Wild open tonight: Three things to know about the 2025-26 season

ST. LOUIS — The possibilities for the Wild will never be as extensive as they are right now, as the team is on the cusp of a new season.

Only when the puck drops tonight in St. Louis will their potential begin to take shape. But the Wild don’t need to hit the ice to determine what will be vital to their success.

That’s already clear.

As haunting as last season’s playoff demise was — the Wild suffered back-to-back one-goal losses to Vegas after an offside ruling in Game 5 overturned a likely game-winner from Ryan Hartman — it’s not the only “what if” that stung the team.

Imagine what might have been if the Wild were never ravaged by injuries and continued to contend for first place in the NHL instead of falling behind after their mid-December peak.

If ever there was a cautionary tale about the toll injuries can take, that was it: Despite their historic start — they never trailed for 19 straight periods — and Kirill Kaprizov’s early scoring surge and big efforts by Matt Boldy and Marco Rossi, the Wild still needed a single point from their last game of the regular season to solidify a playoff berth after relying on a patchwork lineup for most of the season.

It might be better, though, for them to focus on the destination rather than the journey because they’re already ailing.

The Wild are also anticipating Nico Sturm to be sidelined for a significant amount of time after the center dealt with a back issue in camp that hasn’t resolved.

Sturm was one of only two veteran offseason additions the Wild made to their roster (former Blues winger Vladimir Tarasenko is the other), and Sturm’s absence will affect the penalty kill and faceoffs.

Jonas Brodin was also limited in camp after having offseason surgery, but the defenseman has been practicing. He won’t play tonight, although coach John Hynes said Brodin’s return “is imminent.”

What this roster turnover means is the Wild are ripe for a breakout performance.

Fortunately for them, they have plenty of candidates.

Tarasenko can capitalize on his fresh start after an offseason with Detroit and show he’s still a reliable goal scorer because of his stealthy shot.

Maybe Boldy and Rossi elevate their games again, or perhaps the Wild get a well-timed boost from their youth.

Zeev Buium is here from the beginning after the defenseman debuted in the playoffs, and David Jiricek also gets an opportunity to contribute on the blue line from the get-go. Same with winger Liam Ohgren.

Danila Yurov left Russia to join the Wild, and Hunter Haight was promoted from the minors because of Sturm’s injury.

Haight had a strong camp and is coming off a 20-goal season with Iowa in the American Hockey League after being a second-round pick by the organization in 2022. He’ll make his debut tonight, while Yurov is a scratch.

The penalty kill has given the Wild trouble for years, and last season — including the playoffs — was no exception.

Sturm, a defensive stalwart, was supposed to help the restoration project, but the Wild will need others to step up for the PK to no longer be a liability.

Look for different personnel, like Rossi. He and Boldy are intriguing options since they could stymie opposing power plays by using their own offensive instincts to anticipate what other forwards might try to do.