The young blueliner’s status for tonight’s preseason opener against Chicago remains uncertain after an abrupt departure from practice forced the Wild to shuffle their defensive rotations.
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Minnesota Wild defenseman Viking Gustafsson Nyberg left Saturday morning’s practice early ahead of the team’s preseason opener against the Chicago Blackhawks.
Gustafsson Nyberg began the skate with the group but departed before practice was finished. It was not immediately clear why he left or whether his status for Saturday night’s game is in question.
His departure appeared to be unplanned, as Gustafsson Nyberg was originally part of the defensive rotation during the morning skate.
Minnesota had Carson Lambos paired with Matt Kiersted and Olli Määttä alongside Daemon Hunt, while Mike Koster, David Spacek and Roman Schmidt rotated through another spot after Gustafsson Nyberg departed.
Gustafsson Nyberg, 22, is among the younger players competing for an opportunity on Minnesota’s blue line during training camp.
The 6-foot-6 Gustafsson Nyberg signed a two-year entry-level contract with the Wild in April after finishing his collegiate career at UConn and appeared in two NHL games late last season. 
He was included on Minnesota’s roster for Saturday night’s preseason opener against Chicago. The Wild are carrying eight defensemen on the game roster, so they have options should Gustafsson Nyberg be unable to play. 
His status will be worth monitoring as the Wild get closer to warmups Saturday night. We will have updates here when we get them.
See more of The Hockey News on Google — Save us as Preferred Source
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
