David Jiricek will be a healthy scratch on Thursday against the Carolina Hurricanes, allowing Hunt to enter the lineup for his season debut. The 23-year-old Hunt spent the entirety of the 2024-25 season in the AHL, where he scored 14 points (2G / 12A) in 48 games with the Cleveland Monsters.
Zuccarello was originally scheduled to be out of the lineup until late November, but finds himself a couple of weeks ahead of schedule, on the precipice of returning to the lineup. The 38-year-old Zuccarello has remained productive for Minnesota over the years, playing primarily alongside Kirill Kaprizov, including scoring 54 points (19G / 35A) in 69 games last season.
Leskovar was a sixth-round pick, 174th overall, of the Minnesota Wild in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft. The 21-year-old defenseman is in his first professional season, but has been limited to only one game with the Iowa Wild (AHL) due to an injury. He scored si points (1G / 4A) in 2024-25 in 35 games with the Brampton Steelheads (OHL).
Minnesota snapped a four-game losing skid (0-2-2) in their most recent game, a 5-2 win over the Canucks where Gustavsson saved 26 of 28 shots (.929 SV%). Outside of a shutout in his first game of the season, the 27-year-old Gustavsson has struggled in 2025-26, posting a concerning 3.23 GAA and .895 SV% in 10 games (3-6-1). Still, Minnesota enters Tuesday's contest as sizable -202 home favorites against a Nashville Predators team that played last night and lost 5-4 in overtime to the Vancouver Canucks.
Hughes has not played since suffering a lower-body injury on October 25th, but he will draw back into the lineup on Monday, retaking his spot on the team's top powerplay unit. The 26-year-old Hughes was averaging a monstrous 26:38 time-on-ice before his injury. He has seven points (1G / 6A) in nine games.
Zuccarello was originally scheduled to be out of the lineup until late November but he likely finds himself a couple weeks ahead of schedule. The 38-year-old Zuccarello has remained productive for Minnesota over the years, playing primarily alongside Kirill Kaprizov, including scoring 54 points (19G / 35A) in 69 games last season.
Butler is a 23-year-old undrafted right-winger who made his only NHL appearance in 2023-24 with the Blue Jackets. He struggled to produce offensively in 2024-25, only scoring two goals and three points in 37 games played with the Cleveland Monsters (AHL).
Minnesota has been abysmally defensive lately, outscored 20-11 during a four-game losing streak (0-2-2). The team hopes for a heroic performance out of Gustavsson when he returns to the crease on Thursday against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The 27-year-old Gustavsson had a 26-save shutout in his first game of the season, but has struggled saving the puck since, posting a 3.90 GAA and .876 SV% in his subsequent seven outings (1-5-1). Still, Minnesota enters Thursday's contest as a -166 home favorite against a Pittsburgh team with points in seven straight games (5-0-2).
Foligno did not play in Minnesota's most recent game, tending to an upper-body injury, but looks set to return to the lineup on Tuesday against the Winnipeg Jets. The 34-year-old Foligno has zero points, 29 hits, and a -7 plus/minus through nine games this season.
Hughes did not play in Vancouver's most recent game and will remain out of the lineup on Tuesday for a second consecutive contest. The 26-year-old Hughes showed no signs of injury in his most recent game, tallying two assists and playing 26:25 time-on-ice. Filip Hronek has filled in on Vancouver's top powerplay unit in the interim, but Hughes is not expected to be sidelined for long.
Foligno did not play in Minnesota's most recent game, tending to an upper-body injury, but could return to the lineup on Tuesday against the Winnipeg Jets. The 34-year-old Foligno has zero points, 29 hits, and a -7 plus/minus through nine games this season.
After starting their season with a dominant 5-0 over the St. Louis Blues, Minnesota has been outscored 24-39 in their following nine games (2-5-2). Gustavsson had an excellent 2024-25 season, but has struggled to start this 2025-26 season. The 27-year-old goalie returns to the crease Tuesday against the Winnipeg Jets and hopes to improve on his 3.34 GAA and .897 SV% through seven games (2-5-0). Minnesota enters the contest as slight -104 home underdogs.
