Mats Zuccarello, the Minnesota Wild’s leading scorer, has been placed on injured reserve due to an upper-body injury. The 36-year-old winger will be out for at least one week as a result of this, though the team’s recent designation of Zuccarello as ‘week-to-week’ suggests he could be out for longer. This season, Zuccarello has 28 points in 28 games, including a team-high 22 assists.
After scoring 67 points in 78 games last season and a career-high 79 points in 70 games in 2021-22, Zuccarello is continuing to excel offensively with Minnesota. The Wild acquired Zuccarello ahead of the 2019 NHL Trade Deadline, trading two conditional draft picks to Dallas in exchange for a 2019 second round pick and a 2020 third round pick. In September, Minnesota signed Zuccarello to a two-year, $8.5MM contract extension, taking him through the 2025-26 season.
Minnesota is getting back on track under new head coach John Hynes, having won eight of their first 11 games. Since Hynes took over, Minnesota’s youth has carried the team, with Brock Faber scoring six points, Marco Rossi scoring seven points, and Matt Boldy scoring ten. This includes Boldy’s seven goals in his last 11 games, which ties him for third in the league since November 28th.
Vinni Lettieri replaced Zuccarello in the lineup on Tuesday night and is expected to remain on the ice as the Wild do not currently have any extra forwards on the roster. With Nic Petan, Jujhar Khaira, and Samuel Walker all having appeared in the NHL at some point this season, the team could also consider a minor league call-up.
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