HIGHLIGHTS
- Mats Zuccarello will miss minimum of seven to eight weeks with lower-body injury
- Wild’s veteran winger hasn’t practiced all training camp, likely out until Thanksgiving
- Read below for what this means for Minnesota’s lineup and Zuccarello’s timeline
The Minnesota Wild confirmed Tuesday that veteran winger Mats Zuccarello will miss a minimum of seven to eight weeks with a lower-body injury.
It’s a brutal blow for Minnesota, who’ll be without their fourth-leading scorer from last season until late November at the earliest. The 38-year-old hasn’t been on the ice for training camp, and the Wild had been tight-lipped about his status until now.
A seven-to-eight-week timeline from Sept. 30 means Zuccarello won’t return until around Thanksgiving. That’s roughly 20 games Minnesota will play without him, or about a quarter of their season.
Zuccarello’s been remarkably consistent in his twilight years. He posted 19 goals and 35 assists for 54 points in 69 games last season, averaging over 19 minutes per night. The Norwegian forward has scored at a 70-point pace per 82 games since signing with Minnesota in 2019.
The Wild will likely turn to 2022 first-rounder Liam Ohgren to fill the void. Ohgren had 37 points in 41 AHL games last season and got a brief five-point taste in 24 NHL games.
Veteran Vladimir Tarasenko could also see increased opportunity after signing with Minnesota over the summer. The four-time All-Star struggled in Detroit last year but gets a fresh start in St. Paul.
Wild GM Bill Guerin said back on Sept. 18 that “something came up” with Zuccarello but didn’t know if surgery would be required. The team hasn’t provided additional details on the exact nature of the injury.
Zuccarello’s in the final year of his contract with a $4.125 million cap hit. Whether retirement is on the table for the 38-year-old remains to be seen, but there’s been no indication he’s hanging them up yet.
Minnesota opens the regular season Oct. 9 at St. Louis without one of their most reliable forwards.
