The Wild welcomed defenseman Marco Scandella back to the team portion of practice during a quick morning skate on Thursday. Scandella isn't eligible to return from his lower-body injury until next Wednesday when the Wild hosts the Winnipeg Jets, but his presence is certainly a good sign that he could be ready to play as soon as he is able.
"He's in really good shape right now," said Wild coach Bruce Boudreau. "It's really encouraging that he's there and gets a chance to actually have a few practices to really test the ankle, pushing off when there's other guys on the ice. So that's good."
Heading out of town is Joel Eriksson Ek, who was assigned to Farjestad BK, his team in Sweden. Because Eriksson Ek didn't surpass the nine-game mark in the NHL, he did not burn the first year of his entry-level contract.
After scoring a goal in his NHL debut and averaging a point per game over his first handful of games, things weren't quite as easy for Eriksson Ek over his final few appearances.
Still, at 19 years old, the rookie made quite an impression on Wild coaches, who believe he has a bright future in Minnesota, one that could begin on a full-time basis as soon as next season.
"We want him not to play 10 minutes per game, we want him to play 20 minutes per game," Boudreau said. "It's for his development; he'll come back next year 10 pounds stronger, knowing what the League is about, knowing what he has to do even more so than he did this year. I think he's going to be a real good player."
