The injury-thinned Minnesota Wild could use a boost in their push to return to the playoffs, with their margin for making it slimmed down following a strong start.
With the NHL trade deadline approaching this Friday, the Wild more than likely will have to find that spark from within.
The salary cap constraints they've endured since the twin buyouts of former cornerstones Zach Parise and Ryan Suter nearly four years ago will lessen considerably this summer, but not before they must try to fend off their Western Conference competitors down the stretch while superstar Kirill Kaprizov and stalwart center Joel Eriksson Ek work their way back from lower-body injuries.
General manager Bill Guerin, in an interview session with reporters before Minnesota's 1-0 win over Boston on Sunday, reiterated that Kaprizov and Eriksson Ek are expected to return at some point before the conclusion of the regular season. The same goes for defenseman Jonas Brodin, who was also sidelined on Sunday by a lower-body injury and will probably miss at least a week.
That's good news for the postseason outlook, but that also means the Wild can't bank on any salary cap savings from keeping any of them on long-term injured reserve. Which likely makes the reacquisition of veteran forward Gustav Nyquist on Saturday in a trade with Nashville the extent of the enhancement for a team that reached the midpoint of the schedule at 26-11-4 but has gone just 9-11 since.
“We kind of have to take it day by day. What it is today doesn’t mean it’s going to be the exact same five or six days from now,” Guerin said. “I’m not kicking my feet up and just taking a break. We’re going to proceed business as usual and see what’s out there.”
Wild players were off Monday before traveling to play at Seattle on Tuesday, when suspended forward Ryan Hartman returns. The team with the best road record in the league (21-9-3) then plays at Vancouver on Friday, a few hours after the trade deadline passes, before returning to Minnesota for a season-long seven-game homestand. With 21 games remaining, the Wild are in third place in the Central Division, but Colorado is just two points back in the first wild-card spot. They are currently nine points above the cut for the Western Conference playoffs, a healthy but uncomfortable position with more than a month left on the schedule.
Guerin was asked why he believes the current roster can keep the playoff bid afloat until Brodin, Eriksson Ek and Kaprizov are back.
“Because of what I’ve seen this year. When we play the way we are capable, when we do the right things, when we’re focused and execute well, then we can not just play with anybody, we can beat anybody,” Guerin said. "I think it’s up to the guys in that locker room. They have a responsibility to be on task every night, to play the way that they’re capable of playing, and buy time for the guys to get back.”
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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/NHL
Dave Campbell, The Associated Press
