Wild general manager Chuck Fletcher announced Monday that injured forward Zach Parise will not make the season-opening road trip this week. Parise, recovering from a back injury, will miss games in Detroit and Carolina and will try to rejoin the team for practice next Monday.
Also on Monday, the Wild assigned forward Luke Kunin to its AHL affiliate in Iowa and placed defenseman Ryan Murphy on waivers. Murphy will be sent to Iowa if he clears.
Parise missed all seven preseason games and sat out Monday's practice at Xcel Energy Center. Fletcher said the winger "feels great," but the team doesn't want him to play until he is completely healthy. It's been decided that Parise will "pull it back a bit" and skate at home during the trip.
"He's having a hard time getting over the hump, having a hard time getting to 100 percent," Fletcher said. "So after speaking with the doctors on the weekend, we're just going to slow him down a little bit, pull it back a bit.
"He's in great shape. He's been skating. He feels great. But we've just got to make sure we do the right thing here. It's a long season, and I think after speaking with Zach and the doctors, we all agreed there's no rush just to play Thursday. So let's be smart."
Fletcher said he doesn't know what Parise's long-term prognosis might be.
Monday's moves reduced the roster to 22 players, including Parise and veteran free-agent forward Daniel Winnik, who still has not signed a contract. Though the Wild is only $866,000 under the salary cap, Fletcher said the team still has enough room to sign a player.
Kunin's assignment to Iowa means Joel Eriksson Ek will start the season as the Wild's third-line center.
