The Wild have been slumping lately with four straight losses, dropping them to the second Wild Card spot in the West. However, there could be some help on the horizon soon as Michael Russo of The Athletic reports (subscription link) that the hope is that winger Kirill Kaprizov could be available to return to the lineup on Wednesday against San Jose. The 27-year-old has missed more than two months with a lower-body injury, one that caused him to miss time earlier in the season as well. Kaprizov has been one of the top players in the league when healthy as his 1.41 points per game average ranks fifth in the league. Unfortunately for him and Minnesota, he has only played in 37 games although that number may be going up soon.
More from the Central:
- While Blues defenseman Colton Parayko has resumed skating, head coach Jim Montgomery indicated to reporters, including Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic (Twitter link), that he’s not comfortable about putting him into the lineup just yet. The 31-year-old is trying to return earlier than expected from a knee injury but Montgomery acknowledged that there were a couple of instances in practice that showed he’s not ready to return yet. Still, it would appear that Parayko is getting close to coming back which would be a big boost to their back end with him being their number one blueliner.
- It appears that Jets winger Nikolaj Ehlers has avoided serious injury after blocking two shots off his foot on Thursday as Paul Friesen of the Winnipeg Sun relays that Ehlers is listed as day-to-day and could play tonight against Utah. In the final year of his contract leading to UFA eligibility for the first time this summer, Ehlers is one point shy of his career-high in points and has 24 goals and 39 assists through 67 games this season. With Winnipeg slipping a bit and Dallas on a run, they’ll need Ehlers back quickly to help them try to hold onto top spot in the division.
- The Predators have returned winger Ozzy Wiesblatt to AHL Milwaukee, per a team announcement. The 23-year-old was recalled on Thursday and got into his fifth game of the season that night, recording five hits in a little over 11 minutes of ice time. Wiesblatt will now return to the Admirals where he has 37 points in 61 games, good for third on the team in scoring.