The Minnesota Wild have gotten off to a solid start this season, but one of their biggest concerns coming into the year was the depth on the roster. The Wild gutted most of their depth a year ago in the blockbuster trade to acquire Quinn Hughes and while that move has provided plenty of benefits, it also has become an even bigger issue as seven players were listed as out and Kirill Kaprizov took a big hit late in Thursday’s 5-4 win over the St. Louis Blues.
Kaprizov’s injury scare happened with just over four minutes to go in the game when he was racing for a puck behind the St. Louis net. Blues goaltender Joel Hofer left his crease to retrieve the puck and cleared room by lowering his shoulder into Kaprizov who went flying into the end boards.
Hofer was assessed a two-minute misconduct on the play, but Kaprizov was sent down the tunnel after the hit for examination. The Athletic’s Michael Russo reported that Hughes and Matt Boldy both said Kaprizov was “OK” after the game, but it’s another reminder how injuries could derail a Wild team with championship aspirations.
The Wild’s injury crisis is exposing a major flaw in their roster
The Wild are a talented team at the top of their lineup with Kaprizov, Hughes Brock Faber and Matt Boldy leading the way. But outside of signing Hughes and trading for a top-line center – two things that still haven’t been accomplished – one of general manager Bill Guerin’s other tasks was constructing a deep roster that could handle the rigors of playoff hockey.
That project got off to a tough start when Marcus Johansson, Mats Zuccarello and Marcus Johansson all departed over the summer. While Minnesota has gotten some replacements in Blake Coleman, Maxim Shabanov and Bobby Brink, they also relied on the same group of grizzled veterans to remain healthy throughout the season.
To that degree, the Wild’s roster construction is already starting to fail. Nico Sturm (concussion), Marcus Foligno (mid-body injury), Nick Foligno (upper body), Jared Spurgeon (upper body), Olli Maatta (upper body), Brock Faber (fractured skill) and Filip Gustavsson (hip) were all inactive for Thursday’s game and all seven players do not have a timetable for their return.
Faber and Sturm’s injuries can be chalked up to freak occurrences as stray pucks wound up clipping both in the ear hole. Gustavsson was also expected to be out after undergoing hip surgery this summer and led to a brilliant performance by Jesper Wallstedt. But both Foligno brothers, Spurgeon and Maatta are well over the age of 30, leading to questions about their durability in the bottom six and the blue line.
The ramifications could be seen in Thursday’s lineup. Rieger Lorenz filled in as a gritty substitute, but he also was elevated to the third line in the wake of the injuries. AHL journeyman Tyler Pitlick was also called up due to injury and the blue line has been flipped upside down with Zach Bogosian playing second-line minutes on what was supposed to be a Silver Stick tour as he chases his 1,000th career game.
Because this isn’t video game hockey where no one gets hurt, there’s no guarantee that the pain will end. The issues could get worse if another Wild star takes a hit like Kaprizov did on Thursday or the Wild go all-in to finally acquire Dylan Larkin from the Detroit Red Wings, which could require removing talent from the lineup including Danila Yurov, Ryan Hartman or other NHL-ready pieces on the roster.
Wild can’t afford another injury after Kirill Kaprizov’s scare
The good news is that with the exception of Faber, all should be back in a relatively reasonable timeframe. The Wild are hoping that Gustavsson can return sometime in November and Nick and Marcus Foligno both started skating in advance of a return to the lineup, per Russo.
Faber also had his surgical stitches removed but he still has no on-ice activity as part of his recovery and will have a follow up appointment next week to determine his next steps.
It’s also better for it to happen at the beginning of the year than at the end of the year. But at this rate, Hughes could get taken away by actual ghosts as the injury bug bites down on this team.
Kaprizov’s scare, assuming he’s ready to go for the Wild’s game against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday, is another reminder of how things could fall apart and how Minnesota could be looking for additional depth as the season goes along. But for now, Minnesota must weather the storm and hope that reinforcements are coming soon.
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