The Wild is about halfway through its offseason and although the team hasn't been idle, Kirill Kaprizov and Kevin Fiala remain unsigned.
Kirill Kaprizov and Kevin Fiala signings remain on Wild GM Bill Guerin's to-do list
The star players are restricted free agents, and 'status quo' are the words Guerin used.
July 23, 2021 at 12:25AM
But General Manager Bill Guerin said the negotiations, which are "status quo," haven't prohibited the Wild from making other roster moves.
"We have plans for Kirill," Guerin said. "We have plans for Kevin, and they're not affecting the other positions we have to fill. We're not putting anything else on hold. We're going to move forward as we have to, and we'll continue to deal with those two players as well."
Aside from re-signing Joel Eriksson Ek to an eight-year, $42 million contract earlier this month, the Wild also brought back Nick Bjugstad on a one-year deal.
What overhauled the lineup, though, was buying out the contracts of Zach Parise and Ryan Suter last week. The turnover can continue in free agency and the trade market, with the Wild needing to address its depleted defense and bolster its forward group.
Still, the team's summer checklist will look incomplete until the Wild re-signs its top scorers in Kaprizov and Fiala.
"The lines of communication are open, and we're working towards it," Guerin said. "I'm not worried about. I know that this is just a process, so I feel good about it."
Schedule released
The Wild will open the season Oct. 15 at Anaheim, the start of a normal, 82-game schedule after the NHL adopted a shortened 56-game slate last season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
After a game in Los Angeles on Oct. 16, the Wild will host Winnipeg in its home opener on Oct. 19.
The highlight of the schedule is the Winter Classic on Jan. 1 against St. Louis at Target Field.
Seattle, the NHL's newest team, will play the Wild three times: twice on the road (Oct. 28 and Nov. 13) and once at home (April 22).
Unlike last season when teams played only within their division, the Wild will face all NHL teams a minimum of two games and will appear in every arena at least once. The Wild will be in Tampa Bay to visit the reigning Stanley Cup champions on Nov. 21, and the Lightning will stop by Xcel Energy Center a week later.
A franchise-long nine-game homestand runs March 13-31.
The All-Star Game is Feb. 5 in Vegas, and the NHL has planned for an Olympic break Feb. 7-22 even though players haven't been given the green light to participate. Talks are ongoing and if players don't attend, a revised schedule will be released.
As part of an ESPN doubleheader, the NHL season opens on Oct. 12, with Pittsburgh at Tampa Bay and Seattle at Vegas. The season ends on April 29, when the Wild plays a home game against Colorado.
No Kahkonen for Kraken
Seattle added up-and-coming goaltenders in its expansion draft on Wednesday, but the Kraken didn't nab the Wild's Kaapo Kahkonen.
Instead, Seattle tabbed Chris Driedger, Vitek Vanecek and Joey Daccord and selected defenseman Carson Soucy from the Wild.
Kahkonen is coming off a solid rookie campaign backing up starter Cam Talbot, winning a franchise-record 16 games that included a 9-0 run. The 24-year-old is under contract for another season at a $725,000 cap hit.
"We are extremely happy to have Kaapo still with us," Guerin said. "I think with his ability and his cap hit, he fits perfectly. He's given us some really good years and kind of developed and worked up through the ranks and done the right things.
"He's been very good for us, and we're looking for him to continue to get better."
Saturday’s game against Dallas presents an opportunity to indicate the team won’t repeat the flop in division games that wrecked last season.
