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<\/a><\/p>\n\n Brock Faber doesn\u2019t need to score points like Zach Werenski, but he needs to shut opponents down. (David Berding \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n
If the Wild don\u2019t show signs of improvement, we\u2019ll see how patient president of hockey operations and general manager Bill Guerin is. There\u2019s no doubt he\u2019s looking for help via trade, but those types of deals aren\u2019t easy this early.<\/p>\n
And as we learned last year with the Wild barely making the playoffs despite being near the top of the standings in mid-December, the Wild can\u2019t afford to let this slide mount.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s early,\u201d Boldy said. \u201cWe\u2019re trying to have that game every night. There\u2019s a curve that we have to get better at to be able to put that game back out there game after game. I think that\u2019s part of the beginning year. But we\u2019ve got to get it going.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have a lot of faith in this group.\u201d<\/p>\n
Will that faith be rewarded? Time will tell, but here\u2019s what we\u2019ve learned so far.<\/p>\n
It starts and ends with Kaprizov<\/p>\n
Kaprizov is the best player in franchise history, and they\u2019re going to need more from him to turn this around.<\/p>\n
He has had some strong games this year and has four power-play goals, but he hasn\u2019t been enough of a difference-maker five-on-five. For every game like Monday in New York, when he had 10 shot attempts, there have been nights when he is uncharacteristically quiet, like in Wednesday\u2019s loss to the New Jersey Devils, when he had zero until late in the game. Playing against Nico Hischier was a part of that, but Kaprizov is, as teammates call him, the \u201cengine\u201d of the team, and he needs to show it.<\/p>\n
One reason he\u2019s struggling is how ineffective most other players have been. It\u2019s why coach John Hynes had to split Kaprizov and Boldy at times on the road trip, to spread the wealth. Plain and simple, right now, the opposition knows if they check the heck out of Kaprizov and Boldy, it\u2019ll be up to everybody else to beat them. And so far, that hasn\u2019t happened.<\/p>\n
Finding the identity<\/p>\n
The biggest issue Hynes has had so far is the inconsistency in playing to the team\u2019s identity.<\/p>\n
The way the Wild are built, they have to play a certain way to win. As Boldy pointed out after Wednesday\u2019s loss, the speed and skill game the Devils play is a completely different style than Minnesota\u2019s.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s concerning heading into the Mammoth game because they can also skate circles around opponents.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s the Wild\u2019s identity?<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone talks about being hard to play against, but I define that for us, we play a north-south game,\u201d Hynes said. \u201cWe\u2019re up and out of our zone playing north and direct. We put the other team under duress. We\u2019re strong on the forecheck, strong and heavy in the offensive zone. We get to the net. We\u2019re good at both net fronts, offensively and defensively.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we\u2019re on the defensive side, we\u2019re stingy defensively as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
How many games have you seen the Wild play that way? The Rangers game. The season opener had long stretches of it. But it\u2019s been hit or miss otherwise.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not an easy game to play. It\u2019s physical, grinding, patient. But the Wild have shown they\u2019re capable before (see: last season\u2019s hot start). And most of the core players remain, so it\u2019s not like it\u2019s a new system.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a mindset and a willingness to put that game on the ice,\u201d Hynes said. \u201cThat\u2019s the one that gives us a chance to win. There needs to be a commitment to it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Spurgeon and Faber\u2019s play is alarming<\/p>\n
Spurgeon hasn\u2019t been on the ice for a single five-on-five goal for, and his even-strength goal differential is tied with Zeev Buium for a team-worst minus-8.<\/p>\n
But Spurgeon has a lot on his plate playing with Buium, who can do things no Wild defenseman has ever been able to, but has been extremely high risk at even strength with almost no reward.<\/p>\n
Still, at 35, the captain hasn\u2019t been as steady as usual and has been uncharacteristically out of position too often as he tries to cover up for Buium.<\/p>\n
Faber also hasn\u2019t been the shutdown defenseman the Wild need, on the ice for 11 goals against already.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve had a frustrating start,\u201d Faber said. \u201cI\u2019ve had good games, and nothing has come from it. I\u2019ve had opportunities to make great plays, and nothing\u2019s come from it. And I feel like I\u2019ve been out for a million goals against and none for.<\/p>\n
Foligno needs to find his game<\/p>\n
Hynes planned to meet with Foligno after Friday\u2019s practice.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s coming off such a good season, in which he was a physical force, a producer and one of the best defensive forwards in the league. But he hasn\u2019t been that guy. He even admitted Saturday that he got into a fight because sometimes you need to get punched in the face to get your game going.<\/p>\n
Foligno is the main vocal leader on this team, but it all starts with his play.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe way we\u2019ve been playing as a collective group, I think it translates to my game,\u201d Foligno said. \u201cThere\u2019s been spurts of feeling good, and then there\u2019s been spurts of just kind of blah \u2014 just not much going on. So, yeah, it\u2019s on me.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe I\u2019ve been overthinking the game a little bit, and that\u2019s not good for me. I think just the more direct I play and the more physical I play, is when I\u2019m good. It\u2019s just taking some time to get familiar. I\u2019m not making excuses, but you get put in with new linemates the first game, and it doesn\u2019t connect right away.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s been spurts where I feel great and then there\u2019s been spurts where I\u2019m chasing the puck and it\u2019s not falling into my type of game that I want to play. So it\u2019s been frustrating. \u2026 We have no points, no goals for, right? You\u2019re not generating offense, you\u2019re getting minuses, you\u2019re watching goals go in.\u201d<\/p>\n
Heavyweight Fight \ud83d\udea8 <\/p>\n
Marcus Foligno vs Nicolas Deslauriers. Solid fight. Draw from me#mnwild<\/a>#LetsGoFlyers<\/a> <\/p>\n pic.twitter.com\/YCgS71goFq<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 RGF (@rgfray1) October 19, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n How can Trenin be effective?<\/p>\n The Wild are still trying to figure it out.<\/p>\n It still seems nonsensical that the Wild traded Brandon Duhaime, a strong-skating, physical forward willing to drop the gloves who could have been re-signed for less than $2 million, only to bring in Trenin for four years at $3.5 million per season.<\/p>\n The result is a fourth line that frankly has a couple of minor-leaguers and isn\u2019t hard to play against.<\/p>\n Youth roller coaster<\/p>\n The youngsters are going to be up and down.<\/p>\n Buium has shown flashes but also looks like a rookie at times, even getting taken off the top power play late in Wednesday\u2019s loss. He has been on the ice for one even-strength goal for and nine against.<\/p>\n Danila Yurov is on the upswing, getting confidence from his first NHL goal Monday. Everyone wants him to be promoted to the second line, understandably, but the Wild need him up the middle with Nico Sturm sidelined, and he\u2019s not going to supplant Eriksson Ek or Marco Rossi.<\/p>\n David Jiricek will get a longer look with Zach Bogosian coming off surgery, and he looked better in his first couple of games back from AHL Iowa, but continues to make major mistakes, including a penalty that led to a power-play goal Wednesday.<\/p>\n Liam Ohgren is getting his touches with Iowa, which badly needs help, after a disappointing training camp and start to the season in Minnesota, so he\u2019ll likely need an injury to get called back up.<\/p>\n Johansson\u2019s role<\/p>\n Marcus Johansson is playing on the second line because 1) He\u2019s actually been playing fairly well, and 2) Nobody has jumped off the page as earning that role.<\/p>\n That a Zuccarello injury could wreak such havoc is more of an indictment of the roster-building than anything. When the Wild are healthy, with Zuccarello and Sturm back, we\u2019ll see where Johansson slots in. He said he\u2019s open to playing any role. He\u2019s not the problem.<\/p>\n Eriksson Ek is off<\/p>\n How many times have we written that Eriksson Ek is the Wild\u2019s most irreplaceable player? And when he\u2019s playing his typically strong two-way game, he is.<\/p>\n But, like a lot of the veterans, Eriksson Ek has been off. He needs to fix the faceoffs problem, and he isn\u2019t scoring, either. The game was on his stick Saturday, with a wide-open net on a two-on-one overtime rush, and he hit the post. Those are ones you have to finish.<\/p>\n Eriksson Ek hits the post with a wide-open net and Flyers win in OT. Much better effort than last night, but 16 shots and 1 goal won\u2019t get it done. Very different start to this season compared to last<\/p>\n \u2014 Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) October 19, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Boldy\u2019s consistency<\/p>\n Boldy hasn\u2019t produced every night, but as Guerin has said, he\u2019s been \u201con\u201d pretty consistently as he grows into more of a leadership role.<\/p>\n That showed Wednesday, when he tried to carry the Wild back into the game.<\/p>\n There are nights when he and Kaprizov look terrific together and you understand why Hynes doesn\u2019t want to split them up. But with the lack of scoring at five-on-five hitting a pressure point, the dynamic duo has had to be separated for a spark.<\/p>\n Who had the Kaprizov, Eriksson Ek, Vinnie Hinostroza line on their bingo cards to start the season?<\/p>\n Trade market?<\/p>\n Guerin has said he has the flexibility to make big in-season trades after missing out on big-name free agents such as Brock Nelson, who, for what it\u2019s worth, has only two points in eight games for the Colorado Avalanche. But that doesn\u2019t mean there\u2019s an easy answer out there.<\/p>\n Tage Thompson, most Wild fans\u2019 dream target, isn\u2019t available, at least not yet. Alex Tuch might be at some point, but he could cost more than $10 million on an extension. Nazem Kadri could be available, but he\u2019s 35 with three years left at $7 million per. Yegor Chinakhov wants out of Columbus, but if you\u2019re the Wild and paid so much for Jiricek, do you really want to give the Blue Jackets more assets for another young player on the outs?<\/p>\n The hottest name on the board is Artemi Panarin. But why would the Wild offer something significant to acquire him midseason when they could just pursue him in free agency? It\u2019s not like Minnesota is one 34-year-old winger away from going on a Cup run.<\/p>\n No help coming from Iowa<\/p>\n Iowa struggled mightily under new coach Greg Cronin, going 0-4 and being outscored 20-6. They won their first game Friday, 3-1 at Texas. We\u2019ve written multiple stories on the organization\u2019s lack of development in the AHL, with the latest<\/a> from GM Matt Hendricks being that development will take precedent over wins.<\/p>\n Regardless, besides Hunter Haight, Ohgren and maybe Carson Lambos \u2014 who Guerin hasn\u2019t been enamored with, which is why he reacquired Daemon Hunt off waivers \u2014 how many NHL-ready prospects are there down there? David Spacek has been good in juniors and internationally, but the Wild brass thought so little of him, they traded for Jiricek.<\/p>\n