From the Rink: Wild preps for final game before the break in Denver

Good morning from the Mile High City where the Wild will play its final game before the All-Star break tonight at Pepsi Center against the Colorado Avalanche.
Minnesota has seen an influx of new players over the past week, with three separate trades bringing in a trio of fresh faces. Another one of those players will make his debut with the team tonight when defenseman Brad Hunt scratches into the lineup.

Hunt was buried on the depth chart with the Vegas Golden Knights, playing in just 13 games this season. He hadn't played in a game there since Jan. 4.

With the Wild's power play struggling since Matt Dumba's injury last month, and with Minnesota getting little offense from its back end beyond Ryan Suter and Jared Spurgeon, the addition of Hunt has a chance to add a different dynamic to the team's back end.
Despite playing in just 13 games this season, Hunt scored a pair of goals and had seven points in those contests. In 91 career NHL games, he's got 34 points.
In addition to a powerful shot, Hunt is a skilled puck mover.
"He was looking fine as far as you can tell from a morning skate," said Wild coach Bruce Boudreau.

If he plays, Hunt will become the second former Bemidji State University star to play for the Wild this season, joining his former Beaver teammate Matt Read. The two played together at BSU for three seasons, leading the program to an NCAA Frozen Four in 2009.
"It felt really good to be back out there with the guys and get the legs going again," Hunt said. "I'm excited to be here, and it brought me back to the old days with Bemidji wearing the green."
The Wild hit the ice for morning skate on Tuesday at the Pepsi Center. Here is what it looked like:

In case you missed it
Here is today's
Wild Warmup
Media folks got a chance to meet the affable Hunt for the first time on Wednesday. He's excited for a
fresh start in a place he knows well
:

Wild.com's Ryan Carter chatted post-practice on Tuesday with Jason Zucker, who was in a comfortable spot at his old college rink, Magness Arena:

Wild forward Jordan Greenway popped into a local youth practice recently, surprising a team of squirts from Chaska:

It's been a few days since the wrap of Hockey Day Minnesota 2019 in Bemidji. With fingers and toes finally thawed out, take a look back at Wild.com's
coverage of the event from last weekend
.
With Hunt in the lineup and goaltender Devan Dubnyk in goal, here is what the Wild could look like on Wednesday in Denver:
Jordan Greenway - Eric Staal - Charlie Coyle
Zach Parise - Victor Rask - Pontus Aberg
Jason Zucker - Mikko Koivu - Mikael Granlund
Marcus Foligno - Joel Eriksson Ek - Luke Kunin
Ryan Suter - Jared Spurgeon
Brad Hunt - Jonas Brodin
Nick Seeler - Greg Pateryn
Devan Dubnyk
Alex Stalock
Colorado is finishing a three-game homestand following a 7-1 win against the Los Angeles Kings and Monday's loss to the Predators.
After a strong start to the season, the Avs have faltered a bit over the past couple of weeks, posting a 3-6-1 record over its past 10 games, including a 2-4-1 mark at Pepsi Center since Dec. 21.
Six players in the NHL have at least 70 points this season and two of them play for Colorado. Only Tampa Bay's Nikita Kucherov has more points than the Avs' Mikko Rantanen, who is tied for second in scoring with 73 points. Nathan MacKinnon is tied for fifth with 70 points.
Gabriel Landeskog has 54 points, including a team-best 29 goals, and is 18th in the NHL's scoring race.
Here is how Colorado could lineup:
Gabriel Landeskog - Nathan MacKinnon - Mikko Rantanen
Colin Wilson - Carl Soderberg - J.T. Compher
Sven Andrighetto - Alexander Kerfoot - Matt Calvert
Matthew Nieto - Sheldon Dries - Gabriel Bourque
Ian Cole - Samuel Girard
Mark Barberio - Patrik Nemeth
Tyson Barrie - Nikita Zadorov
Philipp Grubauer
Semyon Varlamov
Watching/listening to tonight's game:
- The game will be televised on FOX Sports North - It can also be streamed on the FOX Sports app - It can be heard on FM 100.3 KFAN or the Wild Radio Network - You can also stream the audio online in the Wild app