The Wild have finalized their opening night roster in preparation for their season opener against the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday.
Minnesota will carry 13 forwards, seven defensemen and two goaltenders.
Here’s what the lines looked like in practice on Wednesday, according to Dane Mitzutani of the Pioneer Press – it will likely be the lineup they’ll roll out against Detroit.
- Nino Niederrieter – Eric Staal – Charlie Coyle
- Jason Zucker – Mikko Koivu – Mikael Granlund
- Marcus Foligno – Joel Erikkson Ek – Chris Stewart
- Daniel Winnik – Matt Cullen – Tyler Ennis
Meanwhile, the Wild’s top four defensemen are some of the best of the league and it’s likely that Kyle Quincy and Mike Reilly will round out the final pair.
- Ryan Suter – Jared Spurgeon
- Jonas Brodin – Matt Dumba
- Kyle Quincy – Mike Reilly
The lone healthy scratch will probably be defenseman Gustav Olofsson.
Zach Parise will be out of the lineup for (at least) the first two games, but he’s on the active roster. Which means if the Wild suffer a short-term injury to an offensive player, they don’t have an extra forward at their disposal.
Related: The Wild’s salary cap is preventing them from calling up top prospects.
Devan Dubnyk will start between the pipes with Alex Stalock backing him up.
Minnesota opens the 2017-18 regular season with a three-game road trip, with stops in Detroit, Carolina and Chicago; the team’s home opener is Oct. 14 against Columbus.
