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Minnesota Wild Activate Bjugstad; Move Dumba To IR

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The Minnesota Wild have announced a few important transactions, starting with the activation of Nick Bjugstad from injured reserve. To make room, the team has placed Matt Dumba on IR and waived Victor Rask.

Bjugstad, 29, has played in just 28 games so far this season and was placed on injured reserve earlier this month. The big forward is a long way from the player that scored 24 goals and 43 points in 2014-15 but still represents some valuable depth for the Wild to insert into the lineup. He has four goals and five points this season in those 28 games while averaging just over ten minutes a night.

For a team like Minnesota, who have their sights set on the Stanley Cup, improving around the fringes of the roster can be an important step. Bjugstad isn’t a huge improvement over Rask but he does carry less than a quarter of the cap hit. In fact, his $900K is more than reasonable for a fourth-line player that adds some size and versatility–able to line up at center or the wing.

Dumba, meanwhile, is expected to miss a few weeks with a lower-body injury. He has played just one game since the start of the month and is now on injured reserve, likely retroactive to his appearance on February 12. That mean’s he’s eligible to return in the next few days, though it’s not yet clear when he actually will be ready to get back into the lineup.

Matt Dumba To Miss Time With Lower-Body Injury

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The Minnesota Wild got Matt Dumba back in the lineup on Saturday, his first game in the month of February. He played more than 22 minutes, added his usual three hits, and blocked two shots. Unfortunately, Dumba isn’t going to be doing any of that in tonight’s game against the Detroit Red Wings. He has already been ruled out with a lower-body injury, with Dakota Mermis recalled to take his spot.

Michael Russo of The Athletic is hearing that Dumba will miss a few weeks, and with Calen Addison also dealing with an injury at the moment the team doesn’t have the ready-made replacement they usually do. Mermis, 28, has played just 25 games in his NHL career, including just two this season for the Wild.

That’s a tough blow for the Wild, who have dealt with their fair share this season. Only Kevin Fiala and Ryan Hartman have played in every game this season, with almost every other key name missing more than a handful. At times, Minnesota has been dealing with as many as eight regulars out of the lineup but continues to be one of the best teams in the Western Conference. They’ve won eight of their last ten and are 29-11-3 on the season, which unfortunately is still only good enough for second place in the Central Division–11 points behind the powerhouse Colorado Avalanche.

While Dumba is not the most important defender on the team, he’s still a rock-solid top-four option that logs nearly 24 minutes a night. In 40 games this season he’s already recorded 20 points and he is without a doubt the most physical defenseman on the team. There have been trade rumors following the 27-year-old seemingly for his whole career, and those likely won’t stop in the next year if an extension isn’t worked out. Dumba is signed through 2022-23 at a $6MM cap hit but will be an unrestricted free agent afterward; with the Wild’s incoming cap issues, an extension will be difficult to fit in.

Canadiens Acquire Andrew Hammond From Wild

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In need of a netminder, the Montreal Canadiens have worked quickly to find a solution. Veteran Andrew Hammond has been acquired from the Minnesota Wild this morning, the team announced. Going the other way is AHL enforcer Brandon Baddock. Hammond is expected to join the NHL roster in Montreal immediately. Baddock will report to AHL Iowa.

As Sportsnet’s Eric Engels details, Montreal had found themselves in quite the pickle in goal. Presumptive NHL tandem Carey Price and Jake Allen are both sidelined due to injury, as is depth option Michael McNiven and none are especially close to returning. Sam Montembeault has performed admirably as the de facto starter, but he too is not playing at full strength. Meanwhile, current backup Cayden Primeau is floundering, allowing 17 goals in just 174 total minutes in his past five appearances. The Habs wanted to get the young keeper back to the AHL’s Laval Rocket before his NHL struggles started to impact his development, but had no one else to call upon. The team was also greatly limited by both the salary cap and contract cap when it comes to adding someone from the outside.

The solution was a one-for-one swap to bring in the affordable but reliable Hammond, which does not substantially impact the team’s status in regards to roster limits. “The Hamburglar”, 34, has surprisingly not played in an NHL game since 2017-18, though he has dressed as a backup at least once in each of the past three seasons, including earlier this year with Minnesota. At times during his early career, Hammond looked like he was on track to become a long-term NHL contributor, but has settled in to more of a No. 3 role. Yet, his NHL numbers are still somewhat remarkable – 27 wins, a .923 save percentage, and a 2.31 GAA in 56 games. Clearly, there is more to Hammond’s game than just his performance in limited in NHL action, otherwise he would in fact be an NHL regular. His unspectacular AHL numbers speak to that, as does the journeyman nature of his career over the past five years. With that said, a combination of experience, veteran presence, and results, however limited, make him a nice addition for a Montreal team desperate for stability.

The Wild could afford to move on from Hammond with a reliable NHL tandem of veteran Cam Talbot and youngster Kaapo Kahkonen and a large stable of minor league goaltenders, including veteran Zane McIntyre, who has played well for AHL Iowa, and prospects Dereck Baribeau and Hunter Jones. In Baddock, they gain some grit in the organization, which always nice to have at your disposal during the stretch run and postseason. Baddock only has one career NHL game, but has long been a fearsome presence in the AHL as a perennial hits and penalty minutes leader.

Marcus Foligno Suspended Two Games

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The Department of Player Safety has issued some more discipline, this time suspending Minnesota Wild forward  Marcus Foligno two games for his knee on Adam Lowry of the Winnipeg Jets. As the accompanying video explains:

It is important to note that this is an intentional decision by Foligno and not a player accidentally falling or stumbling onto his opponent. Foligno clearly and intentionally uses his knee to inflict force on the head of his vulnerable opponent. We have heard Foligno’s arguement that this was not a violent knee strike or an exceptionally forceful blow and we agree. It is only the relative lack of force on this play that keeps Foligno from being subject to much more severe discipline for an action that is unacceptable for an NHL player to perform. 

The fact that Foligno has not received a fine or a suspension previously in his career also helped his case, along with the fact that Lowry did not suffer a serious injury. The two were already getting fighting majors for the scrap that took place just before this incident, while Foligno earned an extra two-minute penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct.

That clean history is now tarnished, at least in terms of supplementary discipline. Foligno’s actions will be under a microscope going forward and any other suspensions could be lengthened as a result. It also means he will miss games against the Carolina Hurricanes and Detroit Red Wings, important home dates to keep the Wild on their current hot streak.

Brad Marchand, Marcus Foligno To Have Hearings With Department Of Player Safety

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The Department of Player Safety has a busy day, as both Brad Marchand and Marcus Foligno now have hearings scheduled for incidents that occurred last night. Marchand in particular appears likely to get a long suspension, given he has been offered an in-person hearing. That gives the league the ability to suspend him for more than five games, though does not guarantee that outcome.

Marchand’s incident happened in the final seconds of last night’s Boston Bruins-Pittsburgh Penguins game and included a punch and a high stick on goaltender Tristan Jarry. It resulted in a match penalty which automatically comes with a review from the DoPS and now could bring a hefty suspension. Marchand obviously has a long history of supplementary discipline including a three-game suspension for slew-footing earlier this season.

Foligno meanwhile is getting a hearing for kneeing, but not the variety most will be used to. The incident occurred with Winnipeg Jets forward Adam Lowry already on the ice after a fight, with Foligno on top of him still trying to continue the scrap. The Minnesota Wild forward received an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty in addition to the fighting major.

Often, in-person hearings–which are currently held over Zoom–take more than a day before a suspension is handed out. Marchand’s does not yet have a time or date set. At the very least, one can assume that he won’t be available in tomorrow’s match against the Carolina Hurricanes. (UPDATE: Marchand’s hearing is set for this evening.)

Marcus Foligno Likely To Return Tuesday, Matt Dumba Could Return Saturday

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  • Wild winger Marcus Foligno is expected to return to Minnesota’s lineup on Tuesday against Winnipeg, notes Michael Russo of The Athletic (Twitter link). The 30-year-old has missed the last two games with an upper-body injury, his first real blemish on an impressive season that has already seen him reach a career high in points with 27 in 39 games.  Meanwhile, Russo adds in a separate tweet that the team is hopeful that defenseman Mathew Dumba will be able to play on Saturday after being placed on IR earlier today.

Wild Looking To Add Center Depth

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While the Wild don’t have a true number one center, it hasn’t prevented them from having a strong first half of the season as they sit third in the Central Division.  Nevertheless, TSN’s Darren Dreger reported on a recent appearance on WGR 550 (audio link) that they’re looking to add some depth down the middle between now and the March 21st trade deadline.

Minnesota has benefitted from Ryan Hartman being able to make the transition back to playing at center after spending most of his career on the wing while Joel Eriksson Ek is a capable, albeit under the radar, top-six two-way pivot as well.  However, their depth thins out quickly after that.  Frederick Gaudreau has spent most of his career in the minors, Victor Rask is no more than a fourth liner at this stage, and Nico Sturm is still relatively unproven.  They also have Nick Bjugstad but he’s currently injured and is also more of a role player than a core piece.

As a result, there’s definitely a need for GM Bill Guerin to try to add a middleman.  In a perfect world, someone that can play on the third line or move onto the second line would be a good fit but the Wild certainly won’t be the only team looking for someone like that.

From a salary cap standpoint, Minnesota is in good shape for this season.  Per CapFriendly, they can add someone making a little over $5.3MM today, a number that more than doubles if they wait until the trade deadline.  Affording an upgrade won’t be an issue as long as it’s a rental player.  With the dead cap charges for the buyouts of Ryan Suter and Zach Parise increasing by $8MM for next season, the Wild are unlikely to want to bring in anyone with term unless it’s a very team-friendly contract that would carry a significant price to trade for.

Dreger notes that Ottawa and Minnesota have scouted each other a lot lately and it just so happens that the Senators have a center that could fit what the Wild need in Chris Tierney.  The 27-year-old is best utilized as a bottom-six forward but in recent years, he has been able to play higher in the lineup when called upon and produce, notching two 40-point seasons while scoring at a similar rate in 2019-20.

Whether it’s Tierney or someone else, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Guerin try to add some center help to give the Wild a lift heading into the playoffs.  With the fewest games played in the Western Conference, it’s a move that Minnesota may want to make sooner rather than later to maximize the value of whoever they decide to bring in with a pretty heavy schedule on the horizon.

Minnesota Wild Extend Jordan Greenway

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1:10pm: Greenway’s extension is now official, and it’s a three-year deal at an even $9MM total. The deal keeps him under contract through the 2024-25 season, buying out one year of unrestricted free agency. PuckPedia adds that it includes an eight-team no-trade clause in the final year.

11:15am: The Minnesota Wild are on fire, winning eight of their last nine games including a 4-3 victory over the New York Islanders last night. Those good vibes are set to continue for one pending RFA, as Michael Russo of The Athletic has heard rumblings that the team is closing in on an extension with Jordan Greenway. The scribe posits that it would come in around the same $3.1MM cap hit that Marcus Foligno earned last January.

Greenway, 24, has just four goals and 13 points in 33 games this season but–as Russo points out–is a part of one of the best defensive lines in the NHL, when deployed alongside Joel Eriksson Ek and Foligno. That line has yet to allow a goal against at 5-on-5, certainly providing good value to the Wild despite Greenway’s relatively pedestrian offensive numbers.

In fact, after posting 32 points in 56 games last season, it seemed like his offensive game was set to really take off in 2021-22. It hasn’t, but the 6’6″ forward has increased his physicality even more and is contributing to the penalty kill. An extension, if it does come down the pipe, could potentially buy out both of Greenway’s remaining arbitration years, as he could become an unrestricted free agent in the 2024 offseason. If it buys out some of those UFA years as well, a $3MM cap hit would certainly be a bargain for a capable middle-six player that can provide value in several different ways.

The interesting part of Greenway’s development, of course, is that he’s no longer really needed to be a top-six player. The Wild have even younger players like Marco Rossi and Matt Boldy that are going to take up those spots, the latter already playing a big role in his short NHL career. According to Russo, Boldy has been told he’s going to stay with the Wild for the foreseeable future after recording nine points in nine games so far.

That ten-game entry-level contract threshold that many prospects deal with is not applicable to the 20-year-old Boldy, who is already in the second year of his ELC after signing last spring.

Jonas Brodin Activated Off IR

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The Wild announced (Twitter link) that they activated defenseman Jonas Brodin off injured reserve prior to their game tonight against the Rangers.  The 28-year-old has had a bit of trouble staying in the lineup as he had also missed time due to COVID protocol and an upper-body injury before sustaining this lower-body injury three weeks ago.  In between all of that, Brodin has put together a strong season, notching 16 points in 29 games while averaging 23:35 per night and blocking nearly two shots per contest.  With Brodin’s activation, Minnesota now has its top seven fully healthy.

Jon Merrill Enters Protocol; Jonas Brodin Returns To Practice

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The Minnesota Wild will be without Jon Merrill and Nico Sturm for the next few days after they were placed in the COVID protocol. Both players missed practice today, though their status moving forward was not confirmed. If they are a confirmed positive case of COVID-19, they’ll be held out for the normal minimum of five days, meaning they would not be available for at least the next two games.

The loss of Merrill from the lineup may not be felt as strongly as one might think, as the Wild had Jonas Brodin back at practice today. The veteran defenseman hasn’t played since January 6 but is now medically cleared to return and is a possible option for Friday in New York. Brodin told reporters including Michael Russo of The Athletic that he has been skating on his own and believes his conditioning level is in good shape.

Sturm’s absence comes at a disappointing time, given how well he played in Monday’s game against the Montreal Canadiens. The 26-year-old scored a goal and registered three points in just under 13 minutes of action, a little more than his season average. He now has seven goals and 15 points on the season, close to matching the 17-point rookie season he had in 2020-21.

For Minnesota, who have won three straight, getting Brodin back is key if the team is going to make a second-half run for a Central Division playoff spot. They now sit in fourth, but just four points behind the second-place Nashville Predators with six games in hand. While the Colorado Avalanche will be a difficult train to catch, the Wild should be considered a real contender in the Western Conference and a team to watch as the trade deadline approaches.

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