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Player News - Wild

Date: Team: Pos:
Niklas Backstrom - G - Wild

The Wild announced that Niklas Backstrom underwent successful sports hernia surgery on Thursday.

He is expected to be fully recovered in time for next season, but as a pending unrestricted free agent it isn't clear if he'll back with Minnesota or somewhere else when he returns to the ice.
Source: Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune
May 16 - 12:46 PM
Josh Harding - G - Wild

Josh Harding was one of three finalists for the Masterton Trophy announced Tuesday.

Harding missed a large chunk of the season after he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Perhaps most amazingly, Harding came off the bench and started all six games of the Wild's opening-round playoff series after Niklas Backstrom suffered a sports hernia during warmups before Game 1. While fellow finalists Sidney Crosby and Adam McQuaid have their own tales and justification for their nominations, it'll be tough to deny Harding for this one.
Related: Sidney Crosby, Adam McQuaid
Source: Greg Wyshynski on Twitter
May 14 - 10:06 AM
Mike Yeo - C - Wild

GM Chuck Fletcher said that coach Mike Yeo will return to coach the Wild next season.

Fletcher is happy with the progress of the team. "I look at where we were a year ago to where we are now, and there's just been a dramatic improvement, a dramatic difference," Fletcher said. "Clearly we're on the right path. But you play a team like Chicago, you see where you have to get better. Their talent level, their depth is pretty impressive. Last year, we were Mikko Koivu and a bunch of prospects. Now, we’ve got four cornerstone pieces in Mikko and [Ryan] Suter and [Zach] Parise and [Jason] Pominville, and a lot of those prospects we talked about for a few years are now players. . . . We still have work to do, but we're trending the right way." Yeo will have a lot to work with next season so expect more from the Wild in 2013-14.
Source: Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune
May 12 - 9:58 AM
Mike Yeo - C - Wild

The Minnesota Wild were the only playoff team in the first round not to score a power play goal.

It was certainly their downfall as the Wild lost the best-of-seven series four games to one to the Chicago Blackhawks. The Wild did not score in 17 chances while pumping 29 shots on the Chicago net, while the Blackhawks scored twice in 13 chances.
Source: NHL.com
May 12 - 9:19 AM
Michael Rupp - W - Wild

In addition to Niklas Backstrom, Michael Rupp also ranks among Minnesota Wild players who underwent surgery after the season ended.

In Rupp's case, it was for his knee (meniscus). The Minneapolis Star-Tribune's Michael Russo reports that his window for return should be short.
Related: Niklas Backstrom
Source: Michael Russo on Twitter
May 11 - 4:29 PM
Niklas Backstrom - G - Wild

Niklas Backstrom reportedly underwent groin surgery on Wednesday.

It was for a sports hernia, according to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune's Michael Russo. He's a pending unrestricted free agency this summer, so potential suitors (or just the Minnesota Wild) will want to know that he's good to go.
Source: Michael Russo on Twitter
May 11 - 4:16 PM
Mike Yeo - C - Wild

Minnesota Wild GM Chuck Fletcher gave head coach Mike Yeo a vote of confidence on Saturday.

"He's our coach," Fletcher said. There might be some that wonder about Yeo's status after the team was meekly booted from the playoffs in five games by the Chicago Blackhawks after backing into the postseason. At least publicly, Yeo's job appears safe.
Source: Michael Russo on Twitter
May 11 - 1:41 PM
Niklas Backstrom - G - Wild

The MInnesota Wild have some difficult decisions to make with respect to their goaltending situation in 2013-14.

Franchise wins leader Niklas Backstrom is an unrestricted free agent, but the 35-year-old may be seeking a lucrative long-term deal after a great regular season and at the age of 35, Minnesota may not be willing to meet his demands. With Josh Harding's health status a question mark and little else in the system in terms of NHL-ready options, the Wild could find themselves searching for an alternative.
Source: Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune
May 11 - 8:49 AM
Mike Yeo - C - Wild

Wild coach Mike Yeo wouldn't directly address questions that his job could be in trouble.

"I don’t know. I can’t answer that," Yeo said. "If you want to look at it objectively, statistically … properly, there’s been a lot of improvement in our organization, and I feel that we’re going in the right direction." Expectations were raised for Minnesota after acquiring Zach Parise and Ryan Suter over the summer, but getting to the first round was still an accomplishment for a club that fell well short of that mark in 2011-12. The Wild might decide to replace Yeo, but it would be unfair to paint his second campaign with the club as a disaster.
Source: Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune
May 10 - 9:56 AM
Matt Cullen - W - Wild

Matt Cullen is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent this summer.

Cullen, 36, isn't sure if he'll be back next season. "You just don’t know in this game," Cullen said. "For sure, I know that could have been my last game as a wild player. There’s lot of things that can happen. Never take it for granted. It’s been a lot of fun, but we’ll see what happens." He had seven goals and 27 points in 48 games, so he should still be able to find another team that'll want him if the Wild don't re-sign him.
Source: Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune
May 10 - 9:52 AM
Niklas Backstrom - G - Wild

Niklas Backstrom revealed that his lower body injury is a sports hernia.

Backstrom will undergo surgery as a result. He suffered the injury during the pre-game warmups prior to Game 1 and missed the entire first round. He's scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent this summer and he isn't a lock to be re-signed. At the age of 35, he might have a tough time finding a starting gig on the open market and may have to settle for a backup role that comes with a genuine opportunity to overthrow the established starter.
Source: Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune
May 10 - 9:50 AM
Zach Parise - W - Wild

Zach Parise finished Minnesota's playoff run with just one goal and a minus-seven rating in five games.

Parise signed a massive contract with the Wild over the summer and it's hard to regard his first season as a success. It wasn't a disaster either though, as he did end up with 18 goals and 38 points in 48 games. Look for him to push at the 70-point mark in 2013-14.
Source: Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune
May 10 - 9:46 AM
Mikko Koivu - C - Wild

Mikko Koivu finished the first round with no points and a minus-six rating in five games.

Chicago's ability to silence Koivu was obviously a big part of the reason the Wild have been eliminated. "Last thing I want to do is sit up here and talk about puck luck or bounces. … I feel bad for Mikko," Wild coach Mike Yeo said. "He did a lot of the right things … and just didn't get rewarded." Provided he can stay healthy, Koivu should reach the 60-point mark next season despite his abysmal playoff numbers.
Source: Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune
May 10 - 9:40 AM
Torrey Mitchell - W - Wild

Torrey Mitchell potted a goal for Minnesota in Chicago Thursday night but it was too little and too late as the Blackhawks won the game and the opening-round playoff series against the Wild.

Mitchell's goal was his only one of the series. Assists went to Kyle Brodziak and Marco Scandella. The Wild obtained high-priced free agents Zach Parise and Ryan Suter in the off-season but still have a long way to go before it can be considered a legitimate Stanley Cup defender. Don't be surprised if Mike Yeo is canned as the Wild's coach as this team didn't come close to its pre-season expectations.
May 10 - 12:27 AM
Josh Harding - G - Wild

Goaltender Josh Harding allowed three goals on 18 shots before being replaced by backup Darcy Kuemper in the Minnesota Wild's series-ending, 5-1 loss to the Blackhawks in Chicago Thursday night.

Harding told the Wild that he was fine to play after leaving Tuesday's game with a leg injury. Darcy Kuemper, who replaced Harding in Tuesday's 3-0 loss, came in for Harding again Thursday and gave up two goals on 11 shots. Look for Minnesota management to spend a great deal of time in the off-season trying to improve its goaltending.
May 10 - 12:23 AM

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