Disaster strikes Avalanche divisional rival as star forward hit with crushing setback
Photo credit: Isaiah J. Downing / Imagn Images
The Colorado Avalanche's Central Division rival, the Minnesota Wild, have been dealt a major blow as veteran star forward Mats Zuccarello suffers a crushing setback right at the start of the 2025-26 NHL season.
Shortly following Kirill Kaprizov's blockbuster extension, the Wild confirmed Tuesday that Zuccarello will be sidelined for at least seven to eight weeks due to a lower-body injury.
Mats Zuccarello suffers massive setback to start the season.
Scott Maxwell from Daily Faceoff writes that the cause of Zuccarello's injury remains unclear, but it has kept him out for the entirety of training camp.
He's currently expected to return in late November, which would have him miss roughly the first 20 games of the season.
"Zuccarello continues to produce at a high rate while in the Wild's top six, as he had 19 goals and 35 assists for 54 points in 69 games in the 2024-25 season. It's not quite at the 60-80 point pace he's put up in his prior three seasons, but still excellent production for the 38-year-old winger." -Maxwell
Zuccarello is in the final year of a two-year contract with a $4.125 million cap hit and will become an unrestricted free agent at season's end.
While retirement is a consideration at his age, there are currently no indications he plans to step away from the game.
"With Zuccarello out of the lineup, it's expected that 2022 19th-overall pick Liam Ohgren will slot into the top six, likely alongside Joel Eriksson Ek and Vladimir Tarasenko. Ohgren spent most of the 2024-25 season in the AHL with the Iowa Wild, where he had 19 goals and 18 assists for 37 points in 41 games. However, he did get into 24 NHL games, where he had two goals and three assists for five points." -Maxwell
The Wild will open their regular season on Thursday, October 9, on the road against the St. Louis Blues.
| POLL | ||
OCTOBRE 1 | 32 ANSWERS Disaster strikes Avalanche divisional rival as star forward hit with crushing setback Will the Wild finish ahead of the Avalanche in Central Division this season? | ||
| yes | 1 | 3.1 % |
| no | 31 | 96.9 % |
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