Chuck Kobasew has a sprained MCL as previously reported, but the ACL damage I mentioned on the previous blog is in fact a sprained ACL. Most sprained MCL's take four to six weeks before the player is back, but GM Chuck Fletcher clarified this morning that Kobasew will be "reevaluated" after four to six weeks to determine whether rehab is the answer or surgery. So, in other words, the return doesn't appear as if it will be in four to six weeks, just the evaluation.
And, Fletcher said, that possible surgery could be a reconstruction, which means Kobasew would be lost for the season if that were the case. The Wild won't know if it's a fully torn ACL until swelling subsides. Right now, again, they're calling it a pair of sprains, which by definition is at least a partial tear. Anyways, the reconstruction is a worst case scenario, and Fletcher didn't want to go down that road yet. He just called it a "very significant injury."
As I mentioned on the previous blog, Kobasew didn't get a ton of points, but the Wild will miss his speed and energy. Richards said Kobasew helped create the team's identity when he arrived via trade from Boston.
(update): Highly recommend NHL GameCenter. Not only was I able to watch the game on there the other night because I was out of town, you can also watch replays of games. I was able to go on there just now and look at the replay of the Kobasew injury so I can describe in my article tomorrow, and it was definitely a collision with Keith Tkachuk, not Zidlicky as I wrote on the previous blog. STL broadcasters said Zidlicky, which is why I thought that's where the collision was. You can also watch the replay of the Andy McDonald goal, and if you pause, absolutely no doubt. The play should have been blown dead for offsides. But it was a bang-bang play that needed me to pause on video to tell. So I'm not ripping into the linesmen, who are right more often than not. But this was offside.
Derek Boogaard will take Kobasew's place in the lineup tonight. Petr Sykora is ready to return from a concussion, but he has to first pass his neuro-baseline test. In training camp, players take baseline tests in case of concussions. Then, if they have a concussion, they have to take that baseline test again and have the results compared to the training camp test before that player is cleared to return.
Fletcher said the baseline test is scheduled for Wednesday in Minnesota. However, Sykora and coach Todd Richards talked on the ice, and Richards and Sykora would love to get that test pushed up to tomorrow here in Southern California so he could potentially play vs. Anaheim tomorrow night. However, Richards called this "highly unlikely."
No changes with Pierre-Marc Bouchard, but Fletcher said Brent Burns is working out a lot right now. So that's a good sign. Wild has been great without Burns (12-4-1), but its power play is 10 for 67 (14.9 percent). And Burns is a huge part of that power play. Without him, the Wild's been forced to use defensive defensemen like Shane Hnidy and Greg Zanon on the PP point.
Richards also said he wants to play Josh Harding tomorrow in Anaheim, but he said that's "not a for sure" yet. In other words, he'll make a decision after tonight's game and it could be based on how sharp Niklas Backstrom is and whether or not Backstrom receives a heavy workload. In other words, if Backstrom faces 15 shots and pitches a shutout, potentially the Wild comes back with Backstrom.
