Wild added winger Gustav Nyquist at trade deadline. How soon until he’s available?

Dane Mizutani, Pioneer Press
·2 min read
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Gustav Nyquist plans to travel with the Wild on the upcoming road trip, even if he has absolutely no chance of playing.

Why? The same reason he arrived in the Twin Cities on Monday even though he hasn’t been cleared to skate.

Though he’s still recovering from a shoulder injury, Nyquist is trying to make the transition to his new team as seamless as possible.

“I’ve only been traded once before (and) it takes a little while to get to know the system,” Nyquist said. “Hopefully we can speed that process up by me being around.”

It was pretty surprising when the Wild acquired Nyquist from the Blue Jackets last week considering he hasn’t played since injuring himself a month and a half ago.

Asked to provide a timeline for his potential return to the lineup, Nyquist replied, ” I don’t think anyone is wanting to do that yet.”

It was very similar to the answer general manager Bill Guerin gave after making the move. He’s not putting any pressure on Nyquist to rush back.

“That was really nice to hear,” Nyquist said. “Obviously I want to feel 100 percent when I’m out there. It’s a tough sport out there. You’ve got to be able to withstand some hits and stuff like that.”

In the aftermath of getting hurt a month and a half ago, Nyquist wasn’t sure he would be moved at the trade deadline. He understood that some teams might be scared off by his shoulder injury. That’s why he was so grateful when he got the news that the Wild had traded for him.

“I’m really excited that Minny took a chance,” Nyquist said. “To get another chance to go for a run and win the Stanley Cup, that’s why we play the game, and I couldn’t be more excited about this opportunity. I’m really excited to be here. Hopefully I can heal up quickly and get back on the ice.”

As soon as he’s ready to go, Nyquist has the skill set to make a big impact no matter where he finds himself in the lineup.

“It”s up to the coaches where they want to put me,” Nyquist said. “I’m just here to do everything in my power to help the team the best way I can.”

The first step is getting back on the ice.

“It’ll be ready when it’s ready,” Nyquist said. “Obviously, I want to play as many games as possible, so we’ll see how it goes.”

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