The Wild and Kraken playing ho-hum hockey wasn’t both sides preparing for the playoffs by trying to get through one last primer unscathed.
This was each team on the cusp of the offseason, neither advancing to vie for the Stanley Cup, and their finale — a 4-3 loss for the Wild on Thursday night at Xcel Energy Center — reflected that reality.
“Disappointing,” goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury said. “Just like our season.”
At 39-34-9, the Wild finished 20th in the NHL, smack dab in the murky middle where they weren’t close to a playoff bid but also weren’t bad enough to have a chance at landing first overall in the next draft.
But that’s also where the Wild were the last time they didn’t make the playoffs in 2019, and their No. 12 pick was Matt Boldy.
Exactly where the Wild will slot in the first round of this year’s draft will be determined by the draft lottery on a to-be-determined date.
Because the most a team can move up in the draft order is 10 spots, the Wild can’t nab a top-two selection. Last-place San Jose will have the best odds at drafting first, with Boston University’s Macklin Celebrini expected to go No. 1.
Currently, the Wild have six draft picks; they traded away their third-rounder to Washington to acquire Marcus Johansson last season, but they added a second fifth-rounder in the Jordan Greenway trade with Buffalo, also last season.