Kirill Kaprizov was back in the Minnesota Wild lineup Sunday night, but the injury picture around the team still looked plenty messy.
The Wild hosted the Columbus Blue Jackets at Grand Casino Arena with Kaprizov available after he missed Saturday’s practice because of an illness. Beyond that, the team got little help on the health front. Captain Jared Spurgeon was placed on injured reserve, and the rest of the updates came from John Hynes’ pregame media session.
The biggest one involved Filip Gustavsson, and it did not sound encouraging.
Gustavsson has begun getting back on the ice after offseason hip surgery, but Hynes made clear the Swedish goalie is nowhere near a return. Jesper Wallstedt started again Sunday against Columbus, and it sounds like that will continue for a while.
“quite a ways” out from the active roster, Hynes said Sunday, adding, “I don’t think less than a month,”
Gustavsson, who had surgery after last season’s playoffs to deal with a lingering hip issue, was placed on long-term injured reserve Oct. 9. If that timetable holds, his season debut would come no earlier than mid-November.
Last season, the 55th overall pick went 28-15-6 with a 2.69 goals-against average, a .904 save percentage and four shutouts in 50 games. He also appeared in one playoff game, and that outing did not go well.
For now, Wallstedt has the crease, and he’s earned it. The 23-year-old entered Sunday at 5-1-1 with a 2.13 GAA and .921 save percentage through seven appearances. He was also the better goalie a year ago, finishing with a 2.16 GAA and .916 save percentage.
Calvin Pickard will remain Wallstedt’s backup at least until Gustavsson is ready, according to Michael Russo of The Athletic. Pickard, who spent the previous two seasons with the Edmonton Oilers, has played one game for Minnesota this season.
That outing went poorly. Pickard gave up five goals on 25 shots against the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday, Minnesota’s only regulation loss so far.
To cover their bases, the Wild recalled Hunter Haight and Carson Lambos from Iowa on Sunday. With Kaprizov able to play, neither dressed. He also looked fine on a second-period goal, at least judging by the finish.
More injury news is ahead with Minnesota set to hit the road. Hynes said Nick Foligno, Marcus Foligno and Olli Maatta are unlikely to travel for the start of the Wild’s five-game trip, which opens Tuesday in Edmonton.
Jared Spurgeon or Nico Sturm, though, will be ready to go.
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What makes Kaprizovs opening stretch stand out is not just the production, but the pace of it. He reached 10 regular-season goals in a hurry, a mark that has him sitting alone at the top of the league in that category this season and giving Wild fans a reason to believe this hot start might be something more than a brief burst. [Read more 🡒]
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The Wild are already working through a stretch where the lineup keeps changing, and Jared Spurgeons move to injured reserve only adds to the churn on the blue line. Up front, several forwards are still out, and the club is trying to keep its footing while waiting for pieces to trickle back into the mix.
There is at least some movement on the recovery front, though not the kind that changes the outlook immediately. Filip Gustavsson has started skating on his own, which is a small step in the right direction, but he is still about a month away from returning, leaving Minnesota to manage the crease and the rest of the roster with patience still very much required. [Read more 🡒]