Already beset by five key injuries, the Minnesota Wild may see a change on the blue line when they face the Senators on Saturday afternoon.
On Friday morning, the Wild recalled defenseman David Jiricek from Iowa of the American Hockey League as an insurance policy in case veteran Jonas Brodin is unable to play against Ottawa.
Brodin appeared to be injured in Thursday’s 5-2 home win versus Dallas, although he made it to the end of the game. Wild coach John Hynes, speaking during the team’s optional practice at TRIA Rink on Friday afternoon, confirmed that Brodin is questionable for Saturday.
“He did come back and finish, but we need the insurance with (Brodin) being questionable and the back-to-back,” Hynes said. The Wild are in the midst of a stretch of three games in four days.
Jiricek, who was acquired in a trade with Columbus last season, has played a dozen games with the Wild this season and 10 more in Iowa. Hynes said the AHL team’s coaches report some progress in Jiricek’s game after his decision-making was called out by the coach in training camp and preseason.
“He’s coming along. The big thing with David is he’s got to play more than he has the last few years,” Hynes said. “Just the intricacies of the game, for a defenseman to get more and more comfortable. He’s gone down (to Iowa) with a very good attitude. He’s played well.”
After missing the opening game of the season following a summer surgery, Brodin has played in 30 consecutive games with three goals and nine assists.
Hynes noted that forward Marco Rossi had another full practice with the team on Friday and is now considered day-to-day in his recovery from the injury that has kept the top-line center off the ice for the past month. While Rossi will not play Saturday versus Ottawa, Hynes said he is a possible lineup addition when Minnesota hosts Boston on Sunday.
Memories of Matthews
Wild general manager Bill Guerin is originally from Boston and feels welcome nearly everywhere he goes in his old hometown. But Matthews Arena was a clear exception to that rule.
Opened in 1910, Matthews was the oldest ice arena in the world still in use, at least until this month. Northeastern University is closing the doors on the historic facility, with plans for demolition and the construction of a more modern arena on the site.
“They were always such a gritty team to play against, and the building was just so tight. People were right on top of you,” Guerin recalled from his days of being the visiting team there when he skated for crosstown rival Boston College. “Just a classic, great building. It will be missed, for sure.”
With an original capacity of 5,000, Matthews was the home arena for the Boston Bruins from 1924 until the much larger and more modern Boston Garden opened in 1928. The NBA’s Boston Celtics also played games there before a permanent move to Boston Garden in 1955.
Matthews, originally named Boston Arena, became the full time home of Northeastern hockey in 1946, but the town’s other three colleges — Boston College, Boston University and Harvard — all played home games there at various times before their current arenas were built.
The new modern arena to be built on the site will have seating for a little over 4,000 and is planned to open in September 2028.
