An ‘imminent’ Jake Middleton return, Kirill Kaprizov update and PK praise: Wild notes

On By Littum

ST. PAUL, Minn. – When you see Jake Middleton buzzing around in training on Monday morning, you would never have thought that he had missed almost a month with a broken finger.

There was Middleton, 29, grabbing as he usually does. There was Middleton, crunching teammate Matt Boldy into the boards. His mustache was in mid-season form.

He’s been out since mid-December, and this was Middleton’s first official skate back with the team. But he can be back in the lineup as early as Tuesday against St. Louis Blues.

“Midsy is imminent,” coach John Hynes said. “Whether it’s tomorrow or not, I’m not sure.”

Middleton’s return would be a big boost for a Minnesota Wild team that is missing its usual partner, captain Jared Spurgeon, who is out two to three weeks with a lower-body injury. Middleton was playing some of his best hockey before getting hurt in the first shift of a Dec. 12 loss to the Edmonton Oilers. He has five goals and eight assists and has been plus-22 in 29 games.

“He’s a good skater, big, strong defenseman who defends well,” Hynes said. “He brings an offensive component to our team. He uses his skating to participate in the rush and be a fourth forward at the right times. He does a good job of offensive blue line shooting and finding lanes – when will he be involved in a game. He’s solid defensively in the tough areas of the ice, but his game continues to grow in understanding when and how to join the game after a breakout. That’s why he went really well before he got hurt.”

With Middleton back, it will take some pressure off the top pairing of Brock Faber and Jonas Brodin, who played monster minutes in each of the last two games (both big wins over the Washington Capitals and Carolina Hurricanes). Faber logged at least 30 minutes plus and Brodin was in the 27-28 minute range. The fact that the Wild have managed despite the injuries to Spurgeon and Middleton speaks to their depth, with Declan Chisholm stepping up on the left side.

Jakub Lauko also returned to training, although he is a little further away than Middleton from returning. He has been out since aggravating a groin injury in mid-December.

“I don’t know the exact timeline for him, other than he’s closing in pretty quickly,” Hynes said.

Zach Bogosian did not practice Monday due to body maintenance, Hynes said. Mats Zuccarello and Freddy Gaudreau were dealing with illnesses, but Hynes expects they should be able to play against the Blues. With the Wild battling illness, they recalled forwards Travis Boyd and Brendan Gaunce on an emergency basis, while defenseman Carson Lambos a regular recall with Spurgeon moved to injured reserve.

There was still no sign of superstar Kirill Kaprizov, who is set to miss his sixth straight game with a lower-body injury.

Hynes said Monday that Kaprizov has yet to skate since being shut down around the Christmas holiday (Dec. 24-26). But Hynes maintained that Kaprizov is still considered “day to day.”

That can be frustrating for Wild fans who heard the “day to day” tag around Christmas. If Kaprizov is still not skating, his return does not appear to be imminent. But as president and general manager Bill Guerin said late last week, the idea is to be cautious and not rush him back. He would not confirm that it is a groin injury. But any injury like that typically requires patience and is prone to worsening, as Lauko found out in mid-December.

“The thing is, we don’t want him to come back and push through,” Guerin said of Kaprizov on Thursday. “He could, but it could make something worse. We need him in the long run. We don’t just need him for a couple of games in January.”

With Kaprizov out, Marco Rossi has stepped up. The Wild’s no. 1 center was named the NHL’s first star of the week after collecting 8 points in three wins over the Nashville Predators, Washington and Carolina. He had three goals and five assists, including four in Saturday’s 4-0 win.

World Junior buzz

It was hard for Hynes not to get excited after watching touted prospect Zeev Buium help lift Team USA to back-to-back gold medals at the World Junior Championships, including setting up the winner in OT over Finland. Buium, the 12th pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, is in his second season with Denver University.

“Oh, yeah, man, wow — what a play he made on that last goal,” Hynes said. “What really impressed me with him is the amount of minutes he’s playing. You can see how much confidence the coach has in him, you can see his style of play. It’s exciting.”

“He’s a stud,” Brock Faber said.

Hynes has coached in the USA Hockey program and will be on the coaching staff for the upcoming 4 Nations tournament. He has really noticed how much growth the group has shown in many areas.

“Finland was the better team in the first half of the game,” Hynes said. “But there was no panic. (The U.S.) got two quick ones. That ‘team-to-itiveness’ on an extremely talented team that has high expectations, the ability to stick with it and find a way to win is something , the United States has the ability to do more and more – that’s how you win back- to-back.”

Kudos to PK

There were some signs in previous weeks, but the much-maligned Wild penalty kill played a key role in back-to-back wins over some of the Eastern Conference’s best teams in the last trip.

Minnesota went 6-for-7 on the penalty kill combined against Carolina and Washington, which are ninth and 11th in the league on the power play.

“It was the attention to detail and the urgency you have to play with the penalty kill that was there,” Hynes said. “We did a good job against Washington and Nashville, the faceoff detail, the faceoff intensity, plan for a loss, plan for a win, forecheck, stick detail, standing at the line and not allowing easy entries. The pressure was good, stick detail, one guy goes, three guys go. Those components of the penalty kill and the competitive nature of it, it was at a level you have to be at to be successful.”

(Photo by Jake Middleton: Kyle Ross/Imagn Images)