He isn’t injured, but the Minnesota Wild have placed goalie Josh Harding on injured reserve, the team announced Wednesday.
“Over the next week, Josh will make a minor adjustment to his treatment protocol,” Wild General Manager Chuck Fletcher said in a statement. “Josh feels great and he looks forward to rejoining our team for our game in Winnipeg on Dec. 27.”
Harding was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis before the start of the 2012 season.
The Star Tribune reported that Harding has to sit out one-week. If that’s all the time he misses, he’ll be miss the Wild’s trip out east to play the Penguins, Rangers and Flyers.
As Pro Hockey Talk points out, Harding leads the NHL in goals-against average (1.51), is tied for first in shutouts (3), second in save percentage (.939) and is tied for second in wins (18).
Niklas Backstrom will take over the No. 1 goaltender duties in Harding’s absence. He is 2-5-2 this season with a 2.93 goals-against average.
The Wild recalled Johan Gustafsson from the Iowa Wild to serve as the backup goalie.
