The injury bug just won’t let up in Minnesota.
Already skating short-handed, the Wild are now down yet another key contributor, as veteran forward Marcus Johansson didn’t make the trip with the team for their current three-game road swing. The 35-year-old is dealing with a lower-body injury, and his absence only deepens the lineup hole Minnesota’s been trying to patch.
Johansson has quietly been putting together one of his most productive seasons in recent memory. With 13 goals and 21 assists through 46 games, he’s already matched his point total from all of last season - and he’s done it in 26 fewer games.
That kind of bounce-back production has been a bright spot for a Wild team that’s battled inconsistency and injuries all year. But now, with Johansson sidelined, Minnesota is officially without its entire second line for this road trip - a blow to both their depth and offensive rhythm.
And the hits keep coming.
Matt Boldy, the team’s leading goal scorer with 27 tallies, was recently placed on injured reserve with what head coach John Hynes described as a nagging issue. The good news?
It doesn’t sound like a long-term concern. Hynes expects Boldy to miss only a week or two, which would keep him on track to suit up for Team USA in the upcoming Olympics.
Boldy’s been electric this season, sitting just one point behind Kirill Kaprizov for the team lead in points. His absence is significant, but with a short timeline for recovery, the Wild are hopeful he’ll be back in the fold soon.
Meanwhile, over in Philadelphia, the Flyers will be without defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen for at least the next four games. He’s been ruled out through the team’s upcoming road trip due to an upper-body injury that’s already cost him the last two games.
It’s been a frustrating season for Ristolainen, who’s suited up just 13 times so far. When he’s in the lineup, he’s logging close to 21 minutes a night - a solid workload - but his lack of availability is a concern, especially with the Flyers reportedly open to exploring trade options involving the veteran blueliner.
And in Pittsburgh, things took an unfortunate turn for defenseman Caleb Jones. Earlier this week, the Penguins sent Jones down to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on a conditioning assignment to get him some reps.
But in his very first game, he suffered an upper-body injury and was sidelined again. There’s no update yet on the severity, but with Jones still technically on the Penguins’ active roster while on assignment, the team may need to recall him and place him on injured reserve if his recovery takes longer than expected.
Injuries are part of the grind, especially as the season wears on, but for teams like Minnesota, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh, the timing and the names involved are tough pills to swallow. As playoff races start to take shape and Olympic rosters get finalized, staying healthy might be just as important as anything happening on the ice.