The Minnesota Wild have turned to Carson Lambos again, recalling the defenseman from the Iowa Wild as Jared Spurgeon lands back on the shelf.
Lambos is back on the NHL roster just a week after being sent down. He was reassigned to clear room when Spurgeon came off injured reserve after missing four games with an injury. At the time, Minnesota was carrying a full 23-man roster, so Lambos had to go down to make the move work.
Now the situation has flipped. Michael Russo of The Athletic reported that Spurgeon is once again week-to-week, which opened the door for Lambos to return. One roster move out, one roster move back in - the timing has lined up almost exactly with Spurgeon’s status.
For Lambos, this is another step in a slow climb. The 23-year-old left-shot defenseman was taken in the first round, No. 26 overall, in the 2021 draft, with the expectation that he could grow into a potential top-four NHL blueliner. That ceiling has been tempered over time, but he’s still worked his way into the conversation as an option for Minnesota.
Scott Wheeler of The Athletic had Lambos ranked No. 4 in the Wild’s prospect system in 2022, calling him a defenseman with “projectable second-pairing upside.” By 2025, Wheeler had him down to No. 13 in the organization, writing that Lambos “doesn’t profile as a prospect like he did in his early days in the WHL anymore,” though he still has “the chance to play some games” in the NHL.
Lambos already got his first taste of that level in December 2025, when he made his NHL debut and logged 10:16 of ice time in a 5-2 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets. Since then, he hasn’t appeared again in the league, instead handling a steady shutdown role for Iowa.
This recall gives him another shot, and it sets him up for his 2026-27 NHL debut if he gets into the lineup. If that happens, the most likely setup would have Lambos on Minnesota’s third pair on the left side with veteran Zach Bogosian. That spot is currently held by 28-year-old depth defender Matt Kiersted, and Lambos should have a chance to challenge for those minutes.
In Other News...
Wild Face An Islanders Lineup Still Searching For Answers
Injuries have forced the Islanders back into a more familiar structure as they get ready to face the Wild, with Peter DeBoer opting for a traditional 12 forwards and six defensemen after recent absences along the lineup. The shakeup comes amid missing pieces up front and on defense, leaving New York to piece together a group that has not had much time to settle.
Kyle MacLean is back in the mix as the Islanders try to steady themselves after a recent loss, while Ilya Sorokin is set to handle the start in goal. The changes give New York a chance to reset, but they also underscore how much the roster is still searching for answers as it comes into Minnesota shorthanded and trying to stop the slide. [Read more 🡒]
Leafs Trade Talk Just Took A More Serious Turn
The trade market around the league is starting to move from speculation to something much more real, and Minnesota has at least one name worth monitoring. While the Wild are weighing what to do next with Quinn Hughes and the ripple effects of his uncertain contract situation, the broader picture has become more fluid, with Toronto insisting no player is fully off limits and Vancouver exploring changes that could put more veterans in play.
The most striking development is in Detroit, where the captains status has added urgency to conversations that were already heating up. For Minnesota, that matters because the club is always watching for a chance to address its blue line or make a bigger swing if the right deal opens up, and the latest chatter suggests the market may be headed toward exactly that kind of moment. [Read more 🡒]
Senators Roster Shift Just Got More Complicated At The Worst Time
The Wild added another defensive piece to the organizational mix by claiming Cameron Crotty off waivers from Ottawa, a move that came as the Senators were trying to navigate a roster shuffle of their own. Ottawa had put Crotty on waivers Wednesday, and Minnesota stepped in to grab the blueliner as the Senators continue to sort through the ripple effects of a changing lineup.
For Ottawa, the timing is hardly ideal. Warren Foegele is headed to the sidelines for an extended stretch after a knee-on-knee hit against Vegas, while the club is also preparing to welcome Thomas Chabot back into the lineup against the Los Angeles Kings and finally get its full defensive group together. Even with that good news, the loss of Foegele leaves another hole to manage, and it underscores how quickly one roster move can complicate the next. [Read more 🡒]