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Wild Recall Nicolas Aubé-Kubel

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The Wild announced they’ve recalled winger Nicolas Aubé-Kubel from AHL Iowa. They’d been living with an open roster spot since placing Vinnie Hinostroza on injured reserve on Monday, so there’s no need for a corresponding move.

Aubé-Kubel, 29, is back in the big leagues after failing to make the opening night roster for the second time in the last three years. The right-shot agitator had been a relatively stable fourth-line piece for several seasons but saw significant time in the minors last season, limited to 22 appearances between the Sabres and Rangers. He’d appeared in 60 games for the Capitals the year prior. His only season with 70-plus games came with the Flyers and Avalanche in 2021-22, when he recorded a career-best 11-12–23 scoring line and suited up in 14 playoff games en route to Colorado’s Stanley Cup win.

A former second-round pick by Philadelphia, Aubé-Kubel made Minnesota his fourth organization in as many years when he signed a two-way deal during the first week of free agency. Initial projections labeled him as a bang-and-crash top-nine winger with enough offensive upside for third-line duties. While he’s satisfied the former part of that description, he’s rarely demonstrated enough offensive utility to push above a fourth-line job. In 304 career appearances, he owns a 32-48–80 scoring line while averaging 54 PIMs and 181 hits per 82 games. He’s had more offensive success in the minors but never really dominated offensively there, either, posting 58 goals and 125 points in 272 career AHL appearances.

This year is no exception. After clearing waivers during the preseason, Aubé-Kubel is off to a conservative start with two goals and eight points in 17 games for Iowa. However, that’s still second in points on a Wild affiliate club that’s destined for a third straight season in the AHL’s basement.

The Wild are hoping his more extensive NHL experience can bring a more dynamic element to a fourth line that hasn’t produced – literally. None of Liam Ohgren, Ben Jones, or Tyler Pitlick has a point in 36 combined appearances. Minnesota has been outshot 15-7 and outchanced 14-2 with that trio on the ice at 5-on-5. A natural right winger, Aubé-Kubel could presumably enter the lineup for Pitlick tomorrow against the Avalanche. Both could be in the mix if Marcus Foligno, who left yesterday’s overtime win over the Blackhawks in the second period with an undisclosed injury and didn’t return, isn’t able to go.

Vinnie Hinostroza Out 4-6 Weeks With LBI

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  • Minnesota Wild head coach John Hynes provided the media, including The Athletic’s Michael Russo, with clarification on the recovery timeline of injured forward Vinnie Hinostroza. Hynes said that Hinostroza is likely to miss four-to-six weeks with his injury, a lower-body ailment he suffered on Nov. 21. Hinostroza, 31, was acquired by the Wild off of waivers from the Nashville Predators last season and has scored 13 points across 46 games with the team.

Wild Place Vinnie Hinostroza On Injured Reserve

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Nov. 24: Hinostroza was placed on injured reserve today and handed a week-to-week designation, the team announced. He’s been ruled out for tomorrow’s game against the Blackhawks as a result, but is slated to miss more time than that. They haven’t made a corresponding recall yet, but could do so on Tuesday.

Nov. 22: The Minnesota Wild faced another negative injury update after Friday’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Forward Vinnie Hinostroza left the match six minutes into the second period after taking an awkward stumble against the end boards. He appeared to be in immediate pain but was able to get off the ice under his own power. The resulting lower-body injury is considered serious and will force Hinostroza to miss “awhile,” head coach John Hynes told Michael Russo of The Athletic after the game.

Hinostroza has been a fixture of Minnesota’s bottom-six through the start of the season. He has appeared in all 22 games this season and recorded five points, 20 hits, and 22 shots on goal. This is his first full season in the Wild organization, after joining the club off waivers from the Nashville Predators last February. He finished the 2024-25 season with 25 games, eight points, and 37 shots on goal in a Wild jersey.

Hinstroza has built a commendable NHL career as a journeyman depth forward. He began his career with four seasons in Chicago starting in 2015. That was the longest he has spent with one club. A move to the Arizona Coyotes in 2018 kicked off a string of one-or two-year tenures across the NHL. He has played for seven clubs throughout his career, appearing on four different AHL rosters. In that time, Hinostroza has racked up 61 goals and 166 points in 434 NHL games. His career year was the 2018-19 season, when he tallied 16 goals and 39 points in 72 games with the Coyotes. He’s a utility winger who finds responsibility playing off of his team’s stars.

Another injured forward will be the last thing Minnesota needs. Marco Rossi, Vladimir Tarasenko, and Ryan Hartman are all already on the Wild’s injured reserve, which has pushed rookie Danila Yurov into a starring role and Liam Ohgren and Ben Jones back into the nightly lineup. Now, Minnesota could need to turn towards another rookie – Hunter Haight – to fill Hinostroza’s spot on the fourth line. Haight managed no scoring and a minus-two in the first two games of his NHL career earlier this season. He also has five points in 13 AHL games. He’ll compete with Ohgren, Jones, and Tyler Pitlick for a fourth-line spot – at least until Minnesota opts to recall a player like Nicolas Aube-Kubel or Oskar Olausson from the minor leagues.

The need for another recall should become clearer as Minnesota learns more about Hinostroza’s timeline.

Wild Activate Zach Bogosian, Nico Sturm From IR

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The Wild announced they’ve activated defenseman Zach Bogosian and center Nico Sturm from injured reserve ahead of Friday’s game against the Penguins. They opened up one roster spot yesterday by placing Vladimir Tarasenko on IR and made the other by reassigning defenseman David Jiříček to AHL Iowa in today’s corresponding move.

Bogosian hasn’t played since sustaining a lower-body injury against the Capitals on Oct. 17. The 35-year-old righty is in his third season with the Wild after initially being acquired from the Lightning early in the 2023-24 season in exchange for a seventh-round pick. He’s been a stable bottom-pairing fixture since and played in all but one game for Minnesota last year, making this absence the longest one he’s had since shoulder surgery sidelined him for the first several weeks of the 2022-23 season while with Tampa Bay.

In five games this season before exiting the lineup, Bogosian looked the part of a reliable, veteran stay-at-home rearguard in limited minutes. Averaging 13:53 of ice time per game, he didn’t record a point but had a +3 rating while controlling 48.3% of shot attempts at 5-on-5, third among Minnesota defenders this season behind Jiříček and Jonas Brodin.

Bogosian is replacing Daemon Hunt in the Wild lineup, per Michael Russo of The Athletic, and it’s easy to see why. Minnesota reclaimed the 23-year-old off waivers from the Blue Jackets at the beginning of the year after sending him to Columbus last year in the trade that brought them Jiříček. He’s remained on the roster since and had gotten into a recent stretch of games with Bogosian out and Jiříček’s playing time being reduced, but he’s averaged only 11:53 per game and has been shelled despite receiving sheltered minutes. While Hunt has a +1 rating, the Wild have been outshot 46-24 and outchanced 43-28 with him on the ice at 5-on-5, the worst possession numbers this season from a Minnesota rearguard by a significant margin. Bogosian represents a sizeable upgrade in third-pairing duties with Zeev Buium as a result.

As for Sturm, he’s yet to play this season after sustaining a back injury at the beginning of training camp. Unlike Bogosian, he’s not a certainty to return to the lineup tonight. Russo said a Sunday season debut against the Jets is the more likely outcome.

Still, the 30-year-old is a big boost to a Wild bottom six that’s starved for offense. After starting his NHL career in Minnesota, Sturm returned to the Wild this summer after three-plus years away on a two-year, $4MM deal. A faceoff and defensive specialist first and foremost, he’s still put up respectable point totals, averaging 11 goals and 23 points per 82 games over his seven-year NHL career. Considering the entirety of Minnesota’s fourth line had been held without a goal this season, he’ll be a significant upgrade in a down-the-middle slot when he does get back into the lineup.

The Wild want Jiříček playing, so returning the 2022 No. 6 overall pick to the minors after scratching him in three straight games is no surprise. It’s the second time Jiříček has been assigned to Iowa this season after making the opening night roster, although his last demotion lasted for just two days. This year, the 6’4″ righty has been a passable third-pairing option but hasn’t shown anything more than that. He’s continued to have fits finding his offensive ceiling, going without a point and logging a -3 rating through 12 appearances.

Wild Place Vladimir Tarasenko On Injured Reserve

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The Wild announced Thursday that they’ve placed forward Vladimir Tarasenko on injured reserve due to a lower-body injury. They didn’t announce a corresponding move, leaving a roster spot open for a potential Zach Bogosian or Nico Sturm IR activation in the coming days.

Tarasenko has already missed three games. The team said his IR placement is retroactive to Nov. 14, not his last appearance on Nov. 11, indicating he sustained it during practice or off-ice. Still, the placement doesn’t technically rule him out for any time as he’s eligible for activation before Friday’s game against the Penguins. Taking him out of the mix now to open up a roster spot indicates he’ll miss more time than that, though.

It’s another pressing injury for a Minnesota top-nine forward group already missing Marco Rossi and Ryan Hartman, both of whom are on IR but have longer return timelines than Bogosian and Sturm. Picked up from the Red Wings for future considerations last summer after a highly disappointing 2024-25 campaign in Detroit, Tarasenko has been a decent fill-in for the Wild with 10 points in 18 games, but he only has a pair of goals. Most of his time has come in second-line duties with Matt Boldy and Joel Eriksson Ek, although Mats Zuccarello’s return from injury bumped him down to a third-line role. He’s averaged 15:18 of ice time per game, a roughly 30-second bump over his usage with the Wings, but hasn’t provided much of any value outside of his point production. The former Blues star has controlled just 44.2% of shot attempts at even strength and has a -6 rating.

His absence is yet another stressor on a Wild forward group that’s struggling with the domino effect of injuries. Four of the six players currently comprising their third and fourth lines haven’t scored a goal this season. The bright side has been the play of rookie Danila Yurov, who’s been elevated to center duties between Zuccarello and Kirill Kaprizov with Rossi out and has three assists in two games while doing so.

Still, adding a forward was a priority for Minnesota from the start and it must only be intensifying now, even if it’s just a waiver claim or depth piece who can contribute more offense in a fourth-line role than their underwhelming internal options.

Wild Place Ryan Hartman On IR, Recall Hunter Haight

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3:00 p.m.: According to a team announcement, the Wild have recalled forward Hunter Haight from the AHL’s Iowa Wild. As expected, the team has placed Hartman on the injured reserve due to his recent lower-body injury. Haight has gone scoreless through two games with Minnesota already this season, averaging 9:22 of ice time.

8:27 a.m.: Wild head coach John Hynes told reporters yesterday, including NHL.com’s Jessi Pierce, that center Ryan Hartman is week-to-week due to a lower-body injury. There’s no corresponding transaction yet, but with Hartman and Vladimir Tarasenko both taking up spots on the active roster while injured, the Wild don’t have any healthy extra forwards for tonight’s game against the Hurricanes. Hartman can easily be placed on injured reserve to facilitate a call-up from AHL Iowa if they so choose.

The loss of yet another center option stings for a team already without Marco Rossi and Nico Sturm. Rossi had been playing through a lower-body issue and was shut down late last week with no clear return timeline other than his week-to-week designation. Sturm hasn’t played at all this season due to back problems, but is expected to return to the lineup before the end of the month, Hynes said.

Now in his seventh season in Minnesota, Hartman opened the season as their third-line center between Marcus Foligno and Vinnie Hinostroza. He’s since had some rotating linemates but has largely kept that slot in the lineup aside from a brief first-line promotion to his old job between Kirill Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello for the past two games with Rossi out. After taking a significant step back offensively last season, there’s been no rebound early on this year. His four goals and three assists for seven points through 20 games amount to his worst per-game totals since his first season with the Wild in 2019-20.

Depth scoring was already an issue for the Wild. Without Hartman (and Tarasenko for the time being), it’s now a five-alarm fire. Without them, their bottom six is comprised of Foligno, Hinostroza, Ben Jones, Liam Ohgren, Tyler Pitlick, and Yakov Trenin. They’ve combined for just three goals – one from Trenin and two from Hinostroza – all season. Their fourth line of Jones, Ohgren, and Pitlick hasn’t even registered a point through 24 combined appearances.

Even with Sturm’s return on the horizon and Tarasenko’s absence day to day, the Wild’s pursuit of a middle-six forward has to be reaching a fever pitch. While the Wild are generating a respectable 28.6 shots per game, good for 12th in the league, their actual goal output of 2.75 per game is sixth-worst. They’ve begun to clean up their poor defensive start as of late, though, helping them along to a 6-1-1 record in November to help them get back in the playoff picture following a three-win October.

Vladimir Tarasenko Out With Lower-Body Injury

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  • Moving to where the Stars originated from, the Minnesota Wild are dealing with some injury troubles up front. The Wild announced that veteran winger Vladimir Tarasenko will miss tonight’s contest with a lower-body injury. The two-time Stanley Cup winner has gotten off to a relatively decent start, scoring two goals and 10 points in 18 games.

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Wild Recall Liam Ohgren And Tyler Pitlick, Assign David Spacek To AHL

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With the Wild placing center Marco Rossi on injured reserve yesterday due to a lower-body injury, they had an open roster spot.  They’ve made a trio of moves to ultimately fill that spot, announcing the recalls of wingers Liam Ohgren and Tyler Pitlick while assigning defenseman David Spacek to AHL Iowa.

The 21-year-old made Minnesota’s roster out of training camp but playing time was hard to come by.  In five games, the 2022 first-round pick played more than ten minutes just once as he was a fixture on the fourth line.  Ohgren didn’t have any points in those outings while picking up four shots on goal.  Including last year’s action, he has three goals and four assists in 33 career NHL contests.

In an effort to get him more playing time, the Wild sent Ohgren down to Iowa in mid-October.  He has suited in nine games with them, picking up three goals and two assists.  While that’s decent production, it’s worth noting that he was much more productive in the minors last season, coming up just shy of a point per game with 19 goals and 18 assists in 41 appearances.

Pitlick is in his first season with Minnesota after signing a two-year, two-way deal with them in free agency over the summer.  While he cleared waivers last month after not making the opening roster, he has spent the bulk of this season in the NHL following a recall two weeks into the season.  He has played in nine games so far and hasn’t recorded a point but has 24 hits and 22 penalty minutes.  Notably, if he plays in one more NHL contest, he will need to pass through waivers again before he can be assigned to Iowa.

The 34-year-old has three goals and an assist in five games so far in the minors.  Over his career, Pitlick has played in 429 career NHL contests over parts of ten seasons for nine different franchises.

As for Spacek, he was recalled back on Monday with fellow blueliner Jake Middleton dealing with an illness but is still waiting to make his NHL debut.  The 22-year-old is in his second professional campaign and has six assists in a dozen games so far with Iowa.

Morning Notes: Zuccarello, Greaves, Thompson

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After missing the first month of the season due to injury, Minnesota Wild forward Mats Zuccarello returned to the ice on Nov. 7 and has been solid for the Wild, scoring two points in three games. With his health no longer in question, the focus of the conversation surrounding the veteran forward has shifted from his availability to his future in Minnesota beyond this season. Zuccarello, 38, is playing out the final year of a $4.125MM AAV deal with the Wild, and is a pending unrestricted free agent.

Zuccarello commented on his future to The Athletic’s Michael Russo yesterday, stating that when deciding on his future, he will “take the season” to see how he feels, and will continue his career only if he feels he is “good enough to play at this level.” He added that he wants to be mindful that he does not “take a spot” on the Wild if he feels he is not capable of playing at a high level anymore. So far, Zuccarello hasn’t shown indications of any steep decline in form, but given that the 38-year-old will be closely monitoring his play to determine whether to continue his career, his ongoing form will be a notable storyline to watch in Minnesota.

Other notes from around the NHL:

  • The Columbus Blue Jackets leaned heavily on netminder Jet Greaves this past week, a change from most of the season where they’ve split starts evenly between Greaves and Elvis Merzlikins. According to The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline, that should not be viewed as an indication that Columbus is moving away from Merzlikins and moving to a more traditional starter-backup model. Per Portzline, head coach Dean Evason maintains that the decision on which goaltender to start remains a day-to-day decision. Greaves has posted an .897 save percentage across 10 games this season, while Merzlikins has a .908 through seven games played. Merzlikins dealt with an illness this past week while Greaves got the larger workload.
  • The Buffalo Sabres have struggled as of late, and are currently trying to navigate their way out of a five-game losing streak. One of the cards head coach Lindy Ruff is playing to help jump-start his team’s offense has been moving star forward Tage Thompson back to the middle of the ice. Thompson has been playing center, in part due to the injury suffered by incumbent first-line center Josh Norris. Thompson told The Athletic’s Matthew Fairburn that the move back to center has allowed him to feel “like [him]self,” and that he feels he can have more control over the game from that position. Thompson ranks second on the Sabres in scoring with 14 points in 17 games, and if this move back to center can help unlock an even higher level of play for the 28-year-old, it’s a move Ruff might have to consider even after the team gets players back from injury.

Wild Place Marco Rossi On IR With Lower-Body Injury

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4:30 p.m.: As expected, the Wild announced that Rossi has been placed on the injured reserve with a lower-body injury. Minnesota’s announcement indicated that Rossi would miss the next few weeks.

9:13 a.m.: Wild top-line pivot Marco Rossi will miss at least the team’s next few games – potentially longer – with a lower-body injury, Michael Russo of The Athletic reports Friday. Minnesota will be down to the bare minimum of 12 forwards if he’s not available, and they don’t have an open roster spot. Hence, an injured reserve placement is likely to permit the recall of a forward from AHL Iowa.

It’s unexpected news after Rossi made his last appearance, an overtime loss to the Sharks on Tuesday, in full without incident. He missed one game in October due to a lower-body issue. Russo reports that he’s not fully healed from that injury and will need a more extended break to get back to 100 percent.

The 24-year-old has remained the centerpiece of Minnesota’s top line this season with Kirill Kaprizov after a tumultuous summer. He was involved in a drawn-out round of contract negotiations after reaching restricted free agency, and early in the summer, it seemed likelier than not that he’d be dealt away. No trade materialized, though, and he returned to the Wild on a three-year, $15MM bridge deal in late August to avoid being a training camp holdout.

While the Wild didn’t have the best October, Rossi was on a roll. He took the absence of his other routine wingman, Mats Zuccarello, in stride and rattled off 11 points (two goals, nine assists) through his first 11 games. However, he’s only managed two goals in six games since the calendar turned to November and has just one point in his last five. With Zuccarello now back in the fold and registering two assists through his first three games of the season, he and Kaprizov will be centered by Joel Eriksson Ek for the foreseeable future as Rossi exits the lineup.

There’s no timeline yet for Rossi’s return, but he’s expected to be out long enough to intensify the Wild’s documented pursuit of a middle-six forward. Picking up a depth center if one hits waivers might also be a stopgap possibility to keep veterans Ben Jones and Tyler Pitlick, neither of whom has recorded a point this season in a combined 15 appearances, out of a regular spot in Rossi’s absence.

As Russo writes, it’s 2022 first-rounder Danila Yurov who stands with the most to gain while Rossi rehabs. The 21-year-old rookie has just two goals with a -5 rating through his first 13 NHL games, but that’s to be expected given his fourth-line deployment and lack of special teams usage. Yurov has averaged 9:51 of ice time per game and is starting just 36.2% of his even-strength shifts in the offensive zone. He’s spent most of his time centering Marcus Foligno and Yakov Trenin, who’ve combined for no goals and four assists this season. A promotion to top-nine duties is a far more suitable assignment for Yurov’s capabilities and should result in a significant increase in productivity.

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