Devin Setoguchi injury update

Well, it was a fairly uneventful morning skate for the Wild. That’s mainly because there was no morning skate. Coach Mike Yeo decided to have his guys get a good night’s sleep rather than come in for a morning skate. So the only folks hanging around Xcel Energy Center were some assistant coaches and the injured players, who went through a rather intense skate. Those on the ice included: Devin Setoguchi, Clayton Stoner, Casey Wellman and Guillaume Latendresse.

Setoguchi, who is coming back from a knee injury that has forced him out of the last 10 games, looked good on the ice. Afterward, he talked about perhaps taking part in a Wild practice this week. Here is how he described his progress: “Feeling good, better and better each day,” he said. “It’s a matter of just getting to the point where you don’t think you’re going to hurt yourself if you go out and play. It’s getting your legs and your lungs back. You have to get a full practice before you can get back. But definitely making big strides day to day, and skating better each day.”

It’s unclear whether Setoguchi will use a brace on his leg when he returns. But it’s clear that much of the timing regarding his return has to do with his confidence. Indeed, when asked about when he might return to practice, Setoguchi said it might happen as early as tomorrow. “Could be tomorrow,” he said. “It could be a couple days. It’s kind of my decision. I want to wake up in the morning and see how I feel. I pushed it pretty hard today. The plan was to try to be back before the new year. Hopefully I’ll get in a couple practices here soon.”

Meanwhile, it’s been nearly as painful for Setoguchi to watch the team struggle and not be able to help as the injury itself. “Any time you see your team struggling a little bit you always want to be out there to help,” he said. “The guys have been working hard and you want to be a part of it.”

via Setoguchi talks | StarTribune.com.

Minnesota place right wing Devin Setoguchi on injured reserve

ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Minnesota Wild have placed right wing Devin Setoguchi on injured reserve and recalled left wing Jeff Taffe from their minor league affiliate. The move was made before Thursday’s game at Los Angeles. Setoguchi had tweaked his knee in practice earlier in the day and compounded when Brent Burns fell on him in the first period. Ironically, Burns and Setoguchi were traded for each other. Setoguchi left in the first period of Tuesday’s game at San Jose with what the NHL-leading Wild called a lower-body injury. He’s tied for the team lead with eight goals.

via Wild place right wing Devin Setoguchi on injured reserve; former Gopher Jeff Taffe recalled – The Washington Post.

A few minutes with Devin Setoguchi in his return to play against San Jose Sharks tonight

Devin Setoguchi: What do you think about the early success? “We’re not surprised. But we still have a long ways to go and we understand that we need to stick to our process. That gives us a chance to win games.”

Wasn’t this supposed to be a rebuilding team? “We’ve got a young team and our coaches have put together a system that works for us. We’ve bought into the system and making sure that it works. It’s a pretty simple game. We go north with the puck and eliminate turnovers. (Coach) Mike Yeo’s key words are ‘work ethic’ and ‘battle level.’ And that’s what we do.”

Your scoring is down. Is it something that concerns you? “I said this even before the season started: It doesn’t matter how many goals you score. It’s how many wins you get. Our scoring is so spread out. We have so many guys who can put points on the board. One guy is never going to score all the goals for you.”

What’s it like being in Minnesota after spending your entire NHL career in San Jose? “There’s nothing wrong at all. It’s a great place to play. It’s the State of Hockey. It’s a good rink, good town, great staff and a good bunch of guys on the team. It’s all good.”

via And now, a few minutes with Dany Heatley and Devin Setoguchi | Working the Corners.

Devin Setoguchi helping Minnesota Wild to the top of the NHL Standings

Devin Setoguchi helps Wild win shootout.
Left wing Devin Setoguchi scored a goal in the Minnesota Wild’s shootout win against the Oilers in Edmonton Wednesday night.

It was Setoguchi’s eighth goal of the season and his 4th goal in the past 8 games. His play as well as his teammates have put Minnesota atop the NHL Standings with 35 points on 16 wins, 7 losses, 3 OT loss

Setoguchi scores an incredible goal. Setoguchi bats the puck in midair only to get it blocked by the goalie but then bats in the rebound.

Bounce goes Setoguchi’s way, and Wild win again – TwinCities.com

Wild fans help Devin Setoguchi celebrate his third period goal in Minnesota’s 1-0 win over the Avalanche on Thursday, Nov. 17, 2011

via Bounce goes Setoguchi's way, and Wild win again – TwinCities.com.

Setoguchi, Heatley warming to Minnesota

ST. PAUL – To fans, a player is adjusted to a new team when he scores goals – lots of goals – and fits seamlessly into the line-up. On the ice, nothing has changed but the jersey. But off the ice, the changes are tumultuous, and a little bit scary. Getting traded means exploring a new city, picking a new address, learning the ropes of a new locker room.

The novelty of everything is daunting. Being the new kid on the block is never easy.

Dany Heatley and Devin Setoguchi were lucky: they had each other to lean on.

“It obviously makes the transition a lot easier when you have a good friend come with you,” Setoguchi said of Heatley, his teammate for two years in San Jose. “We go out to dinner quite a bit and hang out, and we’re really good friends, which is nice.”

Their friendship has grown stronger through an offseason of change. For Setoguchi, his trade to Minnesota – which came merely a day after he signed a multi-year deal with the Sharks – was both surprising and exciting. For Heatley, it was disappointing.

“Well, first, when he got traded away, I was pretty upset,” Heatley said.

Setoguchi, who spent three full seasons with the Sharks and one split season with their American Hockey League affiliate, racked up an impressive 159 points in 267 regular-season games with the big club. He played with the likes of Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton, holding his own and proving to be impressive under pressure. During the Sharks’ 2011 run in the Stanley Cup playoffs, Setoguchi buried two game-winning goals, both in overtime.

Heatley was rightfully disappointed about losing such a talented teammate. But it ran deeper than that.

“He’s a really good player, and a really great friend.”

Just ten days after Setoguchi’s trade, Heatley was dealt to Minnesota by San Jose for Martin Havlat. Within that window of time, the Wild had acquired not only a young, clutch forward in Setoguchi, but one of the league’s most gifted goal-scorers. It just so happened to work in the Wild’s favor that Heatley, the four-time all-star who has two fifty-goal seasons under his belt, was a good friend of their newest addition.

“When I found out he was coming, I knew it was going to be even better,” Setoguchi said.

During the offseason, the two faced the challenges of transitioning to an unfamiliar team. Together, they met their new teammates, explored the Twin Cities, and found places to call home. Rather predictably, they ended up a couple blocks away from each other.

“We’re close,” Setoguchi admitted with a laugh. “In the offseason, we’d go out … and just go around the city and look for things to do. It makes it a lot easier when you have a friend with you.”

Their transition came before training camp even began. Now that the season is under way, the on-ice adjustment is visible. Heatley and Setoguchi are two of the Wild’s top scorers.

Though the fans do not see what has helped them in the transition away from the rink, they do see the final product: goals.

Lots of goals.

“I think we’re adjusting very well,” Heatley said with a smile.

Both on and off the ice, they have become a fixture within the Wild organization. Heatley wears an ‘A’ during Minnesota’s road games, and only words of praise have been spoken about Setoguchi’s presence in the locker room.

Though Setoguchi has been moved to the speedy second line and Heatley has remained with captain Mikko Koivu, the two have been productive, regardless of their roles.

“It doesn’t matter who you play with as long as you win the games and you’re playing well out there,” Setoguchi noted.

It’s rather evident the dynamic duo is excited to be in The State of Hockey. It’s visible in their effort during every one of their shifts and their lighthearted teasing of teammates during practice.

There is a palpable energy in the locker room, an aura of a team that not only wins its games, but understands the importance of friendship both on and off the ice.

“We’re apart of something new and something special,” Setoguchi said, glancing over to Heatley.

“It’s a great town, a great place to play hockey, and we have great people around us,” said Heatley in agreement. “And Seto’s a great friend.”

Setoguchi grinned. “It’s been fun.”

By Devin Lowe, Contributor

FOXSportsNorth.com

via Setoguchi, Heatley warming to Minnesota.