The Minnesota Wild are 5-2-1 after Thursday’s 5-4 win over the St. Louis Blues, but the headline out of that game was Blues goalie Joel Hofer running Kirill Kaprizov into the end boards with the Wild up 5-2.
Head coach John Hynes said afterward that Kaprizov was okay, and Jesper Wallstedt called it “a dirty play.”
Fast forward to Saturday morning, when the Wild held a rare practice at Grand Casino Arena for season ticket holders, one day before they’re set to host the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Unfortunately, two very important players weren’t on the ice for it.
MN Wild practice without Kirill Kaprizov and Quinn Hughes
According to Joe Smith of The Athletic, neither Kaprizov nor Quinn Hughes skated Saturday. Nick Foligno, who’s on injured reserve, also left after the team photo.
Don’t see Kaprizov or Hughes on ice for #mnwild. Nick Foligno left after team photo.
— Joe Smith (@JoeSmithNHL) October 17, 2026
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As of this writing, the Wild haven’t said why either star sat out. It could be a maintenance day for two guys who play huge minutes, or it could be something more. We’ll find out more when Hynes talks to the media.
Minnesota can’t afford to lose either Kaprizov or Hughes right now. The former leads the NHL with nine goals and his 14 points rank fifth in the league. Hughes, who has 12 total points (two goals, 10 assists), has notched a goal or assist in all eight Wild games this season, averaging nearly 27 minutes per night.
For a team that’s already missing Brock Faber, among a host of other key injures, losing the two best players on the roster would be a gut punch they would be hard-pressed to overcome.
Marcus Foligno and Jared Spurgeon back at Wild practice
Now for the good news. Marcus Foligno, who has been on injured reserve, skated on the top line with Joel Eriksson Ek and Matt Boldy, in Kaprizov’s spot. Jared Spurgeon was also back, paired with Jonas Brodin on the top pair.
#mnwild lines without Kaprizov and Hughes
— Joe Smith (@JoeSmithNHL) October 17, 2026
M.Foligno-Eriksson Ek-Boldy
Coleman-Hartman-Brink
Trenin-Yurov-Shabanov
Lorenz-McCarron-Pitlick
Brodin-Spurgeon
Hunt-Bogosian
Kiersted-Spacek
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Without Hughes, the blue line gets thin in a hurry. The third pair in practice was Matt Kiersted and David Spacek. The injured Olli Maatta wasn’t among the pairings again.
The Wild host the Blue Jackets Sunday at 5 p.m. at Grand Casino Arena. Kaprizov and Hughes have carried this banged-up group through eight games, so their status for Sunday is obviously worth watching.