Minnesota Wild’s Parise out indefinitely with concussion

After leaving the third period of Tuesday night's game against the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Minnesota Wild will be without winger Zach Parise. Parise will miss the upcoming road trip, and has been listed as 'out indefinitely.'

After missing the third period of Tuesday’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Minnesota Wild have confirmed that Zach Parise will be out indefinitely with a concussion.

There’s uncertainty surrounding when Parise sustained the concussion, but there often can be with such a sensitive injury. What we do know is that with just over six minutes to play in the second period, Parise took a hit from Kris Letang. While it didn’t look like much, the Wild winger would only skate two more shifts, and has since been ruled out of Minnesota’s upcoming road trip, at the very least.

The good news for Parise is that the concussion would be the first concussion he’s suffered on record. Though, as we know, concussions can be a tricky thing to diagnose. Just because he’s never missed time with one before, it doesn’t mean there haven’t been those that have escaped the medical staffs of New Jersey, where Parise previously played, or Minnesota.

With Parise out, the Wild are going to have to hope to pick up contributions from some of their depth players. In 11 games this season, Parise has already registered 10 points, and his two-way play combined with some help from Darcy Kuemper’s great goaltending are a big reason why the Wild currently lead the Central Division with a goal differential of +14.

If Parise is out for an extended period of time – and there has been no timeline set to this point – there’s a chance the Wild will have to make a move to fill his spot. With Jordan Schroeder currently playing well for Iowa of the American League, Minnesota’s affiliate, there’s a chance the 2009 first round pick could get a promotion.

The hope is that Parise will be back in time for the Wild’s next home contest on Nov. 13, but you can be sure that Minnesota won’t be rushing the 30-year-old back from what can be a tricky injury.

To make matters worse, the Wild will play seven of their next 10 games on the road, where they currently have a record of 2-3. Their home record is 5-1, but they’ll only see the Xcel Energy Center four times before December rolls around.