Breaking: The Tampa Bay Lightning and The Wild have reached an agreement for the signing of a Russian player, although…

The Wild Have Another Russian Player Everyone Is Overlooking

The Minnesota Wild are technically still in the playoff hunt despite missing several “must-win” games. That’s what makes the sport so damn fun. Even though this is a below-.500 team, they can still deliver some must-watch moments. They’ll still surprise the opposition regularly.

Why are teams losing to the Wild? Minnesota has two of its top four defensemen out. Filip Gustavsson, the younger of their two goalies, has struggled to the point where 39-year-old Marc-Andre Fleury is carrying the load. Minnesota’s best two-way forward, Joel Eriksson Ek, is out for an undetermined amount of time. Two of their three biggest cap hits are for Zach Parise and Ryan Suter, who are playing on other teams.

Why are these pesky Wildlings too stubborn to roll over and tank like many teams have in the past to leap up that draft board to secure the next big-time player? If the Wild were to be so blessed to get the next Connor Bedard or Jack Hughes on this roster, it would add around three to five wins to this team. The Vegas Golden Knights would be chasing Minnesota, not the other way around.

Still, it’s not like they have no help coming, even without a draft lottery player coming this fall. The Wild have two Russians who can alter the team chemistry while building towards a winning future. Danila Yurov has broken Vladimir Tarasenko’s KHL points record for a 20-year-old. But we shouldn’t overlook another Russian on the fast track to the Xcel Energy Center.

Vladislav Firstov, age 22, is a 6-foot-1, 181 lbs. left wing from Yaroslavl, Russia. Firstov was selected in 2019 in the 2nd round with the 42nd pick. He just finished his KHL season playing for Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod and is now in Des Moines, playing for the Iowa Wild. The transition for these guys is a constant adaptation because they must continue to evolve as players and young men. Not only are they away from their friends and family, but they must learn a new language in a new country.