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Wild's Calvin Pickard: Surrenders two goals in preseason opener
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Pickard turned aside 14 of 16 shots during Saturday's 3-2 preseason overtime win over Chicago.
Pickard drew the start during Saturday's preseason opener and was in the crease for the entire matchup, as expected. The 34-year-old made 16 regular-season appearances for the Oilers last year, and he went 5-6-2 with a 3.68 GAA and .871 save percentage. Filip Gustavsson (hip) is expected to be sidelined until around early November, so Pickard seems likely to serve as the primary backup to Jesper Wallstedt once the regular season gets underway.
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Wild's Viking Gustafsson-Nyberg: Won't play in preseason opener
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Gustafsson-Nyberg (undisclosed) won't play in Saturday's preseason contest against the Blackhawks, per Dylan Loucks of The Hockey News.
Head coach John Hynes said Gustafsson-Nyberg was dealing with soreness and wanted to test it out during Saturday's morning skate, but the 22-year-old blueliner left the ice early. Gustafsson-Nyberg made his NHL debut in the 2025-26 campaign after posting 11 points in 38 games at the University of Connecticut. The towering six-foot-six defenseman has a high ceiling, but will likely need at least one full season with AHL Iowa before he's a regular for Minnesota. Assuming he recovers quickly, he could still get a chance to battle for an NHL roster spot.
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Wild's Filip Gustavsson: Expected back in November
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Gustavsson (hip) is expected to return around early November, Joe Smith of The Athletic reports Friday.
This is the first timeline that's been provided regarding Gustavsson's recovery. It also means he'll be missing about a month to begin the campaign. In Gustavsson's absence, expect Jesper Wallstedt to get a heavy workload while Calvin Pickard mixes in as the backup.
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Wild's Calvin Pickard: Slated to face Chicago
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Pickard is set to start at home against Chicago for Saturday's preseason game, per Michael Russo of The Athletic.
While goaltenders will sometimes serve in only half of an exhibition tilt, the intention is for Pickard to play the full 60 minutes. He had a 5-6-2 record, 3.68 GAA and .871 save percentage in 16 regular-season appearances with Edmonton in 2025-26. If Filip Gustavsson (hip) isn't available for the start of the campaign, then Pickard will likely enter the season as Jesper Wallstedt's understudy. However, Pickard might lose his roster spot once Gustavsson is healthy.
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Wild's Charlie Stramel: Hopes to make case for roster spot
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Stramel hopes to make a case for a roster spot with Minnesota during camp, Joe Smith of The Athletic reports.
Stramel was the 21st overall pick by the Wild in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, and he's spent the past two years playing for Michigan State University following a pair of seasons at the University of Wisconsin. Across 37 appearances during the 2025-26 campaign, Stramel recorded 19 goals, 25 assists and 32 PIM. He enters Minnesota's prospect camp as one of the team's most intriguing players, and making a strong impression could put him in the mix for an Opening Night roster spot.
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Wild's Zach Bogosian: Expected to be good for camp
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Bogosian (lower body) is slated to be available for the start of training camp, per Michael Russo of The Athletic on Friday.
Bogosian had two goals, six points, 18 PIM, 47 hits and 37 blocks in 41 regular-season appearances with Minnesota in 2025-26. The 36-year-old logged just 14:33 of ice time per game last year, which was his lowest average for a regular season since the start of his NHL career. Bogosian will likely enter the 2026-27 campaign as part of the third pairing, but he might end up occasionally serving as a healthy scratch.
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Wild's Filip Gustavsson: Still recovering from offseason surgery
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Gustavsson is still recovering from his offseason hip surgery ahead of training camp, Michael Russo of The Athletic reports Friday.
While Gustavsson's teammates have moved past their injuries from late in the 2025-26 campaign, the netminder is still recovering from the procedure he underwent early in the offseason. The 28-year-old's recovery timetable isn't yet clear, and whether he'll be available for preseason action or the start of the regular season remains to be seen. Gustavsson lost out on playing time to Jesper Wallstedt late in the 2025-26 season, and Wallstedt will presumably have increased opportunities to earn the No. 1 goaltending job if Gustavsson is sidelined during camp, while Calvin Pickard will be available as a depth option.
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Wild's Joel Eriksson Ek: Healthy ahead of training camp
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Eriksson Ek (heel) has skated hard recently and is healthy ahead of training camp, Michael Russo of The Athletic reports Friday.
Eriksson Ek missed the Wild's final five postseason games due to a heel injury, but he's back with the team ahead of training camp. Eriksson Ek appeared in 70 regular-season matchups last year, recording 19 goals, 32 assists, 106 hits, 34 blocked shots and 32 PIM while averaging 19:05 of ice time.
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Wild's Jonas Brodin: Slated to be available for camp
Rotowire
Brodin (lower body) has been skating and is expected to be fine for training camp, Michael Russo of The Athletic reports Friday.
Brodin missed Minnesota's final six playoff games due to the injury. He had four goals, 18 points, a plus-19 rating, 16 PIM, 10 hits and 126 blocks in 62 regular-season appearances in 2025-26. The 33-year-old should enter the upcoming campaign with a top-four role, but he hasn't logged more than 62 games in a single regular season over the past four years, so don't be surprised if he ends up spending part of 2026-27 on the shelf.
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Wild's Adam Benak: Linking up with Broncos
Rotowire
Benak will join the University of Western Michigan ahead of the 2026-27 campaign, the team announced Thursday.
Benak racked up 28 goals and 49 assists in OHL Brantford last season, adding another 11 points in 15 postseason tilts. Selected by the Wild in the fourth round of the 2025 NHL Draft, the 19-year-old center figures to spend at least another year or two developing before making the jump to the professional ranks.
Ruzicka signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Wild on Monday, PuckPedia reports.
Less than a month after being selected with the 137th overall pick in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft, Ruzicka and the Wild have agreed on the terms for an entry-level deal. The 6-foot-7 netminder spent the 2025-26 with WHL Brandon, where he posted a 26-14-1 record, a 3.19 GAA and a .906 save percentage across 42 regular-season appearances. The towering 18-year-old backstop is raw as a prospect, but he'll have plenty of time to develop with Mountfield in Czechia this season. He's an intriguing prospect and should factor into Minnesota's organizational depth on the back end of his three-year contract.
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Wild's Carson Lambos: Inks two-way contract
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Lambos signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Wild on Friday.
Lambos made his NHL debut last season by making a lone appearance for Minnesota, and he'll remain with the organization for the 2026-27 campaign. Across 70 regular-season appearances with AHL Iowa last year, he recorded eight goals, 11 assists and 48 PIM.
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Wild's David Spacek: Inks one-year contract
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Spacek signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Wild on Thursday, per PuckPedia.
Spacek had seven goals and 36 points in 59 regular-season appearances with AHL Iowa in 2025-26. He also appeared in two regular-season outings with Minnesota last campaign, recording no points, no shots, one hit and two blocks. The 23-year-old defenseman will get a chance to compete for a roster spot during training camp, but it wouldn't be surprising to see him start the upcoming season in the minors.
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Wild's Caedan Bankier: Signs one-year deal
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Bankier signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Wild on Thursday, per PuckPedia.
Bankier just wrapped up his entry-level contract. He's posted 35 goals and 34 assists over three seasons (185 contests) with AHL Iowa in his professional career. The forward hasn't taken a step forward on offense in that time, which makes it unlikely he'll get his NHL debut in 2026-27.
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Wild's Roman Schmidt: Inks one-year deal
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Schmidt signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Wild on Tuesday, per PuckPedia.
Schmidt split last season between three AHL clubs, totaling just three assists over 49 regular-season contests. He had two assists in 19 games for AHL Iowa, and clearly the organization saw enough to keep him around for another year. Expect the blueliner to spend most or all of 2026-27 in the minors again.
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Wild's Daemon Hunt: Lands one-year agreement
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Hunt signed a one-year, $900,000 contract with Minnesota on Sunday, Michael Russo of The Athletic reports.
Hunt contributed six assists, 19 shots on net, 43 blocked shots and 21 hits in 32 regular-season appearances with Minnesota in 2025-26. He will be in the mix for a depth role with the big club during training camp.
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Wild's Max Shabanov: Signs one-year pact
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Shabanov inked a one-year, $1.6 million contract with Minnesota on Thursday.
Shabanov played in just 44 regular-season games due to injury, recording five goals and 13 assists, including five power-play points. If the 25-year-old winger can stay healthy, he should be capable of pushing for the 40-point threshold, though he may struggle for power-play minutes given the depth of the Minnesota forward group.
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Wild's Olli Maatta: Flipped in trade
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Maatta and Blake Coleman were traded to the Wild from the Flames on Thursday in exchange for Jake Middleton and three draft picks, Emily Kaplan of ESPN reports.
Maatta logged 43 regular-season games for the Mammoth and Flames last year, registering two goals, 13 assists and 34 shots. With the move to Minnesota, the 31-year-old Maatta could find himself serving as a healthy scratch periodically. As such, Maatta is unlikely to offer much in the way of fantasy value.
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