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Minnesota Wild Activate Mats Zuccarello From Injured Reserve

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As alluded to yesterday in recent reports, the Minnesota Wild have officially activated forward Mats Zuccarello off of injured reserve, per a team announcement. Having been injured since December 16th, Zuccarello will likely be in the lineup tomorrow night as the Wild take on the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Before the announcement, Zuccarello was one of five players currently on the injured reserve for Minnesota, with top players such as Kirill Kaprizov and Jared Spurgeon sidelined as well. Even beyond the regular injured reserve, defenseman Jonas Brodin currently finds himself on long-term injured reserve, severely limiting the Wild’s depth over the last couple of weeks.

Specifically with Zuccarello sidelined with an upper-body injury, Minnesota has produced a 4-5-0 record in his absence, with four of those losses coming in their last four games. As the defense and goaltending have held up their end of things, the Wild’s offense has certainly struggled over this stretch, averaging less than three goals a game without Zuccarello.

Even though Zuccarello is largely seen as a complimentary piece next to Kaprizov, he may be tasked with being the focal point of the offense moving forward over the next few games. Impressively, he still sits second on the team in scoring with six goals and 28 points in 28 games, continuing to maintain an elite ability to pass the puck in his age-36 season.

Minnesota still has a difficult path ahead toward a healthy roster, but the addition of Zuccarello back into the lineup should help the team to be more competitive. Luckily for the team, the wild card race in the Western Conference is still relatively tight, as the Wild currently sit five points back of the Seattle Kraken for the final spot, with two games in hand.

Minnesota Wild Reassign Sammy Walker, Recall Adam Raška

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The Minnesota Wild have reassigned forward Sammy Walker to their AHL affiliate, the Iowa Wild. In a corresponding move, they have recalled forward Adam Raška to fill his spot on their NHL roster.

Walker featured in the Wild’s game yesterday, but after the team lost a difficult 4-1 decision the Wild have opted to swap fourth-line wingers. Walker played alongside Jake Lucchini and Connor Dewar, but the line did not have a great game.

In four NHL games this season, Walker has not yet registered a point and has a minus-three rating. He’s been solid in the AHL though with 19 points in 28 games for the Iowa Wild. The former University of Minnesota star has been like that ever since beginning his pro career in 2022-23: a strong AHL performer who struggles to make the same kind of impact against NHL competition.

Replacing him on the roster is Raška, a 22-year-old former depth forward in the San Jose Sharks organization. He’s played in eight career NHL games and doesn’t yet have his first NHL point. The five-foot-ten Czech forward has struggled to put together offense at the AHL level, with a career high of 14 points there.

But despite his size he does play a relentless, physical game and already has 61 penalty minutes in 20 games this season. Seeing as Minnesota’s fourth line already has some offensively-oriented players in Lucchini and Dewar, swapping out Walker for Raška gives the Wild a touch of physicality and aggression on that trio.

Wild Prospect Jesper Wallstedtis Set To Return From Injury

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  • Joe Smith of The Athletic is reporting that Minnesota Wild goalie prospect Jesper Wallstedtis is expected to return tomorrow night for their AHL affiliate in Iowa and could factor into the NHL roster over the next week. The 20th overall pick in 2021 has been dealing with a lower-body injury and could make his NHL debut if he is recalled by the Wild to fill in while Filip Gustavsson is on IR. The 21-year-old has put up terrific numbers in the AHL this season, registering an 11-7 record with a .922 save percentage and a 2.43 goals-against average in 18 games.

Latest Wild Injury Updates

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  • Minnesota Wild forward Mats Zuccarello continues to skate as he pursues a return to the ice, and The Athletic’s Joe Smith reports that Zuccarello could return before the Wild make their trip to Tampa to play the Lightning in the middle of January. Zuccarello has been out since December 16th and has 28 points in 28 games this season.
  • Marcus Foligno was classified as a game-time decision for the Wild’s January 2nd contest due to a lingering undisclosed injury, but now The Athletic’s Michael Russo reports that he’s considered out on a day-to-day timeline. Foligno, 32, is a respected defensive forward and the Wild benefit when he’s on the ice rather than off it, especially considering his $3.1MM cap hit is even more meaningful due to the Wild’s existing cap constraints.

Guerin: Wild Won't Make Trades To Replace Injured Players

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  • Don’t expect the Wild to make any trades to fill out their injury-ravaged roster, GM Bill Guerin says. Speaking with The Athletic’s Michael Russo, Guerin says the Wild won’t have the salary cap flexibility to keep any acquired players on the roster after defenseman Jonas Brodin, whose $6MM cap hit is on long-term injured reserve and is providing necessary temporary cap relief, is ready to return to the lineup. Brodin remains listed as week-to-week with an upper-body injury and is close to becoming eligible to come off LTIR. Aside from Brodin, six other Wild regulars are out of the lineup thanks to injuries, including captain Jared Spurgeon and their two highest-scoring forwards, Kirill Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello.

Wild Recall Daemon Hunt, Place Jared Spurgeon On IR

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The Minnesota Wild have placed captain Jared Spurgeon on injured reserve with an undisclosed injury. Spurgeon had only just returned from a lower-body injury that held him out for seven games in December, but now gets placed back on the shelf after three games back. Minnesota is turning to routine call-up Daemon Hunt to fill in while Spurgeon is out. Hunt has played in his first nine career NHL games this season, managing one assist as the only change to his stat line.

Spurgeon’s move to IR is almost poetically devastating for the Wild, who now have their top two forwards, top two defensemen, and their starting goalie on injured reserve – a status complete by Kirill Kaprizov and Spurgeon’s move to IR on Wednesday. The Wild has lost both of the games that they’ve played since losing Kaprizov and Filip Gustavsson in the same game, getting outscored six-to-three. Spurgeon, acting without Kaprizov, Gustavsson, and Jonas Brodin, played in 45 minutes over the last two games managing one assist, three shots, and an even 0 +/-.

This year marks Spurgeon’s 14th season in the NHL – an incredibly impressive mark for a former sixth round draft pick. Spurgeon has also served as the Wild’s captain since the retirement of legendary Wild leader Mikko Koivu in 2020. The 34-year-old defenseman has managed five points in 16 games this season, bringing his career totals up to 384 points in 867 NHL games. He’s played more than all but 10 players from the 2008 NHL Draft class, and could look to  11th among all players from the 2008 NHL Draft class.

Minnesota Wild Place Kirill Kaprizov On Injured Reserve

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The Minnesota Wild have placed star winger Kirill Kaprizov on injured reserve. He joins a long list of Wild players on IR, including Filip Gustavsson – who was injured on the same night – Mats Zuccarello, Vinni Lettieri, Sam Hentges, and Jonas Brodin.

Kaprizov went down after receiving multiple cross-checks in the back from Winnipeg Jets defenseman Brenden Dillon. Dillon wasn’t penalized on the play, though Kaprizov is now labelled with a lower-body injury that will hold him out for a minimum of one week. He adds to Minnesota’s long list of injuries, that has also recently featured Marcus Foligno. It’s the beginning of what will inevitably be a difficult stretch for the Wild, now without their top two scorers in Kaprizov and Zuccarello. Kaprizov is the only player to overtake Zuccarello while the latter has sat out for the last eight games. It’s a testament to Zuccarello’s performances this year, netting 28 points in 28 games. Kaprizov has matched the point-per-game scoring, managing 34 points in 34 games.

Minnesota has lost both of their games since Kaprizov and Gustavsson went down with injury, getting outscored six-to-three. Marc-Andre Fleury served as the team’s starter in both games, backed up by Zayne McIntyre. McIntyre joined forward Nic Petan as the two players recalled in the wake of Kaprizov and Gustavsson’s injuries – though it will be interesting to see if Minnesota swaps out depth pieces now knowing that they will be without their pair of dynamic scorers for some time. Top goalie prospect Jesper Wallstedt is currently serving as the starter for Minnesota’s AHL affiliate, where his .922 save percentage across 18 games ranks fourth in the entire league. Wallstedt received an NHL call-up earlier in the season but has yet to make his NHL debut.

Minnesota Places Vinni Lettieri On IR, Recalls Samuel Walker

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In an announcement coming from the Minnesota Wild this afternoon, the organization has placed depth forward Vinni Lettieri on injury reserved due to a lower-body injury. In a corresponding move, the team has recalled Samuel Walker from their AHL affiliate, the Iowa Wild.

As reported this morning, veteran Marcus Foligno will be a game-time decision for the team’s game tonight against the Calgary Flames, and with Lettieri also injured, Minnesota was put in a position where they may have only been able to dress 11 forwards and seven defensemen. Instead, with Lettieri’s placement on the injured reserve and the subsequent callup of Walker, the team will now be able to put together four full offensive lines for their matchup tonight.

Even while maintaining their roster flexibility, it will mark another time this season that the Wild’s depth has been tested. In his own right, Lettieri himself was viewed as an extra forward for Minnesota at the beginning of the season, coming over from the Boston Bruins organization on a two-year, $1.55MM contract this past summer.

In what is now his second call-up with the organization since clearing waivers on November 24th, Lettieri has suited up in a total of 19 games for the Wild this season, scoring one goal and four points on the team’s fourth line. Although he has shown spurts of solid play, his 45.8% CorsiFor%, as well as his 6.3% team on-ice shooting percentage in all situations are both below his career averages.

It has been a difficult transition back into the NHL for Lettieri, as a fourth-line role is somewhat foreign territory for him compared to his usage at the AHL level. Throughout his time in the AHL, Lettieri has been nearly a point-per-game player, scoring 237 points in 277 career games. Due to that, and his regular usage of the powerplay, Lettieri will have to add a bit more hard-nosed physicality into his game for a smoother transition.

Walker, an Edina, Minnesota native came over to the organization in the seventh round of the 2017 NHL Draft. Having already made his NHL debut last year, Walker has suited up in two games this season in mid-October. Similarly to Lettieri, Walker has also been a heavily relied upon offensive talent for Iowa, as he currently sits third on the team in scoring.

Ryan Hartman Fined For High-Sticking, Marcus Foligno Will Be Game-Time Decision Tuesday

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Wild forward Ryan Hartman was fined over $4.4K, the maximum allowable under the Collective Bargaining Agreement, for high-sticking Jets forward Cole Perfetti during Sunday’s 3-2 loss, the NHL Department of Player Safety announced today. This is the seventh fine of Hartman’s career, as The Athletic’s Michael Russo notes, and his second disciplinary punishment of the season after being assessed a two-game suspension for tripping Red Wings winger Alex DeBrincat in November.

The incident in question was confirmed to be deliberate, inexplicably coming out of Hartman’s mouth during gameplay. Perfetti, who was wearing a microphone for Sunday’s game, told reporters today that Hartman told Perfetti that the high stick was retribution for the Brenden Dillon cross-check that injured Wild star Kirill Kaprizov the day before (via the Winnipeg Free Press’ Mike McIntyre). Perfetti, who turned 22 yesterday, was not involved in the Dillon/Kaprizov altercation.

For the Wild, the lack of a suspension for Hartman is great news. Already dealing with injuries to two-thirds of their first line in Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello, middle-six bruiser Marcus Foligno is now a game-time decision for tonight’s clash against the Flames with a lingering undisclosed injury, per NHL.com’s Jessi Pierce. The 32-year-old Foligno, who has four points in his last five games, skated in a third-line role alongside Frédérick Gaudreau and Pat Maroon in Sunday’s loss.

His absence would force the Wild to dress 11 forwards and seven defensemen, as veteran d-man Jonathon Merrill is the only healthy extra skater on Minnesota’s roster. The Wild are eligible to use an emergency recall in Foligno’s absence, but without ruling him out for tonight’s contest, they wouldn’t be able to do so until after the game.

Minnesota Wild Place Filip Gustavsson On Injured Reserve

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The Minnesota Wild have announced that netminder Filip Gustavsson has been placed on injured reserve. Gustavsson was knocked out of his last start due to a lower-body injury, and The Athletic’s Michael Russo reports that Gustavsson is set for “another MRI” tomorrow, and is expected to miss “at least a couple weeks.”

Additionally, Russo reports that superstar winger Kirill Kaprizov, who was also knocked out of the same game as Gustavsson, will be out for one to two weeks due to injury.

These two developments are significant blows to the Wild’s hopes of re-entering the Western Conference playoff picture. Although the club is 7-3 in its last 10 games and has been extremely good since hiring John Hynes, they have also lost their last two games. It’s difficult for any club to deal with the loss of its best skater and best netminder, but that’s especially true for a Wild team whose ability to build quality depth has been compromised by significant cap penalties.

The loss of Gustavsson, 25, for a potentially extended period is a massive one. Although his .903 save percentage this season is a far cry from the .931 he posted last year, he has significantly improved as the season has gone on and has seemingly recovered from a very poor start.

With Gustavsson, out, the Wild will have to turn to Marc-André Fleury and Zane McIntyre. Fleury is a legendary goalie but his .893 save percentage this season indicates that he might not be able to keep the Wild in games the same way Gustavsson has. McIntyre, 31, is an experienced third goalie but his .884 save percentage in 12 AHL contests this season suggests he could have trouble playing in the NHL on a regular basis.

It’s unlikely, given the cap constraints they are working under, that the Wild will add meaningful external help at the goalie position. Instead, the team will have to hope that getting more consistent starts, as he did earlier in his career when he was the undisputed number-one goalie for the Pittsburgh Penguins and Vegas Golden Knights, will inspire enough improvement in Fleury’s form to keep Minnesota in the playoff chase.

As for the loss of Kaprizov, the Wild gave veteran Nic Petan a shot in the team’s top-six as a replacement for Kaprizov. While Petan has excelled at the AHL level, he’s 28 years old and his 188-game NHL career suggests he should not be counted on to provide offense on any sort of consistent basis.

The Wild’s installation of Petan in Kaprizov’s place shows how the team’s lack of salary cap space directly impacts the team’s NHL options. CapFriendly projects the club to have just $40K in cap space, meaning Petan is likely on the Wild’s roster by virtue of his extremely affordable $762.5k cap hit, rather than his merits in the NHL.

Another team might have given the first crack at filling Kaprizov’s spot to a younger player such as Sammy Walker, someone who has scored in the AHL but hasn’t quite gotten a major chance to show his skills at the NHL level. But Walker’s cap hit is $855k, meaning the Wild would need to jump through quite a few more hoops to recall Walker compared to Petan.

In any case, the team’s form has been significantly improved under Hynes and those improvements should leave Wild fans confident in their team moving forward. That being said, these two injury announcements pose a significant threat to the Wild’s ability to keep pace with other Western Conference playoff hopefuls.

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