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Wild Place Zach Bogosian On Injured Reserve

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The Wild announced they’ve placed defenseman Zach Bogosian on injured reserve, retroactive to Oct. 17. His roster spot will go to forward Hunter Haight, who’s been recalled from AHL Iowa in the corresponding move.

It isn’t a meaningful update to Bogosian’s status. He remains day-to-day with a lower-body injury he sustained while blocking a shot against the Capitals last Friday. He’s already missed two games, and the IR placement means he’ll miss one more, tomorrow against the Devils, until he’s eligible for activation prior to Saturday’s game at home against the Mammoth. David Jiříček was brought up in his place over the weekend and directly replaced the fellow righty in third-pairing duties alongside Jacob Middleton. He hasn’t been particularly noticeable, recording a minus-one rating, one shot on goal, and no blocks or hits.

The 35-year-old Bogosian hopes his absence doesn’t stretch out much longer than one more game. He’s been surprisingly effective to begin the season, posting a plus-three rating in five appearances with nine blocks and six hits. The 18-year veteran has positive possession impacts at even strength, including a 56.4 xGF%, churning out a stable defensive presence in his limited minutes (13:53 per game). Jiříček, while more offensively gifted, hasn’t been able to deliver that physicality or defensive play. For a team struggling to produce offense at even strength, scoring just eight goals at 5-on-5 through seven games, getting a positive possession player like Bogosian back in the lineup will be a help, even if just a marginal one.

Haight comes up to give Minnesota some extra forward depth while fellow pivot Marco Rossi nurses a short-term injury. Rossi already missed yesterday’s win over the Rangers with an undisclosed injury, and Haight’s summons indicates he likely won’t be available tomorrow, either. Haight, 21, made the Wild’s opening roster submission and made his NHL debut in their first two games of the season, posting a minus-two rating and a 43.8 FO% while averaging 9:22 per game. The 2022 second-rounder understandably won’t get much development with that kind of usage and performance and was promptly sent to the minors. As such, his recall isn’t expected to be a lengthy one. He’s also struggled to begin the year in Iowa, going pointless with a minus-three rating through a pair of games.

Marco Rossi, Zach Bogosian Out For The Wild

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The Minnesota Wild will be without forward Marco Rossi and defenseman Zach Bogosian in Monday night’s game against the New York Rangers, head coach John Hynes told Peter Baugh of The Athletic. Both players suffered lower-body injuries as the result of blocked shots – Bogosian sustaining his on Friday, and Rossi getting hurt on Saturday.

This news will bring an end to Rossi’s team-leading iron-man streak. He has played in a consecutive 173 games, dating back to April 2023. That tally is the 30th-longest streak in the NHL, and the fourth-longest among players 24 or younger. With Rossi’s streak ending, Minnesota’s new team-leader will be Matt Boldy, who has played in 161 consecutive games – 33rd-most in the league and sixth among U24 players.

More than ending a team-leading streak, Minnesota will be losing one of their top forwards with Rossi’s absence. He has served as the team’s top-line center between star wingers Boldy and Kirill Kaprizov. That trio is one of only two Wild lines to score multiple even-strength goals this season – though they’ve still been outscored by opponents two-to-three, despite winning the expected-goals race with 2.1-to-1.7. Rossi himself has scored five points in six games, putting him on pace to exceed the career-high 60 points he potted in 82 games last year.

Joel Eriksson Ek will move to the top-line in Rossi’s place, while Ben Jones steps into a fourth-line center role. This swap will also promote rookie Danila Yurov into the top-nine, providing a stronger platform for him to find his first career point after going scoreless in his first four NHL games.

Minnesota will also lose the reliable Bogosian, who has served as a stout veteran presence on the team’s bottom-pair for the last three seasons. His ice time has dwindled every year in Minnesota, falling to just 14 minutes on average through five games this season. He’s posted a plus-three in the muted role, but otherwise has yet to manage any notable stat changes this season. David Jiříček will stick in the lineup in Bogosian’s absence. Jiříček recorded one shot on goal in a relief role on Saturday. It was his second NHL game of the season.

Wild Recall David Jiricek And Tyler Pitlick, Assign Liam Ohgren To AHL

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The Wild have made a trio of roster moves heading into their game tonight against the Flyers.  The team announced that they’ve recalled defenseman David Jiricek and winger Tyler Pitlick from AHL Iowa while assigning winger Liam Ohgren to Iowa.

Jiricek has been up for most of the season but has played just once, resulting in his assignment to the minors yesterday.  He suited up for Iowa last night, making him eligible to be recalled as he has fulfilled the one-game requirement, part of the new rules brought into play this season to try to cut down on paper transactions.

Jiricek hasn’t had a lot of success at the NHL level since Columbus drafted him sixth overall in 2022.  He has played in just 60 games at the top level since then, 43 of which came in 2023-24; since then, he has been more of an AHL player, even after Minnesota dealt four draft picks and Daemon Hunt to acquire him last season.

Pitlick, meanwhile, is in his first season with Minnesota after signing a two-year, two-way deal with them on the opening day of free agency back in July.  He’s off to a good start in Iowa with two goals through three games and has 420 career NHL appearances over parts of ten seasons with eight different franchises.  His best showing came back in 2017-18 with Dallas when he had 14 goals and 13 assists in 80 games.

As for Ohgren, while he has played in all five games so far, playing time has been rather limited as he’s averaging just 9:10 per game while failing to record a point.  Given that he’s still just 21 and waiver-exempt, it might be better for his development to play in a more prominent role with Iowa for a little while Pitlick, a 33-year-old veteran, is better suited to play a low-minute role on the fourth line.  Ohgren had 37 points in 41 games with Iowa last season.

Wild Acquire Oskar Olausson

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The Wild announced a trade sending defenseman Kyle Masters to the Sharks for winger Oskar Olausson. Both players were previously in the minors and will now report to their new clubs’ affiliates.

Olausson’s stay in the San Jose organization was a very brief one. The Swedish winger, who turns 23 next month, was a first-round pick by the Avalanche in 2021. After failing to land an NHL job with Colorado and taking a significant step back in the minors last year, the Avs traded Olausson to the Sharks in exchange for the signing rights to Daniil Gushchin. Olausson was waived and assigned to AHL San Jose out of camp, but had yet to play for the Barracuda this season, so he leaves the Bay Area without recording a single appearance in the organization.

It’s a swing on upside by the Wild and a prudent pickup for the cost. While Olausson only has four NHL games to his name, going without a point and averaging just 8:07 per game, there’s no long-term obligation in the pickup as they can non-tender him at the end of the season. At minimum, they’re adding some offensive depth to an Iowa club that hasn’t fared all too well in the past few years, which could, while unlikely, turn into an NHL piece down the line. Even though Olausson hasn’t developed as hoped so far, he’s still young enough to have a decent chance at a turnaround.

The 6’2″ Olausson looked like he was on the upswing as recently as the 2023-24 season. Injuries limited him to 39 appearances with AHL Colorado that year, but he managed an 11-9–20 scoring line after producing the same output in 63 games the year prior. That momentum didn’t continue into 2024-25, though. Olausson wasn’t even a top-10 scorer on the team last year and finished the campaign with an 11-15–26 scoring line in 61 appearances – not production you want to see from someone touted as a scoring winger.

While Minnesota could have had Olausson on the waiver wire for free a few weeks ago, that would have required keeping him on their NHL roster, something they’re not keen to do. They also don’t take on an additional contract by parting ways with Masters, a 2021 fourth-round pick who’s still at the ECHL level as he begins his third professional season. The 6’0″ righty has split the last two years between AHL and ECHL Iowa. He has a 1-5–6 scoring line with an even rating in 35 career AHL games and a 9-23–32 line in 59 ECHL games with a -7 rating.

For San Jose, giving Olausson up is a matter of creating more playing time in the AHL for the names they’ve drafted and continue to develop, like Ethan Cardwell, Cameron Lund, and Quentin Musty. Masters will now report to their ECHL affiliate in Wichita.

Wild Reassign David Jiricek

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The Wild have reassigned David Jiricek to AHL Iowa, according to a team announcement. There’s no corresponding transaction yet for the roster spot that their No. 2 prospect is vacating.

Today marks a week since opening night for the Wild, which was Jiricek’s only appearance out of the club’s first four games. That’s despite the 21-year-old having a strong showing in what was his first outing for the club since January of last season. He only saw 14 minutes of ice time and didn’t record a point, but had a +3 rating in their 5-0 win over the Blues. He won his minutes possession-wise with a 53.3 CF% at even strength.

Then, Jonas Brodin returned to the lineup after missing the first game while recovering from offseason upper-body surgery. That pushed Jiricek out of the picture, with Minnesota opting for a more veteran lineup on the right side of their defense, with Zach Bogosian slotting in behind top-four staples Brock Faber and Jared Spurgeon. It’s hard at the moment for head coach John Hynes to justify scratching Bogosian to get Jiricek another look. The 35-year-old has also done well in his limited minutes, recording a +3 rating with seven blocks and four hits in four appearances while averaging 14:19 per game. He’s trusted on the penalty kill and has yet to be on the ice for a goal against at even strength.

Minnesota wants its promising young righty playing, and that isn’t happening on the NHL roster right now. As such, they’ll take advantage of his continued waiver-exempt status and return to Iowa, where he spent most of last season after the Wild acquired him from the Blue Jackets in November. The only player Minnesota surrendered in that deal, Daemon Hunt, is now back with the organization after being claimed off waivers from Columbus and will serve as their lone healthy extra for the time being, with Jiricek down.

It’s an inauspicious sign amid a tough couple of years for the 2022 No. 6 overall pick. After the former AHL All-Star looked like he was on the verge of capturing a regular role with Columbus after making 43 appearances for them in 2023-24, he was a frequent scratch to begin last season, leading to his trade out of town. Yet even amid mounting injuries on the Wild’s blue line last year, Jiricek, included in those troubles amid a ruptured spleen, didn’t get much of a chance and only made six NHL appearances after the swap. In 27 appearances with Iowa, he only mustered seven assists and a -1 rating.

He’ll be destined for as many minutes as he can handle now in the minors as he looks to get consistent playing time and fuel some long-awaited forward progress in his development. For now, Minnesota will be operating with an open roster spot to fill as necessary if more injuries pop up.

Wild Recall Ben Jones, Reassign Hunter Haight

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The Wild announced that forward Ben Jones has been recalled from AHL Iowa. To open an active roster spot, center Hunter Haight was returned to Iowa.

Jones, 26, signed a two-year two-way deal with the Wild in the 2024 offseason. He cleared waivers at the end of last month before missing out on the opening night roster, the third time he’s passed through unscathed since signing in Minnesota. He’s presumably being recalled today to give them a more experienced option to stash in the press box. If they return him to Iowa before he plays 10 games or spends 30 days on the Wild’s roster, he won’t need waivers again.

He’s demonstrated offensive upside at the OHL and AHL levels but hasn’t converted that to NHL points. In fact, he’s yet to get on the scoresheet through 28 career appearances, 26 of them coming with the Wild in 2024-25 amid injuries to their forward group. He had a -3 rating and averaged just 8:23 per game in a fourth-line role, going 12-for-25 on draws (48.0%) and recording 11 blocks and 51 hits. While he made himself known physically, that didn’t translate into any tangible possession impacts – the Wild controlled just 39.7% of shot attempts and 46.3% of expected goals when he was on the ice at even strength.

Jones is on his third NHL organization, starting off as a seventh-round pick by the Golden Knights in their inaugural 2017 draft class. He was non-tendered in 2022 upon completing his entry-level contract and signed with the Flames, where he remained for another two years until reaching Group VI unrestricted free agency and signing with Minnesota. He’s been a legitimate top-six threat in the AHL for the past few years and is coming off one of his better offensive showings on a per-game basis, netting 13 goals and 36 points in 49 games with Iowa last season. He’s added on two assists in two AHL games to kick off 2025-26 as well.

The lack of an offensive track record in the NHL means he likely won’t see consistent deployment unless more injuries arise. Minnesota is only carrying 13 forwards, including Jones, with Nico Sturm and Mats Zuccarello on injured reserve. The Wild are understandably averse to sitting young talent in the press box for long stretches – hence Haight’s demotion – and their fourth line currently boasts two recent fourth-line picks, Liam Ohgren and Danila Yurov. That leaves right-winger Vinnie Hinostroza, who’s pointless with a -3 rating through three games, as the only spot for Jones to compete for.

As for Haight, it’s no surprise to see them move quickly to return him to Iowa after scratching him for yesterday’s win over the Kings. The 21-year-old was a late inclusion on their opening roster submission due to Sturm’s injury and drew in for Minnesota’s first two games of the year over Yurov, who was selected one round ahead of him in the 2022 draft. Haight averaged just 9:22 across his two appearances, went 7-for-16 (43.8%) on faceoffs, and recorded a -2 rating without getting on the scoresheet. He didn’t manage a single shot attempt but did record two hits. It was an unsuccessful debut for him on the whole as Minnesota was outchanced 12-4 with him on the ice at 5-on-5, per Natural Stat Trick.

Haight has three years or 158 games played remaining until he loses his waiver exemption, so he can be ferried to Iowa without risk for a while yet. The Ontario native had 20 goals and 34 points in 67 AHL games last year, his first professional season after four years in the OHL.

Brodin To Make Season Debut Tonight

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  • Wild defenseman Jonas Brodin is expected to return to the lineup tonight against Columbus, notes Michael Russo of The Athletic (Twitter link). The 32-year-old underwent surgery to repair an upper-body injury in June and didn’t suit up at all in the preseason or the season opener while recovering from it.  Brodin has long been a key shutdown defender and penalty killing anchor for Minnesota and is expected to jump right back into that role in his return.

Summer Synopsis: Minnesota Wild

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With the regular season now upon us, the bulk of the heavy lifting has been done from a roster perspective.  Most unrestricted free agents have found new homes, the arbitration period has come and gone, and the trade market has cooled.  Accordingly, it’s a good time to take a look at what each team has accomplished this offseason.  Next up is a look at Minnesota.

The Wild recovered nicely after missing the playoffs in 2023-24, making it back to the postseason in 2024-25 despite again being ravaged by injuries. The forward progress was met with a quick elimination by the Golden Knights in the first round, but increased cap space and the continued progression of their recent high-end draft picks mean more opportunities for growth in Minnesota in 2025-26.

Draft

2-52: D Theodor Hallquisth, Orebro U20 (Sweden U20)
4-102: F Adam Benak, Youngstown (USHL)
4-121: F Lirim Amidovski, North Bay (OHL)
4-123: F Carter Klippenstein, Brandon (WHL)
5-141: D Justin Kipkie, Victoria (WHL)

Minnesota made the most out of perhaps the lowest draft stock in the league this season. They were missing capital at the top and bottom of the class, but still landed a haul that should offer up unique upside. Second-round defender Hallquisth is an exciting leader of the bunch, offering up a mean and gritty style that makes him a fantastic shutdown option. But it will be hard not to get excited over 5-foot-7 playmaker Benak, who has long stood as the face of Czechia’s international youth teams. Benak is a cool, calm, and collected play-driver who slid in the draft because of his frame, but showed he can play well above it at training camp.

The trio behind Minnesota’s top picks will each offer solid depth. Amidovski was a fundamental piece in North Bay’s offense last season, offering quick reactions and minimal mistakes in all three zones. Klippenstein was a main play-driver for Brandon all year long, though his lanky frame and awkward skating didn’t result in as many goals as one may expect. Perhaps the most interesting of the bunch is defender Kipkie, whom the Arizona Coyotes previously drafted in the fifth round of the 2023 NHL Draft. He didn’t sign with Arizona (or Utah) despite staying on a steady course of improvement with the Victoria Royals. Minnesota could prove a beneficiary of Kipkie’s decision to re-enter the draft. He was a core piece of the Royals’ last season and is set for a top-four role at Arizona State University this season.

Trade Acquisitions

F Vladimir Tarasenko (from Red Wings)

The Wild shifted around draft capital ahead of draft weekend, but otherwise stayed relatively quiet on the trade market. Their only splash was the acquisition of Russian scorer Tarasenko, with nothing more than future considerations headed back to the Detroit Red Wings. It could prove a lucrative swap for Minnesota right out of the gates. Tarasenko – once a routine 30-goal scorer – managed 11 goals and 33 points in 80 games with the Red Wings last season. He’s three seasons removed from his last 30-goal campaign, but has quickly clicked with Minnesota’s other top Russians, like Kirill Kaprizov and Danila Yurov. That bond has earned Tarasenko a top-six role throughout training camp. Whether he offers a surge back to scoring or merely Cup-winning precedent, reeling in a high-usage, veteran winger for no cost will be a nice plus on Minnesota’s summer.

UFA Signings

F Nico Sturm (two-years, $4MM)
G Cal Petersen (one-year, $775K)*
D Matt Kiersted (two-years, $1.6MM)*
F Nicolas Aube-Kubel (one-year, $775K)*
D Ben Gleason (one-year, $800K)*
F Tyler Pitlick (two-years, $1.5MM)*

* denotes two-way contract

Quieter than their presence on the trade market was Minnesota’s presence on the free agent market. Their early-summer transactions did very little to make a significant impact. Their only one-way contract was awarded to former Wild centerman Sturm, who won a Stanley Cup with the Florida Panthers after a Trade Deadline move from the San Jose Sharks last season. His season was relatively quiet overall, though, marked by just 14 points in 70 games, including the postseason. It was Sturm’s second Cup win, after also supporting the Colorado Avalanche in their 2022 championship. Sturm has been a career bottom-six center. He has 92 points and 86 penalty minutes in 331 career games – and 36 points and 25 penalty minutes in 111 prior games with the Minnesota Wild.

RFA Re-Signings

F Michael Milne (one-year, $775K)*
F Marco Rossi (three-year, $15MM)
G Chase Wutzke (three-year, $2.9MM)*

Minnesota’s summer was headlined by its contract negotiations with top young center Marco Rossi. After what seemed like an endless stream of rumors – which included trade rumors and speculation around his playoff usage – the two sides compromised on a well-paying, bridge contract. The $5MM yearly price tag could quickly look like a bargain for Rossi, who had a career year with 24 goals and 60 points last season. He has played in every single Wild game dating back to the start of 2023-24, and looked well capable of supporting top-line minutes in the absence of Joel Eriksson Ek last season. Rossi is a young, former top-10 pick who appears on the cusp of a breakout. He’ll have three years to vindicate that standing, and could earn a major payday and lineup role on the other side.

Departures

F Devin Shore (signed with Sparta, Czechia)
F Frederick Gaudreau (traded to Seattle)
F Brendan Gaunce (traded to Columbus)
D Declan Chisholm (traded to Washington)
F Adam Raska (signed with Sparta, Czechia)
D Ryan O’Rourke (signed with Laval, AHL)
F Graeme Clarke (signed with Capitals)
F Luke Toporowski (signed with Hershey, AHL)
D Cameron Crotty (signed with Senators)
D Chase Priskie (signed with Sibir, KHL)
F Gustav Nyquist (signed with Jets)
D Jon Merrill (unsigned)
F Justin Brazeau (signed with Penguins)
G Marc-Andre Fleury (retired)
F Travis Boyd (signed with Maple Leafs)
G Troy Grosenick (unsigned)
F Tyler Madden (unsigned)

There’s no question the Wild lost some depth this summer. Still, despite the quantity, they didn’t lose much quality. Nyquist and Brazeau, who were acquired at the 2024-25 trade deadline, combined for three goals and nine points in 41 games down the stretch, providing little value.

Chisholm, who was traded to the Capitals before the start of free agency, is coming off a two-goal, 12-point campaign and proved to be a solid contributor, albeit in limited action. Despite the solid campaign, Minnesota boasts one of the best defensive cores in the league, supplemented by a full year of David Jiricek and Zeev Buium for the 2025-26 season. Furthermore, the team is expecting Jonas Brodin to return in the relatively near future.

Lastly, the most notable departure this past offseason was Gaudreau. Finishing fifth on the team in scoring with 19 goals and 37 points in 82 games, Gaudreau was a key middle-six center for the Wild last year. Regardless, like their other departures, the Wild have the internal depth to sustain such a loss, and a few up-and-coming prospects that could fill in.

Key Extensions

F Kirill Kaprizov (eight-year, $136MM)
G Filip Gustavsson (five-year, $34MM)

The Wild tidied up two important pieces of business on the eve of the 2025-26 season. They started with a record-breaking extension for superstar winger Kaprizov. The deal will carry a $17MM cap hit each season – an incredible burden, but a seemingly fitting one for a player as do-it-all as Kaprizov is. He’s the true motor of Minnesota’s offense when he’s at full health. He pops up in seemingly every play and creates waves of top-tier scoring chances all on his own. Kaprizov has only crossed the 100-point mark once – but he managed three-straight 40-goal seasons from 2021 to 2024, and was on pace for 50 goals and 112 points before injury cut last season in half. He’ll have one more year to prove he can be a top-tier superstar before he embarks on a long-term contract that seems sure to end with Kaprizov enshrined by the Wild.

Backstopping Kaprizov’s flashy offense for the last three seasons has been steady play from Gustavsson. He has been impressive since arriving in Minnesota, kicking off his tenure with the team with a .931 save percentage in 39 games of the 2022-23 season, good for second-best in the league. That momentum helped him win over the starter’s crease in 2023-24, and after a shaky first year, he made good on the role with a .914 Sv% in 58 games last season. Both his games played and save percentage ranked sixth in the league. Minnesota acknowledges those performances with a nicely-paying extension, though the five-year term brings up tough questions about how the team plans to deploy top goalie prospect Jesper Wallstedt.

Salary Cap Outlook

According to PuckPedia, the Wild open the 2025-26 campaign with approximately $3.545MM in cap space. This provides ample space for them to strengthen their fourth line during the trade deadline season, for a roster that has minimal gaps when healthy. Furthermore, General Manager Bill Guerin has done an excellent job locking in Minnesota’s core, with Tarasenko and Zuccarello being the only two pending unrestricted free agents of significance. Impressively, assuming no new contracts are signed, and the upper ceiling of the salary cap hits $104MM, the Wild will enter next offseason with approximately $17.156 in salary cap space even after factoring in Kaprizov’s mammoth extension.

Key Questions

How Far Will This Team Get In The Postseason? Since the 2012-13 season, Minnesota has only missed the postseason twice. Still, despite being a consistent playoff team, they haven’t reached a Western Conference Final since the 2003 Stanley Cup playoffs and have yet to see a Stanley Cup Final in their 26-year history. Their top player, Kaprizov, typically does his part in the postseason when healthy, though a few bad performances from other key contributors usually prove costly. As mentioned, Guerin has done a stellar job locking in the team’s core. Regardless, that will only mean something if the Wild can be more competitive when the hockey matters most.

Is It Time To Trade For A Top-Line Center? Outside of Kaprizov’s extension, Rossi’s contract situation played a large role in Minnesota’s offseason. He performed well last season, scoring 24 goals and 60 points in 80 games, though his disappearance in the postseason had many clamoring for his ouster. The Wild signed Rossi to a three-year, $15MM contract, walking him into his last year of restricted free agency after the 2027-28 season. If Rossi falters again, the team has an in-house candidate to take over as the center of the first line in Eriksson Ek, although his playstyle is better suited for the second forward unit. Given their projected cap space for next season, the Wild may be better served using Rossi and one of their first-round selections from the three upcoming NHL Drafts to pursue a notable center addition on the trade market to put next to Kaprizov and Matt Boldy.

Photo courtesy of Brett Holmes-Imagn Images.

Latest On Jonas Brodin

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  • Minnesota Wild defenseman Jonas Brodin remains out while he recovers from offseason upper-body surgery, though his absence may be coming to an end. Wild coach John Hynes told the media today, including the Minnesota Star Tribune’s Sarah McLellan, that Brodin’s return is “imminent.” Brodin is a veteran top-four blueliner who has battled persistent injury issues over the last few years. Last season, he was limited to just 50 games, and he has not reached the 70-game threshold since 2021-22.

Wild’s Nico Sturm To Miss 6-8 Weeks, Back Surgery Likely

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Nico Sturm suffered a back injury early in training camp, and the Wild center landed on injured reserve on Tuesday. After being noncommittal about his return timeline, head coach John Hynes said today that Sturm is expected to miss the first six to eight weeks of the season and will likely need surgery in the coming days (per Michael Russo of The Athletic). Sturm remains on IR but is now eligible for a shift to long-term injured reserve if Minnesota needs additional cap relief, although that’s unlikely with $3.58MM in existing space, per PuckPedia.

It looked like Sturm’s absence may not be too lengthy at first. He actually returned to practice last week and even played in last Friday’s preseason finale against the Blackhawks, but he either aggravated his injury or wasn’t as healthy as he and the team’s medical staff thought.

The injury means a delayed start to Sturm’s second stint with the Wild. He broke into the league with Minnesota back in 2019 as an undrafted free agent signing out of Clarkson. He spent most of his first pro year developing in the minors before landing a full-time role with Minnesota for the 2020-21 season. After being traded to the Avalanche at the 2022 deadline, he’s made stops in San Jose and Florida before rejoining Minnesota in free agency this past offseason on a two-year, $4MM contract.

The past two years haven’t been all that kind offensively to the faceoff specialist. After peaking with a career-high 14 goals and 26 points in 74 games for the Sharks in 2022-23, he’s posted 12 goals and 27 points in 125 combined appearances since 2023-24. He saw his ice time with San Jose slashed by over four minutes per game year-over-year before being sent to the Panthers at the deadline, where he served as an injury fill-in down the stretch and a frequent scratch in the playoffs, although he did make eight appearances en route to the second Stanley Cup of his career (he also won with Colorado in 2022).

Sturm produced at a 27-point pace per 82 games in his first stint with the Wild. Asking for that much offense this time around may have been a stretch, but he’s remained one of the league’s best in the dot, going 56.5% for his career and 58.1% over the past two seasons. He provides legitimate defensive value, too, consistently posting favorable possession metrics for his defensively oriented usage.

As a result, 2022 second-rounder Hunter Haight will be making his NHL debut in Minnesota’s first game of the season tonight in the fourth-line center spot that Sturm was expected to hold, Hynes said (via Sarah McLellan of The Minnesota Star Tribune). He was a late inclusion on the Wild’s opening night roster and the corresponding recall for Sturm’s IR placement earlier in the week.

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