The Minnesota Wild are continuing to climb up the Western Conference playoff picture, at one point in 2024 looking like an afterthought to advance to the postseason but now just three points back of the final wildcard berth with 13 games left.
The team took another step closer to returning to the dance at the end of April, blanking the lowly Anaheim Ducks 4-0 on the back of a Filip Gustavsson shutout on Tuesday night.
But the win could have come at the expense of one of the team's most important players. Jonas Brodin suffered a lower-body injury in the victory, and he'll have an MRI to determine the extent of the ailment, per The Athletic's Michael Russo.
“Jonas Brodin will have an MRI today,” the insider wrote on social media. “This obviously doesn’t come at a good time with four weeks left in the regular season. Good news is it’s not ACL, I’m told.”
Looks like a leg injury for Brodin @RussoHockey @JoeSmithNHL #mnwild pic.twitter.com/l4j9cXkmLI
— Minny Hockey (@MinnyHockey) March 20, 2024
Russo was not at all happy with how the injury unfolded; Alex Killorn seemed to deliver an odd reverse hit on the 30-year-old veteran.
“Reverse angle of Brodin injury is brutal. Body slammed to the ice by Alex Killorn for zero reason and his right leg got pinned under him. Cheap play by Killorn that could have lasting effect for [Wild],” he wrote.
There will be no supplemental discipline for the play — a penalty was not called — but it's certainly borderline.
Wild fans holding their breath after Jonas Brodin injury
Obviously, the fact that Brodin is having an MRI is a brutal blow for the Wild. He is likely to miss at least a couple of games, and that would be the best-case scenario for the defensive stalwart.
Brodin has chipped in a very respectable seven goals and 23 points over 51 games in 2023-24; he previously missed 17 games due to an upper-body injury. He signed a seven-year, $42 million extension with Minnesota back in September of 2020, and has four years remaining after this season. The blueliner's contract holds an AAV of $6 million.
“I don’t have an update on him,” Wild head coach John Hynes said after Tuesday's win over the Ducks, per The Athletic's Michael Russo. “The good thing is he was able to get up and come back. Hopefully, it’s nothing too serious.”
Now 34-27-8, the Wild are breathing down the neck of the Golden Knights, and are 12 points back of the Nashville Predators for the top wildcard spot. They're unlikely to catch the Preds, but the way Vegas is playing, they could certainly be passed.
Fans of the franchise will hope for good news on Jonas Brodin this week, but the attention will quickly turn to the second half of a back-to-back set against the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday night.
It's another crucial contest — as every last one will be down the stretch.
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