Wilderness Walk: Gaudreau almost kind of back

That’s Wild

• You miss some things on a win streak, and one of those is any absences—especially when it’s a depth forward that has kind of fallen off slightly compared to his start to the season. Frederick Gaudreau has missed the last four games due to being in the NHL’s COVID protocol, but might be closing in on a return, with Sunday’s match against the Vegas Golden Knights circled as a possible return to play. [The Athletic]
• It’s December which means World Juniors! So what Minnesota Wild prospects are going to be at this year’s tournament in Edmonton? [Hockey Wilderness]
• Dmytri Kulikov and Jon Merrill have been just absolutely excellent during this streak. [10K Rinks]

Off the trail...

• The Anaheim Ducks have a star in Trevor Zegras. [Yahoo! Sports]
• NHL displays thorough lack of imagination in its head-coaching search [Yahoo! Sports]
• Carey Price is back for his Montreal Canadiens and is fully suited up in practice. [Sportsnet]