Injured winger Charlie Coyle will play for the Wild this week -- perhaps as early as tonight.
The Wild activated Coyle from Long Term Injured Reserve on Monday. The team said forward Zach Parise would go on LTIR after his back surgery Oct. 24.
"Don't know if it's tonight, tomorrow or the weekend," coach Bruce Boudreau said of Coyle. "But he's a big strong guy that is healing quite quickly."
Coyle has been sidelined since he suffered a right fibula fracture Oct.12 against the Blackhawks when he was hit with a shot from teammate Jared Spurgeon. He underwent surgery the next day and was expected to miss six to eight weeks. This Thursday marks six weeks since he was injured.
Before getting hurt, Coyle tallied two assists in three games and had rattled off a franchise-best 316 consecutive games.
"You always want to help, so just to be out there and be with the guys again, even practicing, it's a good feeling," Coyle said Monday after participating in the team's morning skate at Xcel Energy Center ahead of tonight's game against the Devils. "You kind of feel away from the team. You miss road trips and stuff like that, so I'm just really looking forward to being with the guys again and hopefully do it real soon."
Although the team didn't practice Sunday after playing Saturday night in Washington, Coyle got on the ice and Tuesday would be his first practice with the group. Getting his timing down and brushing up on his skills have been the focus.
"It's getting better every day," Coyle said. "I'm moving comfortable enough, not thinking about it too much, so I'm on the right track."
