The 2024-25 National Hockey League regular season is five days away and two franchises have announced long term injuries. According to TSN on Tuesday, Minnesota Wild right winger Mats Zuccarello of Oslo, Norway is out seven to eight weeks with a lower body injury, and according to Brennan McClain of Pro Hockey Rumors, Seattle Kraken defenseman Ryker Evans of Calgary, Alberta is out six to eight weeks with an upper body injury.
How did these injuries happen?
There is no specific report how Evans’s injury happened. As for Zuccarello, Wild general manager Bill Guerin made the statement on September 18 that something had transpired with their European forward, but was unsure if surgery was required. According to TSN, Wild head coach John Hynes said the ailment was a back injury. This makes one think Zuccarello’s problem is a lower back ailment.
Evans in 2024-25
Evans was expected to be an integral part of the Seattle blueline for the 2025-26 season after signing a two-year extension worth $4.1 million.
In 2024-25, Evans had five goals and 20 assists for 25 points in 73 games. He was a -12 with 30 penalty minutes, three power-play points, 59 shots on goal, 106 blocked shots, 123 hits, 12 takeaways and 73 giveaways.
Zuccarello in 2024-25
Zuccarello was projected to be an integral part of the Wild roster for the 2025-26 NHL regular season. At 37 years of age, he brings a decade and a half of NHL experience. In 69 games with the Wild in 2024-25, he had 19 goals and 35 assists for 54 points. Zuccarello had a zero +/- rating with 22 penalty minutes, 16 power-play points, six game-winning goals, 151 shots on goal, 14 faceoff wins, 48 blocked shots, 32 hits, 29 takeaways, and 77 giveaways.
What do the Wild and Kraken do now?
With Zuccarello’s injury, there is a belief now that Rossi will move to the Wild number one line with Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy. The Wild second line will now be Joel Eriksson Ek, Vladimir Tarasenko, and Liam Ohgren. All three Wild players on the second line are European as Eriksson Ek is from Karlstad, Sweden, Tarasenko is from Yaroslavl, Russia, and Ohgren is from Stockholm, Sweden.
The Kraken already have a serious injury to their forward group as Kaapo Kakko is out with a broken hand. The injury to Evans may give more of an opportunity to Canadian defenseman Cale Fleury. In the last five seasons, Fleury has only played 36 games with Seattle.
