Wild's Jacob Middleton: Placed on long-term injured reserve
Rotowire
Middleton (hand) was placed on long-term injured reserve Friday.
Middleton sustained a hand injury during Thursday's game against the Oilers and will be forced to miss multiple weeks after his move to LTIR on Friday. The defenseman may require surgery to address his injury, per Michael Russo of The Athletic. Over his first 29 appearances of the season, Middleton had racked up five goals, eight assists, 76 blocked shots, 42 hits and 15 PIM while averaging 20:36 of ice time. Cameron Crotty could see some playing time in the near future, while Jonas Brodin (upper body) resumed skating this week.
... See More... See Less
Wild's Jacob Middleton: Sustains upper-body injury
Rotowire
Middleton (upper body) won't return to Thursday's game versus the Oilers.
Middleton's injury occurred early in the first period. If he is unable to play in a weekend back-to-back -- the Wild host the Flyers on Saturday and the Golden Knights on Sunday -- the team will likely need to call up a defenseman or give Cameron Crotty his team debut.
... See More... See Less
Wild's Jacob Middleton: Scores in Tuesday's overtime win
Rotowire
Middleton scored a goal on two shots, added three hits and went plus-2 in Tuesday's 3-2 overtime win over the Canucks.
Middleton has slowed down after a five-game point streak from Oct. 22-Nov. 1, but he still has two goals and two assists over his last eight outings. The 28-year-old defenseman is holding onto a top-four role and playing at a career-best pace while still being a strong physical player. He's at five goals, 13 points, 43 shots on net, 36 hits, 61 blocked shots, 15 PIM and a plus-18 rating over 25 appearances.
... See More... See Less
Wild's Jacob Middleton: Nets lone goal in loss
Rotowire
Middleton scored a goal on five shots and added four PIM in Monday's 4-1 loss to the Jets.
Middleton opened the scoring at 8:37 of the first period, but the Wild's lead lasted just 1:26 before Alex Iafallo tied the game at 1-1. With three points over his last four games, Middleton continues to contribute on offense in addition to his usual strong physical play. The 28-year-old blueliner has four goals, 12 points, 36 shots on net, 28 hits, 48 blocked shots, 15 PIM and a plus-16 rating through 21 appearances in a top-four role.
... See More... See Less
Wild's Jacob Middleton: Assists in consecutive games
Rotowire
Middleton logged an assist, four shots on goal, two hits and two blocked shots in Thursday's 5-3 win over the Oilers.
The four shots on goal led all Wild players. Middleton has a helper in each of the last two games and continues to offer well-rounded non-scoring production while seeing top-four minutes. For the season, the 28-year-old blueliner has 11 points, 31 shots on net, 47 blocked shots, 26 hits, 11 PIM and a plus-17 rating through 19 appearances.
... See More... See Less
Wild's Jacob Middleton: Fills stat sheet in win
Rotowire
Middleton posted an assist, two shots on goal, two hits, four blocked shots, two PIM and a plus-3 rating in Tuesday's 4-2 win over the Blues.
It was a well-rounded effort for Middleton from a fantasy perspective. The 28-year-old's scoring pace has predictably dropped after his hot start -- he has just two points over his last eight games. He's at a total of three goals, seven assists, 27 shots on net, 24 hits, 45 blocked shots, 11 PIM and a plus-17 rating through 18 appearances in a top-four role.
... See More... See Less
Wild's Jacob Middleton: Tallies opening goal
Rotowire
Middleton scored a goal on two shots, added two hits and went plus-3 in Friday's 5-2 win over the Ducks.
Middleton opened the scoring at 7:31 of the first period. The 28-year-old defenseman had been held off the scoresheet in three straight contests following his five-game point streak. Middleton is at three goals, six helpers, 23 shots on net, 20 hits, 37 blocked shots and a plus-13 rating over 14 contests in a top-four role this season. He's put himself in an excellent position to surpass the career-high 25-point campaign he had in 2023-24.
... See More... See Less
Wild's Jacob Middleton: Notches assist in Friday's win
Rotowire
Middleton provided an assist, two shots on goal, two hits and four blocked shots in Friday's 5-3 win over the Lightning.
Middleton's improbably good start to the campaign continued when he set up Brock Faber's go-ahead goal in the third period. The helper gave Middleton a five-game point streak (one goal, six assists), which is the longest streak of his career. He's up to eight points, 15 shots on net, 15 hits, 31 blocked shots and a plus-9 rating over 10 contests. At this point, he's worth a look in standard fantasy formats, and he'll return solid value in formats that reward non-scoring production throughout the campaign.
... See More... See Less
Wild's Jacob Middleton: Finds twine in loss
Rotowire
Middleton scored a goal on two shots and went plus-2 in Saturday's 7-5 loss to the Flyers.
Middleton has earned five points over his last three games. The 28-year-old defenseman rarely chips in much offense, but he's doing well in a top-four role in 2024-25. Overall, he has two goals, four assists, 11 shots on net, 13 hits, 26 blocked shots and a plus-6 rating across eight appearances.
... See More... See Less
Wild's Jacob Middleton: Three helpers against Florida
Rotowire
Middleton notched three assists while adding three blocked shots and a plus-3 rating in Tuesday's 5-1 win over the Panthers.
The veteran blueliner made a big impact at both ends of the ice in his first multi-point performance since Jan. 18 of last season. Middleton has a goal and four points in six games so far in 2024-25, but his 22 blocked shots is fifth in the NHL, just three behind league leaders Chris Tanev and Brandon Carlo.
... See More... See Less
Wild's Jacob Middleton: Scores Minnesota's lone goal
Rotowire
Middleton netted his first goal of the season in Sunday's 2-1 overtime loss against Winnipeg.
Middleton added two shots, three blocks, one hit, two takeaways and a plus-1 rating in 18:34 of ice time. The 28-year-old is on the top defense pair with Brock Faber and seeing time on the penalty kill. Middleton could be a solid depth option in deeper formats when factoring in his role, and he offers value in categories other than scoring. The left-shot blueliner signed a four-year contract extension with Minnesota in July.
... See More... See Less
Wild's Jacob Middleton: Available for Opening Night
Rotowire
Middleton (bruise) will be available for Thursday's Opening Night matchup against the Blue Jackets, Jessi Pierce of NHL.com reports.
Middleton dealt with a bruise last in training camp, but he returned to practice Monday and will be able to suit up for the regular-season opener. The 28-year-old logged seven goals, 25 points, 161 blocked shots and 147 hits while averaging 19:49 of ice time over 80 appearances for Minnesota last year.
... See More... See Less
Wild's Jacob Middleton: Practices Monday
Rotowire
Middleton (bruise) took part in Monday's practice session, John Shipley of The Pioneer Press reports.
Middleton looks to be on track to play in the season opener against the Jackets on Thursday. If the defenseman does suffer a setback in his recovery, Declan Chisholm would likely see the biggest uptick in ice time while Jon Merrill would move into a third-pairing role. Offensively, Middleton remains somewhat limited even after his career-best 2023-24 in which he posted seven goals and 18 helpers.
... See More... See Less
Wild's Jacob Middleton: Not playing Friday
Rotowire
Middleton (bruise) will not play Friday in Chicago, Michael Russo of The Athletic reports.
Middleton should be ready for Opening Night on Oct. 10 versus Columbus. He had seven goals and 18 assists in 80 regular-season games in 2023-24, setting career-highs in both categories. Look for a similar type season in 2024-25.
... See More... See Less
Wild's Jacob Middleton: Out of lineup Tuesday
Rotowire
Middleton is day-to-day while he heals from a bruise, Michael Russo of The Athletic reports Tuesday.
Middleton's injury is not expected to be serious. The 28-year-old is coming off the most productive season of his NHL career -- the left-shot blueliner notched 25 points in 80 regular-season contests in 2023-24. Middleton earned a raise as a result, signing a four-year contract extension with Minnesota in July.
... See More... See Less
Wild's Jacob Middleton: Assists in consecutive games
Rotowire
Middleton logged an assist in Monday's 3-1 win over the Kings.
Middleton has a helper in each of the last two games following an eight-game point drought. The 28-year-old defenseman is up to 24 points through 79 outings, by far the best season of his career. He's added 145 hits, 158 blocked shots, 84 shots on net and PIM, though his minus-16 rating is one negative mark on an otherwise solid campaign for a stay-at-home blueliner.
... See More... See Less
Wild's Jacob Middleton: Gets assist in win
Rotowire
Middleton notched an assist in Saturday's 6-2 win over the Sharks.
Middleton snapped an eight-game point drought with the helper on a Matt Boldy goal in the first period. The 28-year-old Middleton has enjoyed a career year with 23 points, 84 shots on net, 157 blocked shots, 144 hits, 77 PIM and a minus-16 rating. He remains a fixture in a top-four role, though his usage is exclusively defensive in nature.
... See More... See Less
Wild's Jacob Middleton: Ready to rock
Rotowire
Middleton (upper body) will return to the lineup Sunday against Nashville, according to Michael Russo of The Athletic.
Middleton will be back alongside Brock Faber on the top pairing following a two-game absence. The 28-year-old Middleton has 20 points, 70 PIM, 69 shots on goal, 130 blocked shots and 127 hits over 62 games this season. Dakota Mermis will be a healthy scratch Sunday because of Middleton's return.
... See More... See Less
Wild's Jacob Middleton: Out Friday
Rotowire
Middleton (upper body) is not in Friday's lineup against Colorado, per the NHL's media site.
Middleton has now missed the last two games, though it appears to be a minor issue considering he was a game-time decision versus the Avalanche. The 28-year-old could return as early as Sunday against Nashville.
... See More... See Less
Wild's Jacob Middleton: Out with upper-body injury
Rotowire
Middleton (upper body) won't play Thursday versus the Coyotes.
Middleton will miss his first game of the season while tending to the injury. The 28-year-old defenseman has a career-high 20 points with 127 hits and 130 blocked shots over 62 outings this season. Dakota Mermis will take Middleton's place in the lineup.
