The good news for the Minnesota Wild is Marcus Johansson not only passed upper body tests, head coach Dean Evason indicated at practice on Friday, but Johansson practiced with the team on Friday morning ahead of their first road trip of the season, which will feature contests against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday and the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday. "We'll see how he feels after practice," Evason told the media Friday. "But it looks positive because he made it right through the whole skate." Johansson exited in the third period of the Wild's home-and-season opening 2-0 win over the Florida Panthers on Thursday night when the 33-year-old veteran winger caught an elbow to the head along the boards. Johansson practicing has got be a major relief for the Wild as he's an important piece on the second line alongside Joel Eriksson Ek and Matt Boldy. The trio is looking to build off what they did at the end of last season after Johansson's arrival to Minnesota at the trade deadline. Related Reading: Wild need blue line to step up after Spurgeon injury [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/minnesota-wild/news/wild-need-blueline-to-step-up-after-jared-spurgeon-injury] Why can the Wild finish in the top-3 in a more competitive Central? Wild captain and top-pair defenseman Jared Spurgeon remains out of the lineup and isn't expected to return until later this month. "It's still week-to-week," Evason said. "He's not close to skating yet." Spurgeon suffered the upper-body injury in the Wild's 3-2 shootout win over the Chicago Blackhawks Thursday, Oct. 5 when Blackhawks forward Reese Johnson finished his check on Spurgeon along the boards. This first stretch of games on the calendar without Spurgeon is a major test for the Wild's blue line, and it's an opportunity for specifically the depth players to step up in his absence. "I can tell you right now, he's downstairs riding a bike and progressing and getting himself into a position where he can get back to play," Evason said of Spurgeon. REQUIRED READING • Iowa Wild named their captains for 2023-24 season [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/minnesota-wild/news/iowa-wild-announce-captains-for-2023-24-season-dakota-mermis-keeps-the-c] • The first edition of THN Wild weekly prospect report [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/minnesota-wild/news/part-1-minnesota-wild-prospect-report-oct-2-8] • Wild need blueline to step up after Jared Spurgeon injury [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/minnesota-wild/news/wild-need-blueline-to-step-up-after-jared-spurgeon-injury] • Kirill Kaprizov named alternate captain [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/minnesota-wild/news/wild-announce-kirill-kaprizov-as-new-alternate-captain] THN.com/Free [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAwNjEyMTE2NDA1NjkxNzY4/my-thn-ad-banner-1500x150.jpg] THN.com/Free
