The Minnesota Wild’s week opened with a little roster housekeeping, and it came right as the club’s injury picture started to brighten.
Minnesota, sitting at 12-3-4 and first in the Central Division, got both Marcus Foligno and Nick Foligno back from injured reserve over the weekend. Both played in the Wild’s 4-3 overtime loss to Tampa Bay, and Michael McCarron also practiced Monday after missing Saturday’s game.
That set up a crowded forward group, and Joe Smith of The Athletic reported Monday that McCarron could be available Tuesday when the Wild skate in Montreal. If that happens, Smith wrote, it would create “a tough lineup decision coming up front” for John Hynes and Bill Guerin.
The answer arrived quickly. Less than an hour later, Minnesota announced that defenseman Cameron Crotty and forward Tyler Pitlick had been placed on waivers.
Neither player had been claimed or assigned as of the announcement, but the waiver window still leaves the door open for the other 31 NHL teams to make a move. As Michael Russo noted on X, the Senators could claim Crotty and send him to the minors, since Minnesota originally landed him via waiver claim from Ottawa on Oct. 29.
Crotty’s time with the Wild has been brief. Minnesota picked him up the same day it learned Jared Spurgeon would be out longer than expected, and the 27-year-old Ottawa native has not appeared in a game for the Wild since the claim.
His three games this season all came with Ottawa, where he did not record a point. One of his 11 career NHL games came in a Minnesota uniform during the 2024-25 season.
Crotty carries an $812,500 cap hit on a contract that runs through 2026-27, with a $300,000 salary in the minors, according to PuckPedia. If another team claims him, Minnesota would be off the hook for the salary obligations after the claim.
Pitlick’s situation is more about numbers than anything else. The Minneapolis native was recalled from Iowa on Oct. 12 when Marcus Foligno went on injured reserve, and he has played 12 games for the Wild this season without a goal or an assist while averaging 7:39 of ice time. He was a healthy scratch Saturday against Tampa Bay, and with both Folignos back plus McCarron possibly returning, there simply isn’t room for him on the roster.
Pitlick has appeared in 464 career NHL games and is in the first season of a two-year deal with an $812,500 cap hit that expires after this season. If either player clears waivers after 24 hours, Iowa is the likely next stop.
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