Disappointment palpable as Wild players turn page on 2021-22 season

ST. PAUL -- Only a few days removed from a season-ending loss to the St. Louis Blues in Game 6 of their First Round series, Wild players had exit interviews Monday with coaches and staff as the group heads into what will be a busy offseason.
The common theme, not surprisingly, was still disappointment and shock. Coming off a record-breaking regular season that saw Minnesota accumulate more wins and points than any other team in franchise history, the Wild was unable to advance past the First Round for the sixth consecutive trip to the postseason.

"Obviously a tough couple of days. The year that we had and going into the playoffs, for us in the room as well as here, the expectations were really high. Obviously we didn't fulfill those expectations for ourselves," said Wild captain Jared Spurgeon. "It's definitely tough, especially for the group we had in that room, and how close we were and the stuff we'd gone through. I think as of right now, it still sucks seeing TV and watching TV and games still being on, playing, wishing you were out there and thinking we had the team that could continue to go on."
Ultimately, the goal is to win championships, and for players like Spurgeon, who has spent the past decade dealing with postseason exits short of that goal, regular season accolades and accomplishment no longer fill his cup.

"The standards every year, we're bringing it higher and higher. You get into playoffs and it doesn't go your way and you're out in the First Round," Spurgeon said. "There's definitely learning things from this that we can go through just from, it doesn't matter what you do in the regular season, how good your regular season is, that once you get to playoffs, if you're not performing and you're out, obviously that's where the feelings are raw right now. It's just disappointment.
"We did have a really great season, but at the same time, right now, it feels like it is a failure."
With the 2021-22 season now over for Minnesota, what promises to be a busy and eventful offseason will take center stage.
Wild General Manager Bill Guerin will have to deal with growing Salary Cap pain inflicted with the buyouts last summer of Ryan Suter and Zach Parise. Each of those will count almost $6.4 million against the cap, a cumulative increase of $8 million from this season.
And that number will grow another million apiece for two seasons beginning in 2023-24 before finally receding in 2025-26.
That's the cost of doing business, however, and Guerin has never regretted the decision to move on. He knew life would become increasingly difficult starting this offseason and Guerin has been steadfast that he has a plan to keep the Wild near the top of the NHL standings while weathering the cap crunch.
Minnesota has a number of players set to return on team-friendly contracts too. Marcus Foligno, Freddy Gaudreau, Ryan Hartman and Cam Talbot all brought tremendous value relative to their contributions this season, and all are set -- as of now -- to return next season.
Yet others, like restricted free agents Kevin Fiala and Jake Middleton (restricted) as well as unrestricted free agents Nic Deslauriers and Marc-Andre Fleury whose statuses and ability to return to Minnesota could force Guerin to make changes in order to make it happen.
Bottom line: The team that ended the season on the ice in St. Louis will not be back in its entirety for training camp. That was true even without cap tightness.
We'll hear more from the GM, as well as coach Dean Evason during their exit interviews with the media on Tuesday.
For now, here are some highlights from Monday's gathering with select players:
Deslauriers on what made Minnesota so special:
"Everything, just to start from the group of guys, the organization, the coaching staff, upper management, and this fan base is unbelievable. I think that's one thing. When I brought my kids here for the first game, I told them, 'You'll see when you're in the rink: It's something special.' Obviously the city. The city brings so much good to you, and I've heard the summers are great."

Joel Eriksson Ek on the gruesome injury that knocked him out of Game 6 against the Blues:
"I lost three or four, and they had to pull them out ... and there was a hole through my lip, so it doesn't look that bad, but it got me pretty bad."
Matt Dumba on the injury that he sustained late in the season against Nashville:
"I punctured my lung, dislocated one of my ribs, broke another. It was tough to go through. Thanks to our staff working with me every day or I wouldn't have been able to come back at the rate that I did and even play. Those guys pushed me knowing I wanted to get back and help this team in whatever capacity because it's just so much fun to be a part of."

Middleton on his desire to return next season:
"That would be a lot of fun. I've mentioned how much I enjoy it here and how seamless the fit was right away. Going from not knowing a single person here to having 25 really good friends was something special to be a part of. I'm pretty bummed out that it's ended now because I'm just getting to know these guys. I really enjoyed going to war with them every night. I'm really enjoying it here, and it would be nice to come back."
Fiala on what the offseason ahead looks like and if he believes his future is in Minnesota:
"There's no other answer than we'll see. I don't know. We just lost and there's no conversation has been yet and not in this two days either, so we'll see."

Fiala on if he got frustrated during the postseason:
"In the playoffs, it feels like you really want to be the difference and want to make the difference every game. Every game is so big. In the season you can kind of be more quiet in your head and chill kind of because it's a 82 season. Six games, who knows? If we would have 25 games with the final stuff, maybe it was just bad timing. Yeah, I don't know what to say. I don't think it was so much mentally. Just didn't work it. I didn't have so many chances to be honest, but I had some chances, especially in the first two, three games. There it could have maybe changed."
Kirill Kaprizov on his season:
"Overall, I think the season was great and for me personally too. It started slow and some people hated me in the beginning. As it went on, I think my play got better, the team's play got better. We were able to turn things around and then if you even compare it to last season, I think it was a lot more stable and steady this year as opposed to last year. So overall, I'm happy."

Kaprizov on Wild fans:
"I love the fans. They've been great. Going around town, I definitely get noticed a little bit more and I get stopped. But I embrace it, right? They're the reasons I'm here. Just the other day we were at a team event at a restaurant and we had a bunch of people come over. Someone who spoke Russian came over to me and we had a chat and got a chance to talk and absolutely. Like I said, I love the fans. Any chance I get a chance to see them, I make sure I make time for them."
Talbot on playing in one playoff game:
"I was disappointed I didn't get to play more in the playoffs, but who's not? We're competitors, you want to play. Like I said the other day, was I disappointed? Obviously. Probably a little pissed off? Yeah. But the coaches had a decision to make and I don't think there was a wrong decision. You trade for a guy like that with his pedigree and his past, why wouldn't you start him Game 1? Obviously I wanted to play but I understood their decision and where they were coming from."

Fleury on his brief time in Minnesota this season:
"It felt like so quick since we were first meeting here. But I'm glad I came, glad I got the opportunity to play with this team. Such a great locker room, great chemistry between the guys and the staff, coaches ... No, I'm very happy I came and got to meet all these guys and stuff. And even people around town, when I would go to restaurants and stuff, everybody was very welcoming and nice. They love the game and love their hockey here, so it was good to live this."
Fleury on whether he would consider a possible return to Minnesota next season:
"Yeah for sure. Like I said, it was such a great time, loved the time and everything I said, right? Made it very appealing to play here. Definitely is, yeah."