Wilderness Walk: Guerin doesn’t envision any last-minute signings or tryouts

That’s Wild

• On Monday, Minnesota Wild GM Bill Guerin held his first media availability since the league’s official announcement of a 56-game regular season starting on Jan. 13. He made sure to mention that the current roster is going to be the one heading into camp on Jan. 3. He also gave us an update on Mat Zuccarello’s injury.

• Guerin also displayed some disappointment that some of the Wild’s top prospects in the CHL will not get the playing time they need for their development. “It’s very worrisome. These are prime development years for these guys. They’ve put their whole life into this, and...it’s hard on them mentally and emotionally.”
• The Wild had to move on from captain Mikko Koivu this off-season, but they will still name a captain before the season starts. They know who it will be, but are keeping quiet for now. [Hockey Wilderness]

Off the trail...

• Edmonton Oilers defenseman Oscar Klefbom is going to miss the entire 2021 season with an injury. Yikes. [Copper and Blue]
• An unrestricted free agent was actually signed on Monday. The Arizona Coyotes added some wing depth with a one-year contract to Drake Caggiula. [Five For Howling]
• With a couple RFAs still to sign and no cap space at all, the Tampa Bay Lightning were in a tight situation. But luckily for some and unfortunately for most, forward Nikita Kucherov will be out for a significant portion of next season, clearing up enough cap room to re-sign some young players. [Raw Charge]