After eleven years without a playoff series win, the Minnesota Wild got that score settled in the spring by taking out the Dallas Stars in the opening round. Now they look to take the next steps.
Armed with a new contract, head coach John Hynes joins Neil and Vic to share how his team can elevate further in a brutally competitive Central Division.
In the post-interview segment, there's captaincy news, RFA and UFA signings, injury news, salary cap and a few interesting sidebar stories. We'll also introduce a new partner and some an update on one of our franchises going live.
IN THIS EPISODE:
[01:10] - Minnesota Wild head coach John Hynes begins the show remarking on a 12th straight season behind an NHL bench.
[03:33] - Some background on Hynes family, growing up in Rhode Island and playing under one of college hockey's most storied coaches - a gentleman who helped inspire Hynes on become a coach someday.
[06:21] - At BU, Hynes played with a couple of current NHL GMs as well as a promising player whose life was forever changed on his very first college shift.
[07:59] - More on players Hynes played with and then coached at Wilkes-Barrie/Scranton before making the move to the NHL.
[11:57] - Acknowledging Hynes 2023 induction into the Rhode Island Hockey Hall of Fame.
[12:59] - The adjustment of a shortened training camp and pre-season with veterans players limited to the amount of exhibition games they could play.
[15:30] - Nothing like a little feistiness at the end of a pre-season game with the team the Wild knocked off in the opening round last spring to get the juices going.
[16:54] - Injury updates on defenseman Brock Faber and goaltender Filip Gustavsson.
[17:52] - Assessing the losses, pick-ups and re-signees since the end of the 2025-26 season.
[20:23] - Working with the superstars on the Wild, led by Kirill Kaprizov, Matt Boldy and Quinn Hughes.
[22:47] - Appreciating Hughes having the opportunity to coach him.
[24:34] - With his GM Bill Guerin also armed with a contract extension, the Wild leadership pair continue a parallel journey to get the Wild across the finish line.
[28:07] - Summing up the John Hynes interview and the six head coaches appearing on NHL Wraparound in September.
[30:38] - Plenty of player news across the NHL, some good and some not so good.
[37:28] - Other news items from TV contracts to bonding trips to an obscure rule being enforced to a Winnipeg combining their franchise record book.
[46:05] - Welcoming The Lineup.
[51:26] - The Carolina Hurricanes rings and Smith's Pix for opening night.
X: https://twitter.com/NHLWraparound
Neil Smith: https://twitter.com/NYCNeil
Vic Morren: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vic-morren-7038737/
NHL Wraparound Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nhlwraparound/
#NHLWraparound #NHLWraparound.com #ShortShifts #NYCentric #CelebritySeries #HallofFameEdition #StanleyCupdate #SummerCoolers #Smith'sPix #NeilSmith #VicMorren #NHL #BZZR #UBS #TheLineup.pro #JohnHynes #BillGuerin #PeterDeBoer #JackParker #MikeBoyle #ChrisDrury #MikeGreer #TravisRoy #TomPoti #ShawnBates #ConorSheary #BrianDumoulin #BryanRust #MattMurray #Marc-AndreFleury #LouLamoriello #JackCapuano #DavidQuinn #BrianBurke #MikkoRantanen #QuinnHughes #MattBoldy #GlenGulutzan #JakeOettinger #MattDuchene #BrockFaber #MatsZuccarello #JakeMiddleton #BlakeColeman #OlliMaatta #JustinKirkland #MaxShabanov #CalvinPickard #MichaelMcCarron #BobbyBrink #NickFoligno #ZachBogosian #DavidSpacek #DaemonHunt #VladimirTarasenko #MarcusJohansson #KirillKaprozov #JoelErikssonEk #FilipGustavsson #JesperWallstedt #JaredSpurgeon #MarcusFoligno #BrianLeetch #DeanEvason #RogerNeilson #MikeKeenan #MacklinCelebrini #JoeThornton #DavidPastrnak #MikaelGranlund #BooneJenner #DylanLarkin #BradyTkachuk #BrockBoeser #AdamFantilli #DonWaddell #ZachWerenski #KirillMarchenko #OliverMoore #LoganStanley #MattGrzelcyk #JonasJohansson #LinusUllmark #SamErsson #LeeviMerilainen #ThatcherDemko #FilipChytil #BenKindel #BlakeLizotte #JustinBrazeau #AndreiKuzmenko #AnthonyMantha #SidenyCrosby #EvgeniMalkin #ErikKarlsson #JimMontgomery #LoganMallioux #TylerTucker #GaryBettman #ESPN #NHLonTNT #JohnChayka #AustonMatthews #TrevorZegras #SeanCouturier #AlexOvechkin #WayneGretzky #MarkChipman #ClintBenedict #FrankFinnigan #FrankNighbor #DaneilAlfredsson #BradyTkachuk #KenHolland #PatVerbeek #RyanCraig #AnaheimDucks #BostonBruins #BuffaloSabres #CalgaryFlames #CarolinaHurricanes #ChicagoBlackhawks #ColoradoAvalanche #ColumbusBlueJackets #DallasStars #DetroitRedWings #EdmontonOilers #FloridaPanthers #LosAngelesKings #MinnesotaWild #MontrealCanadiens #NashvillePredators #NewJerseyDevils #NewYorkIslanders #NewYorkRangers #OttawaSenators #PhiladelphiaFlyers #PittsburghPenguins #StLouisBlues #SanJoseSharks #SeattleKraken #TampaBayLightning #TorontoMapleLeafs #UtahMammoth #VancouverCanucks #VegasGoldenKnights #WashingtonCapitals #WinnipegJets #BostonUniversityTerriers #Wilkes-BarrieScrantonPenguins #AtlantaThrashers #AtlantaFlames #MinnesotaNorthStars
