Hartman’s injury has put the Wild, who have lacked flexibility all season because of injuries, in a real pickle. Teams can only have a maximum 23 players on the roster, and Hartman is occupying one of those spots. So when Lauko returns from injury, the Wild will need to send down a forward or likely put Dermott on waivers.

The Minnesota Wild have been plagued by injuries in 2024-25. Kirill Kaprizov, arguably the team's best player, suffered a lower-body injury that required surgery in late January and while he was initially expected to miss around a month, that timeline has changed.

That means Kaprizov has to miss at least 10 games, putting his earliest possible return date at March 2 when the Wild host the Boston Bruins. The move to long-term IR is retroactive to Jan. 26, so he's already missed three of the minimum 10 games.

ST. PAUL - Minnesota Wild President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Bill Guerin said on KFAN Radio on Friday that Kirill Kaprizov is likely going to be out longer than expected.