Wild face obstacles, but are determined to advance in the playoffs again

Decked out in a personalized jersey, Marcus Foligno watched with his Wild teammates from a suite along the first base line as the Twins swept the Blue Jays at Target Field to win their first postseason series in 21 years.

"It was nice to see them break a record," Foligno said. "Maybe it's a shot in the future of what's to come for sports teams in Minnesota this year."

The Wild aren't in as severe of a drought nor are they haunted by an 18-game losing streak like the one the Twins terminated on their way to the American League Division Series vs. the Astros.

But they have their own burden: The Wild haven't advanced past the first round of the playoffs in eight years.

And their next attempt at slaying that skid, which begins Thursday against Florida at Xcel Energy Center, might be one of their most ambitious yet.

"We want to win this year and put ourselves in the best position come playoffs and then go from there," Foligno said. "But there's no feeling sorry for ourselves or thinking, 'Nah, you know what? Two years we'll be good.'

"No one's going to be playing it safe."

Forget winning a round — there's already a way to rationalize the Wild missing the playoffs entirely.

Nearly $15 million of their budget isn't being spent on the team. Instead, that chunk of change is covering the Zach Parise and Ryan Suter buyouts.

This cap crunch isn't new; the Wild felt it last year, trading away 30-goal scorer Kevin Fiala before the season. But never has the cost been this high: the approximately $14.7 million price tag for the buyouts would cover even the most expensive contracts in the NHL this season.

Imagine the impact that money could have on a team that keeps stumbling into the same roadblock.

"That's the name of the game right now is the salary cap, that cap space, and it's been like that for a couple years now," Foligno said. "But you know what? We've laced up some really good teams and some really good games, and that needs to be the main focal point.

"We can't look at that as an excuse. If we do, then we'll just shut down and it'll be a quick season of not being in the playoffs."

So, how could the Wild win a race that's started without them?

They're still led by a motivated Kirill Kaprizov, the superstar mostly a non-factor in the six-game loss to Dallas last playoffs after missing a month with a leg injury, and his chemistry with Mats Zuccarello remains key to the team's production.

Joel Eriksson Ek, the Wild's all-purpose specialist, has healed the broken leg that kept him out of all but 19 seconds of that series vs. the Stars. Brock Faber already plays like a pro rather than a prospect, and Marco Rossi is getting another crack at proving he's ready for the NHL.

As for veteran presence, the Wild acquired that in three-time Stanley Cup champion Pat Maroon and brought back Marcus Johansson after he clicked with Matt Boldy.

Marc-Andre Fleury and Filip Gustavsson return to the crease.

"When we do have those dead cap space come off the books, those are players that are going to come here and take your spot," Foligno said. "That's what you have to look at, so all the guys here have to play for each other and work to have great seasons and great years so we're here for a long time."

The high-wire theatrics of two seasons ago when the Wild relied on their resiliency to score their way out of trouble didn't set them up for playoff success.

Neither did the overcorrection the following year when they went with diligent defense and an opportunistic offense.

Perhaps a hybrid of both styles works.

Their lineup is certainly set up that way, with each forward group a mix of speed and skill but also sandpaper.

"Score a lot of goals and don't give a lot of goals up," Ryan Hartman said. "That would be awesome."

The Wild as constructed haven't dropped eight straight playoff series.

Some of the suffering was inherited; now that Matt Dumba is gone, only captain Jared Spurgeon (who will start the season injured) and Jonas Brodin were around when the plight started.

"I feel it's unfair for this group to be judged on what's happened here for a long time," President of Hockey Operations Bill Guerin said. "But that's part of it. That's part of the game.

"They're wearing the same jerseys as people that have played here in the past."

But the longer this funk festers, the more it becomes a reflection of this core.

The math might not add up in their favor, but they're still the ones who can solve the problem.

"No one's happy," Eriksson Ek said. "That's the games you want to play. That's the games you want to win. Our fans deserve to see us win, and we want to win for them as well."