The 2026-27 season is starting with a few wrenches thrown in. The Minnesota Wild haven’t re-signed Quinn Hughes. Filip Gustavsson is recovering from hip surgery while his fill-in (Calvin Pickard) is struggling. Maybe worst of all, everyone’s favorite Minnesotan Brock Faber is out for an undetermined amount of time, slain in his prime by his mortal enemy: the Dallas Stars. 

There’s a lot to believe in with this crowd, however, even with some bumps and bruises along the way. Maybe the best example is all the pomp and circumstance around the home opener. For the past few years, the Wild have hosted a “Green Carpet” event before the first home game. Wild players walk the carpet, sign autographs, and pump up the crowd along the way. It’s also a fun way to get a peek behind the icy curtain and into the inner workings of the team’s personalities.

The Superstar Who Cares About Hockey, Not Fashion

Remember back in fall 2025 when everyone said that Kirill Kaprizov would never want to stay in Minnesota because, following in the footsteps of Artemi Panarin and others like him, Russians yearn for either a big city or a warm climate?

Jokes on the haters! Kaprizov loves a cold climate, the ability to live a mostly unbothered existence in the Midwest, and the fact that Minnesota is the State of Hockey. He thrives on the fact that he’s not the only one who wants to live, eat, and sleep hockey here.

In that vein, Kaprizov’s outfit was the luxury greige outfit of nightmares. A nice pair of casual gray pants, with a gray sweatshirt and gray sneakers. If there is one thing that Kaprizov seems not to want to do on game day, it’s put any energy into picking an outfit. Instead, he grabs as much of his favorite neutral as he can from his closet, runs his hands through his curls, and puts on his shy smile to sign autographs.

While it would be fun to see his personality more through his outfits, Kaprizov is consistently showing that his focus is always on the game. He doesn’t have time for fashion and, according to his unfollowing spree before the season started, he doesn’t have time for dating either. Kaprizov got a taste of getting further in the playoffs last season, and now he’s hungry for more. He spent a little time deep in the Russian frontier during the offseason to refocus, and now it’s all hockey, all the time.

CurlWatch is Officially Over

After years of watching Joel Eriksson Ek’s curls grow long and then be cut short, the watch is finally over. Mr. September showed up to training camp bald, and it feels like he gets balder every day. While he looked good with his curls, this haircut could be the start of Ek really putting the screws to every man between him and the net in a way that’s never been seen before.

Could this haircut, given to him by his best friend Jonas Brodin, be the secret to finding a level of megapest that has only been dreamed of previously?

The Diva Is A 90’s Heartthrob

It’s well known that Matt Boldy is a diva. Not in a snooty way, but in a “yas queen” sort of way. He looks like someone who would be quick with a cutting remark in a battle of wits, cutting a mean girl down to size before the whole crowd claps for his quick retort. 

Boldy showed up on the Green Carpet dressed like a 90’s heartthrob. He made his middle-part, bowl haircut and denimish button-up shirt look like he’d just stepped through a portal from 1997, a vintage throwback without looking dated or out of place. 

It’s a bit of a disconnect from his newfound “enforcer” label, given to him by a misguided Dallas Stars fan who must be new to hockey and watched Boldy’s fight through their eyelids. If he wants to keep up his tough-guy attitude, he’ll need to either pivot his fashion to fresh-to-death suits like Nicolas Deslauriers or go more classic preppy, bordering on business casual, like Marcus Foligno. 

No Contract, But a Commercial is Nice

Hughes does everything he possibly can on the ice, but his off-ice participation has been lacking at times. So imagine everyone’s surprise when he turned up in the newest Not Weird, Wild, making a cameo in a commercial that stars Jesper Wallstedt.

There is no way to read into this as a possible contract extension, but it could signal that he’s committed to Minnesota as long as he’s here. Consenting to appear in a silly commercial like the Not Weird, Wild series reads almost like a sign. Maybe he won’t stay here forever, but he’s also not specifically looking to leave. Just let the man live in the moment, you know?

Gustavsson Is Still Driving the Bus

After last year’s playoffs, it was revealed that Filip Gustavsson would need off-season hip surgery. Suddenly, his lackluster performance made sense. He hadn’t lost the magic. Instead, he was trying to play through an injury. 

But to show that he’s still that guy and still as much a part of the team as ever, he showed up on a school bus to ride to the game with a bunch of season ticket members. Perfection. Gustavsson is just the sweetest, most down-to-earth guy who most likely genuinely enjoyed the experience of riding the bus with the fans. An absolute gem that can’t be back in net soon enough.

Let’s Get Loony!

Apparently, we’re leaning into the idea that we are Loony, and that is actually fitting. The Wild have been underestimated for a while. Carrying the title of The State of Hockey isn’t for the weak; that’s for sure. So why not lean into it a little? Why not use everyone’s vitriol and make it our own? Oh, you want to hate us cause you ain’t us? We’re just over here being loony! 

We’ve Got a Hat Guy

Blake Coleman wore a nice hat on the Green Carpet. There isn’t much to draw from that, but hopefully everyone can appreciate a good hat the way I can.