3 questions facing Minnesota Wild

NHL.com is providing in-depth analysis for each of its 32 teams from Aug. 1-Sept. 1. Today, three important questions facing the Minnesota Wild.

1. Is it finally time for the deep run?

The Wild's talent warrants lofty goals. At minimum, there's an expectation to reach the Western Conference Final for the first time since 2003. The ultimate goal is obviously to win the Stanley Cup.

Kirill Kaprizov, entering his seventh season, is one of the most dynamic forwards in the NHL. He led Minnesota with 89 points (45 goals, 44 assists) in 78 games last season and in the Stanley Cup Playoffs with 15 points (four goals, 11 assists) in 11 games.

Forward Matt Boldy is coming off 42 goals and 85 points, each a career-high. Defenseman Quinn Hughes had 53 points (five goals, 48 assists) in 48 games after being acquired in a trade from the Vancouver Canucks on Dec. 12.

"We're a good team already," general manager Bill Guerin said. "I still think we're in a good spot. You look at the players we still have on our team, we're still very good."

If the Wild go deep into the playoffs, it likely will be because of the returning faces.

2. Is there enough offense left?

Minnesota lost three of its top seven goal scorers from last season. Forwards Vladimir Tarasenko (23), Marcus Johansson (15) and Mats Zuccarello (15) accounted for nearly 20 percent of the Wild's goals last season, scoring 53 of 268.

Zuccarello, who was third on the Wild with 54 points (15 goals, 39 assists) in 59 games, signed a one-year, $1 million contract with the Los Angeles Kings on July 1. Johansson had 49 points (15 goals, 34 assists) in 75 games, seventh on the team, and signed with Farjestad of the Swedish Hockey League on June 5. Tarasenko is an unrestricted free agent after he had 47 points (23 goals, 24 assists), the eighth-most for Minnesota.

"That was last year," Guerin said. "There's no guarantee that was going to happen again next year."

The addition of forward Blake Coleman could help mitigate those losses. He'll probably be in the top six after being acquired in a trade from the Calgary Flames, along with defenseman Olli Maatta, on July 2.

Coleman has had at least 40 points once in the NHL, when he had 54 points (30 goals, 24 assists) in 78 games with the Flames in 2023-24. The 34-year-old had 35 points (20 goals, 15 assists) in 69 games last season.

Maybe another key addition materializes ahead of the season, but if one doesn't, Guerin said he remains confident.

"We can't forget about the players that we still have on our team and that have been here," he said. "So I'm very confident in the guys and the players."

3. How does Filip Gustavsson recover?

Gustavsson's availability for the start of the season is in doubt after the goalie had offseason hip surgery.

The primary starter for most of last season, Gustavsson was 28-15-6 with a 2.69 goals-against average and .904 save percentage in 50 games (49 starts). The 28-year-old slumped late, however, allowing at least four goals in five of his final six starts of the regular season, including in each of his last three. Then he allowed four goals on 22 shots in his lone postseason start, a 5-2 loss to the Colorado Avalanche in Game 2 of the second round.

Jesper Wallstedt, who was 18-9-6 with a 2.61 GAA and .915 save percentage in 35 games (33 starts) in his first full NHL season, started the Wild's 10 other playoff games. He could take over as the No. 1 with Calvin Pickard, a 34-year-old goalie who signed a one-year, $1 million contract July 1, serving as a backup to start.

Gustavsson will return at some point. How he bounces back from the surgery and his late-season struggles could be vital, even in a limited role compared to previous seasons.