The Minnesota Wild announced Monday that forward Mason Shaw will miss the rest of the 2022-23 season, including playoffs, with a torn ACL in his right knee. The injury occurred early in Saturday’s game against the Vegas Golden Knights and ends the season of one of the most well-liked players in the Minnesota room.
As The Athletic’s Joe Smith notes, this is extremely concerning news for Shaw long-term. This is the second time he’s torn his ACL in that knee and the fourth time overall. Minnesota general manager Bill Guerin does expect Shaw to resume his NHL career, but the Wild will obviously be extremely cautious in returning him to game action next season. Shaw will be a restricted free agent this offseason.
The injury ends Shaw’s first season as a full-time NHLer, where he had recorded seven goals and 10 assists in 57 games as an important secondary piece in the bottom six. The 24-year-old was Minnesota’s 97th overall selection in the 2017 NHL Draft.
The impact of Shaw’s absence is buoyed by the impeding health of Gustav Nyquist, but it still means more responsibility will be required of other fourth-liners, such as Brandon Duhaime and Connor Dewar for the time being.