Minnesota Wild’s Frederick Gaudreau to miss Thursday’s game with upper-body injury

The Minnesota Wild have announced that center Frederick Gaudreau didn’t travel with the team and will miss Thursday’s game against the Philadelphia Flyers with an upper-body injury.

Gaudreau, 30, suffered the injury during Tuesday’s game against the Edmonton Oilers. It’s unclear what caused the injury, as he played the entirety of the game, including a shift in the final two minutes of the third period, so it either was one that he played through during the game or one that occurred off the ice. He finished the game with a shot attempt and a takeaway in 15:23 of ice time as the Wild went on to win the game 7-4.

Gaudreau hasn’t been off to the best start this season, as he’s been held pointless through six games so far. He’s looking to continue his breakout performances over the past couple seasons, where he’s averaged 17 goals, 25 assists, and 42 points in his first two seasons with the Wild.

Gaudreau was an undrafted free agent signing by the Nashville Predators in 2016 after he joined their AHL affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals, after his major junior career in 2014. He’s spent three seasons with the Predators, one with the Pittsburgh Penguins, and the past three with the Wild. He is currently in the first year of a five-year contract with a $2.1 million cap hit that he signed with the Wild in the 2023 offseason.

The Wild also announced that winger Jujhar Khaira will be called up from the Iowa Wild to dress for the team, unless Matt Boldy is able to recover from his injury by then. It’s unknown at this time as to whether or not Khaira will take Gaudreau’s spot on the Wild’s third line alongside Marcus Foligno and Marco Rossi, or if the Wild will reconfigure their lineup in a different way. Khaira currently has four assists in four games in the AHL with the Iowa Wild.

The Wild also included in their announcement that defenseman Jared Spurgeon has been placed on long-term injured reserve. He suffered an upper-body injury during the preseason, and has yet to play a game so far this season.