Inside look at Minnesota Wild

NHL.com is providing in-depth roster, prospect and fantasy analysis for each of its 32 teams from Aug. 8-Sept. 8. Today, the Minnesota Wild.

The Minnesota Wild are hoping for a deeper run in the Stanley Cup Playoffs with the majority of their roster returning following a record-setting season.

Minnesota (53-22-7) finished second in the Central Division, behind the Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche, and set a team record with 113 points and 53 wins. Forward Kirill Kaprizov followed up a rookie season in which he won the Calder Trophy by becoming the first player in Wild history to have more than 100 points, finishing with 108 (47 goals, 61 assists) in 81 games.

But the Wild lost in six games to the St. Louis Blues in the Western Conference First Round and have not reached the second round of the playoffs since 2015.

“This team had something special about it,” general manager Bill Guerin said May 17. “And we made tremendous steps in the direction that we want to be going in.

“I’ve been here three seasons now. This is my first season that management, coaches, and players alike were able to do things exactly the way we wanted to do them. And we took such a big step in the right direction in my mind, that that gives me a lot of hope and a lot of encouragement for what’s to come.”

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Minnesota will have to replace the offensive production from Kevin Fiala, who had 85 points (33 goals, 52 assists) in 82 regular-season games last season, and was second on the team with 67 even-strength points. The forward was traded to the Los Angeles Kings on June 29 for defenseman Brock Faber and the No. 19 pick (Liam Ohgren) in the 2022 NHL Draft.

“The kid had a great year,” Guerin said June 30 regarding Fiala. “We don’t have (NHL salary) cap space. Honestly, to keep him we’d have to trade three guys or two guys and deplete our team more. Then the following year, we’re going to need even more. It just didn’t fit.

“We need younger guys. We need guys that don’t make millions and millions of dollars. We just have to do it that way. And I think for long-term success, as well, we have to keep adding to our prospect pool.”

In addition to signing Ohgren to a three-year, entry-level contract July 16, Minnesota has pegged Marco Rossi as someone who can fill the offensive void left by Fiala. The No. 9 pick in the 2020 NHL Draft led Iowa of the American Hockey League in assists (35), tied for first in points (53), and was…