This may be the reason for the Wild's early-season three-week road trip

Minnesota Wild fans got a bit of a shock Tuesday when the NHL dropped the 2024-25 schedule and the Wild had a three-week road trip almost right out of the gate.

The Wild will open the season at home against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Oct. 10, followed by a game against the Seattle Kraken two days later at the Xcel Energy Center. The next time the Wild play at home will be Nov. 1 against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

For context, the longest stretch without a home game last season for Minnesota was 11 days, April 7-18.

So, what gives?

Well, six concerts and a college hockey game, all in the space of 18 days, is what will be happening inside the Xcel Energy Center while the Wild are on the road for three weeks.

The day after the game against Seattle, Christian singer-songwriter Brandon Lake will be holding a concert at the X. Pink then brings her world tour to St. Paul for a pair of shows Oct. 17-18.

Two days after Pink leaves town, Iron Maiden takes over the X. The Avett Brothers and Trampled by Turtles will then have the X booked on Oct. 24.

Meanwhile, St. Thomas and the Gophers men's hockey team will renew their budding rivalry on Saturday, Oct. 26. A day later, rock band Korn are in concert at the X. Lastly, Justin Timberlake brings his world tour (yes THAT world tour) to the X on Halloween, the night before the Wild finally return home.

You can find the full schedule of events at the Xcel Energy Center here .

With the team getting a large chunk of their road schedule out of the way early, Minnesota's longest road trip over the remainder of the season is a four game stint in the final week of January.

At the tail end of the season Minnesota will have a two-week homestand in March, weeks before the season concludes. If the Wild are in the hunt for a playoff spot, it will be an ideal time for a big homestand.