The Minnesota Wild has raised the team's profile dramatically this season as general manager Bill Guerin brought Quinn Hughes in during an early-season trade with the Vancouver Canucks. This transformed the team's profile into legitimate Stanley Cup contender. Hughes is one of the game's best skaters, puck movers and dynamic offensive threats, and he has turned out to be just what the Wild needed.
However, their trip through the playoffs will not be an easy one. They play in the Central Division of the Western Conference with the Colorado Avalanche and the Dallas Stars — the two best teams in the NHL. The Wild (41-20-12, 94 points) have been attempting to rise in the standings since they are third in the division, but with nine games to go in the regular season, they appear nearly locked into that position.
As a result, the Wild are going to have to open the playoffs against the Stars, a team that recently went through a 14-0-1 streak and showed their dominance and ability nearly every night. If the Wild is at it's best, this is likely to be a seven-game series and the most highly anticipated matchup in the first round of the NHL playoffs.
There is no getting around how tough this series will be for the Wild, and head coach John Hynes will have to ensure that the team is playing at it's best against this powerful opponent.
Wild has the firepower to play with the league's best teams
The Wild is certainly a dynamic team with high-scoring Kirill Kaprizov leading the way. He has scored 38 goals and 42 assists and linemate Matt Boldy is right behind with 38 goals and 38 assists.
As productive as those two are, Hughes will be the key to this matchup. He can suddenly provide the Wild with a burst of speed, a slick pass or a couple of key dekes as he skates in on the opposing goalie. Hughes, the brother of U.S. Olympic hero Jack Hughes, is one of the most explosive players in the league.
The Wild also has plenty of depth besides their stars, including Brock Faber, Marcus Johansson, Mats Zuccarello and Vladimir Tarasenko.
Minnesota will have to be at it's sharpest to get past the Stars and their key offensive leaders Jason Robertson, Wyatt Johnston and Mikko Rantanen. Unfortunately, it is not likely to get any easier in the second round. Unless there is a prolific upset in the first round, the Wild will play the Avalanche in the second round.
It gets rougher in second round for Wild
Colorado is on track to finish as the NHL's Presidents Trophy winners. The Avs got off to a sensational start this season, losing just two games in regulation time during the first three months of the season. They have since had a few hiccups, but Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar and Martin Necas are formidable.
The Avs will play the No. 2 Wild Card team in the Western Conference in the first round, and that would be the surprising Nashville Predators at this point. The Preds could be overtaken by the Los Angeles Kings, so the Avs will likely play either one of those two teams.
The Wild would love to see the Avs get upset in the first round, and while it is a possibility, it is unlikely. Playing the Stars and the Avalanche in the first two rounds is as difficult as it gets for any of the NHL's 16 playoff teams. It would take an upset victory by the eighth seed for the Wild to avoid that fate.
Conference Finals could be easiest round
If the Wild gets past the Stars and the Avs in the first two rounds, they will play for the Western Conference crown and the right to play in the Stanley Cup Finals. The upstart Anaheim Ducks are in first place in the Pacific Division, ahead of the Edmonton Oilers and Vegas Golden Knights.
The Wild would love to see the seedings hold so they could play the Ducks in the conference finals. Head coach Joel Quenneville has built a much-improved Anaheim team that includes Cutter Gauthier, Leo Carlsson, Beckett Sennecke and Chris Kreider, but the Wild would be huge favorites in that series.
If Anaheim got beaten by the Oilers or Golden Knights in the second round, the Wild would have a much more difficult assignment. The Oilers have been to the Stanley Cup Finals the last two seasons and have Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl (should return from lower-body injury for start of playoffs), and they are clearly a dangerous opponent.
The Golden Knights are not as strong as they have been in the past, but Jack Eichel & Co. know how to win in the postseason.
After playing the Stars and Avalanche in the first two rounds, the Wild would love to see the Ducks and have what looks like an easy path to the Stanley Cup Finals.
