With teams heading into the bubble this weekend, final cuts to get to the 31-player maximum will soon be on the horizon. The Wild decided not to wait until the last minute to make their roster trims as they announced (Twitter link) that wingers Sam Anas and J.T. Brown plus defenseman Calen Addison are no longer participating in camp and their roster now sits at 31 players.
Brown is the most recognizable player on the list as he has 365 games of NHL experience over parts of seven seasons although this season was the first one since 2012-13 that he didn’t see any action at the top level. Instead, the veteran played exclusively with AHL Iowa, collecting nine goals and 13 assists in 62 games.
Anas, meanwhile, was much more productive with Iowa. He had 20 goals and 50 assists in 63 games which made him the team leader in scoring but also the AHL’s leader in assists and points. Despite that, the 27-year-old didn’t get an opportunity with Minnesota during the regular season and won’t get a chance to boost his stock heading into October’s free agent market.
As for Addison, he was part of the midseason trade that saw Jason Zucker head to Pittsburgh. The 20-year-old spent this season in junior with WHL Lethbridge, averaging just over a point per game in the process. He was more of a longshot to see action this postseason but this camp gave him a chance work with the Wild’s coaching staff for the first time which should help his development.