The Wild have assigned defenseman Daemon Hunt and forward Jujhar Khaira to AHL Iowa after recalling both last week, a team release states.
Hunt and Khaira were called up to the NHL roster before last week’s road trip thanks to injuries affecting all positions. Hunt was a precautionary recall to have an extra defenseman around on the road trip, something that ended up paying dividends as he appeared in his first two NHL games, averaging a minute 4:52 per game. Khaira, 29, made just one appearance in lieu of injured forward Frédérick Gaudreau, logging 8:05.
The Wild, coming off a 4-3 loss to the Devils yesterday, do not play again until Thursday. The move allows the Wild to bank some cap space by staying out of LTIR and remaining cap-compliant. Both players could very well stay in the minors if one or both of Gaudreau and Matt Boldy are ready to return from their respective injuries later in the week.
While Hunt will not require waivers to return to AHL Iowa this season, Khaira will require waivers after he plays in ten NHL games and remains on the NHL roster for 30 days after clearing waivers preseason. Papering him down even if he requires an eventual recall does carry added benefit in that department.