According to a team announcement, the Minnesota Wild have reassigned depth defenseman Matt Kiersted to the AHL’s Iowa Wild. The transaction indicates that veteran defenseman Zach Bogosian could return to the lineup on Thursday against the Winnipeg Jets.
Despite being on the active roster for more than a month, Kiersted has hardly been utilized by the Wild. Minnesota has dealt with multiple injuries on the blue line throughout that stretch. However, they’ve typically had at least six healthy defenseman available, leading to many nights in the press box for Kiersted.
Kiersted, 27, signed a two-year, $1.55MM contract with the Wild last summer. Throughout his recall, he appeared in four games, registering one assist and a -1 rating while averaging 13:42 of ice time per game.
Still, he was likely brought in to stabilize AHL Iowa’s defensive core. He was coming off his best professional season to date, scoring one goal and 29 points in 64 games with an excellent +34 rating. Unfortunately, he hasn’t been able to provide that when he’s been on the AHL roster.
In fact, he’s on pace for one of his worst seasons in the AHL. The Elk River, MN native has registered only three assists in 23 games with a -12 rating on the year. Despite missing the last month, his +/- remains one of the worst on the team among defensemen.