Jonas Brodin returning from injury in Edmonton

The Minnesota Wild are getting one of their key players back for their upcoming matchup against the Edmonton Oilers on Friday night.

Defenseman Jonas Brodin has been out with a lower-body injury and has not played in a game since the Nov. 27 win over the Arizona Coyotes. But thankfully, is set to return in Edmonton and will have the task of keeping some elite talent at bay for his first game in almost two weeks.

The 29-year-old blueliner returned to practice on Wednesday, but during morning skate on Friday, was seen back in his normal spot next to Matt Dumba, no doubt signaling a return to action.

In response to the two top defensive pairings being reunited, it looks like Calen Addison might be the odd man out, as he was seen working alongside extra defender Andrej Sustr. This means that the third pairing will be Jon Merrill and Alex Goligoski in Edmonton.

Brodin’s absence has been noticeable. Maybe not against some weaker opposition, but the Wild have found themselves crumbling incredibly easy under pressure, if the other team applied just a little bit of sustained force, some Wild defensemen just could not handle it and clean it up like Brodin has done for most of his career.

He’ll have his plate full with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl on Friday, but hopefully he’s up for the task.