It’s the dog days of the offseason, so we figured it’s a good time for our annual Minnesota Wild fan survey.With more than 4,600 responses, a majority of fans polled still believe Quinn Hughes will sign an extension and still believe wholeheartedly in president of hockey operations and general manager Bill Guerin’s plan. The respondents were largely underwhelmed with the Wild’s offseason to date, though, and are starting to worry about the future, given the number of picks and prospects the team has parted with for this win-now strategy.Expectations have risen after the Wild advanced to the second round for the first time in 11 years. Other interesting responses included who fans think should play with Kirill Kaprizov and who they think the next captain should be.Without further ado, here are the results for our 2026 Wild survey. With 24 questions this year, we’ve divided it into two parts:Regardless of term, what average annual value are you expecting for a Quinn Hughes extension?4,673 votesResponsePercent of vote$15 million to $15.9 million7.80%$16 million to $16.9 million19.90%$17 million to $17.5 million25.90%$17.6 million to $17.9 million12.10%$18 million to $18.9 million28.70%$19 million to $19.9 million3.50%$20 million or more2.10%Russo: Like it or not, Kaprizov’s $17 million salary created a whole new benchmark in this rising-cap world. It set the table for the $18 million cap hit attached to Leo Carlsson’s offer sheet and the $18.8 million cap hit Macklin Celebrini received in a deal brokered by Hughes’ agent, Pat Brisson.By the time a Hughes extension kicks in, the cap ceiling is expected to be $113.5 million, with unknown increases over the rest of the term. So this is a completely different landscape. Kaprizov got roughly 16.3 percent of this upcoming season’s $104 million ceiling. If Hughes got the same percentage in Year 1 of his deal, that’d be a roughly $18.5 million average annual value. If he wanted a bigger slice of the cap as one of the two top defensemen in the NHL, we’re talking in the $19 million range.With Hughes and Cale Makar also about to set a new market for top blue liners, perhaps one even becomes the league’s first $20 million player.Hughes’ deal will almost certainly be five years or less, which will likely be a trend with young stars due to the rising cap. At 26 years old, he would get a chance to hit another home run contract. Three years makes a lot of sense. Hughes would give the Wild four years to create a true Cup contender, and the term aligns with the end of his brother Jack’s contract.On a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being “cool as a cucumber” and 5 being “freaking out,” how concerned are you that Hughes has yet to sign his extension?4,680 votesResponsePercent of vote119.6%241.1%325.9%410.0%53.4%Russo: The majority of you are still convinced Hughes will extend. According to multiple league sources, speaking on the condition of anonymity to address negotiations that aren’t public, that’s his intention. But the market turning upside down has made this a lot harder than the Wild anticipated.There’s still plenty of time, and Guerin and Brisson continue to have healthy, regular conversations. Remember, too, that Brisson — an agent with nearly $1.7 billion worth of contracts in the NHL, according to PuckPedia — is a deal-maker. If Hughes wasn’t going to extend, the Wild would know by now.Like Kaprizov last offseason, this is the type of contract that could be agreed to right before the season. If it isn’t, then it’s time to get worried.Kaprizov set a new standard for NHL players with his eight-year, $17 million AAV deal last fall. Which of these best summarizes your opinion of the extension?4,681 votesResponsePercent of voteWay too low0.1%A little too low0.3%Fair deal25.3%A little too high64.5%Way too much9.8%Smith: Kaprizov certainly squeezed the Wild in negotiations last fall, but the bottom line is he’s the best player in franchise history and had the leverage. The Wild badly wanted to keep the Russian superstar, with owner Craig Leipold even saying publicly it’d be the largest contract in the league.Kaprizov scored 45 goals in 2025-26, showing he’s still among the game’s top wingers. But he’s 29 now, and the eight-year deal just kicked in, so how he performs from here — especially without long-time linemate Mats Zuccarello — will determine how this record contract ages.How satisfied are you with the price the Wild paid for Hughes: Marco Rossi, Zeev Buium, Liam Ohgren and a first-round pick?4,673 votesResponsePercent of voteWild steal18.8%Fair deal63.8%A little too much given up15.8%Canucks steal1.5%Smith: It took a haul to get the 2024 Norris Trophy winner in the mid-December blockbuster, but considering the way Hughes transformed the Wild, helping lift them to their first playoff series victory in a decade, it makes sense that most (63.8 percent) consider it a fair deal.Hughes is a game-changer and could help make the Wild a legitimate Cup contender. In the end, whether Minnesota can extend him will probably go into the calculus for how this trade is viewed. If he’s here for just a year and a half and signs elsewhere as a free agent, was the juice worth the squeeze?How satisfied are you with the price the Wild paid for Blake Coleman and Olli Maatta: Jake Middleton and three draft picks, including a second, with Coleman coming at half price?4,661 votesResponsePercent of voteWild steal17.5%Fair deal62.5%A little too much given up17.9%Flames steal2.1%Smith: At least for now, this is the biggest move the Wild made this summer, and in theory it helped plug one of their holes not addressed in free agency, bringing in a top-six winger and strong penalty killer in Coleman. They then basically swapped Middleton for Maatta as third-pairing guys and gained some cap flexibility in the future since Middleton has three years left on his deal at $4.35 million annually and Maatta is under contract for just two more at a $3.5 million AAV.Coleman is a good addition up front — a player with Cup experience, versatility and speed. Depending on how the season goes, the Wild could try to extend Coleman or use the pending unrestricted free agent as a trade chip at the trade deadline.Assuming the Wild don’t acquire another center, which of the team’s current centers should play with Kaprizov?4,671 votesResponsePercent of voteJoel Eriksson Ek19.6%Hunter Haight3.5%Ryan Hartman31.8%Charlie Stramel3.9%Danila Yurov41.1%Smith: I’m a bit surprised by the confidence in young Russian center Danila Yurov here. The 22-year-old did have a solid rookie year, going from a kid who seemed like he was a deer in headlights during prospect camp to a regular for most of the playoffs.The Wild love Yurov’s 200-foot game. Coach John Hynes has said he has Joel Eriksson Ek qualities. He does a lot of little things instinctively that teams beg young players to do. Give Yurov credit for taking the initiative to learn English and not wanting translators during the season, too. Veteran Vladimir Tarasenko said he’s like a sponge.This will be a big second season for Yurov, the team’s top forward prospect and a potential trade chip. But most likely, fans’ second answer (Ryan Hartman) will start the season centering the Kaprizov line. As tantalizing as it would be to load up with Eriksson Ek and Kaprizov, Hynes likes turning to an Eriksson Ek, Kaprizov and Matt Boldy line as an in-game adjustment when needed.Which winger should play with Kaprizov?4,663 votesResponsePercent of voteMatt Boldy19.5%Bobby Brink10.3%Blake Coleman8.6%Hunter Haight2.1%Maxim Shabanov51.9%Danila Yurov7.5%Smith: This will be one of the most fascinating things to watch during an abbreviated training camp. Kaprizov had special chemistry with Zuccarello, who was allowed to walk in free agency and signed with the Los Angeles Kings. Part of the reason for letting Zuccarello go was to give Kaprizov a chance to find fits with others.It does seem that Russian Maxim Shabanov will get one of the first cracks on Kaprizov’s line, and a majority of you (51.9 percent) believe he should. Shabanov was impressive in the KHL but had a so-so rookie NHL season with the New York Islanders before seeking a fresh start.Bobby Brink and Coleman are likely to get looks too.Did you agree with the Wild’s decision to cut ties with Zuccarello?4,670 votesResponsePercent of voteNo40.9%It was time59.1%Smith: I wonder how Kaprizov would have voted in this one. (As Russo cracked, “Maybe he did.”)It was, at the very least, surprising that the Wild let Zuccarello go, especially considering how Guerin and the veteran winger were talking late in the playoffs (“We always have interest in Zuccy,” Guerin said). But Guerin and the Wild brass clearly felt the core needed at least a little shakeup.Fans in this poll (59.1 percent) agreed, but it will certainly be a topic of discussion all season, especially since the team didn’t really replace Zuccarello. You can’t instantly create chemistry, so a lot depends on how the moving pieces work together, both at five-on-five and on the power play. Let’s not forget how the team turned around when Zuccarello returned to the lineup after losing eight of the first 12 games.Jared Spurgeon is entering the last year of his contract. If this is it in Minnesota for the Wild lifer, who should be the next captain?4,679 votesResponsePercent of voteMatt Boldy12.5%Joel Eriksson Ek10.7%Brock Faber59.5%Marcus Foligno6.6%Quinn Hughes5.7%Kirill Kaprizov5.1%Smith: This one feels like an easy choice. Faber, the Maple Grove native, is a cornerstone player who acts and talks like a captain. He has immense respect in the Wild dressing room, and the former Gophers captain doesn’t appear to shy away from a leadership role, even as a young player. He’s signed long-term, too.Boldy, Eriksson Ek and others could make sense, as well, but Faber seems the most likely heir apparent.This offseason, the Wild have added Coleman, Maatta, Calvin Pickard and Shabanov, and they’ve lost Zuccarello, Middleton, Tarasenko and Johansson, among others. How would you grade the offseason so far?4,678 votesResponsePercent of voteA0.5%B23.0%C59.7%D14.6%F2.2%Smith: There was hope for a big splash this offseason, and the Dylan Larkin trade request only heightened it. But with no No. 1 center acquired and Hughes still not extended, it makes a lot of sense that fans are underwhelmed. It’s fair to wonder if this lineup is better than the one that played Game 5 of the second-round series against the Colorado Avalanche. Time will tell on that front, and if younger players elevate their games (and Shabanov is a hit), who knows?Do you think the Wild will be able to pull off a Larkin trade?4,670 votesResponsePercent of voteYes32.0%No68.0%Russo: At least before Steve Yzerman stepped down as the Detroit Red Wings’ head honcho, the Wild felt there was a path to get Larkin. Part of that was intel (Hughes is a good friend, and Brisson also represents Larkin) and being on the list of three teams Larkin initially wanted to go to. But things have hit a standstill as the Red Wings search for a new president of hockey ops and GM. Once that person is hired, they’ll almost surely try to repair the relationship with Larkin, then determine what the course will be going forward.The reality is that most Wild fans don’t feel the Wild can get it done at this point, and part of the rationale is that the assets being offered won’t change. It’s not like Guerin is suddenly going to offer up Boldy, Eriksson Ek or Faber. As the cliché goes, it is what it is, and Minnesota’s prospect pool is what it is at this point after giving up a haul for Hughes, tossing away Marat Khusnutdinov and striking out with David Jiricek.If it cost the Wild Jesper Wallstedt to acquire Larkin, would you be in favor of it?4,673 votesResponsePercent of voteYes24.2%No75.8%Russo: Wallstedt may not even move the needle with the future of Detroit’s crease likely Trey Augustine. Maybe the better question here would have been if you were willing to move Wallstedt in a package for any No. 1 center (Auston Matthews, Jack Hughes, Mark Scheifele, etc.). Remember, this is a league where goaltending is erratic, which is why teams are loath to commit long-term to goaltenders. Fair or not, some teams believe goalies are heavily replaceable. Heck, Cup finalist Vegas didn’t even use Cup winner Adin Hill in the playoffs.Still, Wallstedt is by and large the Wild’s best prospect. Filip Gustavsson is starting a new six-year deal, and Wallstedt could command big bucks next offseason. So if Gustavsson gets back healthy and returns to form from offseason hip surgery, Wallstedt could be used as a trade chip to get that long-anticipated top-six center.If it cost the Wild Yurov and Charlie Stramel to acquire Larkin, would you be in favor of it?4,674 votesResponsePercent of voteYes79.5%No20.5%Smith: This result fits with the Wild being in “win-now” mode. Giving up two top prospects would sting — especially after the haul Minnesota handed over in the Hughes deal — but if the team’s window is indeed the next few years, Larkin is a game-changer. And he’s under contract for five more seasons at a reasonable AAV.Would Yurov and Stramel even get this deal done, though? If the Red Wings were OK with receiving futures, wouldn’t a trade have been done by now?