twitter.com/jtp8CmazAO

— x - Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) January 30, 2026

Midway through the period, a beautiful lofted stretch pass from defenseman Jake Middleton was caught by Vinnie Hinostroza, who was just able to stay onside. Without breaking stride, Hinostroza dropped the puck and ripped it past Flames goalie Devin Cooley to double Minnesota's lead. It was Hinostroza's third goal all season and his first since November 7.

had to take another look at this one 👇 #EasyToCelebrate | @Budlight https://t.co/Rk0nSFky6v pic.twitter.com/gERcX96miN

— x - Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) January 30, 2026

The Wild were out-shot 13-3 in the opening period but scored on two of those three shots on goal.

Neither team scored in the second period. The Wild's lead was cut in half around six minutes into the third, when Morgan Frost broke Gustavsson's shutout with a goal. But the Wild held strong against several Flames chances and went 3 for 3 on the penalty kill after going 5 for 5 on Tuesday against Chicago.

After getting just one power play opportunity against the Blackhawks, the Wild's first one in this game came with around five minutes left. That turned into almost a minute of 5-on-3 action after a second Flames penalty. The Wild didn't score with the two-man advantage, but their stars delivered late in the second power play.

Quinn Hughes sent the puck over to Kirill Kaprizov, who immediately put a pass right where Matt Boldy needed it. Boldy redirected it into the net for his 29th goal of the season and the knockout blow on the night.

TIC-TAC-GOOOOOOAL pic.twitter.com/AURCI2oqZY

— x - Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) January 30, 2026

With that assist, Hughes tied Jared Spurgeon, Matt Dumba, and Ryan Suter (twice) for longest point streak ever by a Wild defenseman (7 games). He's two games away from tying Kaprizov for the longest assist streak in franchise history.

Not even 30 seconds later, Kaprizov matched Boldy with his 29th goal of the season, an empty-net tally to truly seal the result.

The Wild will wrap up January with a road game against Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday night (9 p.m. CT).

Jared Spurgeon tied the game with a backhander with 2:01 remaining in the third period, completing the comeback after Chicago scored two goals in the first period and made it a 3-0 game at 5:54 of the second period. 

Yakov Trenin broke the seal for Minnesota with his fourth goal of the season midway through the second period, and Joel Eriksson Ek gave the Wild more life with his goal to cut the deficit to 3-2 just shy of four minutes into the third period. 

With goaltender Jesper Wallstedt pulled to give the Wild an extra attacker, Spurgeon tied the game to force overtime. In overtime, the Wild killed a power play for the final 1:56, serving as a cherry on top for a penalty kill that was a perfect 5-for-5 in the game. 

In the shootout, Kirill Kaprizov scored the winner while Wallstedt shut the door and didn't allow a goal. 

Minnesota also flat-out owns Chicago. Since February 2020, Minnesota is 17-0-1 against the Blackhawks. 

“What I really like is that we did not have a good start to the game, but it wasn’t that we just faded into the night. We held serve," Wild head coach John Hynes said. "Wally (Wallstedt) made some really big saves for us. I really liked his composure and battle level throughout the game, and as it went on. And I particularly like our group, our team’s response that we dug in when it wasn’t an easy night, but we found a way to win. And that’s important.

At 30-14-10, the Wild are tied with the Tampa Bay Lightning for the second-most points in the NHL with 70. At the top are the Colorado Avalanche, who have 79 points despite playing four fewer games than Minnesota. 

Up next: Wild vs. Calgary, 7 p.m. Thursday. 

HE'S A STAR (but you already knew that)

Congrats on @NHL 1st star of the week, Kirill 🌟 pic.twitter.com/GKfaL7otuP

— x - Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) January 26, 2026

The 28-year-old scored three goals and registered six assists during Minnesota's four games last week. The Wild used the results to springboard over the Dallas Stars for second place in the Central Division, a lead they currently hold by a point. However, Dallas has a game in hand on the Wild.

Kaprizov was a multi-point scorer in each of Minnesota's four games last week. The star winger accounted for two assists in the Wild's 6-3 win over Toronto and their 4-3 loss to Montreal. Kaprizov then scored two goals and added an assist, including the overtime game-winning goal, against Detroit. He finished off the week with a goal and an assist in Minnesota's 4-3 overtime loss to Florida on Saturday.

The nine points brings Kaprizov's team-leading total to 64 (28 goals, 36 assists) on the season. His 28 goals are tied for fifth-most in the league, while his 36 assists are tied for 18th-most in the NHL. He's tied for sixth in overall points.

The Russian winger signed a record-breaking eight-year, $128 million contract ($17 million AAV) in September. The deal, which kicks in next season, makes Kaprizov the highest-paid player in league history.

In December, the Wild pulled off a stunning blockbuster trade for star defenseman Quinn Hughes. The move instantly boosted the Wild into being a Stanley Cup contender. Since the trade, Kaprizov has scored 30 points (10 goals, 20 assists). His 10 goals in that time are tied for sixth-most in the NHL, while his 20 assists are tied for fourth-most. Hughes' 23 assists are second-most in the NHL in that timeframe.

This is the first time this season a Wild player has been named the NHL's First Star of the Week. Joel Eriksson Ek was named the NHL's Third Star of the Week for the week of Dec. 14-20, when he registered four points (one goal, three assists) in four Minnesota wins.

Kaprizov has previously earned the NHL First Star of the Week four times in his career (Jan. 17, 2021; Dec. 24, 2023; Jan. 21, 2024; Feb. 25, 2024), and has been named Second Star once (May 9, 2021).

Next up for the Wild is a home game against the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday night. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. CT at Grand Casino Arena.

There's a lot of momentum that suggests that question is a real one that's come up in the Wild's internal discussions. The Athletic's Michael Russo and Joe Smith have been talking about it for a little while now. National insider Elliotte Friedman is now the latest to jump on the train. "We're all sitting there saying what is he going to use, I think that might be the guy," Friedman said.

One reason why it might be on the table is that in order to acquire a true impact forward, you have to have something desirable to send the other way. And the Wild are, understandably, a little bit low on assets after trading Zeev Buium, Marco Rossi, Liam Ohgren, and a first-round pick to the Canucks for Quinn Hughes in mid-December. They also depleted their future draft pick pool when they dealt four picks to the Blue Jackets for David Jiricek in November 2024.

The Wild aren't totally out of picks that they can dangle. Notably, they still have their 2027 first-rounder. They also have some young skater prospects who may draw interest around the league, including Danila Yurov, Jiricek, Charlie Stramel, Adam Benak, and others. But their strongest movable asset is probably Wallstedt.

Part of what makes this potential Wallstedt decision a fascinating one is that it's not yet clear how good he's going to be in the NHL. Wallstedt, who the Wild took 20th overall in the 2021 draft, made his NHL debut in January 2024 but hardly played over his first two seasons as the No. 3 goalie behind Filip Gustavsson and Marc-Andre Fleury. Coming into this season, some of his prospect shine had actually faded a bit as a result of a disappointing 2024-25 season for Iowa in the AHL.

Then the start of this season happened. With Fleury retired, Wallstedt stepped into the No. 2 role. And after playing sparingly over the season's first month, he turned into a star in November. Wallstedt went 6-0 in November with three shutouts, a 1.14 GAA, and a .967 save percentage. He was named the league's rookie of the month. Then he kicked off December with his fourth shutout in a six-game span. After a win on December 18, the "Great Wall of St. Paul" was 10-1-2 with a 1.96 GAA and .936 save percentage. At that point, the idea of trading him would've seemed blasphemous.

Anyone could've guessed that Wallstedt's incredible run wasn't sustainable. Regression was inevitable. But it's hit maybe a little harder than most expected. Since 12/18, Wallstedt has gone 2-4-2 with a 3.98 GAA and .872 save percentage. He's allowed three or more goals in seven of those games, four or more in five of them, and was yanked after allowing six goals in two periods against the Jets earlier this month.

Jesper Wallstedt’s save % by month this season:

▫️October - .863% (48th/56 goalies)
⭐️November - .967% (1st/66 goalies)
▫️December - .915% (17th/64 goalies)
▫️January - .853% (44th/52 goalies) pic.twitter.com/irPHP6m44S

— Ryan Sura (@RyanSura18) January 20, 2026

Wallstedt's season-long numbers are still pretty good (12-5-4, 2.70, .912). But what was once an even split in net has turned back into Gustavsson (17-9-6, 2.62, .907) being the starter. The 27-year-old has gotten the nod in four of the past five games for Minnesota. A crucial part of the idea behind trading Wallstedt is that Gustavsson, who finished sixth in Vezina Trophy voting last season, has a five-year extension that kicks in after this season, meaning he's under contract until the summer of 2031.

Having two good goalies is never a bad thing. But with the Wild having a proven starter in Gustavsson, it's unclear how much they'd be willing to offer to Wallstedt, who will be a restricted free agent after next season. They also have to think more about right now than about the future. Kirill Kaprizov is 28. Quinn Hughes is 26 and, for now, only under contract for this season and next. Matt Boldy is 24. The Wild's window to contend for a Stanley Cup is now.

That's why Wallstedt might be on the table, if moving him is what it'll take for the Wild to land the center or winger who can help get them over the top. "The Wild would be open to dealing Wallstedt, their top prospect, if the right deal comes along (especially for a No. 1-caliber center)," Russo and Smith wrote this week. Of course, trading him would come with the obvious risk that he turns into one of the best goalies in the league for years and years to come.

Another interesting subplot in this discussion is that if the Wild were to trade Wallstedt, they'd need to find a new backup goalie. And Russo/Smith just wrote about the possibility of Fleury, at age 41, un-retiring and rejoining the Wild. Fleury has said he misses playing, he's remained close to the organization in an off-ice role, and he's already agreed to suit up in practice when the Wild's non-Olympians resume practice in mid-February. It's something to keep an eye on, if nothing else.

The NHL's Olympic roster freeze begins on February 4 and lasts through February 22. From there, less than two weeks will remain before the March 6 trade deadline. Guerin will be busy over the next month and change, and his biggest decision might be whether or not to move Wallstedt for an immediate scoring upgrade.

At the Timberwolves game inside Target Center in Minneapolis, fans chanted after holding a moment of silence for Pretti, the 37-year-old ICU nurse who worked at the Minneapolis VA Medical Center.

Inside Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul, where the Minnesota Frost defeated the New York Sirens, a moment of silence was held for Pretti before fans yelled "Go home ICE" and "F*** ICE."

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Target Center crowd erupts with “FUCK ICE” following the moment of silence for Alex Pretti pic.twitter.com/i1LoU5ErMI

— Timberwolves Clips (@WolvesClips) January 25, 2026

Pregame moment of silence for Alex Pretti at Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul ahead of today's New York Sirens vs. Minnesota Frost game. pic.twitter.com/kFqx75srXs

— Heather Rule (@hlrule) January 25, 2026

Turmoil has erupted since an estimated 3,000 federal agents ddescended upon Minnesota for the Trump administration's immigration crackdown. Federal agents have shot and killed two U.S. citizens, Renee Good on Jan. 7 and Pretti on Jan. 24.

Many others have been detained and released, or arrested and shipped out of state before deportation. U.S. citizens are among those being arrested, with allegations that "citizen checks" appear to be based on the color of their skin, their accents, or the language they speak.

In the wake the unrest, the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce shared on open letter signed by 60 leaders of large Minnesota-based companies, whose CEOs are calling for "an immediate deescalation of tensions and for state, local and federal officials to work together to find real solutions."

It comes after weeks of community members and local lawmakers calling on major employers to take a stand, and even after the letter was issued, it was criticized for being too vague and soft in its demands for change.

Among the companies whose CEOs signed the letter are those representing the Timberwolves, Lynx, Vikings, Wild, United FC, and Twins. However, the Twins were added after initially not being included on the original list posted by the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce, along with local companies Solventum and Schwans.

Local and national athletes have also spoken out after the latest death at the hands of federal agents in Minnesota. 

“As an organization, we are heartbroken for what we are having to witness and endure and watch. We just want to extend our thoughts, prayers and concern for Mr. Pretti, family, all the loved ones and everyone involved in such an unconscionable situation in a community that we really love, full of people who are, by nature, peaceful and prideful. We just stand in support of our great community here," said Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch. 

The Timberwolves played, and lost 111-85, to the Warriors on Sunday. They were originally scheduled to play Saturday at Target Center in Minneapolis, but the league postponed the game as a public safety measure following the killing of Pretti just miles away in south Minneapolis. 

During the game Sunday, members of a trampoline dunk squad wore shirts that said "ICE OUT" on the front.

Kelly Pannek, a Plymouth native and captain for the Frost who will represent Team USA at the Olympics next month, said the actions of federal agents in Minnesota have been "unnecessary and horrifying."

"What I'm most proud to represent is the tens of thousands of people that show up on some of the coldest days of the year to stand and fight for what they believe in, for the people that, it might not really truly affect them on a personal level, but it affects their neighbors, it affects their community, it affects our community as a whole," Pannek said. 

Wild forward Marcus Foligno said it's been "pretty devastating" watching things unfold in Minnesota. 

"Having all my girls born here, Minnesota's home, so to see what's going on in the Twin Cities, it's tough to see," Foligno told Michael Russo. "And right now we're just thinking about everyone involved and just trying to give our support as a team and through this organization."

Alex Pretti was murdered.

— Tyrese Haliburton (@Hali) January 25, 2026

Lynx president and head coach Cheryl Reeve attended the ceremony at Target Center following the protest march through downtown Minneapolis last Friday. She posted photos of the crowd, including one taken from inside Target Center by Bring Me The News, on social media, saying: "This is my city."

This my city. #ICEOUT pic.twitter.com/PhTi0gcUIy

— Cheryl Reeve (@LynxCoachReeve) January 24, 2026

As Reeve and others protested at Target Center , Warriors superstar Stephen Curry was watching it in real time from his hotel room in Minneapolis. 

"You can kind of feel it when we got here two days ago. The protests going on downtown were amazing to watch – the turnout, the peaceful protest, the unified voice – and you feel like that could turn the tide in a more positive direction," Curry said Sunday.

"A lot of change needs to happen, and when you’re here, you feel it. I was glued to the TV yesterday when we weren’t playing, watching the coverage, understanding what was going on, and trying to get knowledgeable about it. Hopefully, the community comes together and the right decisions are made so there’s a more peaceful environment here."

Vikings Hall of Fame defensive tackle John Randle said he's not okay with "reckless violence condoned by the Trump administration," adding that he's not okay "with people being taken from their homes and families being ripped apart."

Stand together & love one another 💜💛 pic.twitter.com/fJVKHYDh82

— john randle (@johnnyrandle93) January 26, 2026

Those are some of the many current and former stars in Minnesota sports who have spoken out against the immigration raid. On the flip side, there are some former Minnesota sports standouts who are in favor of the raids, including former Gophers and Vikings safety Jack Brewer. 

"I know the people. I know the situation on the ground, I understand it. It's sickening, to be honest with you. Just the audacity. Same thing you saw during George Floyd. The audacity. The lawlessness. People that don't respect law enforcement," Brewer said. "It comes from a spirit that's in that city, man. These people are sick-minded."

"You don't get to attack our law enforcement officers and not pay a grim price for it," Brewer added. 

Notably, Brewer was the co-chair for the Black Voices, Trump Victory Finance Committee in 2020, having also spoke at the 2020 Republican National Convention.

A special puck drop in Hastings with Craig Leipold, Bill Guerin, Mike Modano, and Tom Sagissor opening @HockeyDayMN in the State of Hockey pic.twitter.com/vjEsQoPisa

— x - Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) January 24, 2026

Florida opened the scoring, but Kirill Kaprizov quickly responded with his 28th goal of the season, which was assisted by Matt Boldy and Mats Zuccarello. The Panthers added one more goal in the first period to carry a 2-1 lead after 20 minutes.

Joel Eriksson Ek found the back of the net by way of Kaprizov and Quinn Hughes to even things up in the second period. A third-period goal from Boldy gave Minnesota its first lead of the game. But the Panthers scored once more with just over seven minutes left to force overtime.

Panthers star Brad Marchand scored his second goal of the night in overtime to hand Minnesota a 4-3 loss. The Wild were outshot 34-21, and Filip Gustavsson suffered his sixth overtime loss of the season, moving to 17-9-6 overall.

After Saturday's OT loss, the Wild are now 29-14-10 on the season. They're nine points behind the Avalanche for first place in the Western Conference. They're off on Sunday and Monday before hosting the Blackhawks on Tuesday night at 7 p.m. CT.

Kaprizov came into Thursday's game on a five-game goal drought, having scored only three goals in the past 16 contests. For a player who cruises to 40-goal seasons and is well on his way to another one, that was at least slightly noteworthy. To say he was struggling would be a bit of a stretch, considering he had 15 assists to go with his three goals over those 16 games, but the expectations are different when you've recently signed the biggest contract in NHL history.

Kaprizov got back to his goal-scoring ways late in the first period, when he took a feed from Mats Zuccarello on the power-play and snuck the puck through Detroit goalie Cam Talbot to tie the game at 1. A sense of relief was visible in his celebration. Later, thanks to a couple third-period Zuccarello goals off of rebounds near the crease, the Wild and Red Wings went to OT tied 3-3. And that's where Kaprizov struck once more.

Less than a minute into overtime, Quinn Hughes dropped the puck off to Kaprizov, who had gained speed through the neutral zone. He skated between a couple Red Wings players and fired a shot past Talbot from just above the face-off circle to secure two big points for Minnesota.

KIRILL CALLS GAME 🎯

Kirill Kaprizov wins it in @Energizer overtime with an absolute snipe! pic.twitter.com/tSBlddcqFH

— NHL (@NHL) January 23, 2026

It's the 13th career overtime winner for Kaprizov, who is in his sixth NHL season. That ties him with William Nylander and Sebastian Aho for the most OT goals in the league since the 2020-21 campaign. Kaprizov famously scored the overtime winner against the Kings in his NHL debut, and he hasn't slowed down since.

"You tell me I don’t score goals," he said afterwards. "I scored tonight."

What makes this Wild team so dangerous is that No. 97 isn't their only superstar. Defenseman Quinn Hughes had another incredible game with three assists, including the setup in overtime. He also had the secondary assist on Kaprizov's first goal, but his best play of the night came on Zuccarello's first of two tallies. Hughes used his go-to spin move to avoid a check at the boards and created all kinds of space to fire a shot on net that Talbot couldn't handle.

We should probably just start calling Quinn Hughes “Houdini” at this point… in a span of 3 seconds, Hughes goes from cornered in the O zone by the boards & Kane, to accelerating while spinning out into the slot & creating a goal. Insane, man. #mnwild

pic.twitter.com/YKeFvjZQfu

— Jack Jablonski (@Jabs_13) January 23, 2026

Hughes has played in 20 games with the Wild and has 22 assists (plus 2 goals). Here are some stats that demonstrate how rare that is from a player with a new team:

More Quinn Hughes notes, courtesy of #NHLStats:

Hughes' 22 assists with the #mnwild are the second most by a defenseman through his first 20 games with a franchise in NHL history, behind Paul Coffey (24 w/ PIT).

Hughes is now the second player in NHL history with four… pic.twitter.com/ZLcHtfew2e

— Minnesota Wild PR (@mnwildPR) January 23, 2026

That was Hughes' fourth three-assist game since joining the Wild. Incredibly, that ties him with Kaprizov and Zuccarello for the single-season franchise record. Those two did it in a full season. Hughes did it in 20 games.

The all-time Wild leader in three-assist games by a defenseman is Ryan Suter, who had five of them in 656 games with Minnesota. Hughes is already one away from tying that record.

Next up for the Wild (29-14-9) on this four-game homestand is a big one on Saturday night against the Florida Panthers (26-20-3) at 8 p.m. central.

Vladimir Tarasenko opened the scoring with his 12th goal of the season just over 10 minutes into the game, which was assisted by Mats Zuccarello and Quinn Hughes. 

Montreal responded by getting past Jesper Wallstedt for a pair of goals within four minutes to end the first period with a 2-1 lead. Brock Faber evened things up in the second period with his 11th goal of the season on assists from Kirill Kaprizov and  Vincent Hinostroza.

The Candiens scored once more before the final period, and led 3-2. Tarasenko scored again to tie the game in the third period on one more assist from both Zuccarello and Kaprizov. Tarasneko now has five goals in his last three games.

AND WE ARE TIED pic.twitter.com/oNmMcnMr6A

— x - Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) January 21, 2026

It looked like things might go into overtime before Cole Caufield found the back of the net with 15 seconds left to give Montreal a 4-3 win. Minnesota was outshot 33-19 in the game.

After Tuesday's loss, the Wild are now 28-14-9 on the season. Following five losses in seven games to open January, they rattled off two wins in a row before taking on the Candiens. They will be off on Wednesday night before coming back home to face the Detroit Red Wings to kick off a four-game homestand.

Foligno didn't score his first goal of the season until New Year's Eve, and as of a week ago, he had just one goal in 36 games. Now he's caught fire with five goals in the last four contests, which has been big for a Minnesota team dealing with injuries to several key players.

Marcus Foligno registers his first career hat trick! 🎩 pic.twitter.com/LK3Aa3gIeE

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) January 20, 2026

In addition to Foligno's unforgettable night, the shorthanded Wild (28-13-9) got offensive contributions from up and down the lineup in a 6-3 win over the Maple Leafs (24-17-8) at Scotiabank Arena. The Leafs came into this game 16-5-5 in their building, so this was just their sixth regulation home loss in 27 contests.

Vladimir Tarasenko scored two goals and assisted on Foligno's third for the Wild, who have won the first two games of a three-game road trip to snap out of a slight skid in the first half of January. Ryan Hartman scored a goal and added an assist, and three players — Kirill Kaprizov, Quinn Hughes, and Brock Faber — had a pair of assists for Minnesota. Filip Gustavsson made 27 saves to earn his 16th win of the season.

That's how you overcome playing without the injured Matt Boldy, Joel Eriksson Ek, Marcus Johansson, Jonas Brodin, and Zach Bogosian.

The Wild opened the scoring with a couple beautiful goals in the first 10 minutes and change of the first period. On an early power play, Tarasenko finished off a great passing play from Hartman and Kaprizov by burying Minnesota's first shot on goal of the night. Not long after, Kaprizov and Zuccarello set up Hartman for a tic-tac-toe finish at 5-on-5. It was Hartman's fifth goal in the last seven games.

0 notes on this one pic.twitter.com/UKICIh9unz

— x - Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) January 20, 2026

The Leafs cut their deficit in half on a John Tavares power-play goal late in the first period, but it was all Wild in the second. A long-range Foligno deflection off of a Faber shot made it 3-1, and a Hughes stretch pass sent Tarasenko in alone to make it 4-1. The Wild continued to create chances and tallied a third goal in the period off of another Faber shot that Foligno tipped into the net.

The third period is where things briefly got a little dicey for the visitors. The Leafs scored an early goal to cut their deficit to three, then got a breakaway Auston Matthews goal off of a Minnesota turnover to make it a two-goal game. But with the Toronto net empty, Tarasenko slid a puck over to Foligno, who simply guided it into the net for the knockout blow.

The Wild will look to complete a 3-0 road trip on Tuesday night in Montreal.

Rumors have circulated about the team looking for help on forward, particularly at the center position. One name that has emerged in that conversation — beyond past suggestions that the Wild may have interest in Ryan O'Reilly, Artemi Panarin, Evgeni Malkin, or Brayden Schenn — is Vincent Trocheck.

On Friday's episode of "The Sheet with Jeff Marek," David Pagnotta, editor-in-chief at The Fourth Period, says that Minnesota has been one of the teams "circling" the Rangers center.

"We know that Minny is not afraid to continue to make moves. Billy Guerin has been very active," Pagnotta told Marek.

"Before the Hughes trade, he was looking at a second-line type of player, top-six type of guy. That hasn't really stopped, whether it's going to be at the center position or somebody else on the wing. It certainly sounds like, at the very least, Minnesota has poked around on Vinny Trocheck's availability in New York."

It's not clear from Pagnotta's brief comments how serious those talks have been — to be clear, Pagnotta does not say that he's a top target or that those talks have reached any kind of advanced phase — but it is clear that the Rangers are ready to deal.

As of Saturday, the Rangers sit dead last in the Eastern Conference, and general manager Chris Drury penned a letter to fans on Friday saying that he plans to "retool the team."

"We are not going to stand pat," the letter states. "This will be a retool built around our core players and prospects. We will target players that bring tenacity, skill, speed and a winning pedigree with a focus on obtaining young players, draft picks, and cap space to allow us flexibility moving forward."

Trocheck may be one of the team's most valuable assets, along with Panarin. Veteran forwards Mika Zibanejad and JT Miller both have full no movement clauses, as does goaltender Igor Shesterkin, per PuckPedia. Meanwhile, Trocheck only has a 12-team no-trade list.

The 32-year-old center is under contract through the 2028–29 season with a $5.63 million cap hit. While he's a veteran, he's been north of 21 goals in each of the last four seasons and has hit at least 59 points in the last three.

He's also excellent on face-offs and is a right-shot forward, something the Wild lacks on its top power play unit when healthy. (They are very not healthy at the moment. Matt Boldy, Joel Eriksson Ek, Jonas Brodin, and Zach Bogosian are all on injured reserve.)

Additionally, Trocheck is someone Guerin will have watched repeatedly this season, as he was selected by the Wild GM to play for the US national team at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Still, the Rangers' center is under contract for a few more years, and the Wild will likely be cautious with their picks and prospects as the trade deadline approaches. What was once a robust prospect pool has thinned somewhat.

During the 2025 calendar year, they've moved out Zeev Buium, Liam Ohgren, Marco Rossi, and Marat Khusnutdinov, as well as a 2026 1st round pick (Hughes trade) and a 2nd round pick (Gustav Nyquist trade).

That's in addition to shipping out a 2026 3rd round pick, fourth round pick, and a 2027 2nd round pick in the David Jiricek trade in late 2024.

While Trocheck would offer offense and depth, he isn't likely to come cheap, and moving out more picks or prospects will make it difficult for the Wild to be a significant player should any other star forward become available before the trade deadline.

Nonetheless, with the Wild having spent big on Hughes, they are in win-now mode, particularly with Hughes only on contract through the end of next season. The team will undoubtedly attempt to retain Hughes when he becomes eligible for a new contract, but with only this season and next guaranteed, the time to win is at hand.

Marcus Foligno opened the scoring with a goal midway through the first period, which was assisted by Vladimir Tarasenko and Ben Jones. Buffalo answered less than one minute later to even things up, but Ryan Hartman tipped in a goal with just eight seconds left in the first period to take a 2-1 lead.

Vladimir Tarasenko extended Minnesota's lead to 3-1 with his ninth goal of the season early in the second period. The Sabres stormed back and even took a 4-3 lead with less than four minutes left in the period. Quinn Hughes responded with his fourth goal in a Wild uniform, and it was tied 4-4 heading into the final period.

Both defenses settled in, and the third period was scoreless. Minnesota went to overtime for the third time in its last five games. 

Mats Zuccarello found the back of the net less than two minutes into overtime, and the Wild snapped a three-game skid with a 5-4 win over the Sabres.

MATS ZUCCARELLO WINS IT IN OVERTIME FOR THE @mnwild!!! 🚨

📺: #NHLNShowcase on NHL Network https://t.co/SH3sgzQMrd pic.twitter.com/2NxwUuTAYL

— NHL Media (@NHLMedia) January 17, 2026

Filip Gustavsson saved 20 of the 24 shots he faced for his 15th win of the season. Minnesota significantly outshot Buffalo 35-24, and Kirill Kaprizov finished with a game-high three points.

After Saturday's win, the Wild are now 27-13-9 on the season. They will be off on Sunday before playing the Maple Leafs on Sunday night in Toronto at 6:30 p.m. CT.