Wild defenseman set to return to lineup

Sarah McLellan of the Minneapolis Star Tribune is reporting that Minnesota Wild defenseman Jonas Brodin is set to return on Friday against the Pittsburgh Penguins after missing the past few games with an illness. 

The 30-year-old hasn’t played since before the All-Star break back on Jan. 27 against the Anaheim Ducks and should slide into the lineup on the team’s second pairing alongside Zach Bogosian.

Brodin missed a few weeks back in December with an upper-body injury and has dressed in just 32 games this season. The native of Karlstad, Sweden has averaged almost 24 minutes of ice time per game when he has been healthy and has a goal and 12 assists this season, nearly matching last season’s offensive output in half the games.

Brodin’s return will likely push Alex Goligoski into the press box and has also led the Wild to reassign Adam Beckman to the AHL. Beckman was recalled earlier in the week and was a healthy scratch on Wednesday night when the Wild took on the Chicago Blackhawks.

Beckman was once viewed as a solid prospect for Minnesota, but it appears time could be ticking on his chance of playing in the NHL for the Wild. The 22-year-old has just a single assist in 12 career NHL games. In the AHL this season, he has nine goals and 10 assists in 37 games.

Beckman has received four NHL recalls in his career but has been passed over on multiple occasions recently when the Wild have needed to recall a player from their AHL affiliate.