- Maxim Shabanov is projected to get the first look on Kirill Kaprizov’s line when Wild camp opens Sept. 16
- Minnesota has to replace 53 goals and 150 points after losing Mats Zuccarello, Marcus Johansson and Vladimir Tarasenko
- Read below for the rest of the Wild projection, including Bobby Brink, Danila Yurov and the goalie plan
Kirill Kaprizov has an open seat on his line, and Maxim Shabanov gets first crack at it.
Michael Russo and Joe Smith of The Athletic put out their first Minnesota Wild roster projection Thursday, and the biggest question in it is who skates next to the best player on the roster. Their answer is the 25-year-old Russian winger who spent last season on Long Island.
“Shabanov, a former KHL star who had an up-and-down rookie year with the New York Islanders, will likely get a chance to play with Kaprizov.”
The opening is there because Minnesota lost most of its supporting cast up front. Mats Zuccarello, Kaprizov’s partner for years, signed with the Kings on July 1. Marcus Johansson, a staple on Matt Boldy’s line, is gone too.
Throw in Vladimir Tarasenko and that is 53 goals and 150 points the Wild have to find somewhere else.
Shabanov landed in Minnesota on July 2 on a one-year, $1.6 million contract after the Islanders declined to give him a qualifying offer. He managed 18 points in 44 games as a rookie, which is not the resume of a guy who slides onto a 40-goal scorer’s wing.
His KHL work is the reason he gets the audition anyway. Shabanov piled up 150 points in 207 games with Traktor Chelyabinsk, finished third in league scoring in 2024-25 and made the KHL First All-Star Team. Minnesota has liked his speed and skating since he came over.
Blake Coleman draws the other top-six tryout, projected alongside Joel Eriksson Ek and Boldy on the second line. Bobby Brink and Danila Yurov are both in for bigger roles than they had a year ago, and Michael McCarron slots in as the third or fourth-line center after signing a six-year, $20 million deal.
The crease belongs to Jesper Wallstedt for a while. Filip Gustavsson is out until at least November following hip surgery, and Minnesota plays 18 of its first 26 games on the road.
Guys are already skating in St. Paul ahead of the Sept. 16 opening, and the Wild have been posting the sessions:
Camp runs short and the preseason is four games. Shabanov does not get long to show he belongs on Kaprizov’s wing.
