The Minnesota Wild reduced their training camp roster to 25 players on Wednesday with a few moves ahead of their final two preseason games. The Wild assigned Jesper Wallstedt earlier today to the Iowa Wild's training camp and have since then assigned Sammy Walker, who doesn't require waivers, to Iowa as well.
Minnesota placed roster hopefuls in Jujhar Khaira and Vinni Lettieri, as well as Nic Petan and Dakota Mermis, on waivers this afternoon for the purpose of sending them to Iowa. Forwards Sam Hentges, Michael Milne and Caedan Bankier and defenseman Daemon Hunt are expected to be assigned to Iowa soon.
These moves indicate the Wild won't carry 13 forwards to start the year, which will allow the them to accrue cap space instead. If there's one takeaway from preseason action, it's the depth the Wild have.
Not only did Walker impress and produce offensively during the prospects showcase and preseason, but Khaira and Lettieri have proven that they're capable of handling a fourth-line role if needed.
Adam Beckman is another intriguing prospect who one would think is at the top of the list if the Wild need to call a player up from Iowa during the season.
The opening night roster is clear and will look like this:
Kirill Kaprizov - Ryan Hartman - Mats Zuccarello
Marcus Johansson - Joel Eriksson Ek - Matt Boldy
Marcus Foligno - Marco Rossi - Freddy Gaudreau
Pat Maroon - Connor Dewar - Brandon Duhaime
Defensive pairs:
Jake Middleton - Jared Spurgeon
Jonas Brodin - Brock Faber
Jon Merrill / Alex Goligoski - Calen Addison
Goalies: Filip Gustavsson, Marc-Andre Fleury
The Wild's roster for these final two preseason games will feature entirely NHL regulars. The Wild play in Chicago against the Blackhawks on Thursday before their preseason finale at home against the Dallas Stars on Saturday.
The Wild's season begins at home against the Florida Panthers on Thursday, Oct. 12.
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