Adjusting on the fly might be necessary for the Wild to handle the unusual circumstances of the 2021 season. It certainly was required to get through the first day of training camp.
Kevin Fiala wasn't on the ice for the start of Group A's skate Monday afternoon at Tria Rink in St. Paul and the young winger was turned away when he tried to join the action almost 40 minutes into the session.
Coach Dean Evason said Fiala's absence was "precautionary" and not for disciplinary reasons but didn't specify if the situation was related to testing or an injury.
Fiala did return as practice was breaking up, speaking to Evason before working with assistant coach Brett McLean and flinging shots on goalie Hunter Jones for approximately half an hour.
"It's great that a guy was kind of mad when we didn't let him out there for the end of practice," said Evason, who expects Fiala to participate Tuesday.
But without Fiala, the Wild couldn't debut all the forward lines the team would like to test run before the season opener Jan. 14 in Los Angeles. And that was a preview of the audibles the Wild might have to call as it navigates a shortened schedule in a pandemic.
"That's exactly what we talked about right from Day 1," Evason said on a video call with reporters after Groups A and B finished practicing. "We are going to have to be flexible. We are going to have to pop people in and out of the lineup. We anticipate that. Hopefully, we don't have to do it on a regular basis. But with everything that's going on, if we've learned anything, it's that nothing is going to be set in stone on a given day."
With Fiala unavailable, Evason slotted prospect Mason Shaw in Fiala's right-wing spot next to center Nick Bonino and left wing Marcus Johansson.