Desperate for another healthy body, the Wild had assistant coach Darby Hendrickson suit up for Monday's practice in a helmet and full pads.
And that was before franchise cornerstone Zach Parise had another injury setback, forcing him off the rink after 25 minutes of drills.
"It's an experience every day, that's for sure," exasperated coach Bruce Boudreau said.
With five days off between Sunday's perplexing 5-4 overtime loss to Columbus and this Friday's game at Winnipeg, Boudreau designed a practice that challenged his players to compete harder and win puck battles.
That's been a hallmark of Parise's game, when healthy. He made it through four practices last week unscathed and was tracking toward a season debut Friday.
"I talked to him before practice and he felt great," Boudreau said. "That's why he was in a red color [jersey, with linemates Eric Staal and Joel Eriksson Ek] and ready to go. The next thing I know, somebody told me he went off [the ice]."
Early in practice, Boudreau put the players through a physical one-on-one battle drill that spanned the length of the ice. Parise, 33, had all he could do to keep up with 22-year-old defenseman Gustav Olofsson, and moments later, Parise headed to the locker room.
"I don't know why he went off," Boudreau said. "Obviously, something didn't feel right."