The Minnesota Wild have assigned goaltender Darcy Kuemper to the Iowa Wild of the American Hockey League on a conditioning assignment.
Kuemper, 24, is 13-12-2 with a 2.62 goals-against average and a .904 save percentage this season. He returned to stop all 14 shots he faced in his relief appearance against Detroit last week, after missing the previous seven games because of a lower-body injury.
The Wild will have recently-acquired Devyn Dubnyk and Niklas Backstrom available when they return from the All-Star break on Tuesday night at Edmonton.
There is no word on how long Kuemper’s conditioning assignment will last, but the team doesn’t have to rush him back up to the NHL.
Kuemper can be in Iowa up to 2 weeks #mnwild
— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) January 26, 2015
Kuemper started the season with back-to-back shutouts for the Wild, but he had struggled for a stretch prior to the injury. With Kuemper out, and Backstrom’s inconsistent play in net continuing, the Wild made a trade with Arizona to acquire Dubnyk.
Minnesota sent the Coyotes a third-round pick in exchange for Dubnyk. Through four games, he has been a mixed bag for Minnesota posting a 2-1 record with a 2.34 goals against average and an .896 save percentage.
According to Pro Hockey Talk, the Wild are attempting to give Dubnyk a chance to lock up the starting spot during Kuemper’s assignment. If he’s unable to do that before Kuemper returns, Minnesota’s goaltending situation will be that much more complicated.
Kuemper’s conditioning stint isn’t the only Wild injury news on Monday.
- Russo notes the Wild are also expecting Mikael Granlund, who has missed the last month after wrist surgery, to return for Tuesday’s game in Edmonton.
- And According to FOX Sports Net, the Wild have also recalled defenseman Stu Bickel from Iowa.
