The Minnesota Wild are back on the ice Tuesday night @ the Seattle Kraken. Still up two points on the Avalanche in the Central, the Wild are out on the West Coast trying to start their first winning streak since the 4 Nations Face-Off.
After Sunday’s 1-0 win, the MN Wild are now 2-3 since the break, as they try their best to keep the 2024-25 ship afloat, as they await the return of superstar Kirill Kaprizov from the lower-body injury.
Kirill Kaprizov, Joel Eriksson Ek expected back for Wild
According to the most recent reports out of The Athletic, the MN Wild are expecting Kaprizov back from Long Term Injured Reserve before the end of the regular season. In addition, they believe the injury Joel Eriksson Ek suffered in practice last week will not require LTIR.
Kirill Kaprizov is expected to be activated off long-term injured reserve before the end of the season, and the Wild hope to avoid putting Eriksson Ek on LTIR, so general manager Bill Guerin won’t have unlimited — or any — cap space in advance of Friday’s NHL trade deadline. That means anything done the rest of the week must be a “penny in, penny out” hockey trade.
The Athletic
This is all very good news for president of hockey operations Bill Guerin, head coach John Hynes and the rest of the Wild organization. Not only was Kirill Kaprizov leading the Minnesota Wild in both goals and assists, when he exited the lineup for the first time, right before Christmas, but he was a betting favorite to win the Hart Trophy.
Related: Minnesota Wild Trade for Semi-Familiar Face
On the season, Kaprizov has totaled 23 goals, which still leads the team, even after missing 24 games. His 29 assists rank third, behind only Matt Boldy and Marco Rossi. Kirill’s 52 points are tied with Matt Boldy for most on the team too. And let’s not discount the eventual return of Joel Eriksson Ek, either.
Minnesota Wild looking at a quiet NHL trade deadline
Ek is the heart and soul of the Minnesota Wild, and a constant nuisance for opponents. But the return of these two stars also means that Bill Guerin & Co will probably remain rather quiet at the upcoming NHL trade deadline, according to The Athletic, especially after dealing for Gustav Nyquist last week.
ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Minnesota Wild are likely done making moves by Friday’s trade deadline. They’ve got no cap space, especially after Saturday’s deal for Gustav Nyquist. So unless there’s a legitimate hockey trade — dollar in, dollar out — to be made, it could be a pretty boring rest of the week.
Joe Smith – The Athletic