The Waraparound: Wild & Blue Jackets Jiricek Trade ST. PAUL - The Minnesota Wild (28-15-4) have made a few roster moves ahead of its game tonight against the Utah Hockey Club (20-19-7). The Wild activated forward Kirill Kaprizov off Long-Term Injured Reserve and defenseman Jared Spurgeon off Injured Reserve. Related: Wild's Superstar Kirill Kaprizov Returns To The Lineup Tonight [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/minnesota-wild/latest-news/wilds-superstar-kirill-kaprizov-returns-to-the-lineup-tonight] They sent down forward Brendan Gaunce and defenseman David Jiricek to the Iowa Wild of the American Hockey League (AHL). Jiricek, 21, has played great with the Wild. He played in six games with the Wild since he was recalled. In his last two games, Jiricek had one goal and one assist. But with Spurgeon coming back, the Wild had to send Jiricek down. "Oh yeah for sure. It was a great conversation with David," Wild head coach John Hynes said on his convo with Jiricek. "You know what? It's really nice to see because when he came in, when he was first here, he had gone through the trade, and I think he had some difficult situations prior to coming here, but he had great feedback on his own game and I gave him feedback from us. He totally understood. He's like, 'I played every game like it could be my last with guys coming back.' I think he feels comfortable and I think he feels confident in the plan that we have for him." The Wild needed to send a defenseman down to Iowa and Jiricek was that guy. Related: Wild Captain Jared Spurgeon Returns To Lineup Tonight [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/minnesota-wild/latest-news/wild-captain-jared-spurgeon-returns-to-lineup-tonight] He is on a two-way deal and did not require waivers to clear. Declan Chisholm, Travis Dermott, Jon Merrill, and Zach Bogosian would have had to clear waivers if they were attempted to be sent down. It is a tough decision but it is likely the right one. Bogosian was and is going to play over Jiricek and you are not taking Spurgeon or Brock Faber out of the lineup. There is no need to keep Jiricek to not play him and they don't want to play him on his off-side. Plus Chisholm is playing well. The 6-foot-4 defenseman will go down to Iowa and play key minutes for the young AHL team. This will be better for Jiricek and help his development going forward. Nonetheless, the Wild are excited with Jiricek's future and they should be. "I think he saw parts of his game that were very good at the NHL level and some where he and we felt kind of the same about certain areas. A great attitude about it. Like I said yesterday I'm jacked about him to be here in the organization in the future. He's a real player. It's just let's do the right thing. If he puts in the right work whether it's in the NHL, or the American League right now where he's at, I think the future is really bright for him." Let us know what you think by commenting below or on the Forum [https://thehockeynews.rtb.io/minnesota-wild/posts]. Make sure you bookmark The Hockey News' Minnesota Wild page [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/minnesota-wild/] for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns and so much more. Follow Dylan Loucks on Blue Sky [https://bsky.app/profile/dylanloucks.bsky.social] and Twitter (X). [https://twitter.com/DylanLoucks4?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor]
