Finally, Some Positive Minnesota Wild Injury Updates… Including Kirill Kaprizov

The Minnesota Wild will be back on the ice Saturday night vs the Buffalo Sabres, looking to win their third-straight game. How this team is still in the Western Conference playoff field is a testament to the hot start they got off to and their refusal to let mounting injuries derail their 2025 playoff mission.

With just 13 games remaining in the regular season, the MN Wild control the first of two wild card seeds in the West, with 83 points, six points clear of the Blues (77 points) and five clear of the Canucks (76 points), who are currently battling for the second and final wild card spot.

Reinforcements in route for Minnesota Wild

At this point, it would take a lot for the Wild to fall out of the playoff field, especially after the good news we finally got on the injury front Friday. According to Michael Russo (The Athletic), it sounds like Marco Rossi will play this weekend, after taking a shot off his knee on Wednesday night. Even better, both Marcus Johansson and Jonas Brodin are expected to join him.

Hynes says “strong possibility but not a guarantee” Brodin returns tomorrow. He thinks Rossi and Johansson play tomorrow.

— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) March 21, 2025

A couple of hours after the above tweet, MN Wild defenseman David Jiricek — who president of hockey operations Bill Guerin traded a first round pick for earlier this year — was sent down to Iowa, after spending the last five games as a healthy scratch — which all but guaranteed Brodin’s return Saturday. He has been out of the Wild lineup since since February 28. Johansson missed Wednesday’s win vs the Kraken.

Jonas Brodin has struggled to stay healthy throughout his age 31 season. He’s missed a total of 22 games spread out between November and March, costing the Wild one of the most reliable blue-liners in franchise history. In the 38 games he has played, Brodin is a +10 with 18 points (4 goals), averaging 22:42 TOI.

Kirill Kaprizov ready to start skating…?

If the good news on Brodin, Rossi and Johansson isn’t enough for you, then hopefully you were listening to KFAN on Friday morning, where Russo revealed to Paul Allen that Minnesota Wild superstar Kirill Kaprizov is expected to start skating and preparing for his return to the ice NEXT WEEK.

Per Russo, Kaprizov would love to get back in the lineup for at least two or three games, before the NHL Playoffs begin. Remember, he missed a bunch of time at the end of the 2022-23 season, and looked rusty during that first round playoff series loss vs the Dallas Stars, something Kirill admitted was a problem after.

“I believe we’re gonna, about a week from today, maybe a week from yesterday, see Kaprizov on the ice. Eriksson Ek, I’m a little less certain what’s going on with him… As long as there’s been no setbacks [for Kaprizov], which I have no reason to believe, I think we’re going to see him on the ice next week.”

“I think Kirill would love to get two or three games before the end of the regular season, to go into the playoff feeling good…The Wild kept him out of two of the last four games [of the 2022-23 season], before they played Dallas [in the playoffs]. When we talked to him after that playoff series, he said that he was very rusty and he felt like he needed a runway and that the injury really hurt him.”

Michael Russo – KFAN Radio

Prior to his injury, Kirill Kaprizov was playing the best hockey of his NHL career, which speaks to just how good he was. With 23 goals and 29 assists on the season, the 27 (almost 28) year-old winger was the betting favorite to win the Hart Trophy, which would have made him the first-ever Wild player to win MVP.

Related: MN Wild Lose Another Top Player to Injury

Of course, that dream died when Kaprizov had surgery on his lower-body injury. While a rusty playoff Kirill isn’t ideal, it’s much better than no Kirill. So let’s hope Russo is right and that the Russian’s return is imminent. If true, and the Minnesota Wild can find a way to stay healthier over the next few weeks… who knows what could happen in the postseason.