The Minnesota Wild are 12-3-4 and sit first in the Central Division entering the new week. And to make matters worse for the rest of the NHL, they are getting healthier.

Over the weekend, both Marcus Foligno and Nick Foligno were activated from injured reserve and played in the 4-3 overtime loss to Tampa Bay. Michael McCarron, who missed Saturday’s OT loss, practiced Monday after missing Saturday’s game, too.

On Monday, Joe Smith (The Athletic) reported that McCarron could be back on Tuesday when the Wild return to the ice in Montreal. If true, Smith went on to tweet, it would mean “a tough lineup decision coming up front” for head coach John Hynes and GM Bill Guerin.

Minnesota Wild put two players on waivers

It didn’t take long for us to find out exactly what that meant. Less than an hour later, the Wild announced that they placed defenseman Cameron Crotty and forward Tyler Pitlick on waivers.

Neither Crotty nor Pitlick has been claimed or assigned yet. However, any of the other 31 NHL teams can put in a claim before the waiver period ends and, as Michael Russo noted on X today, the Senators could claim him and send him down to the minors, since Minnesota landed him via waiver claim out of Ottawa on Oct. 29.

Cameron Crotty back on waivers

The MN Wild picked Crotty up the same day they learned Jared Spurgeon would be out a bit longer than originally expected. The 27-year-old Ottawa native hasn’t played for Minnesota since the claim.

All three of his games this season came with the Senators, where he did not score a point. This isn’t Crotty’s first stop with the Wild, however. One of his 11 career NHL appearances came in a Minnesota sweater, back in 2024-25.

Crotty carries an $812,500 cap hit on a deal that runs through 2026-27, with a $300,000 salary in the minors, according to PuckPedia. If he is picked up on waivers, the MN Wild would be clear of their salary obligations, post claim.

Roster math catches up with Tyler Pitlick

Pitlick, meanwhile, is a Minneapolis native who was recalled from Iowa on Oct. 12, when Marcus Foligno went on injured reserve. The 35-year-old has played 12 games for the Wild this season without a goal or an assist, averaging 7:39 of ice time.

With both Folignos back, he was a healthy scratch Saturday against Tampa Bay. McCarron’s possible return would add one more forward to the mix, meaning there’s no room left on the roster for Pitlick, who has played 464 career NHL games.

Tyler Pitlick is playing on a two-year deal carries an $812,500 cap hit and ends after this season. If either player clears waivers after 24 hours, the expected next stop is the Iowa Wild.