Marc-Andre Fleury misses Minnesota Wild practice with an upper-body injury
The Minnesota Wild could be without goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury for the time being.
According to Michael Russo of The Athletic, Fleury missed the team’s practice on Wednesday with what’s being called an upper-body injury. There’s no word yet on the severity of Fleury’s injury but the Wild will be calling up a goalie from their AHL affiliate, Russo added.
Big news from #mnwild practice, but Marc-Andre Fleury has an upper body injury and is being evaluated today. Evason doesn’t know how long he’ll be out. Wild will recall a goalie from Iowa.
— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) November 16, 2022Fleury stopped 23 of 25 shots in Minnesota’s 2-1 loss to the Nashville Predators on Tuesday night. The 37-year-old has a .906 save percentage over the course of 12 appearances this season.
Filip Gustavsson, whom the Wild acquired in the offseason from the Ottawa Senators in exchange for Cam Talbot, would take over the starter’s net in Fleury’s absence. Gustavsson has a .914 save percentage over five appearances since joining the Wild. He posted a .905 save percentage in 27 outings to start his NHL career with Ottawa.
The goalie options for the Wild to call up from their AHL affiliate, the Iowa Wild, are minor-league veteran Zane McIntyre or 2021 first-round pick Jesper Wallstedt. McIntyre has a .903 save percentage for Iowa over seven games while Wallstedt has posted an .899 save percentage in his first five games since coming overseas from Sweden to North America.
The Wild acquired Fleury, a three-time Stanley Cup winner and one-time Vezina Trophy winner, from the Chicago Blackhawks ahead of last season’s trade deadline. They re-signed him to a two-year contract worth $3.5 million annually in July.