Every NHL team loses players during the offseason and the same can be said about the Minnesota Wild. Some departures were expected and some were surprises, but with the Wild, the majority of their departures were expected mainly because of their salary cap situation. It’s gotten pretty repetitive to hear by now for most fans but the buyouts of franchise players Zach Parise and Ryan Suter were the main culprit to the tight budget.
However, the Wild do what they can to get by which included finding ways to sign not only their hopeful number one goaltender this season in Filip Gustavsson but also squeak in the gritty Brandon Duhaime while Calen Addison also recently signed a contract. Those were just the re-signings, there were also a number of players who left and have since joined new rosters throughout the league. We’ll take a look at each one and also discuss when they’ll meet up with their former teammates this season.
Dumba Heads South
It was obvious that Matt Dumba was not going to re-sign with the Wild this offseason because the team couldn’t afford him and it was time to move on. It took longer than most thought but on Aug. 7, it was announced that Dumba agreed to a one-year deal with the Arizona Coyotes worth $3.9 million. He’s definitely worth that contract and the Coyotes are very lucky to have him.
It’s going to be difficult to see Dumba in a jersey that’s main color isn’t green but as stated before, it had to be done. He was drafted by the Wild, seventh overall in the first round back in 2012, and started his career the next season. He went on to play the next ten seasons in the land of 10,000 lakes and built not only a career but a home.
He became a fixture on the Wild’s defense and eventually became an alternate captain while also becoming a partner in a number of community programs related to youth hockey. He even started a “Hockey Without Limits” camp that promotes diversity and inclusivity in the game of hockey at a young level. In an article done by NHL.com’s Jessi Pierce in 2021, about the camp, Dumba said, “It’s awesome that these kids will be able to come out and show up. There are so many people who have popped up to help facilitate this in sponsors, really, I’m so thankful. At the end of the day, it will be super cool to see just the diversity amongst our group: White, Black, Hispanic kids, inner city kids, it’ll be super cool.”
First Meeting in 2023-24
It’ll be into the new year already by the time the Wild see their former alternate captain for the first time in his new Arizona Coyotes jersey. Their first meetup will be in the Wild’s home arena, the Xcel Energy Center on Jan. 13 and will be on the backend of a back-to-back. They’ll head on the road to Mullet Arena in Tempe, Arizona in February and then finish up their final two meetings in March just under a week apart. It’ll be interesting to see Dumba in a new jersey and how his play handles the change.
Reaves Has a New Life
The next notable player who left the Wild and went to a new team was Ryan Reaves. He signed a surprising three-year, $4 million deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Frankly, many people were surprised at the length, the amount, and the team, but the Wild couldn’t afford him and it’s exciting he found a new place.
Reaves wasn’t in Minnesota long but it’s been stated thousands of times, he’s the type of player you love to hate until he’s on your team. That is the perfect definition of Reaves, and many Wild fans were sad to see him go. He, like Dumba, had an infectious personality that could lift the morale of an entire team.
So, losing both Reaves and Dumba will be quite the hit to the Wild’s overall personality but they’re hoping Pat Maroon can help fill the void at least in the vocal department. It’ll be interesting to see how the Maple Leafs fit Reaves into their system but the Wild will find out very soon.
First Meeting in 2023-24
The Wild’s second game of the regular season will be on the road against none other than the Maple Leafs and Reaves. That game will take place on Saturday, Oct. 16, and just over a month later, the Maple Leafs will make their way to the Xcel Energy Center for Reaves’ first meeting in front of the Wild fanbase. Hopefully, the Wild can come out of that meeting unscathed with the big hits Reaves throws around.
Sundqvist Stays in the Division
Everyone was hoping the Wild could find a way to keep Oskar Sundqvist around after his short but impressive stint of 15 games with seven points. It was cut short as he suffered an injury at the end of the season and played in just one playoff game that he did score in before the season ended.
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He joined the Wild at the trade deadline and left just four months later for a return to the St. Louis Blues where he previously spent five seasons. He signed a one-year deal worth $775,000 and while it’s a bit of a drop from his last contract, he’ll have to prove he can do more if he wants a bigger contract.
Sundqvist is a fast skater with great puck-handling skills but again, like all the players on this list, the Wild couldn’t afford to keep him with the other players they had to prioritize. It’s unfortunate they couldn’t see what Sundqvist could do in a full season with key players around him. Once they have some more money to play with, maybe they can bring him back in the future if they have room on the roster with all their up-and-coming prospects.
First Meeting 2023-24
The first meeting between these two division rival teams will occur almost two months into the season on Nov. 28 at the Xcel Energy Center. These two teams see each other often and the final three meetings will take place in March all on Saturdays. The final two will be exactly one week apart, so they will see a lot of Sundqvist if he’s healthy.
Nyquist Also Stays in the Division
Gustav Nyquist shared quite a few similarities with his fellow Swede, Sundqvist. Obviously they both hail from Sweden but they’re also both speedy and very strong with the puck, but they also have injury issues. Again, the Wild wished they could’ve made an attempt to keep Nyquist on the roster so he could prove what he could do, but the cap space didn’t allow for it.
Nyquist signed a new deal worth $6.37 million over two years with another division rival the Nashville Predators. It’s great that he found a new team that sees his worth but it’s also a disadvantage to the Wild that he went to a rival in their division.
Like Sundqvist, he also joined the Wild at the trade deadline but unfortunately didn’t get to play until right before the postseason. He made an impact, however, with three games played and five points scored. Hopefully, he doesn’t find a way to do that against the Wild when they meet up this season.
First Meeting in 2023-24
The Wild will head on the road for their first meeting of the season against the Predators late in November. It’ll be on Nov. 30, just a couple of days after their visit to St. Louis and seeing Sundqvist. After that meeting, a couple of months will pass before the Predators come to the Xcel Energy Center in the new year.
Steel Heads to Stars
The final former member of the Wild on this list is Sam Steel. He was signed during the 2022 offseason in hopes he would provide a spark to their scoring and while he did, it was only for a short time. He played in 65 games for the Wild where he scored 28 points. Obviously, there wasn’t room to extend a contract to him, especially with that performance, so he found another team to sign with.
The Dallas Stars, the same team who knocked the Wild out of the first round last season, was Steel’s next landing spot. They signed him for one season worth $850,000 and after the Stars’ success, it’s safe to say Steel is excited about the opportunity.
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It’ll be interesting to see if a new team can be what Steel needs to be successful. He showed he has a lot of potential but he couldn’t get over the hump of consistency. When he was pulled out of the lineup and brought back in, he did well, but the longer he stayed in the lineup the more he struggled. If he can get over that, he’ll be able to contribute offensively.
First Meeting in 2023-24
The Stars and Wild will meet a couple of times during the preseason but the real action will start in the middle of November. On Nov. 12 the Stars will travel to the Xcel Energy Center and Wild fans will get to see Steel in a Stars uniform. The Wild will likely be harboring feelings from their postseason exit, and it will surely be an interesting game from all sides.
Wild Lost But Gained
The Wild may have lost these players to other teams but they were able to hold on to their integral pieces because of it. They were able to re-sign Gustavsson as well as Duhaime plus they brought in Maroon. It’s hard to lose key players but it’s also fun to see them succeed elsewhere as long as it’s not against the Wild of course. Hopefully, all of these players go on to find success because they deserve it.
