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2024-25 Minnesota Wild Predictions and Odds to Win Stanley Cup Finals

by Ryan Cobbett - 9/24/2024

Minnesota Wild predictions Kirill Kaprizov

The Minnesota Wild failed to make the playoffs last season after finishing with a 39-33-10 record (87 points). They finished 11 points behind Vegas for the final wild card spot in the Western Conference. Their season was plagued by horrendous goaltending at the start of the year, and they were not great on the road, going 19-18-4. They struggled against their Central Division counterparts as they went just 9-14-3.

The offensive attack for Minnesota could’ve been better, as they averaged just 3.02 GF/G, which ranked 21st in the league. They were average on the man advantage, as they cashed in on 22.7% of their Power Play chances. The Wild’s PK% was one of the worst in the NHL, as they killed off just 74.5% of their opponents Power Play opportunities, which was the third worst mark in the league. Kirill Kaprizov had another fantastic year for Minnesota, as the franchise guy tallied 96 points on 46 goals and 50 assists. Behind him, Matt Boldy (69), Joel Eriksson Ek (64), and Matz Zuccarello (63) finished in the 60-point range. Eriksson Ek tallied 30 goals, while Boldy (29), Ryan Hartman (21), and Marco Rossi (21) finished with more than 20 goals.

As for the goaltending, Minnesota ranked 21st in GA/G, allowing 3.17 GA/G on a mere .897 SV% that ranked 26th. Filip Gustavsson struggled at the beginning of the season but rallied back in the second half of the year. He allowed 3.06 GA/G on a .899 SV%, while his backup, Marc Andre-Fleury,, allowed 2.98 GA/G on a .895 SV%. The two netminders nearly split time down the middle with Gustavsson recording 43 starts and Fleury getting 36.

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Seasons come and go, so now it’s time to take a look at what we can expect from the Minnesota Wild in 2024/25:

Minnesota Wild Key Additions/Losses

This young and developing Minnesota Wild roster did not change much over the course of the offseason. Blueliner Alex Goligoski (10 points) retired, while Jacob Lucchini (five points) left for the Nashville Predators. Dakota Mermis (eight points) and Mason Shaw (three points) both went north to Canada, as Mermis signed with Toronto and Shaw signed with Winnipeg.

Though there were minimal departures, there are plenty of young and developing talent within the Minnesota Wild system. Their biggest move of the offseason was adding center Yakov Trenin to a four-year deal. Trenin had 17 points last season for the Predators/Avs and should be a good addition for the Wild.

Minnesota Wild X-Factors

The Young Guys- Kirill Kaprizov still has many good years ahead of him, but he is being reinforced by some budding stars. Matt Boldy (23) joins Kaprizov (27) and Eriksson Ek (27) on the top line, while Marco Rossi (23) will be slotted in at center for the second line. The fourth lines feature Jakub Lauko (24) and Marat Khusnutdinov (22) with Brock Faber (22) and Declan Chisholm (24) on the blueline. Boldy added a ton of production last season, as he tallied 69 points on 29 goals and 40 assists, while Faber and Rossi both reached the 40-point mark last season. Look for these youngsters to continue to improve and produce on the ice, making this Minnesota Wild team better than last season.

The Old Guys- With the future bright for Minnesota, everyone wants to win now. The Wild have a veteran presence on their roster, including Mats Zuccarello (37), Marcus Johansson (34), Marcus Foligno (33) and Ryan Hartman (30). All of these guys produced well for Minnesota last season, but they will need to continue to do so if they want to get back into the playoff picture this season.

Minnesota Wild Goalie Outlook

The tandem remains intact for the Wild, as Filip Gustavsson and Marc-Andre Fleury are back in the crease. Both netminders had down years last season, but both have proven they are more than capable of being quality goaltenders in the NHL. Gustavsson earned himself a long-term extension after allowing just 2.10 GA/G on a .931 SV% across 37 starts during the 2022-23 season. Meanwhile, Fleury has still done well in his old age, as he has allowed an average of just 2.86 GA/G over his three years (92 starts) with the Wild. This team is young and improving. And if these two netminders can be consistent all year around, and not start terribly like they did last season, then they should be a top tandem in this league.

Grade: B-

Minnesota Wild Key Schedule Stretch

March 9th-March 29th- March is going to be a kind month to the Wild, as they have a lot of games on home ice. Now, this is post-deadline games, meaning the Wild may have added some talent at the deadline if they are competitive. However, regardless, this stretch of 11 games features just one road game. From March 9th- March 22nd they are in Minnesota for a seven game homestand featuring Pittsburgh, Colorado, New York (Rangers), St. Louis, Los Angeles, Seattle, and Buffalo. They have a road game to Dallas sandwiched between another three game homestand against Vegas, Washington, and New Jersey. The competition is good, but the home ice plays in favor of Minnesota, who should be in the wild card mix at this time of the year.

Minnesota Wild Notable Odds

Stanley Cup Champions: +2500

Conference Winner: +1200

Division Winner: +750

To Make the Playoffs- Yes: -164

Norris Trophy- Brock Faber: +3600

Jack Adams Award- John Hynes: +1700

Hart Trophy- Kirill Kaprizov: +2000

Minnesota Wild Prediction

I expect a huge jump up for the Wild this season, as Faber, Rossi, and Boldy get another year of experience under their skates. Kirill Kaprizov is one of the most underrated and unappreciated names in the NHL John Hynes has incredible value to be Coach of the Year, especially if they add at the deadline and he leads the Wild to a 100+ point season. While I wouldn’t bet on them reaching 100 points, they should be comfortably locked in a wild card spot at the end of the season. The over on the team’s point total is a solid pick, especially with Vegas regressing and making the wild card race a bit more interesting.

Over 94.5 Team Total Points

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