Minnesota Wild News

Shore participated in one game with the Coachella Valley Firebirds (AHL) and failed to pick up a point before getting called up to Seatle on the weekend and will make his team debut Tuesday vs. Detroit. The 29-year-old is entering his ninth NHL season and has 50 career goals and 135 points in 422 games played. He had a goal, eight assists, 61 SOG, four PIMs and a +6 plus/minus in 47 games played with Edmonton in 2022-23.

After a remarkable 41-save shutout in his season-opening performance, Gustavsson has struggled to find his footing. In three games (1-1-1), Gustavsson has struggled to keep the puck out of his net, posting a 3.93 GAA and .906 SV%. He will look to return to form on Tuesday as the Wild host a McDavid-less Edmonton Oilers team. The Oilers have struggled to score this season, averaging only 2.60 goals per game, and will be hard-pressed to find offence tonight without their captain.

Walker returns to Iowa after a brief cameo with the Wild following the placement of Alex Goligoski on LTIR. In two games with Minnesota, Walker registered zero points and one shot on goal with an ATOI of 10:05. He'll return to the AHL where he's also been held pointless in two appearances this season.

Shore failed to pick up a point in his only game for Coachella Valley (AHL) thus far this season but has been recalled to Seattle Thursday. The 29-year-old was signed to a one-year, two-way deal in the offseason worth $775,000 after scoring a goal and nine points with the Oilers in 47 games played in 2022-23. It will mark his ninth NHL season with his fifth different team when he makes his Seattle debut.

Walker was yet to pick up a point in two games with Iowa (AHL) and is a -4 plus/minus after being recalled to Minnesota Wednesday with the news that Alex Goligoski will be heading to the LTIR and will make his season debut Thursday vs. Los Angeles. Walker returns to the Wild lineup, where he had a goal, an assist, eight SOG and a -1 plus/minus in nine games played in his rookie season in 2022-23.

After an excellent performance in his first game of the season on Tuesday, in which he saved 27 of 29 shots in a 5-2 victory over the Montreal Canadiens, Fleury will find himself in the starter's crease for the second consecutive game. Dean Evanson and the Wild coaching staff clearly have faith in Fleury and, as such, the veteran netminder might see more action this season than initially anticipated. Filip Gustavsson will probably still see the heavier workload in net for Minnesota but it could be closer to a timeshare if Fleury continues to give his team a chance to win. Minnesota enters action on Thursday night as a slight -108 favourite against a Los Angeles Kings team that is coming off a dominant 5-1 victory over the Winnipeg Jets.

Walker has yet to pick up a point in two games with Iowa (AHL) and is a -4 plus/minus but has been recalled to Minnesota Wednesday with the news that Alex Goligoski will be heading to the LTIR. Walker returns to the Wild, where he had a goal, an assist, eight SOG and a -1 plus/minus in nine games played in his rookie season in 2022-23.

Boyd made his season debut Monday vs. the New York Rangers but will head back to the press box Tuesday as a healthy scratch against the New York Islanders. The 30-year-old forward will be replaced by Michael Carcone on Arizona's fourth line. In his only appearance Monday, he failed to pick up any counting stats across 13 shifts and 9:06 TOI.

After serving as backup to Filip Gustavsson for the first two games of the season, Fleury will make his first start of the 2023-24 campaign. Fleury is in the 18th year of his NHL career and is coming off a season where he recorded a 2.85 GAA and .908 SV% in 46 games (24-16-4). Fleury's Vezina-caliber years are behind him but the veteran still has what it takes to serve as a reliable backup behind Gustavsson on what should be a defensively sound Wild team.

Johnson made his season debut last game vs. Montreal but will be a healthy scratch Monday vs. Toronto as MacKenzie Entwistle enters Chicago's lineup. The 25-year-old centre played 12 shifts, 9:29 TOI and was a -1 plus/minus in his only game played this season. He will hope to draw back into the Blackhawks' lineup soon after scoring four goals and six points in 57 games in 2022-23.

Boldy was off to a strong start in his third NHL season, scoring two points (1G / 1A) in two games, before suffering an upper-body injury on Saturday. Boldy is listed as week-to-week and will be a huge loss to Minnesota's offensive capabilities. Last season, Boldy recorded career-highs in goals and assists, scoring 63 points (31G / 32A) in 81 games. Marco Rossi could be a candidate to see increased offensive deployment to try and offset the loss from Boldy's absence.

Boyd will play his first game of the season after being a healthy scratch for the Coyotes in their season opener on Friday. Last season, Boyd scored 34 points (15G / 19A) in 82 games while playing an average of 16:32 per game. He is expected to slot in on the fourth line alongside Liam O'Brien and Jack McBain.

Jiricek probably would have made the team out of training camp if he wasn't waiver exempt but because he was it was an easy decision to send him back to the AHL. With Zach Werenski out for at least one week, Jiricek was recalled and Eric Robinson was waived to make room for him. The 2022 No.6 overall pick had 38 points (6G / 32A) in 55 AHL games last season.

Gustavsson stopped all 41 shots that he faced in a shutout win over the Panthers on Thursday. Gustavsson picked up right where he left off in 2023. In his last 19 regular season starts, Gustavsson is 12-1-6 with a 1.83 GAA, .943 SV% and three shutouts. As good as he's been, he draws a tough matchup in Toronto on Saturday. He stopped 22 of 24 shots in a 2-1 OT loss in his only start vs. the Maple Leafs last year.

Johansson was forced to leave Thursday's opening night win against the Panthers, but head coach Dean Evason said that he cleared all the necessary tests and participated in Friday's practice. Expect Johansson to remain on a line with Joel Eriksson Ek and Matt Boldy on Saturday.

Boyd had 15 goals, 19 assists, 94 SOG, 26 PIMs and a -32 plus/minus through 82 games played with Arizona in 2022-23 but will be a healthy scratch for their season opener vs. New Jersey. It comes as a bit of a surprise after Boyd finished sixth in team scoring last season but he will be replaced by Jack McBain. Boyd is entering his sixth NHL season and has 45 goals and 110 points in 280 career games played.

Dermott signed a one-year, $800,000 contract with Arizona Coyotes in the offseason after having his 2022-23 reduced to only 11 games played due to concussion symptoms. The 26-year-old has played in a combined 28 games over the last two seasons due to injuries and had two goals, and an assist across that span with Vancouver. He is looking for a fresh start as he joins his third NHL team in his seventh season. He will replace Troy Stecher in the Coyotes' lineup Friday vs. New Jersey.

Jiricek was recalled by the Blue Jackets after their star defenseman Zach Weresnki was placed on injured reserve earlier this morning. The talented young Czech defenseman had 38 points (6G / 32A) in 55 games with the Cleveland Monsters in the AHL. Jiricek was the sixth overall pick of the Blue Jackets in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft and could be an interesting piece on the back end if Werenski is forced to miss significant time.