Here we are, a decade removed from the 2014-15 season, when the Minnesota Wild last advanced to the second round of the playoffs. It’s been seven years since August 2019, when the Wild hired Bill Guerin to get them over the hump, to borrow a phrase. Analytically, they have a 50/50 chance of advancing past the first round. It’s the best opportunity they’ve had to get out of the first round and go on a run since Guerin took over.

Standing before us is the Wild team that emerged from cap hell. They have superstars: Kirill Kaprizov and Quinn Hughes. Matt Boldy, Brock Faber, and Joel Eriksson Ek are strong supplemental players. They also have two viable goalies and a veteran core. 

Still, they don’t have a bona fide No. 1 center, meaning Minnesota will enter the playoffs with a lot of uncertainty. Few teams have won a Stanley Cup without a star No. 1 center or ample center depth to compensate for that.

If the Wild’s final game against Dallas is any indication, we’re in for a fun series. Still, there’s anticipatory stress that accompanies Minnesota’s first-round matchup with the former North Stars. However, nobody has to wait for the series to end to know whether the Wild can compete with Dallas. They’ll tell us soon enough.

Ultimately, Minnesota must generate scoring while keeping Kaprizov and Boldy on separate lines.

The Wild will have to improvise because they lack a No. 1 center. Therefore, they will likely elevate Ryan Hartman to the top line and hope that Mats Zuccarello can act as a pseudo center for Kirill Kaprizov – something they’ve done for years. That means the lines will look something like this:

People who followed the Wild all year will be familiar with each line. There’s the Kaprizov and Boldy lines, with Zuccarello and Johansson setting them up. Then, the Russian line with the resurgent Vladimir Tarasenko and Danila Yurov, and the Foligno line.

However, if the Wild cannot generate offense, John Hynes will likely put Kaprizov and Boldy on the same line while deploying players who can keep Dallas off the scoresheet. Doing so will leave many players on the team marooned. 

What is Zuccarello’s role if he’s not setting up Kaprizov? Will Hynes trust Tarasenko to carry a scoring line, given his defensive deficiencies? Will he bury Yurov as he did with Marco Rossi last year?

If Hynes pairs Kaprizov and Boldy, the Wild functionally becomes a three-line team:

Kaprizov-Hartman-Boldy

Johansson-Eriksson Ek-Trenin

Marcus Foligno-McCarron-Nick Foligno

Minnesota would have a scoring line, a lockdown line, and skilled goons. Doing so would allow the Stars to use all their resources to shut down Kaprizov and Boldy. The Wild would also have their best center on their second line because Eriksson Ek is a sound defensive player. Meanwhile, Dallas will try to get Minnesota’s enforcers to unspool as they did in 2023.

Even if the Wild manage to score with Kaprizov and Boldy on separate lines, their roster construction highlights the lack of a No. 1 center. Hartman is volatile. He’s been a clutch performer in the playoffs, but has also let his emotions get the best of him. A lot of Minnesota’s success rides on his mood.

Above all else, he isn’t a true center. Using Hartman as a No. 1 center is like a baseball team asking a utility player to be their franchise shortstop. The Wild chose to build a team good enough to make the playoffs but not enough to win a series while enduring Zach Parise and Ryan Suter’s dead-cap hits. In doing so, they passed on the opportunity to tank and draft a bona fide No. 1 center. Now, they’re facing the consequences of that decision. 

Furthermore, they probably won’t use Bobby Brink, whom they traded David Jiricek for at the deadline this year, in a prominent role. Instead of pooling their resources to go all-in for a No. 1 center, they prioritized finding an eventual replacement for Jared Spurgeon. Another mistake that cost them the opportunity to fill out a championship roster.

Still, the Wild can win this series. They’ve just made things harder on themselves by mismanaging resources. Ultimately, Guerin has been on the job since August 2019, and Minnesota still only has a 50/50 shot at advancing in the playoffs this season. You’d think they’d be further along by now.

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