Wave of Goalie Ailments Could Mean EBUG Activation for Minnesota Wild
The Minnesota Wild are one of the best teams in the NHL, at the halfway point of the 2024-25 NHL season. This, despite being one of the most injury-prone in the league, as well. On Thursday night, for example, the Wild will play division rival Colorado, and they will be without multiple key pieces to their lineup.
You can read about those injuries and roster concerns over HERE. For now, let’s focus in on what has suddenly become an incredibly messy Minnesota Wild goalie situation. It all started with a mysterious injury to Jesper Wallstedt, which he sustained last week, but only surfaced within the last couple days.
Goalie injuries making life difficult for the Minnesota Wild
Because the league’s top goalie prospect is unavailable for the foreseeable future, Minnesota had to sign AHL backup goalie Dylan Ferguson to a two-way contract this week, in case something happened to either Filip Gustavsson or Marc-Andre Fleury. And it just so happened that Minnesota ran into that exact emergency on Thursday.
Brodin (lower) out tonight. Day to day. Faber out. No update. Fleury is sick and questionable tonight (Iowa is in San Diego, I believe).
— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) January 9, 2025
According to Michael Russo (The Athletic) an illness to backup goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury could leave him sidelined for tonight’s rivalry matchup vs the Colorado Avalanche. Well, it’s good thing the Wild made that roster move the other night, huh?
Unfortunately, Ferguson’s new two-way deal won’t help head coach John Hynes out tonight, because the 26-year-old sustained an injury during his last Iowa Wild game, on Wednesday.
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In a perfect world, that’s no big deal, since starter Filip Gustavsson is healthy and ready to go. But this world is far from perfect and the Minnesota Wild need a backup goaltender, in case the Gus Bus is also run off the road by injury.
Making matters worse, the only other goalie available in the entire organization, Samuel Hlavaj, is too expensive to be added to the NHL roster. So… if Fleury can’t go tonight, what are the Minnesota Wild going to do?
EBUG may be Wild’s only backup option vs Avalanche
Well, the National Hockey League has a protocol for emergency goalie moments like these. It’s called the emergency backup goaltender, and each team has one available on game nights at their home arena. They are rarely seen/used.
Fleury didn’t skate with the team this morning, and is questionable for Thursday’s 7 PM showdown vs Colorado. Jesper Wallstedt has missed five games with an undisclosed injury. Connor Beaupre is Minnesota’s emergency goaltender. He apparently looked good at the team’s morning skate.
You’re not gonna believe this, Dylan Ferguson – the goalie the #mnwild signed two days ago just in case Fleury or Gustavsson got hurt or sick – got hurt last night. So with Jesper Wallstedt hurt and Samuel Hlavaj making too much money, the Wild’s in a pickle w Fleury sick https://t.co/KaSwTfbNjL
— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) January 9, 2025
Normally, EBUGs come into play when one of the team’s two active goalies are lost during the contest, for injury or other reasons. But tonight, Minnesota’s EBUG will actually start his night on the Wild bench, if Fleury is too sick to make it there.
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The Wild will also be without defensemen Brock Faber, Jonas Brodin, and Jared Spurgeon, and forwards Kirill Kaprizov and Jakub Lauko. At least the Avalanche are playing the second of back-to-back games after losing to Chicago, Wednesday night. Colorado started backup netminder Trent Miner in that game, however.
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