SALT LAKE CITY – Seemingly for weeks, while they’ve charged to the best record in the NHL, the Minnesota Wild have also been talking about subtractions from their lineup. On the eve of their first-ever game as the visitors in Utah, coach John Hynes finally got to talk about an addition to their lineup for Tuesday’s meeting with the team formerly known as the Arizona Coyotes.

Having missed the previous six games with a lower body injury, forward Jakub Lauko is expected back on the ice at the Delta Center after skating with the team on Monday. He has just two goals and two assists on the scoresheet this season, but the coach sees contributions that go beyond his offensive numbers.

“He’s an identity type of player. I think…he’s quick, he’s explosive. He’s a great competitor,” Hynes said. “We’re getting another top four penalty killer back in our lineup, which is I think important and good for him and the way he plays the game. (He) is competitive, brings energy to the team, and it’s nice, nice to have him see him back out there and skating like he was today.”

Lauko’s return is happening a day after they sent forward Travis Boyd back down to their Iowa AHL team. Boyd was along for the two games in California last weekend but did not see action versus either the Anaheim Ducks or Los Angeles Kings. And they made a defensive swap of sorts, calling defenseman Cameron Crotty up from Iowa while sending newly-acquired prospect David Jiricek to the AHL team.

Crotty, 25, had played 19 games for Iowa this season with five assists. He was a third round pick of the Coyotes in 2017 and spent three seasons at Boston University before turning professional. He played one game at the NHL level for Arizona last season. He signed with Minnesota as a free agent last summer.

Jiricek, who was acquired in a trade with Columbus on Nov. 30, traveled with the team for the past few days but has not yet cracked the Wild’s NHL lineup.

“We had a good meeting with him and gave him some things that we’d like to see,” Hynes said, clearly wanting him to get some game experience in the Wild system under his belt. “It was important for him to come here, come to a new organization, meet everybody here, the coaches, the players, spend some time, get a feel. OK, here’s how they practice here, how they run meetings. This is the feel, the team, this is how it’s run. These are the expectations of how you practice, how you play.”

As for the team’s first time on the ice at the Delta Center, which has been the home of the NBA’s Utah Jazz since it opened in 1991, Hynes had good things to say about the newest NHL venue. The arena in downtown Salt Lake City hosted minor league hockey teams for a few years in the 1990s, and was the figure skating venue for the 2002 Winter Olympics, but is hosting the NHL for the first time this season.

It currently has around 12,000 seats for hockey, but is undergoing a two-year renovation project boosting hockey capacity to around 17,000 – which is around four times the size of the 4,500-seat college rink where the Coyotes were playing in Tempe, Ariz., before they relocated last spring.

Hynes said the visiting team areas are very nice, and if he had one complaint, he noted that the ice was a little soft for their Monday practice.

Minnesota Wild center Jakub Lauko (94) celebrates at the bench after scoring against the Dallas Stars in the second period of a preseason NHL hockey game Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

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