Minnesota Wild News

Spurgeon has yet to appear in any of the Wilds' first six games this season due to an upper-body injury and has been placed on the long-term injured reserve Wednesday. The 33-year-old Wild Captain is a massive loss for Minnesota after he put up 11 goals, 34 points, and a +32 plus/minus in 79 games in 2022-23. There is still no expected timetable for his return but he was back on the ice for the first time since October 5th this week at practice.

After a remarkable 41-save shutout in his season-opening performance, Gustavsson has struggled to find his footing. In three games (1-1-1), Gustavsson has struggled to keep the puck out of his net, posting a 3.93 GAA and .906 SV%. He will look to return to form on Tuesday as the Wild host a McDavid-less Edmonton Oilers team. The Oilers have struggled to score this season, averaging only 2.60 goals per game, and will be hard-pressed to find offence tonight without their captain.

McCarron has yet to appear in any of the Predators' first four games but will make his season debut Thursday vs. the New York Rangers. The 28-year-old towering forward had two goals, two assists, 24 PIMs, 39 SOG and a -3 plus/minus in 2022-23. McCarron will replace Philip Tomasino on Nashville's fourth line alongside Yakov Trenin and Colton Sissons.

Brink was a healthy scratch for the Flyers' previous contest but will draw back into the lineup Tuesday vs. Vancouver. The 22-year right-winger had a strong season debut in his only contest of 2023-24, picking up two SOG and a +1 plus/minus in 17 shifts and 13:16 TOI. He steps into the lineup as Morgan Frost is a surprising healthy scratch Tuesday.

Boldy was off to a strong start in his third NHL season, scoring two points (1G / 1A) in two games, before suffering an upper-body injury on Saturday. Boldy is listed as week-to-week and will be a huge loss to Minnesota's offensive capabilities. Last season, Boldy recorded career-highs in goals and assists, scoring 63 points (31G / 32A) in 81 games. Marco Rossi could be a candidate to see increased offensive deployment to try and offset the loss from Boldy's absence.

Maatta was a healthy scratch in the Red Wings' season-opening loss in New Jersey. With Robby Fabbri day-to-day with an injury, Maatta will suit up as the Red Wings' No.7 defenseman. He had 23 points (6G / 17A) in 78 games a season ago.

Gustavsson stopped all 41 shots that he faced in a shutout win over the Panthers on Thursday. Gustavsson picked up right where he left off in 2023. In his last 19 regular season starts, Gustavsson is 12-1-6 with a 1.83 GAA, .943 SV% and three shutouts. As good as he's been, he draws a tough matchup in Toronto on Saturday. He stopped 22 of 24 shots in a 2-1 OT loss in his only start vs. the Maple Leafs last year.

Brink cracked the Flyers' opening night lineup and skated on the top line and top power-play unit, recording two shots in 13:16 TOI. Today, he will be replaced by fellow prospect Tyson Foerster. This is a rotation that could continue for a couple of games.

Maatta appeared in 78 games for the Red Wings in 2022-23 picking up six goals, 17 assists and a -9 plus/minus but will be a healthy scratch for their season opener Thursday vs. New Jersey. The 29-year-old signed a two-year, $6 million contract extension in February but was the odd man out for newly signed Justin Holl Thursday. He should find himself in Detroits' lineup more often than not.

Expectations are high this season for the 25-year-old Gustavsson, who made his presence known in his first season with the Wild, posting a 2.10 GAA and .931 SV% in 39 games (22-9-7) en route to eventually capturing the starting role from veteran Marc-Andre Fleury. As the confirmed starting goalie in Minnesota's season-opener, Gustavsson appears poised to pick up where he left off and should see an even larger role between the pipes this season. The Wild enter action tonight as -130 home favourites against the Florida Panthers, who will be without their top two defensemen, Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour.

Bogosian cleared waivers on Tuesday but has been recalled from Syracuse (AHL) on Wednesday. The 33-year-old defenseman missed the Lightnings' season-opening win over Nashville but will mark his 16th NHL season when he makes his first appearance for Tampa. He had a goal, four assists, 54 SOG, 42 PIMs and a -4 plus/minus through 46 games played with the Lightning in 2022-23.

Hartman is coming off a 37-point (15G / 22A), 59-game campaign, in which he predominantly centred a line between Kiril Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello. The nine-year veteran is expected to reassume his role as the top-line center for the Wild.

Spurgeon is expected to be out week-to-week as he deals with an upper-body injury and his presence will be greatly missed on Minnesota's back end. Last season, he led all Wild defensemen with 34 points (11G / 23A) and was second in time on ice, averaging 21:49 per game. With Spurgeon out, Alex Goligoski will likely become a regular in the lineup and Jonas Brodin and Brock Faber will be thrust into larger roles.

Foligno had seven goals, 14 assists, 97 PIMs, 83 SOG, and a -6 plus/minus in 2022-23 and signed a four-year, $16 million extension with Minnesota on Friday. The 32-year-old is entering his seventh season in Minnesota and has 116 goals and 272 points across 12 NHL seasons and 743 games played. He should have a key-role in the Wilds' bottom six yet again this season.

Schmidt was Tampa Bay's 2021 third-round pick (96th overall) and was expected to report to Syracuse (AHL) for his first professional season but is now not expected to be ready for the start of the 2023-24 season and is out indefinitely as he deals with an undisclosed injury. The 20-year-old defensemen had four goals, 24 assists, 74 PIMs and a +6 plus/minus through 64 games played with Kitchener in 2022-23.