The Minnesota Wild have lost star defenseman Ryan Suter indefinitely after it was revealed that he has suffered a fractured fibula. The Minneapolis Star Tribune reported the extent of the injury on Sunday and the news comes at a really bad time for the Wild. The Wild are currently fifth in the Western Conference with 96 points and have had Stanley Cup aspirations all season long. Their road to the finals just got that much harder with Suter sidelined.
The Wild’s Stanley Cup futures opened the season at 14/1 but they have now dropped significantly. Currently, the Wild are now at 28/1 at BetDSI Sportsbook. Of course, much of that has to do with how the team has performed but losing their top defenseman going into the playoffs has forced the odds lower as well. Suter leads the team in assists with 45 and sees a team-high 26:47 of ice time each night. That average time on ice is also the second-highest in the NHL. The Wild have a decent blue line but it’s going to be really tough to find someone to soak up those minutes – especially at this point in the season. The Wild have just four games left before the playoffs.
There’s no question that the Wild had already been slumping a little bit in the month of March. They had won five straight and seven of nine to end the month of February but in March, they are just seven wins in 15 games. Their 96 points has landed them in fifth place but they’re just two points out of fourth and four points away from missing the playoffs completely. A lot can change in the final week of the season for Minnesota.
Prior to his injury this weekend, Suter had appeared in every single game this season as well as all 82 in each of the team’s previous two campaigns. The Wild have been dealing with injuries almost all season long, so this is nothing new for them. While they’ve adjusted well, losing Suter right before the playoffs – and likely for the entirety of the postseason – might be one injury that this team won’t be able to overcome.
