The Minnesota Wild have been bit hard by the injury bug already, and we’re not even halfway through the 2025 season.
In last night’s 5-2 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Wild were without 7 total skaters. This allowed for the debut of prospect Carson Lambos, who provided a solid outing.
Other names such as Nicolas Aube-Kubel, Ben Jones, Matt Kierstad, and Tyler Pitlick were relied upon for legitimate ice-time.
Thankfully for the State of Hockey, they may be getting some big names back soon.
Minnesota Wild Have Help on the Way
GettyST PAUL, MINNESOTA – DECEMBER 13: Joel Eriksson Ek #14 of the Minnesota Wild celebrates the win against the Ottawa Senators with teammates after the game at Grand Casino Arena on December 13, 2025 in St Paul, Minnesota. The Wild defeated the Senators 3-2. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)
Consider this report from Michael Russo of The Athletic:
“[The Minnesota Wild] reassign Aube-Kubel and Spacek. Curious if there could be more. Impression I got yesterday is Wild expect a number of players back this weekend.“
Additionally, this report from Joe Smith of The Athletic:
“Ben Jones and Carson Lambos sent back to [Iowa Wild]. Good sign for injured players coming back [tomorrow].”
This is great news for a team that admittedly has been playing very well with a very injured lineup.
Have a look at the list of players that the Wild were without as recently as last night in Columbus:
- Marcus Foligno
- Mats Zuccarello
- Daemon Hunt
- Jonas Brodin
- Jake Middleton
- Zach Bogosian
- Vinnie Hinostroza
ESPN has the estimated return date for Johansson and Brodin set for tomorrow against the Edmonton Oilers. Additionally, Zach Bogosian has an estimated return date of Sunday against the Colorado Avalanche.
Hunt and Middleton sport estimated return dates of December 23rd.
Pivotal Western Conference Games Ahead for the State of Hockey
GettyST PAUL, MINNESOTA – DECEMBER 11: The Minnesota Wild react after scoring in the third period against the Dallas Stars at Grand Casino Arena on December 11, 2025 in St Paul, Minnesota. (Photo by Ellen Schmidt/Getty Images)
The Wild getting major names like this back soon is a huge boost to an already red-hot team. Minnesota is riding a six-game win streak into a huge three-game homestand against Western Conference opponents.
The stand begins with the Oilers on Saturday, followed by the Avalanche on Monday, and the Predators on Tuesday leading into the holiday break.
The current standings in the Central go as follows:
- 1. Colorado Avalanche (55pts)
- 2. Dallas Stars (51pts)
- 3. Minnesota Wild (47pts)
- 4. Utah Mammoth (37pts)
- 5. St. Louis Blues (34pts)
There’s still a lot of season left, but barring injury, the top 3 in the Central are likely to already be set in stone. Everyone in the league is playing catch-up to Colorado’s historic start, and the Stars and Wild will be battling for home-ice in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs seemingly for the rest of 2025.
A lot of things can change between now and then, but it’s going to take some big-time turnarounds from teams like Utah and St. Louis and a big-time collapse from Minnesota for these standings to change.
Minnesota Wild Announce Major Roster Shakeups