Minnesota Wild Given Brutal Injury Update on Mats Zuccarello

With just days to go before the start of the new NHL season, the Minnesota Wild have been dealt a massive injury blow. Minnesota will now have veteran Mats Zuccarello miss the start of the regular season, and he is expected to be out for at least 7-8 weeks.

Wild general manager Bill Guerin reported the news and said that he wasn't sure if the veteran would need to have surgery. The team is calling this a lower-body injury, and there weren't more specifications on what happened.

Minnesota is scheduled to open the new NHL season on Oct. 9 against the St. Louis Blues. Losing Zuccarello is a big hit to the Wild's roster, especially with this team expected to be a contender in the Western Conference this season.

The veteran has been with the Wild for six seasons, and he has been a big part of the success on the ice. Zuccarello gives this team a veteran leader, and he will be missed on the ice.

How Much Will This Impact Minnesota?

Zuccarello put up 19 goals and 35 assists last season for the Wild, appearing in 69 games for the team. In the playoffs, the veteran had one goal and two assists over six games played by Minnesota.

The Wild will have to figure out how to navigate the next few weeks without him, and this could be tricky. Due to the way he plays, Minnesota is going to need others to step up in his absence.

Luckily for the Wild, the team just retained center Marco Rossi and star Kirill Kaprizov, signing them both to big extensions. If the Wild can stay afloat until Zuccarello can return, then the injury won't set this team back too much this year.