If you judged someone’s presence on the Wild roster solely based on points produced, Gustav Nyquist would not be seen as an impact player after his first seven games back in Minnesota.

Heading into Monday’s game versus Los Angeles, he had recorded just one assist in his time with the team this month. But Nyquist – who played a handful of regular season and playoff games for the Wild two years ago – has been a good fit in the room and on the ice by all accounts since returning to St. Paul via a trade with the Nashville Predators on March 1.

“Gus has been an awesome addition to our team,” said Wild coach John Hynes following the team’s Monday morning skate. “He’s a really good pro, hockey smart, he’s a versatile player that can play both wings. He can play with lots of different style of players and brings a power-play element to him.”

Having talked about the Wild’s penalty kill struggles all season, with the Wild killing off penalties more successfully over the past three games, Hynes has joked that he will not talk about the good play for fear of jinxing things. But special teams are an element of Nyquist’s game that the coach has enjoyed in a small sample size.

“He’s understanding how we want to kill and he has done a good job on that,” Hynes said. “So he’s been a good addition for us. Like some other guys, he has had some real quality opportunities to score. It hasn’t gone in easy for him, but he needs to be able to continue to play his game and stay with it.”

In the locker room, Nyquist said there was an immediate feel of comfort with the Wild, having the brief time with the team two years ago on his resume. Wild players agree that he has been an immediate fit.

“He’s one of my favorite players,” Wild forward Freddie Gaudreau said. “He just creates so much on the ice. Plays that would normally end up with nothing, he is able to create stuff…But off the ice, such a great teammate. Just a positive guy that has a ton of skills and a vision for the game.”

Nyquist, who was a college standout at Maine, even joked that with fellow Maine alum Devin Shore at forward and assistant coach Jack Capuano on the bench, they’re forming a small Black Bears Club in Minnesota.

Foligno injured

Heading into Monday’s game, veteran forward Marcus Foligno was a rare member of the roster that had played every game in this season where injuries have been so much a part of the narrative. That streak ended during warm-ups, when the Wild announced that Foligno was a late scratch due to an upper body injury.

Foligno, who has 11 goals and 11 assists in 67 games this season, was on the ice for the team’s morning skate on Monday, but Hynes hinted that there might be game-time decisions.

That leaves Marco Rossi, Matt Boldy and Gaudreau as the only Wild players to see the ice in every game this season. Defenseman Zach Bogosian and Foligno have now each missed one game.

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