The Minnesota Wild have spent years searching for more high-end offensive talent around Kirill Kaprizov.
They may no longer have to search very far.
Kaprizov and Matt Boldy were both ranked among the six best wings in hockey by NHL Network, giving Minnesota one of the most highly regarded star duos in the league entering the 2026-27 season.
Advertisement
Kaprizov came in at No. 3 on NHL Network’s Top 20 Wings Right Now countdown, while Boldy landed at No. 6.
No other NHL team placed two players inside the top six.
The only two wings ranked ahead of Kaprizov were Tampa Bay Lightning superstar Nikita Kucherov at No. 1 and Boston Bruins winger David Pastrnak at No. 2.
Kaprizov finished ahead of some massive names, including Mitch Marner, Mikko Rantanen, Matthew Tkachuk, Artemi Panarin and Kyle Connor.
Boldy’s placement might be even more noteworthy.
The 25-year-old finished ahead of Jason Robertson, Matthew Tkachuk, Cole Caufield, William Nylander, Connor, Panarin, Sam Reinhart and several other established NHL stars.
Advertisement
NHL Network analyst Mike Rupp had especially high praise for Boldy during the countdown.
“He is an absolute star, can score some goals, and that clutch ability, that clutch gene that he has, is immeasurable,” Rupp said.
Boldy’s rise has changed the outlook of Minnesota’s offense.
For years, Kaprizov was unquestionably the centerpiece of the Wild’s attack. While that hasn’t necessarily changed, Boldy has developed into another legitimate game-breaking winger alongside him.
And NHL Network apparently believes the gap between Minnesota’s two stars isn’t very large.
Kaprizov and Boldy were separated by just three spots in the rankings.
Advertisement
The Wild were also one of only three organizations with multiple players inside the top seven. Dallas had Rantanen at No. 5 and Robertson at No. 7, while Minnesota had Kaprizov and Boldy even higher at Nos. 3 and 6.
That gives Minnesota something few teams can match: two wingers, NHL Network believes, are among the very best players at their position.
The complete top 10 consisted of Kucherov, Pastrnak, Kaprizov, Marner, Rantanen, Boldy, Robertson, Matthew Tkachuk, Caufield and Nylander.
NHL Network said its rankings were based on performance over the past several seasons, with additional emphasis placed on the 2025-26 regular season and 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs, while also factoring in future upside.
Advertisement
That last part is particularly interesting for Boldy.
Kaprizov is already firmly established among the NHL’s elite. Boldy, meanwhile, is entering what should be the prime years of his career and is now being ranked alongside some of the biggest stars in hockey.
Minnesota doesn’t just have one of the NHL’s best wings anymore. According to NHL Network, it has two of the six best.
See more of The Hockey News on Google — Save us as Preferred Source
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
