As expected, Wild winger Kirill Kaprizov was named a finalist for the Calder Memorial Trophy, which recognizes the NHL's top rookie.
Carolina goalie Alex Nedeljkovic and Dallas forward Jason Robertson are the other finalists. The winner, voted on by the Professional Hockey Writers Association, will be announced during the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Kaprizov, 24, led NHL rookies with 27 goals and 51 points, totals which also paced the Wild. He is the first Wild player to be nominated for the award.
Patience with Boldy
Despite skating with the Wild near the end of the playoffs, top prospect Matt Boldy never cracked the lineup to make his NHL debut.
"We didn't need to put him in," General Manager Bill Guerin said Thursday. "Whose spot is he going to take? Honestly, we had Zach Parise sitting out."
Boldy, drafted 12th overall in 2019, left Boston College in March to turn pro and tallied six goals and 12 assists in 14 games in the minors.
"He made tremendous strides this year with his play in Iowa, but it's just not something we felt he was ready for," Guerin said. "There was no need to put him in there and put him in that position."
Rossi improving
Marco Rossi, the team's 2020 first-round pick, will start skating Saturday and has begun working out after being sidelined with complications from COVID-19.
"Things are looking really good," Guerin said. "He seems to be incredibly healthy and very positive."
The 19-year-old center will have to compete for a job with the Wild, like Boldy. "These guys are going to earn their spot," Guerin said. "They're going to develop properly because everybody sees what happens when you rush them. It really stunts their growth."
Injury update
None of the Wild players will require offseason surgery, Guerin said, but "there's a lot of guys banged up."
Aside from Marcus Johansson (broken arm), Jonas Brodin (sprained shoulder) and Joel Eriksson Ek (knee) getting hurt vs. Vegas, Carson Soucy also had an injury in his rib area.
