Marcus Johansson Injury Update: Timeline of Minnesota Wild forward's recovery and expected return date

Minnesota Wild's star forward Marcus Johansson had to leave the ice late in the third period due to an upper-body injury he sustained during the Wild's recent matchup against the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday.

The 32-year-old veteran forward sustained the injury after he was cross-checked by Jets defenseman Neal Pionk in the final minutes of the third period.

Johansson is currently considered day-to-day and there is no update on the severity of the injury or his return date. It's also not clear whether the Swede will feature in Minnesota's final clash of the season against the Nashville Predators on Thursday.

With the Minnesota Wild having a few key players injured on their roster, and the team currently placing third in the Central Division, it is unlikely that the Wild will shift from the third seed in the Division, so it can be assumed that the team might opt to be cautious with their injured players on the roster.

Fans can likely expect to hear an update regarding the injury status of Marcus Johansson before the final clash against the Predators on Thursday. With the playoffs set to begin within a week, the injury to the veteran forward undoubtedly comes as a major blow for the Wild.

How has Marcus Johansson fared in the current season?

After spending a majority of time with the Washington Capitals, the 32-year-old forward was traded to the Minnesota Wild by the Caps at this trade deadline.

Marcus Johansson #90 of the Minnesota Wild skates against the Philadelphia Flyers at the Wells Fargo Center on March 23, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

Since being traded, Johansson has appeared in 20 games for the Wild this season and has managed to rack up 18 points through six goals and twelve assists. Overall, he's played in 80 games this season and has 46 points via 19 goals and 27 assists.

Johansson is currently in his 15th season in the league and has played 833 games in his NHL career so far, managing to rack up 453 points via 163 goals and 290 assists.

The Minnesota Wild will enter the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs for the 13th time in franchise history. Kirill Kaprizov has been the leading team in the goalscoring charts. Kaprizov has played 67 games this season and has managed to rack up 75 points through 40 goals and 35 assists.