VANCOUVER — Marcus Johansson will make his season debut with the Wild on Thursday (9 p.m., BSN) against the Canucks in place of Marcus Foligno.
Marcus Johansson draws in for Marcus Foligno as Wild kick off road trip vs. Canucks
Johansson will make his debut for the Wild after coming over in a trade with the Capitals.
March 2, 2023 at 9:12PM
Johansson will take Foligno's spot alongside Joel Eriksson Ek and Matt Boldy. Foligno is "banged up," coach Dean Evason said and is considered day-to-day.
"It's just maintenance more than anything," Evason said of Foligno. "Could he push through it? Yeah, he probably would. Do we want him to? No, we want to get him healthy."
Johansson suits up two days after the Wild acquired him from Washington for a 2024 third-round draft pick.
He also played for the Wild in 2021, chipping in six goals and eight assists in 36 games.
"It was a frustrating year," Johansson said. "Just a lot of injuries. Even before that, I had a lot of injuries. I didn't feel like I brought my best. It was frustrating, so I'm glad to get another crack at it."
This season with the Capitals, Johansson posted 13 goals and 15 assists.
"It makes everything a lot easier coming here knowing most of the guys and also the system," Johansson said. "Hopefully that transition won't be too hard. It's a great group of guys. It's a lot of fun."
The rest of the Wild's lines are staying the same; so are the defensive pairings.
Marc-Andre Fleury will start in net.
As for Jonas Brodin, the defenseman did not make the trip.
He's on injured reserve while resting a nagging lower-body injury.
"We expect him to probably start skating after this road trip," Evason said.
The star forward came back from a brief injury absence, and two goals from Frederick Gaudreau helped Minnesota to another road victory.
