The Minnesota Wild have had their goaltending depth tested in a big way this season.
Niklas Backstrom and Josh Harding have had separate issues with their health and that’s meant Johan Gustafsson has gotten the call from AHL Iowa quite a bit. To help soften that blow, Michael Russo of The Star-Tribune reports the Wild signed minor leaguer, and former Boston University standout, John Curry to a two-way NHL deal.
Curry had been in Iowa on an AHL contract, but the team tore that up to make sure they can call on him at the NHL level should they need him. Iowa Wild coach Kurt Kleinendorst had sound reasoning for making sure Curry sticks around.
Coach KK said Gustafsson's trips up and down I-35 "not a healthy situation. Now, when they need a goalie, we keep our young guy here."
— Tom Witosky (@toskyAHLWild) February 17, 2014
The young guy he’s referring to is Darcy Kuemper who has also gotten his share of time in Minnesota. Curry, 29, provides Iowa with a veteran player who can handle the rigors of the AHL schedule while Gustafsson and Kuemper help out with the big club.
