Kirkland was placed on waivers by the Wild on Thursday for the purpose of reassignment to AHL Iowa.
Kirkland is coming off back-to-back years in which he made at least 20 regular-season appearances with Calgary, and he signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Wild during the offseason. He'll likely spend most of the year in the minors once again, but his NHL experience makes him a candidate to be called up if the Wild need additional depth at some point.