ST. PAUL, Minn - Before the 2024-25 season started I wrote some bold predictions for the Minnesota Wild.

ST. PAUL, Minn - Before the 2024-25 season started I wrote some bold predictions for the Minnesota Wild.

Here's the article of me revisiting the bold predictions.

With the 2025-26 season set to start tonight for the Wild against the St. Louis Blues, I think it is time for some more bold predictions.

Kirill Kaprizov wins MVP

Going back to the well here. The prediction looked good last year until he got hurt. Under John Hynes as Wild head coach, Kaprizov has 65 goals, 69 assists and 134 points in 97 games. He has a points-per-game rating (P/GP) of 1.38 which is fifth in the NHL since Nov 28, 2023 (when Hynes took over).

Only Leon Draisaitl, Nathan MacKinnon, Connor McDavid and Nikita Kucherov have a higher P/GP than Kaprizov.

It is the last year for Kaprizov on his current contract before he enters his eight-year, $136 million contract.

Kaprizov, 28, had 25 goals, 31 assists and 56 points in 41 games last year. Before he got hurt he had 23 goals, 27 assists and 50 points in 34 games to start the season. Kaprizov was tied for second in goals with William Nylander at the time and was tied for third in points with Kucherov.

He was on pace for 55 goals, 65 assists and 120 points if he had played a full 82-game season. If Kaprizov plays a full season this year, he will win the MVP Trophy.

Filip Gustavsson Is A Veznia Finalist

All eyes are on Filip Gustavsson this year. He bounced back big time last year after playing in a career-high 58 games. He went 31-19-8 with a 2.56 goals-against average (GAA) and a .914 save percentage (SV%).

His 2.56 GAA ranked ninth in the NHL and his .914 SV% ranked fourth. He was eighth in both wins and games played for goaltenders last year as well.

The 2023-24 season was not a good season for Gustavsson. He went 20-18-4 with a 3.06 GAA and a .899 SV% after being one of the best goalies in the NHL the year before.

During the 2022-23 season, Gustavsson went 22-9-7 with a 2.10 GAA and a .931 SV%. It seemed every game Gustavsson played the Wild had a great chance to win. He ranked second in the NHL that season in both GAA and SV% behind Linus Ullmark who won the Veznia Trophy.

Gustavsson, 27, signed a five-year extension recently and is set for his fourth season with the Wild. He ranks fourth all-time in Wild wins.

My prediction is that Gustavsson is a top-three finalist for the Veznia trophy for the 2025-26 season.

Zeev Buium Notches 50-Plus Points In Rookie Season

The rookie defenseman is set to open the year with Jared Spurgeon as his defense partner. Hynes said that even when Jonas Brodin comes back from his injury, Buium will likely still be with Spurgeon.

This will push the youngster to breakout offensively and play his true style of game which is all offense. He is a shifty skater and has been give comparables to defensemen like Cale Makar and Quinn Hughes.

After debuting in the playoffs last year, Buium is set to play in his first full season. He has yet to play an NHL regular season game and had one assist in four games in the playoffs last year.

Buium, 19, was the Wild's 12th overall pick from the 2024 NHL Draft. He had 24 goals, 74 assists and 98 points in 83 career NCAA games for Denver University.

The 6-foot defender is set to quarterback the Wild's top power play unit which has the potential to be one of the best in the league. Brock Faber did just that during his rookie season and recorded eight goals and 47 points in 82 games.

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