It’s a good news, bad news sort of day for the Minnesota Wild. News emerged that veteran forward Mats Zuccarello will miss the start of the regular season due to a lower-body injury. Wild team officials said the Norwegian will miss a minimum of seven to eight weeks.
#mnwild officially announce Mats Zuccarello will miss up to two months with a lower-body surgery.
— Michael Russo (@russohockey.bsky.social) 2025-09-30T15:53:46.438Z
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Mats Zuccarello Out For Around Two Months
Minnesota General Manager Bill Guerin said on Sept. 18 that “something came up” and he didn’t know if Zuccarello needed surgery. However, it looks like the surgery has taken place.
The 38-year-old forward is coming off a 19-goal season in 69 games. Zuccarello also posted 35 assists and 54 points for the 2024-25 campaign.
The diminutive winger has played for the New York Rangers, Dallas Stars, and the Wild over his 15-year NHL career. He’s registered 217 goals and 473 assists for 690 points in 904 career games. The Oslo native signed with the Rangers as a free agent in the summer of 2010.
Zuccarello has also represented his native Norway numerous times at the international level. He was part of the Team Europe squad that won silver at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.
What It Means
Tuesday was a day of extremes for the Wild, who took care of a major piece of business. Minnesota had signed superstar forward Kirill Kaprizov to a massive eight-year deal with a $17 million salary cap hit.
Getting the Kaprizov deal done was a major win for the Wild. However, losing Zuccarello for around two months to start the season will definitely hurt. The veteran was supposed to be on the first line along with Kaprizov, according to our Puck Drop Preview projections.
It looks like Vladimir Tarasenko might be pressed into service on the top line. However, he’s new to the roster and will need a bit of time to get used to his new linemates. He’ll be thrown into the deep end of the pool, but he’s been through the rigors of an NHL season many times.
Main photo by: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
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