Wild Taking Shots <\/p>\n
To win games, teams have to score goals, and to score, they have to take shots. The Wild have been very inconsistent with their shots on goal per game over their history, but they\u2019ve made progress recently. They had a stellar performance in the 2021-22 season with an average of 32.5 shots per game, and they kept it around 30 the next two seasons.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Then they hit a hiccup when they dropped to 27.6 shots per game in the 2024-25 season before this past season, when they headed in the right direction with 29.2 shots per game. Kirill Kaprizov was a big part of <\/a>that as he went from 145 shots to 269 shots. They know Kaprizov will take shots, and hopefully he\u2019ll focus on shooting even more this coming season.\u00a0<\/p>\n He\u2019s not the only one, however, as Wild fans have yet to see what Quinn Hughes can do with a full season, and he\u2019s definitely not afraid to take shots, which is what the team needs. Also, his defensive partner, Brock Faber, will continue to learn from Hughes, and that provides even more optimism. Plus, Matt Boldy is still improving his game, and<\/a> with that comes more shots, as well as the other youngsters on this team who look to prove themselves.\u00a0<\/p>\n Wild\u2019s Special Teams <\/p>\n This may go against a lot of what we\u2019ve said before about the Wild\u2019s special teams, especially their penalty kill, but there is a reason for hope there. They\u2019ve actually gotten better in both areas from seasons past; their power play percentage was the best it\u2019s ever been at 25.2 percent, while their penalty kill\u2019s 79.8 percent was the best it\u2019s been in the past few seasons. Despite the stronger percentage, their penalty kill was a weakness this past season and something that has to be better, especially in the postseason.\u00a0<\/p>\n Clearly, the Wild\u2019s power play improved when Hughes joined, and although they lost Mats Zuccarello,<\/a> they still have the majority of their top power play unit left. Boldy has shown a lot of confidence that continues to grow with each season he\u2019s played, and that is a main source of hope for their man advantage as Boldy\u2019s game progresses.\u00a0<\/p>\n Their penalty kill will be more of a concern between the two, and again, it may sound contradicting, but there is hope. They brought in some players that will be key components to improving the penalty kill, and those players are Blake Coleman<\/a> and Olli M\u00e4\u00e4tt\u00e4. The Wild did find ways to kill off penalties, but they couldn\u2019t keep it going; there\u2019s hope that with these two and the others they already have, like Faber, they\u2019ll be able to tighten it up and be solid.\u00a0<\/p>\n Wild Have Young Talent <\/p>\n The final reason for fans to have optimism about this team, despite not a lot happening to make them better apart from adding a few more depth pieces, is the young talent they already <\/a>possess. While Danila Yurov has earned basically a permanent spot<\/a> in the lineup, they also have players who may bounce in and out of the lineup like Bobby Brink, Hunter Haight, and Daemon Hunt.\u00a0<\/p>\n All of these players have shown talent; they just have struggled to find consistency, but as they spend more time in the lineup, the better they adapt. These players have so much potential in their game, and that should be enough to give Wild fans hope as well. They\u2019ll hopefully be able to fill in the voids<\/a> in the lineup following the losses they had during free agency that haven\u2019t already been filled by others.\u00a0<\/p>\n To be successful, teams have to rely on every player on their team, from the young to the veterans, and the Wild have a strong group of players in both areas. As long as these young players continue to follow in the path of their veterans, they\u2019ll help their team and provide more hope the fans need.\u00a0<\/p>\n There are a lot of reasons to have hope in the Wild, especially after seeing what they managed to do last season, even if it ended abruptly. They made big strides, and thanks to members of their team, they still have hope to do so again. Their shots per game, special teams, and their young players are all leading reasons to have optimism, and it\u2019ll be interesting to see if they can continue to improve those stats and see how their youngsters fit into the lineup this coming season. Hopefully the Wild will take another step forward and make a deep postseason run.\u00a0<\/p>\n Free Newsletter<\/p>\n \n Get Minnesota Wild coverage delivered to your inbox <\/p>\n In-depth analysis, breaking news, and insider takes – free.<\/p>\n![\"Matt](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Matt-Boldy-Quinn-Hughes-Wild-1200x789.jpg\")
Minnesota Wild left wing Matt Boldy talks to defenseman Quinn Hughes (Thomas Shea-Imagn Images)<\/p>\n