Jared Spurgeon Out Week-To-Week
The Minnesota Wild are still sitting in first place in the Central Division, but they’re going to have to hold onto that spot without their captain for a while. Jared Spurgeon is considered week-to-week according to head coach Dean Evason, who spoke with reporters including Sarah McLellan of the Star Tribune.
Spurgeon left the team’s game against the Florida Panthers early with a lower-body injury and missed Sunday’s contest against the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Wild lost both of those games (the latter in a shootout) and are now just one point ahead of both the St. Louis Blues and Winnipeg Jets in the Central race.
The 31-year-old Spurgeon meanwhile was having another strong season, with eight points through his first 16 games while averaging more than 21 minutes a game. He left the match against the Panthers after just three minutes of ice time and now appears to be on the shelf for the next little while.
In his place, the team has young Calen Addison back up with the NHL group, but put Jordie Benn into the lineup for just the second time this season. Matt Dumba and Jonas Brodin ended up carrying a huge load, each playing more than 25 minutes (with Dumba eclipsing 28!) in the loss to Tampa Bay.
Minnesota Wild Targeting J.T. Miller
Things are not alright in Vancouver amidst another disappointing start. The Canucks sit seventh in the Pacific Division with just three wins in their past ten games. While the front office and ownership have promised (at least publicly) to stay the course and not overreact to their current turmoil, NHL competitors are taking notice and lining up for a piece of a potential fire sale.
At the front of the line are the Minnesota Wild. The Central Division leaders are enjoying a strong start, but are not without holes in the lineup, one of them being another top-six scorer. While The Province’s Ben Kuzma notes that Minnesota native Brock Boeser would seem to be the ideal acquisition, he reports that the Wild have in fact called on J.T. Miller. While Miller has flashed ability at every stop, including New York and Tampa, he has been at his best since landing with the Canucks. Miller can do it all from the center position; a balanced scorer, fierce checker, and face-off ace, Miller has developed into a well-rounded top-six pivot. He even plays big minutes for the Canucks, too. The Wild have taken notice and clearly feel that he could be an asset, perhaps even on the top line.
Kicking the tires is far from finalizing a deal though and the Canucks won’t let Miller go easily. Miller is signed through next season and at a $5.25MM AAV that is very palatable for a player who has scored at a near point-per-game pace since arriving in Vancouver. Kuzma suspects that a package from Minnesota would likely include Kevin Fiala, which could be attractive to the Canucks. Fiala and the Wild seem to be at odds about his role on the team following a difficult negotiation this summer and the 25-year-old forward could benefit from a change of scenery. The Canucks would get younger by swapping Miller for Fiala, but will also maintain their goal of avoiding a rebuild by adding another talented, proven forward in return. That won’t be it either, as the Canucks will be able to command some building blocks as well. Their first-round pick and top prospects Marco Rossi and Matt Boldy are likely off the board, but a second-round and/or an exciting young name like Calen Addison or Adam Beckman could be floated instead.
Again, a deal is nowhere close but when interest is able to be confirmed like this, there is typically more than just smoke. The Canucks and Wild seem like good trade partners, the question is whether Vancouver is willing and if so whether Minnesota can meet their demands. Miller could be a game-changer for a Wild team in position to make a deep run this season.
Trade Rumors Continue To Swirl Around Kevin Fiala
- When Kevin Fiala and the Minnesota Wild settled on a one-year contract just a day ahead of his arbitration hearing this offseason, it raised some questions about his long-term future with the team. Other key forwards like Kirill Kaprizov and Joel Eriksson Ek were being locked up well into the future, while the 25-year-old Fiala was now scheduled to be a free agent once again in 2022 after this $5.1MM contract expired. That’s when the Wild have some huge buyout penalties hitting the cap, making it challenging to go through the uncertainty of an arbitration process again with a player like Fiala. Yesterday, Michael Russo of The Athletic wrote about Fiala’s future with the team, suggesting it is “hard to see Fiala being long for this organization.” Today, Jeff Marek and Elliotte Friedman discuss it on Sportsnet’s 32 Thoughts podcast, and note that though there is some smoke, Wild GM Bill Guerin has never been one into a decision.
Ryan Hartman Avoids Suspension, Earns Fine
The Department of Player Safety has decided that Minnesota Wild forward Ryan Hartman‘s slew foot on Tampa Bay Lightning forward Ross Colton did not rise to the level of a suspension, issuing a $4,250 fine instead. The fine is the maximum allowable under the CBA, based on Hartman’s current salary.
The incident, which occurred late in the first period on Sunday night and resulted in a tripping penalty for Hartman. He then received an additional five-minute major for fighting when Zach Bogosian engaged him almost immediately after he exited the penalty box. Colton avoided a serious injury on the play and ended up seeing nearly 16 minutes of ice time in the game.
Slew-footing has become something of a trend in the NHL this season, with several different players earning fines or suspensions for incidents similar to the one that happened in Tampa Bay. Just last week, Kevin Labanc received a one-game suspension for nearly the same thing, with the league including the explanation that “what causes this play to rise to the level of supplemental discipline is the speed the players are traveling and their proximity to the boards.” Perhaps in the Hartman case, they did not feel it included those same factors.
Matt Boldy Activated, Assigned To AHL
After breaking his ankle and missing the first part of the season, Minnesota Wild prospect Matt Boldy is ready to return to action. The team has activated the young forward off the injured non-roster list and assigned him to the Iowa Wild. Michael Russo of The Athletic reports that Boldy is expected to make his season debut this weekend for Iowa.
After signing his entry-level contract near the end of last season, Boldy stepped into the AHL and showed he could dominate that level just as much as he did in college. Through 14 games for Iowa, he registered 18 points and looked like he might be ready to step directly into the NHL for the 2021-22 season. The 12th-overall pick in 2019, Boldy was having a strong camp until his injury, which was originally given a four- to six-week recovery timeline.
Now, as he returns from the injury, he’ll have to get up to speed at the minor league level once again. How long he’ll stay down there remains to be seen, but with Minnesota in a strong position and winning their share of games, there isn’t a rush to bring him up. The team is 10-5-0 on the year and sits second in the Central Division, despite losing last night to the San Jose Sharks.
If he does come up, the Wild would be adding a big, talented winger with a history of racking up points at every level. The 6’2″ Boldy had 31 points in just 22 games during his sophomore (and final) season with Boston College, making him a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award. He also took home a World Junior gold medal, scoring five goals in seven games. For now, the focus will be on making sure he’s healthy enough to get his career back on track, but in time the Wild will have another exciting forward to add to the group.
Alex Goligoski, Evan Rodrigues Receive Maximum Fines
The NHL Department of Player Safety is keeping busy today. After announcing a suspension hearing for Nashville Predators defenseman Mark Borowiecki earlier, the league has now issued a pair of fines. Minnesota Wild defenseman Alex Goligoski and Pittsburgh Penguins forward Evan Rodrigues have been dinged for infractions in their respective Saturday night contests.
Goligoski has received a maximum $5,000 fine for high-sticking Seattle Kraken forward Jordan Eberle. While high-sticking is usually an incidental penalty, incurred due to negligence rather than maliciousness, sometimes a dangerous high stick can rise to the level of supplemental discipline. This is the case for Goligoski, whose high stick actually went unnoticed and uncalled as well, which likely added to the fine decision.
Rodrigues has received a maximum $2,500 fine for tripping Ottawa Senators forward Zach Sanford. Called a “trip”, Rodrigues actually used his stick to buckle Sanford’s knee in a net-front scrum, which is a dangerous play. Like Goligoski, Rodrigues’ penalty also went uncalled but was reviewed by Player Safety after the fact to the effect of a fine. In a nine-goal game, in which Rodrigues and Sanford combined for three tallies, there was enough going on that the the referees missed the call.
Wild Activate Jordan Greenway
- The Wild have activated winger Jordan Greenway from IR and will have him in their lineup tonight against Arizona, relays Sarah McLellan of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. The 24-year-old suffered a high ankle sprain two weeks ago versus Seattle and missed the last four games. It’s a contract year for Greenway who will be a restricted free agent with arbitration eligibility this summer so not missing extended time will certainly help his cause. He has two assists in seven games this season after recording 32 points in 56 contests in 2020-21.
Injury Notes: O’Reilly, Wild, Schenn
St. Louis Blues captain Ryan O’Reilly is likely to return to the lineup Sunday night when they take on the Anaheim Ducks, per Blues writer Chris Pinkert. The 30-year-old center missed the team’s last four games while in COVID-19 protocol. He’s likely to return to top-line duties between David Perron as well as Brandon Saad, who’s also missed time while in COVID-19 protocol this season. Prior to departing the lineup, O’Reilly had five points in five games while averaging 19:13 of ice time per game.
Other injury notes from around the league:
- The Minnesota Wild activated both Mats Zuccarello and Rem Pitlick from COVID-19 protocol today, according to a team tweet. Zuccarello is the Wild’s most productive player this season in terms of points per game, notching three goals and four assists for seven points through six games. He returns playing on a unit with Marcus Foligno and Joel Eriksson Ek. Pitlick, who was claimed off waivers from the Nashville Predators earlier in the season, only played one game before entering protocol. However, he did notch an assist in that game and should return to the lineup in a fourth-line role centering Brandon Duhaime and Kyle Rau.
- Rick Dhaliwal of The Athletic reports Vancouver Canucks defenseman Luke Schenn could miss a couple of weeks with what Dhaliwal calls a “knee issue.” Schenn was absent from Vancouver’s practice Sunday. Schenn has two assists through five games this season, often serving as a healthy scratch.
Wild Hoping Alex Goligoski Will Return Tonight
- Minnesota hopes to have defenseman Alex Goligoski back in the lineup tonight after he missed the last three games due to an upper-body injury, relays Sarah McLellan of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. The 36-year-old is in his first season with his hometown Wild and has been a steadying presence on their second pairing while chipping in with three assists. Despite the injury, Goligoski has remained on the active roster so they won’t need to make a roster move to get him in the lineup.
Injury Notes: Canadiens, Lightning, Watson
The Montreal Canadiens are facing two big game-time decisions for Sunday’s game against the Anaheim Ducks in defenseman Jeff Petry and forward Brendan Gallagher, as reported by The Athletic’s Arpon Basu. Basu notes that Sami Niku will draw in for Petry if he’s unavailable, while Jake Evans, who’s still not 100 percent in his recovery from an undisclosed injury, would play in place of Gallagher if needed. It’s tough news for an already banged-up team that also lost Mathieu Perreault to injury today for two-to-three weeks. Petry and Gallagher have both had extremely slow starts, as Petry has no points through nine games with Gallagher has just a goal and an assist. It’ll undoubtedly force a lineup shakeup for Sunday’s game.
More injury notes from around the league:
- The status of Tampa Bay Lightning forwards Steven Stamkos and Boris Katchouk is uncertain for Monday night’s game against the Washington Capitals. The Athletic’s Joe Smith reports that Stamkos was absent from practice Sunday, taking a maintenance day, and head coach Jon Cooper is “hopeful” he’ll play Monday night but isn’t certain. Katchouk was hurt in practice Sunday and could be out longer. The 23-year-old forward has gotten into four games this season and is still searching for his first NHL point.
- Ottawa Senators forward Austin Watson is close to returning and could be ready for the team’s game against the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday, per head coach D.J. Smith. Watson hasn’t played this season due to an ankle injury suffered during training camp. The return comes slightly ahead of the four-week timeline issued on October 10th. He could draw into the lineup in place of Logan Shaw, who’s registered no points in seven games while playing just 8:08 per game.