Wild's Foligno, Coyle, Niederreiter to miss time with injuries
When it rains, it pours.
The depth of the Minnesota Wild’s forwards is looking about as thin as it could be, as Charlie Coyle, Marcus Foligno and Nino Niederreiter all will miss time due to injuries suffered during the Wild’s 5-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks Thursday night.
Coyle’s injury is the most serious -- a right fibula frature. He’s expected to miss six to eight weeks and was placed on the long term injured reserve after going through successful surgery Friday afternoon.
The long term IR is designated for players expected to miss a minimum of 10 NHL games and 24 days.
Coyle had played in 316 consecutive games -- a franchise record -- including all 82 regular-season contests in each of the past three seasons. The 25-year-old forward is coming off a career-best 56-point year, and he had racked up two assists in three games so far this season.
Niederreiter will miss at least three weeks with a high left ankle sprain and was placed on the IR. It’s another big loss for Minnesota, as Niederreiter finished third on the team in goals (25) and fourth in points (57) last season.
Foligno suffered a left facial fracture and will miss at least one week, the team reported. He left Thursday’s game shortly after getting into a fight with Chicago’s John Hayden.
With fellow forwards Mikael Granlund and Zach Parise already nursing injuries, Minnesota plans to recall three players from the Iowa Wild before Saturday’s home opener against the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Wild brought up 2016 first-round pick Luke Kunin from the Iowa Wild on Friday afternoon. Kunin is set to make his National Hockey League debut.
