ST. PAUL - A Minnesota Wild team that is already without some key players due to injuries, just lost another.
In the first period and his first shift of the game on Thursday against the Edmonton Oilers, Jake Middleton left with an upper-body injury.
Evan Bouchard, who is known for his rocket of a shot, fired one on the first shift of the game that nailed Middleton on the hand.
Middleton, 28, has played in every game for the Wild this season. He came into Thursday's game leading the NHL in plus-minus with a plus-22 and sixth in blocked shots.
With Jonas Brodin already on the Injured Reserve and Daemon Hunt, who was their most ready NHL-caliber left-shot defenseman recently traded, the Wild might have to swing a trade to get another defenseman.
They could put in a waiver claim on Travis Dermott who was put on waivers by the Edmonton Oilers before the game.
He is a left-shot defenseman who is making league minimum this year and is on a one-year deal.
Dermott, 27, has played ten games this year with the Oilers and has no points but is not bad defensively. The Wild are in desperate need of a left-shot defenseman who can play now and Dermott could be that.
Update: Wild head coach John Hynes did not have an update on Middleton's injury.
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