The Minnesota Wild are one of the best teams in the NHL at this point. With the calendar flipping to December, we are starting to see pretending teams separate themselves from legitimate contenders. Led by Kirill Kaprizov, it’s not unreasonable to think Minnesota may be a legitimate contender in 2024-25.
Kaprizov has emerged as a Hart Trophy candidate early this year. And the Wild have continued to see development from the likes of Brock Faber, Matt Boldy, and Marco Rossi. After winning on Saturday, Minnesota is now tied for the NHL lead in points with 36. Their Central Division rival Winnipeg Jets are also on 36 points after a historic start to the 2024-25 campaign.
It’s an incredible first two months for a team many discounted before the season. Kaprizov was certainly considered a star, but this sort of breakout was something of a surprise. Additionally, it felt as if the team had too many question marks down the roster.
However, it appears as if the Wild are making a legitimate case for contender status this season. There are a few reasons to believe in Minnesota as the 2024-25 campaign rolls along. And here are the two biggest reasons to have hope in this team.
Kirill Kaprizov has officially arrived
The most obvious reason for hope has already been mentioned. Kirill Kaprizov has emerged as a legitimate superstar for the Wild. To be fair, his high level of point production is nothing new. In fact, he has two seasons with 95+ points. And one of those seasons saw him pass the century mark.
However, he has taken his game to an entirely new level in 2024-25. The Wild star has 15 goals and 38 points through 23 games this year. This has him on pace for a 53-goal, 135-point season that would shatter his previous career highs. To some extent, he’s showing the potential that Minnesota saw when they gave him $45 million back in 2021.
Kaprizov currently sits atop the NHL leaderboard for points this season. If he continues his run of form, he will undoubtedly take home individual hardware once the season ends. And who knows, perhaps he can parlay this success by helping the Wild claim hockey’s ultimate prize in June.
The Wild are not significantly overperforming
The Wild are off to an impressive start, but these can always be deceiving. For instance, teams can significantly overperform in the early months before falling back down to Earth. It happens more often than one may think. But Minnesota does not fall into this category.
The Wild own the fourth-highest team Goals For Percentage in all situations, according to Evolving Hockey. They are 10th in Goals For Per 60 Minutes, first in Goals Allowed Per 60 Minutes, and first in On-Ice Save Percentage. All of this shows that the Wild are performing at a very high level early on.
What’s more impressive is that their expected marks are not too far off their actual totals. Minnesota owns the fourth-highest Expected Goals For Percentage in the NHL. Their xGF/60 is a bit low at 16th in the entire league. But they are second behind the Los Angeles Kings for xGA/60.
The Wild certainly could fall off a cliff in the coming months. However, the evidence suggests they are playing at the level they should be. And that could spell trouble for other Western Conference contenders as the season rolls along.
