The Wild, Lynx and Vikings chose different paths, excelling because of shrewd moves that looked relatively unimpressive at the time.
Kirill Kaprizov is the Wild’s best player, and has been for years. He’s playing at a career peak right now. But he’s not the biggest variable for a team vying for the best record in the NHL.
Consider these two under-the-radar moves that have led to this season’s success:
The Wild have no right to be this good. They are, because of players like Middleton and Gustavsson.
Over the 2022 and 2023 seasons, the Lynx posted a combined record of 33-43, giving them their first consecutive losing seasons since 2009 and 2010, which led to the selection of Maya Moore with the first pick in the 2011 draft.
The Lynx were lousy and seemingly going nowhere when they passed on the best player available to them in the 2024 draft, Angel Reese. They wound up getting almost nothing out of their two latest first-round picks, Diamond Miller and Alissa Pilli, and their most prominent free-agent signings were, at the time, underwhelming.