Ankle Surgery Ends Suter's Season

The Minnesota Wild are in the thick of the Western Conference playoff race and they face the next week and a possible playoff run without defenseman Ryan Suter, after an examination of his ankle from a weekend injury determined that he will need and undergo surgery to repair it and the timeline for his return is well outside the range of hope for this season.

Undoubtedly, a huge blow to the Wild, who went into tonight's action in the 3rd spot in the Central Division, but in no way safe from demotion, heading into Monday's game against the Oilers.

Suter has had a good season in Minnesota, until now, scoring 6 goals and 51 points in 78 games, ranking 122nd overall heading into Monday's action, good enough for 14th among defensemen.  Of course, this week will likely change that a little, but still a pretty good year.

So, first off... this doesn't make Dale B.'s defense of 3rd place any easier.  That's a pretty good player to take out of his lineup, even if there is three games left after tonight.  It wasn't like his lead was razor thin, but it wasn't overly comfortable either.

Secondly, if the Wild were to go far, Suter may have been one of those guys you'd consider on the playoff pool sheet.  This injury definitely makes him a land mine for those not paying much attention.