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Ahead Of Home Opener, Wild Top CBS Sports' NHL Power Rankings

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The Minnesota Wild started the season with two road wins and return to St. Paul Tuesday night to take on the Winnipeg Jets.

The hot start was good enough for the guys in green to earn the top spot in CBS Sports' NHL power rankings. The Wild moved up seven spots from the preseason rankings.

"The Wild were a sneaky team last year, and they are off to a strong start this season," Austin Nivison wrote. "It remains to be seen how long Minnesota will last at the top, but they earned it this week."

The Wild had a busy and dramatic offseason, saying goodbye to Zach Parise and Ryan Suter, two longtime faces of the franchise. That burden now falls to Kirill Kaprizov, whose standout rookie season earned him a five-year, $45 million contract with the team.

Kaprizov won the Calder Trophy, awarded to the league's best first-year player. He scored 27 goals in 55 games, more than any rookie or Wild player.

Last season ended with a first-round playoff loss against the Vegas Golden Knights in seven games.

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