The Minnesota Wild sit at 3-9 after another home loss, and the cracks in Bill Guerin’s roster construction are impossible to ignore. Coach John Hynes bristles at calling his team “fragile,” yet the Wild consistently wilt under pressure, getting outscored 30-18 at home this season. Marcus Foligno admits the team has “lost how we have to play the game,” while reports surface that Guerin is already scouring the trade market for middle-six forwards—the same band-aid solution that hasn’t worked.
Host Seth Toupal breaks down the eye-popping postgame quotes and examines how this roster’s foundation has been rotting since 2021-22, when career years from Ryan Hartman, Marcus Foligno, and others created unsustainable expectations. With Kirill Kaprizov carrying the offensive load, Vladimir Tarasenko struggling with one goal, and the bottom six providing virtually nothing, the Wild’s aging, top-heavy construction is finally catching up. Is this coaching, roster building, or both? The answers aren’t pretty.
Watch now to understand why this isn’t just a slow start—it’s who the Minnesota Wild really are.
Follow & Subscribe on all Podcast platforms…
🎧 https://link.chtbl.com/LOWild?sid=YouTube
Locked On NHL League-Wide: Every Team, Fantasy, Prospects & More
🎧 https://linktr.ee/LockedOnNHL
Join our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/ZAB6yyck
Have a Question for the Show or a Topic you want Covered? Email lockedonwild@gmail.com
Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!
Rugiet – Ready to level up your confidence ? Head to https://rugiet.com and use promo code LOCKEDONNHL for 15% off your first order.
Gametime – Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONNHL for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Download Gametime today. What time is it? Gametime.
Monarch – Take control of your finances with Monarch. Use code LOCKEDONNHL at https://monarch.com/lockedonnhl for 50% off your first year.
FanDuel – Today’s episode is brought to you by FanDuel. Right now, new FanDuel customers can get TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS in Bonus Bets if your first FIVE DOLLAR bet wins!
FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN)
#NHL #KirillKaprizov #MinnesotaWild
29 Comments
This is October 2025 not October 1980. The 2000s is all about speed not breaking someone's jaw.
More Toughness ??hmmm Spurgeon leads the D in hits!! Laughable … how about Speed the Wild are the slowest team in the NHL . Unfixable
I would go back to blaming Parise again.
Trap, Trap, Trap..Hynes listen up..
Anyone in Iowa ?
North Stars had the same issues until Nanne saved em….He watched from the broadcasting booth and saw what needed to be done.
Too late. Gm built his own bed. Old slow guys. 🐌 replace him with rocky the squirrel
They Absolutely need to toughen up! First sensible thing Hynes has said. SO WHY DID WE TRADE OUR TOUGH GUYS AWAY? !!!!
Billy and Hines have lost touch with the nhl and have lost this team!!!! Both need to go!!!!
There are no consequences for failure… Billy has them locked up and Hynes keeps playing them. Maybe call Ohgren/Haight back up and play them (with Yurov) in the Middle Six for 5 games regardless of how they play… while 17, 13, and 91 watch from the press box. Heck, I'd even go as far as putting in Hunt for Spurge. Maybe that would start to send a message…. for a little while. Hynes has to go, Billy's just as much at fault for creating this roster. I'd be happy with one of the 3 assistant GM's as an interim for the rest of the year and Hynes gone for Daboer or Torts (although Torts doesn't love the kids either). But you need someone who WILL play the kids because that is the only help you have coming. Any "help" is locked up into new 8 year deals and nearly every time has the money to make sure their guys stay.
What team would want any of these bad players. .
SIT SOME VETS. Load the lines with Ohgren, Yurov, Haight, Height, Lambos, Spacek, hunt…..and let everyone cry. Worst case you keep loosing, best case you have an actual team next year🥱
This team has 3, 4th lines. Brodin and Spurgeon are past prime time. Play the young guns and embrace the suck.
Great show Seth. Talk me off a cliff here but I think this team/franchise is in real trouble here going forward if we don't get new management here
Maybe the wild can get with the vikings o line and d line and do some drills together
Фабер стоит за воротами и держит шайбу……он не хочет играть…..как 38 ( в конце прошлого сезона мы это видели буквально) ….как истинный пассажир……
1. отдай передачу игроку сделавшему 2-3 шага . – это Скорость команды! а не беготня без шайбы! туда и обратно……
2. отдай передачу свободному игроку.
3.пробрось шайбу в угол зоны соперника на ход нападающему.
4.сильно отправляй шайбу в свободную зону если на площадке нет 17.38.24.25.46.7…..в последних играх и 12…….
1. не давай сопернику с шайбой войти в нашу зону.
2 . не пяться от соперника слишком усердно ……что бы мог дотянуться и выбить шайбу! когда соперник поднимет глаза.
3. атакуй соперника при Приёме шайбы!!! – не давай сопернику поднять глаза и тем более отдать голевой пас.
4.Не Пятся во вратарскую зону и Немешай вратарю Защищать наши Ворота!!!
5. будь готов ускорится в свободную зону к шайбе или для приёма передачи!
игру Пингвинам отдали за победу в прошлом году с Флери. у нас говорят : договорняк.
Согласен что если держать 17.38.24.25.46.( играющих что б не проиграть….- сушащих игру…..и Заставляющих играть так Всю Команду!!!………) в составе то Кирилл не дождётся помощи за 9 лет…….Кириллу даже не дают играть с Данилой……а что 9 лет прошли?…сыгрываться уже поздно?……
Ya Brazeau the guy with who had some good hands yet the wild stappled him to 4th line…now look at him lol
This is zachs fault
I say bring in all our young talent for NHL experience, and tank for a chance at McKenna. Too many old and slow vets on this team to ever make a deep playoff run. It's time to rebuild.
I really don’t buy the “We just need to try harder” stuff Hynes is selling. The 50/50puck crap is a symptom of the problem. Say what you want about the roster, they are more talented then this and capable of playing better. They are professional athletes, I really don’t think it’s just as simple as try harder. Maybe in a few games you’ll see athletes be lazy but im certain the players aren’t skating around not caring that they are getting booed off the ice. Things like Kirill turning the puck over, he’s just trying to make plays but obviously there is a problem with the whole system and offense if he has to press that hard.!
I think it’s that they are playing hesitate which normally means they aren’t sure what to do or confident it will work. Thats true in any sport.
That’s on the coach. Not saying it’s as simple as fire the coach but that’s where you need to start, then you look at what else to change.
The beatings will continue until moral improves
Like most problems, it’s complicated. There isn’t a 1 move solution.
Fortunately or unfortunately, the Wild’s poor performance hasn’t put a wildcard out of reach.
Apparently there are 7- 9 injured Canucks players. So it should be a good game today 🤣
Heard Guerin was kicking the tires on Casey Middlestedt. What an idiot!
Youth isn't serving the team well, Hines can't seem to coach them, the vets are slowing down, sitting fast youth for slow experienced players is just a stop gap measure. Either the coach can coach or they find someone who can put some sense into the young uns. The vets are getting tired in 2nd and exhausted in 3rd. The DENY mentality is breaking down, the passing sucks, the puck handling sucks, it's a team that has given up. It's 17 players hoping krill carries them cause he has the bucks and 1 player hoping everyone else carries him cause he has the big bucks and doesn't want to play hard, wants to sit on an island and get drunk. There is an infection in the locker room, might be named Hines. This is not the team we saw last year.
What hynes said and how he said literally said this team has no fight no will no toughness. This team is toast.
Lotta ppl just blaming guerin.
Guerin had an edge with buyouts coming off.
Then the league decided lets leak the cap numbers for the next 3 yrs which they never did b4.(took that advantage away)
Players decide i can stay here where im comfortable and get paid, ok ill stay eliminate xtra stress.
Takes a ahot on tarasenko which looked real good b4 the season started.
Extends kirill, rossi, Gustavsson. This same team was in 1st place a yr ago b4 injuries destroyed them.
Vets are not showing drive n hynes is rewarding them over kids who are learning.
This mess is a hynes and the vets issue. Guerin gets a pass here from me but he has to make bug chges now starting with coaching change, and exploring trades. The kids need to play.
Thanks for your insights and transparency. I would love to hear some ideas on a new GM for the Wild. Coach is not the problem it’s the architect that assembled them. I feel Kaprisov is not protected either, there is no identity to this roster.
Just embrace the top draft pick chance, give the youngsters experience and enjoy the ride. As a fan I never expected them to compete this year. Wild, you've locked in the key prayers. Now you need to offload the slow veterans and build a real first and second line.
#Grit