John Hynes’ task of returning the Wild to playoff contention keeps getting tougher.
The Athletic’s Joe Smith reported star winger Kirill Kaprizov is “week to week.” Kaprizov is recovering from an upper-body injury he suffered in Saturday’s loss to the Jets. The 26-year-old winger’s return depends on how he responds to treatment, according to Smith.
John Hynes said Kirill Kaprizov could return before Gustavsson. Both week to week. It’s all about how Kaprizov responds to treatment. Gustavsson is having an MRI. Wallstedt could return as early as this weekend with @IAWild. #mnwild
— Joe Smith (@JoeSmithNHL) January 2, 2024
Kaprizov is just another in a very long list of injuries that have plagued the Wild this season. The team placed goaltender Filip Gustavsson on injured reserve Monday due to a lower-body injury he suffered in Saturday’s loss.
While Gustavsson hits IR, Marcus Foligno remains a game-time decision for Tuesday night’s game against Calgary. Mats Zuccarello is still week to week with an upper-body injury.
Minnesota placed forward Vinni Lettieri on injured reserve with a lower-body injury. Lettieri moving to IR allows the club to call up Sammy Walker to help with the team’s shortage of forwards.
On top of the recent additions to the team’s injured reserve list, Minnesota’s top two defenseman, Jared Spurgeon and Jonas Brodin, have each spent time on injured reserve this season.
Despite the myriad of injury woes, the Wild are 7-3-0 in their last 10 games and now sit just four points out of a wild-card spot in the West.
