10 Must-Watch Games on the Minnesota Wild 2026-27 Schedule – The Hockey Writers –

The NHL offseason had turned somewhat quiet with a few signings here and there until Thursday, July 16, when the NHL schedule was released for each team. It was an exciting day as fans got to see when their favorite team would start their schedule, when they’d play certain teams, etc. 

Every team came up with a fun way to release their schedule, and for the Minnesota Wild, they had the Foligno brothers- Marcus and Nick, along with their father, Mike- film a road trip video announcing all the key dates with fun stops along the way. It was a great way to get fans engaged and break up the monotony of the offseason. In this article, we’ll take a look at the top 10 games fans can’t miss on the schedule starting with Oct. 1. 

Oct. 1 @ Nashville Predators 

The Wild have had an off-and-on rivalry against the Nashville Predators over the years, but opening day is always a big one. It’s been a long offseason for many teams, and both the players and fans can’t wait to get started again. The Wild will want to get the season started off on the right foot with a win and keep things going. The Predators have been an up-and-down team, and they’ll also want to get a good start. Just like the Wild, a competitive game between these two from start to finish is to be expected.

While a loss on opening day isn’t the end of the world, as there’s a lot of time to get headed in the right direction. However, getting that first win and getting it on the road is a great motivator and a good start to a long season. That first game is going to be interesting for another reason: it’ll be the first time seeing how teams do with a shorter preseason. It’s just a two-game difference, but it’s still different, and it’ll be interesting to see how things go.

Oct. 12 vs Vegas Golden Knights 

The Wild won’t have to wait long into the season before facing a tough test against the Vegas Golden Knights at home. The Wild struggled with the Avalanche in the postseason, but then the Avalanche were swept in the next round by the Golden Knights. The Wild and Golden Knights always have a little tension between them when they play, and fans will want to see how they compete. 

The Golden Knights are always intriguing because they can start out the season rough and then, by the end, make a run all the way to the Stanley Cup Final. No one expected them to get past the Avalanche, but they found a way and did so quite efficiently. The Wild can learn things from every team they play, and the Golden Knights are a team they’ll want to keep an eye on, and fans will as well. 

Oct. 22 @ Calgary Flames 

This will be a reunion for both teams involved as the Wild will see Jake Middleton for the first time since he was traded during the offseason. It will also be a homecoming in Calgary for Blake Coleman and Olli Määttä, who were on the other end of the Middleton trade. Määttä didn’t have a lot of time to get comfortable with the Flames, but Coleman spent five seasons there, and he made quite the impact as he recorded at least 30 points per season.

Middleton spent the first four seasons of his career with the San Jose Sharks, but he didn’t play more than 10 games for them until his fourth and final season, when he was traded to the Wild. He would spend the next four and a half seasons with the Wild and became quite the fan favorite with his outgoing personality. It’ll be odd to see him in a different jersey with a different team, but it’s how the NHL works, and hopefully both teams benefit from the trade. 

Jan. 17 @ Detroit Red Wings

Now the circumstances surrounding this game could change depending on what happens leading up to it, but if things stay the way they are, it will be the first time the Wild see Dylan Larkin, who will still be with the Red Wings. Fans of both teams will have their eyes on this matchup as there has been plenty of trade talk among both sides’ fan bases about Larkin and his worth. 

Wild fans will be keeping a close eye on Larkin in case he ends up on their team in the future, so they know what they’re getting, while Red Wings fans will be scoping out who they could get from the Wild in return for Larkin. Of course, this all depends on whether there isn’t a deal done in the next few weeks before the season starts. Regardless, if Larkin is still a Red Wing by the time this game rolls around, a lot of eyes will be on both teams. 

Jan. 30 vs Dallas Stars 

This day is obviously important to fans because it always is when the Wild play the Dallas Stars; there’s typically some kind of drama that happens whenever these two play. It’s also a big day for Minnesota hockey fans because it’s Hockey Day Minnesota, which celebrates the game of hockey outdoors in a host city in Minnesota. It’s a hockey-filled day from youth all the way to the pros, but the Wild always finish the day inside, and they’ll host the Stars this season.

These teams play each other rough, and it feels like a playoff game every time they meet. The Stars were also the first team the Wild took down in the playoffs last season to move to the second round for the first time in over a decade. All eyes will be on this matchup when it happens, not only because it’s the finale of Hockey Day Minnesota but also because it’s the first time the Wild and Stars will meet up, and everyone will be interested in how competitive they are with each other. 

Feb. 28 vs New Jersey Devils 

This game has similar circumstances to the Red Wings game as both fanbases will watch closely depending on what happens this offseason. The last month or so of the offseason has been a lot of back and forth on “X” between Wild fans and Devils fans arguing about where Quinn Hughes will end up. Now, if the Wild get a deal done before the season starts, these arguments will subside a bit, but the game will still be watched closely because of the Hughes brothers. 

This game has been nicknamed the “Hughes Bowl” because all three Hughes brothers, Quinn, Jack, and Luke, should all be playing with the exception of any injuries or illness, and it’s happened numerous times over the past few seasons. As for the rumors on X about where Quinn will go, the Wild maintain they will still get a deal done, and The Athletic’s Michael Russo said on his latest “Worst Seats in the House” podcast on July 20 that the Wild continue to believe a contract will be done before the season starts.

If that’s the case, the talk will likely shift to where Quinn and Jack will choose to play when their deals are up because it’s been the talk everywhere that they want to play together. No matter what happens, this game will be another must-watch for both sides as they scope out the Hughes brothers, all three of them.

Feb 23 vs Pittsburgh Penguins/Mar. 7 vs Washington Capitals 

These two games are grouped together because they have a similar reasoning between them, and that is both teams have players who are close to retirement. Now one of these players is closer than the other, but it can’t be denied both are getting older. Sidney Crosby will be the first of the two to make a visit to Minnesota during the season, and while he likely has more hockey left in him, at 38, soon-to-be 39 years old, that can change, and it could be one of the final times, if not the final time, he makes it to Minnesota. 

The other player has already dealt with numerous retirement rumors and is the older of the two as well. Alex Ovechkin will be 41 years old when the season begins, and he’s already almost in a league of his own, as many players don’t make it to 40 years old, let alone play past it. It’s safe to say fans of both of these players who reside in Minnesota will likely be grabbing tickets to see them in person or make sure to watch on television so they can see these legendary players in what may be their final time in Minnesota, more so for Ovechkin than Crosby. 

Nov. 27 & Apr. 10 @ Colorado Avalanche 

The first meeting with the Colorado Avalanche will be a big one not only because they’re division rivals, but the Avalanche are the team that knocked the Wild out of last postseason. Both teams will be different from who they were last season, but it’ll still be another good measuring stick for the Wild to see where they stand. 

Everyone will want to see how they stack up, and it won’t be just that game that is watched. These two teams will be under the microscope all season long until the end. After they lost out to the Avalanche, the Wild appeared to understand what they needed to do differently going forward, and this will be the chance to show it. 

Their Apr. 10 meeting could have a lot of meaning or hardly any at all depending on how the season unfolds for both teams. If the Wild can accumulate enough points early and secure their spot in the postseason, this game could be a good time to get some of their minor players in who they may call up during the postseason. 

If not, the Wild could be playing for their postseason lives, which has happened in the past. The Avalanche are always a team that has a lot of eyes on them, but being the last regular-season game for both teams will be a must-watch, especially if they are both playoff bound which would be the expectation for both teams after their performances last season. It’ll be interesting to see how these two teams stack up.  

Wild’s First 84-Game Schedule 

Those are just 10 of the Wild’s 84-game schedule, and while those are the games that stuck out, every game is important when it comes to the postseason and getting as many points as possible to earn a spot. As the first NHL season with 84 games, it’ll be intriguing to see how it ends. 

Realistically, it’ll be different but also not because they used to play six preseason games and 82 regular season games; now they’ll play four preseason games and 84 regular season games, so the same number of games, but different implications. Hopefully for the Wild, it works in their favor, and they end up back in the postseason once again.