The Minnesota Wild had to play without Jared Spurgeon for the first month of this season due to injury, and now they'll have to overcome another setback on the blue line.
Jonas Brodin will miss significant time due to an ailment, reports The Athletic's Michael Russo. Edmonton Oilers forward Evander Kane hit Brodin from behind Friday night. The Wild rearguard left the game and didn't return.
For those who missed it, the uncalled hit on Brodin by Kane that knocked Brodin out of the game and resulted in a penalty to Hartman for going after Kane pic.twitter.com/RZjSsTxgpd
— CJ Fogler account may or may not be notable (@cjzero) December 9, 2023
The Wild consider him week-to-week for the time being, the club announced later Saturday.
The NHL’s Department of Player Safety internally discussed whether to suspend Kane, but it ultimately determined Brodin shoulder-checked before the hit, which in the league's view left him defenseless as he skated toward the boards, according to Russo.
George Parros, the head of the department, reportedly issued Kane a warning that will be placed on his record. Parros spoke to Kane and Oilers GM Ken Holland on Saturday, per Russo.
Brodin's prolonged absence is a major blow to the Wild. He leads Minnesota in average ice time this season at 23:59 and has chipped in one goal and eight assists over 25 games.
The smooth-skating Swede boasts stellar underlying numbers as well. The Wild have controlled 56.26% of the expected goals and 55.38% of the scoring chances at five-on-five with Brodin on the ice in 2023-24, according to Natural Stat Trick.
He's in his 12th campaign with Minnesota, the club that drafted him 10th overall in 2011.
Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.