Minnesota Wild start NHL training camp with few additions after rocky 2023-24 season

The do-over the Wild needed is finally here.

A terrible start doomed them last season, triggering a coaching change and subsequent mild improvement, but they were still in a slog to the finish line.

Now the Wild are starting from scratch, with training camp opening Thursday after players report Wednesday for fitness testing and medicals.

“Whether it was good or bad last year,” coach John Hynes said, “this is a new year.”

Although the Wild played better after Hynes took over for Dean Evason, going 34-24-5 to rank in the top half of the league over that span, they ended up 11 points out of a playoff spot.

This was only the second time in the past 12 seasons they failed to advance.

“Unfortunately, we put ourselves behind the 8-ball too early,” defenseman Jake Middleton said. “That fresh start, we’re all extremely excited because it’s been much too long of a summer.”

During the offseason, the Wild went with tweaks rather than a teardown.

Their biggest acquisition was defensive forward Yakov Trenin, who secured a four-year, $14 million contract. They also traded for rugged winger Jakub Lauko and added several players on two-way deals after injuries to key veterans exposed a lack of organizational depth. Captain Jared Spurgeon and alternate captain Marcus Foligno are expected to be on the ice at camp from the get-go after season-ending surgery: Spurgeon was dealing with hip and back issues, while Foligno had a core muscle injury.

Also returning for the Wild is defenseman Declan Chisholm after he re-signed for one season at $1 million.

Almost $15 million of their budget is still paying off the Zach Parise and Ryan Suter buyouts, but that charge will drop significantly, to approximately $1.67 million, next season.

That’s when new contracts for Middleton (four years for $17.4 million) and fellow defenseman Brock Faber (eight years and $68 million) signed over the summer kick in; All-Star winger Kirill Kaprizov will also be eligible for an extension in summer 2025.

Gone are forwards Mason Shaw, Vinni Lettieri and Jake Lucchini as well as defensemen Dakota Mermis and Alex Goligoski, who retired after the Grand Rapids native and former Gopher skated three seasons for the Wild.

In total, the Wild have 57 players on their training camp roster, including many of the draft picks who participated in the Tom Kurvers Prospect Showcase last week.

First-round selection Liam Ohgren will compete for a spot after making his NHL debut late last season, and second-rounder Riley Heidt will also be considered.

Practices start Thursday at Tria Rink in St. Paul, and the team’s first of six preseason games is Saturday at Winnipeg. The Wild’s regular season begins Oct. 10 vs. Columbus at Xcel Energy Center. They’ll close out the month with seven consecutive road games.

“I don’t think it really matters where we start,” center Joel Eriksson Ek said. “But, for sure, to get a good start matters.”

Team structure will headline the first few days of camp. So will pace and competitiveness.

Hynes emphasized a quick transition style after his arrival, but some changes are difficult to execute on the fly. This three-week tuneup is the best way for Hynes to introduce his tactics.

“There’s a good foundation to build off,” he said.

Those strides turned the page on the Wild’s earlier woes but didn’t salvage their season.

What’s next for the Wild — whether it’s more of the same or they capitalize on a clean slate — is up to them.

“I don’t want to talk about season goals and what’s a successful season,” Hynes said. “To me, I want to have a successful training camp and what is that? It’s every day we’re going to get better. We’re going to have hard, intense practices. We want to see our systems and our identity clearly come through. We want to see the players get to their individual identities.

“If we focus on that, then you’re not skipping steps. Then when we get to Game 1, we’re set up for that.”