Healed and ready, Wild's Ryan Hartman to return his scoring touch to lineup

Three weeks.

That's how long the Wild's Ryan Hartman had to wait to learn whether he'd require season-ending surgery after getting injured Oct. 30 at Chicago.

"Pretty emotional the first couple of days," Hartman said.

But the forward's skates and stick haven't gone dormant.

A month after that evaluation and exactly seven weeks from the day he was hurt, Hartman is scheduled to make his return to the Wild lineup on Sunday afternoon vs. Ottawa at Xcel Energy Center.

"I feel great," Hartman said Saturday after practice. "I feel 100 percent, kind of best-case scenario for what was going on. Happy that everything kind of worked out the way we were hoping."

Hartman was injured in a fight with the Blackhawks' Jarred Tinordi, a second-period scuffle during the last stop of the Wild's first road trip.

He's been sidelined ever since, a span of 21 games.

"Very unique and awkward play," Hartman recalled. "He punched the top of my shoulder with my arm fully extended. So, very unlucky. It was a very preventable injury, which was why it was so frustrating. I don't think I'm going to be fighting the next couple of weeks."

Only a few days after the injury, Hartman began lightly riding a bike.

At that three-week crossroads, the verdict arrived: He was healing, and he wouldn't need surgery.

"Pretty thankful," Hartman said.

When the Wild departed for a road trip earlier this month, Hartman resumed skating and rejoined the team on-ice when the group returned to St. Paul. He'd also adopted an offseason-like training regimen that included running and lifting.

"We're very happy he's back and healthy," Kirill Kaprizov said in Russian through an interpreter. "He's going to bring a lot of energy to the team and the play. I know the fans and the team are anxiously awaiting for him to get back, and we're really excited to have him."

Kaprizov, Hartman and Mats Zuccarello were the Wild's most productive trio last season, with all three posting career years, including 34 goals and 31 assists from Hartman.

During the team's rough start, the 28-year-old was demoted from the top line but had been on the upswing ahead of his injury. In the three games before he was hurt, Hartman scored his first goal of the season and assisted on two others.

Now he'll line up at wing alongside Frederick Gaudreau and Matt Boldy, with the Wild keeping Kaprizov and Zuccarello with Sam Steel. The team sent Sammy Walker back to the minors after the Edina native logged four games, including his NHL debut.

"Personally, I wasn't too happy with how things started," said Hartman, who has five points overall through nine games. "I think the last three games before getting hurt I started to kind of get that confidence back and feel good again. Looking to start where I left off."

He also left the Wild without his gritty presence, a ruggedness that accentuates the hard-nosed strategy the team wants to deploy.

Not only does coach Dean Evason expect him to stick to that style, but Hartman said he and the team waited for him to get to 100% so he could continue his physical approach.

"He's going to play the same way," Evason said. "He's going to play with an edge. He's gotta stay on that edge. We've seen him go over it, but he's certainly excited about getting in. We expect him to give us a lot of energy."

Even with Hartman healed up, the Wild still aren't completely healthy.

Brandon Duhaime, who hasn't played since Nov. 23, remains out because of an upper-body injury and won't accompany the team on its next road trip to Anaheim and San Jose.

Despite this adversity, the Wild are 10-3 in their past 13 games.

Their current four-game win streak is tied for their longest of the season, and they're on a 6-0 run at home.

"The team's rolling right now," Hartman said. "[I'm] trying to get back in here and add some scoring and help this team keep going."