The Minnesota Wild announced ahead of their game tonight against the Arizona Coyotes that defenseman Jacob Middleton will be out of the lineup with an upper-body injury.
Middleton has had a good season with the Wild, he has currently notched a career-high seven goals and 13 assists for 20 points in 62 games, and he has racked up 130 blocked shots and 127 hits while averaging 19:56 of ice time. He ranks second among Wild defensemen in points, trailing rookie Brock Faber.
The 28-year-old is currently in year two of a three-year, $7,350,000 extension that pays him an average annual value (AAV) of $2,450,000. The Wild acquired Middleton from the San Jose Sharks at the trade deadline for the 2021-22 season along with a 2022 fifth-round pick for goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen.
Middleton had a strong outing in his first full-time season in the NHL. While not known for his offense, he did score four goals and 10 assists for 14 points in 66 games during the 2021-22 campaign between the Sharks and Wild. On the defensive side of the game, Middleton held a 45.74% shot attempt share and 50.01% expected goal share at even strength and those numbers improved to 47.72% and 50.87% respectively when he joined the Wild.
Middleton was originally selected No. 210 overall by the Los Angeles Kings in the 2014 NHL Draft. He made his NHL debut with the Sharks in 2018-19 following a couple of years in the AHL with the San Jose Barracuda. He was a regular in the Sharks lineup come 2021-22 and eventually paved his way to becoming a full-time NHLer when he was dealt to Minnesota.
The Wild currently sit sixth in the Central Division with a 29-27-6 record and 64 points through 62 games, they trail three points back of the St. Louis Blues.
More must-reads: