Last week, the Minnesota Wild gave Marcus Foligno a promotion from his consistent spot on the fourth line up to the third line. Now, Foligno finds himself on the mend after sustaining a leg injury in Chicago.
The Minnesota Wild do not play again until Wednesday, which is a lucky break for the team. Forward Marcus Foligno left the game following a blocked shot that caught him on the side of the knee.
Early reports from @RussoHockey suggest that there is just some swelling, but that Foligno is hoping that some time and ice will be able to recover the knee before the team hits the ice to play next.
Foligno has been at the forefront of discussion for the Minnesota Wild recently, as he has been playing some of the best hockey since arriving in Minnesota 16 months ago. A line promotion, and consistent minutes were well earned prior to this injury.
Foligno has 4 points (1G, 3A) in 21 games played this season, most of which have been spent playing alongside Eric Fehr and J.T. Brown in a grinding and energy role.
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Should Foligno be required to miss any time I would expect that Sunday’s healthy scratch Matt Hendricks will draw back into the Minnesota Wild lineup. If, unexpectedly, the injury is diagnosed as worse than originally thought, a call-up from Iowa will be necessary.
At this point, it does not sound like anyone expects Foligno to miss any games which is quite lucky given the way he was helped off the ice mid-game. The Minnesota Wild have benefited greatly from the dynamic style that Foligno provides, and would be hard-pressed to duplicate that with anyone else.
Matt Read has been raking in the frequent flyer miles so far this year, as the only player to make the trip back and forth between Iowa and Minnesota. It is likely that Read will get the call again if an extra body is needed for practice this week, to be game ready should the need arise.
If not Read, the other likely option could by Kyle Rau. Rau is currently lighting up the AHL in Iowa, and as previously discussed here on Gone Puck Wild he could be worthy of a callup.
Here’s hoping it doesn’t come to any of that, but it’s never fun to see a player limping off the bench, and even more concerning when that player is still limping in the post game interviews. Wishing all the best for a speedy recovery for Marcus Foligno.