The Minnesota Wild announced on Tuesday through social media that forward Mats Zuccarello will not play in their game against the Boston Bruins, and is expected to be week-to-week with an upper-body injury.
Wild head coach John Hynes said Zuccarello was “dealing with a lingering issue” and had it looked at on Tuesday. He reiterated that it wasn’t serious enough to place the 36-year-old Norwegian on LTIR.
So far in 2023-24, Zuccarello has six goals and 22 assists for 28 points, leading the Wild in points. Now in his fifth season with Minnesota, Zuccarello has 78 goals, 168 assists and 246 points in 283 games.
He is in the last year of a five-year, $30 million contract signed in 2019. He also signed a two-year, $8.25 million contract extension in September, which will keep him with the Wild through the 2025-26 season.
Through 14 NHL seasons, Zuccarello has 192 goals and 409 assists for 601 points in 794 career games with the Wild, New York Rangers and Dallas Stars.
It’s been a mediocre season for the Wild, who are currently 12-13-4 with 28 points, ranked seventh in the Western Conference’s Central Division. However, they’re 7-3-0 in their last 10 games and hope to climb the standings as we enter 2024.
Their next game is Tuesday night on the road against the Boston Bruins. The Wild will then fly back to the State of Hockey for a three-game homestand against the Montreal Canadiens, the Bruins and the Detroit Red Wings. Minnesota will then close out 2023 with a home-and-home against their division rival, the Winnipeg Jets.
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