Wild D Ryan Suter Latest NHLer To Be Infected With The Mumps

The mumps epidemic is still going strong in the NHL world, most recently claiming the wellness of Minnesota Wild defenseman Ryan Suter.

Ryan Suter will miss Wednesday night’s game, with what the team fears are mumps-like symptoms, when the Minnesota Wild host the Montreal Canadians at Xcel Energy Center. It will be the first time the Norris Trophy candidate will not be in the Wild lineup since signing with the team as a free agent in July, 2012.

Seriously, is someone waging war on the NHL using the mumps disease for biological warfare?

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Suter is the latest of many NHL players to come down with the illness this year. It seemed to all start in the Anaheim Ducks locker room when forwards Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf came down with the illness. Later, their teammate Francois Beauchemin also came down with the illness. The St. Louis Blues also were hit by the illness, as they had a team-wide infection of the mumps that they had to take care of. The virus seemed to be staying in the West, until certain players on the New York Rangers came down with the illness as well.

This isn’t the first time the illness has hit the Wild. Although, it seems to be restricted to their blue-line players. Defensemen Marco Scandella, Jonas Brodin, Keith Ballard and Christian Folin all were out for periods of time this season with the mumps.

Since the Wild have been missing players from the defensive corp. all season, they are used to missing players and filling the void. However, filling a void as big as the one Ryan Suter leaves will be a hefty task. He is in the conversation for the Norris Trophy almost every year and averages almost a half-hour of playing time per game, playing in all situations for the Wild.

It will be an even tougher task tonight as they play the Montreal Canadians, who have one of the better offenses in the league so far this season.

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