Why I'm Afraid of the Minnesota Wild's “Christmas Morning” – Minnesota Wild

I can still vividly remember the last time it felt like Christmas morning to be a Wild fan.

The exact date was July 4, 2012, the date the Minnesota Wild signed the now-signed contract.burdensome and crippling the contracts of Zach Parise and Ryan Suter. Make no mistake: No one thought these deals would look good in the mid-2020s. But that was a problem for mid-2020s Wild fans.

Haha.

But for now, it really felt like Christmas morning. It had everything: wild fans creating a wish list for those players, anticipation, and even a dramatic flourish when owner Craig Leipold flew them to Minnesota as beat writers hiding in the bushes take a look. It was unmistakably Christmas in July.

(And no, I don't want to hear what Kirill Kaprizov's arrival in Minnesota on Christmas morning was like. The day Kaprizov arrived was like when your shitty dad shows up for the first time in four years and gives you a gift that's “for the birthdays he missed,” but it's good enough to say, “Actually, Ron kind of dropped by here.” )

But now that the hangover from Christmas Morning 1.0 has worn off in July 2025, we are promised Christmas Morning 2.0. No, really. 'July 1 next year will be like Christmas' stated Mr. Leipold back in October. And I'm dreading Christmas morning.

Don't get me wrong, I'm writing to Santa about a long-term extension for Kirill Kaprizov, who arrives right on that date. Whether it's $13, $14 or, heck, $20 million a year, I don't care as long as it's eight years. If that works, I'll put something I'm happy with under the tree.

But after four consecutive lean years in which the Wild had to do their shopping at Five Below, there's no doubt Minnesota wants to make a big splash. So is the fear of leaving one Parise/Suter situation and straight into another.

That's not an indictment of Mr. Leipold's property. First of all, it's his team and his money, and Wild fans should be happy when an owner is willing to break the bank to try to put out a winning product. You can jump the green line to Target Field Station and see what happens when the owner isn't as willing to invest in the team.

It's also not an admonishment for the Parise/Suter contracts. These two were top-50 players, and the Wild were an afterthought in the NHL before those moves. They became relevant overnight and have remained so ever since. The ending was always going to be bad, but if I had the chance to go back in time and get the Wild's ear before signing those deals… I'd recommend they do it again.

But this is a different free agent class, a different Wild team and a different moment in franchise history.

Let's start with the available players. There are only three players who are in the NHL Top-50 in Evolving-Hockey's Standings Points Above Replacement since the start of the 2021-2022 season and are playing free agency: Mitch Marner (seventh), Mikko Rantanen (eighth), and Brad Marchand (28th). If Marner or Rantanen want to sign with your team, do so on the fly and ask questions later. Marchand would move the needle. Still, at 37, he would be a short-term, late-career asset.

Everyone else is especially subject to it The winner's cursewhere signing it all but guarantees a bad ending. To get a player in free agency, you almost always pay too much, both in terms of money and term.

Look at the Nashville Predators, who had their Christmas morning in July. They threw money around and inked two-time Rocket Richard Trophy winner Steven Stamkos, Conn Smythe Trophy winner Jonathan Marchessault, and threw in a top-four defenseman in place of Brady Skjei for good measure. Look what they got in return: seventh place in the Central Division, with Stamkos and Marchessault on pace for seasons with 22 and 24 goals, respectively.

No one is saying the Wild can't use a top-six center in Matt Duchene, Brock Nelson or John Tavares, even in their mid-to-late 30s. Also, a right-shooting winger like Brock Boeser or a speedster like Nikolaj Ehlers wouldn't look out of place in Minnesota.

But then again, this is a different Wild team at a different time in their franchise. They have Kaprizov and Matt Boldy, two star players who will keep them relevant. Minnesota also isn't so desperate for centers that it has to sign a Faustian contract to get one – while the depth isn't great, Marco Rossi and Joel Eriksson Ek make a good 1-2 punch.

They also have a great prospect pool that won't have to carry the team the way Minnesota had to rely on Mikael Granlund and company in 2012. Goalkeeper Jesper Wallstedt and defender Zeev Buium should probably become tentpole pieces. But if players like Danila Yurov, Liam Hgren, David Jiricek and Riley Heidt become solid players instead of stars, that doesn't move the entire plan.

The Wild have done an excellent job putting together this foundation, and it would be a shame if an ill-advised free agent blew up that signing. How would it feel if in four years the Wild were forced to choose between keeping Buium and Jiricek, or Rossi and Yurov because they had one or two poorly aged Stamkos-like contracts?

However, free agency isn't the only way to land an impact player. If the Wild are targeting a young player who is out with his team or someone who wants out, that's a different story. The Florida Panthers did that with Matthew Tkachuk for example. The whispers are out over Elias Pettersson, and buying low on a player who will score 30 goals in the center three times before turning 27 would be exactly the kind of Christmas morning move I would welcome.

It's hard to imagine the Wild not making a big splash this offseason. The front office and ownership are motivated to take action. Minnesota is in a period of conflict with Kaprizov, and the fanbase is starved for anything good after four years of league-imposed austerity. But on Christmas morning there must be the right presents, otherwise the memory of Christmas 2.0 turns into sour egg nog.