Injuries have been an issue for the Los Angeles Kings and the Minnesota Wild this fall, early in the regular season. The Kings and Wild are both missing at least one veteran forward and a defenseman with multiple seasons of playing experience in the regular season in the league, going into the final matchup of LA's three-game road trip on Monday afternoon in the Twin Cities.
Veteran Mats Zuccarello among the key injury updates for the Wild for Minnesota's matchup against the Los Angeles Kings on Monday this upcoming week
The Wild have dealt with multiple young players who have been injured since early in training camp and the preseason. Meanwhile, the Kings also suffered a couple of key injuries to more experienced players, like veteran forward Corey Perry who dealt with a knee injury before the start of training camp this past month in early September.
In the Kings' most recent matchup in this three-game road trip, in a 3-2 loss to the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday afternoon north of the border in Canada, LA was missing Perry with the forward lines and defenseman Kyle Burroughs on the blue line.
Here's a look at two key injury updates for the Wild for key players for Minnesota going into the Kings' road-trip finale matchup in the Twin Cities on Oct. 13.
Nico Sturm, C
After suffering a back injury last month in practice, center Nico Sturm is reportedly expected to undergo surgery early this regular season.
The Wild placed Sturm on injured reserve this past week on Oct. 7. Sturm suffered a back injury in the first week of training camp this fall for the Wild.
Sturm was set to return to Minnesota to the Wild this season for a homecoming, where he began his career in the NHL back in the 2018-19 season over a half decade ago.
Mats Zuccarello, W
Veteran 38-year-old center Mats Zuccarello missed the start of the regular season for the Wild in early October.
Michael Russo reported last week that the Wild placed Zuccarello on injured reserve due to a lower-body injury he suffered that caused him to miss all of training camp and the preseason this fall in the past month or so. It sounds like Zuccarello is expected to miss at least the first month of the regular season this fall.
The specific nature of Zuccarello's injury hasn't been made public since training camp and the preseason for the Wild.
Zuccarello was a key contributor to the Wild's forward lines in the Central Division in the West this past season. He scored over 50 points and 19 goals for the Wild in the 2024-25 season over 69 games played.