The Minnesota Wild are about three weeks out from the beginning of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
This isn’t seeming like a good thing for the Minnesota Wild, who have been stumbling since the Olympic break. Since the break, Minnesota is 7-7-2, a technical losing record.
Thankfully for the Wild, they’ve basically been locked in to a playoff spot in the Central for months. The only thing that would’ve taken them out since late January would’ve been a historic collapse coupled with a historic run by a team like the Mammoth.
The Athletic provided their most likely first-round opponent, as well as some insight on the series.
Minnesota Wild Likely to Get Dallas Round 1, As Expected
GettyST PAUL, MINNESOTA – JANUARY 10: Matt Boldy #12 of the Minnesota Wild celebrates his power-play goal against the New York Islanders with teammates in the first period at Grand Casino Arena on January 10, 2026 in St Paul, Minnesota. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)
Julian McKenzie of The Athletic shared some insight on the Wild and Stars clash in Round 1, something we’ve all seen coming for months.
“Thanks to the current playoff format, two of the NHL’s top five teams are on a collision course to face each other in the opening round. As entertaining a series as Dallas-Minnesota would be, wouldn’t it be more fun to see them play each other in the second or third round? Commissioner Gary Bettman doesn’t think so!”
After detailing the daunting task that beating Dallas will be, McKenzie shared some insight on the Wild.
“Last September, the Wild signed Kirill Kaprizov to a lengthy extension. Months later, they swung for the fences and acquired superstar defenseman Quinn Hughes from Vancouver. They made ancillary tweaks at the deadline, landing pieces such as Nick Foligno, Michael McCarron, Bobby Brink and Jeff Petry.
Should they have landed a center such as Vincent Trocheck? Maybe. But this is a strong Wild team armed with a strong goaltending tandem of Filip Gustavsson and Jesper Wallstedt.”
Minnesota Must Get Out of Late-Season Slump
GettyDENVER, COLORADO – FEBRUARY 26: Quinn Hughes #43 of the Minnesota Wild advances the puck against Valeri Nichushkin #13 of the Colorado Avalanche at Ball Arena on February 26, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Jamie Schwaberow/Getty Images)
The Wild are looking to advance past the first round since 2014. If they are going to do that, then they need to get out of this slump.
Minnesota lost to the Boston Bruins last night in a 6-3 blowout. As previously mentioned, they are a very mediocre 7-7-2 in their last 16. It is basically impossible for them to fall out of a playoff spot altogether, let alone third in the central.
The Wild had an opportunity to clinch a spot on Saturday night against Boston, but that will have to wait for another game. They have plenty of time to get over their loss against the Bruins, as they have four-day break with their next game coming on Thursday against the Canucks.
Minnesota only has 8 games left on the season, and look to finish strong to generate some momentum heading into the playoffs.
Minnesota Wild Get Strong Message Amid Playoff Push