Devan Dubnyk won’t be heading with the Wild on their trip to Arizona and San Jose.
“We’re going to leave him behind. He won’t come with us,” head coach Mike Yeo told reporters after Thursday’s practice.
Dubnyk staying behind means Darcy Kuemper will likely make a couple more starts in net for the Wild. Dubnyk left Saturday night’s game with a strained groin; he also missed Monday’s game at Colorado and practice on Tuesday.
“He was on the ice this morning and wasn’t quite feeling 100 percent, so there’s really no point in rushing things here and taking a risk on injuring things worse. He’s getting closer and we’ll just leave him behind,” Yeo added.
The plan is to play Kuemper against Phoenix on Friday, with officials plans for Saturday in San Jose yet to be determined.
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The Star Tribune’s Michael Russo notes the injury will also allow Dubnyk to spend some extra time with his new son, Parker, who was born Wednesday.
“There’s never a convenient time for an injury,” Dubnyk told the newspaper. “But yeah, I guess. It’s important to be around. It was tough leaving the hospital each time and saying bye, so I’m happy to go spend some time with them.”
Dubnyk, traded by Phoenix to Minnesota last season, has beaten his former team twice since patrolling the Wild’s goal. But Kuemper also blanked Arizona in his only start against them last season.
With Kuemper on the ice, Niklas Backstrom will be in uniform as the backup.
