Minnesota Wild Trade Acquisition Now Done for Season

If the Minnesota Wild have experienced anything this season, it has been a year of injury. Somehow, they have still managed to fight for a playoff position (as of now). John Hynes’ squad has 87 points on a 41-27-5 record. They have nine games remaining, and sit 4th in the NHL Central Division while having a seven point cushion in the Wild Card race.

The Wild desperately need star players like Kirill Kaprizov and Joel Erikkson Ek back. Both have begun to skate, but their timeline remains uncertain, and the schedule is running out. Unfortunately for Hynes, other reinforcements are not exactly on the way, either.

Minnesota Wild defenseman David Jiricek done for the year

Earlier this season, the Minnesota Wild made a future play when they made a trade for defenseman David Jiricek. It was a massive move because general manager Bill Geurin parted ways with NHL-ready Daemon Hunt, and a top-5 protected first round pick to get Jiricek from Columbus. He was the sixth overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, and it generated some buzz when the move was made.

The plan for Minnesota was to work on Jiricek’s skating, and then integrate him into their everyday lineup. However, he played in just six games for the Wild this season, which is the same amount he played for Columbus. And thats the number he will end the season at. After multiple injuries, the lacerated spleen Jiricek suffered last Saturday is the one that takes him out for the year.

Defenseman David Jiricek suffered a lacerated spleen in Saturday’s @IAWild game and will miss the remainder of this season. He is expected to make a full recovery and be ready for the start of the 2025-26 season.

— Minnesota Wild PR (@mnwildPR) March 28, 2025

A couple of days ago The Athletic’s Michael Russo noted that Jiricek would be “out a while” after getting injured during his first game back with Iowa. That’s a pretty coy way to skirt around a lacerated spleen, but the injury is clearly substantial.

Typically a lacerated spleen can result in shock and internal bleeding. Severity drastically alters the timeline for recovery, but it can be estimated anywhere between three and 12 weeks to fully heal. Hopefully they caught it immediately for his sake, and Jiricek will be on the shorter end of that timeline.

Tough start for Jiricek

Jiricek scored just two points for the Minnesota Wild this season (1 G, 1 A) while tallying seven points in 27 games (all assists) for the Iowa Wild. The Czech Republic native will be 22 years old next season and can hopefully rebound to a place where he can play a key role for Minnesota.

Related: Another Veteran Leader Trying to Get Back in Minnesota Wild Lineup

Although the Wild are skirting the line of making the playoffs this year, their window is still wide open next season. Kirill Kaprizov is in line for a large, although diminished, contract, but the salary cap situation clears up with Zach Parise and Ryan Suter’s dead money falling off the books.

If Guerin is going to parlay his trade for the future in Jiricek into something, then it starts in earnest for the 2025-26 season.