Chuck Kobasew is a solid worker who can bring some decent speed to a team, but he really hasn’t done a whole lot since the Boston Bruins traded him to the Minnesota Wild for salary cap reasons. Then again, he hasn’t really had much of a chance to do so this month as the winger has been injured since November 2nd.
Michael Russo of the Minnesota Star Tribune reports that Kobasew could return to the Wild lineup as soon as tomorrow if things go well. He has been dealing with a groin injury for about the last month.
Kobasew scored nine goals and five assists for 14 points in 42 games for the Wild after that trade in 2009-10 but only managed one goal in 11 games this season. He’s not an impact player and probably won’t improve too dramatically at age 28, but Minnesota could still use his versatility.
Meanwhile, Russo reports that the team also called up Jack Spurgeon, a 20-year-old defenseman the team signed as an undrafted free agent. Spurgeon might play if Marek Zidlicky sits their next contest out, as Russo wrote that Zidlicky was “wrapped up like a mummy” in ice packs after the team’s last game.