Parise Heading for Back Surgery; Wild vs Canucks

By Eric Strack |

Oct 24, 2017

We found out from Mike Russo of The Athletic yesterday evening, that Zach Parise is heading for back surgery. Most reports are noting he may have already had it. Boudreau said, in his press conference yesterday, that he was hoping for an update on Tuesday. Most reporters are expecting to hear the surgery already happened.

Russo noted a 2-month recovery period in which Parise will do little to no activity for 1 month, before being allowed to ease back onto the ice. It’s a sad day for Wild fans and an even worse day for Zach who wants nothing more than to be on the ice battling with his teammates. This surgery was last resort for him.

It sounds like the pain was in his leg and not his back, which in the case of a back injury, is a little scary… If one part of your body is causing another part of your body major pain, you have a pretty big problem. A nerve in your back causing major pain in your leg is no joking matter.

ICYMI>>> Sources: Zach Parise to undergo back surgery Tuesdayhttps://t.co/6W6no8Lnbg

— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) October 24, 2017

Home sweet home. #mnwild begins a six-game homestand tonight against Vancouver.
? @fsnorth | ? @KFAN1003 | ? #FOXSportsGO | ?#VANvsMIN pic.twitter.com/Av7ZUnDCC5

— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) October 24, 2017

The Minnesota Wild (2-2-2) will face off against the Vancouver Canucks (4-3-1) to start a 6-game home stand.

We still don’t know if Mikael Granlund is going to play. The Wild are likely waiting to test him some today, before making a final decision. They can’t afford to lose him long-term too. They did leave room for him on the roster, though, which says that he is VERY close but like Bruce Boudreau says, we thought that two games ago.

“I hope it’s [Tuesday], but I thought it was on Friday and I thought it was on Saturday, too,” Boudreau said when asked if Granlund may play against the Canucks. “If it’s [Tuesday], great. If it’s Thursday, great. The sooner we get him in the lineup, the better it is for our team.”

If Granlund does come back, it will be interesting to see where he is slotted. Chris Stewart took his spot next to Koivu and Zucker, and has flourished. He has 6 goals (8 pts) in just 6 games. He and that line have been the main source of scoring.

Dubnyk will be back in-net after Alex Stalock impressed in back-up duty on Saturday. Dubnyk has allowed almost an entire goal more than Stalock, early on. He is due for a good game tonight.