Staal (illness) will travel with the team but may not play Thursday against the Kings.

EDGE Analysis

Coach Bruce Boudreau says Staal continues to battle what the team figures is "some sort of virus", and the veteran's status for Thursday remains up in the air as a result. He'll make the trip but it seems Staal will be in tough to suit up in LA.

Staal (illness) will sit out Tuesday's game versus the Sharks, Michael Russo of The Athletic reports.

EDGE Analysis

Staal started the season hot with 11 points -- three on the power play -- in 13 games. His absence will force the Wild to run seven defensemen, so Nate Prosser will enter the lineup.

Staal generated his 400th NHL goal in Saturday's 5-1 road win over the Blues.

EDGE Analysis

Staal put some lumber on a Nick Seeler point shot and deflected the puck into the cage for the milestone marker. The venerable pivot has accumulated 322 goals over 12 seasons with the Hurricanes, three goals over 20 games with the Rangers, plus 75 tallies and counting over parts of three seasons with the Wild.

Staal scored a goal and added two assists Tuesday in a 4-3 win over Edmonton.

EDGE Analysis

The three-point performance gives Staal two goals and three helpers in his last three games. Now with 10 points through 12 games, the34-year-old has picked it up after a somewhat slow start to the season. Staal and the Wild will now enjoy three days off before facing St. Louis on Saturday.

Staal scored the game-winning goal in Tuesday's 2-1 win over the Coyotes.

EDGE Analysis

Staal's third-period marker wound up being the difference Tuesday night, giving him his first game-winning goal of the 2018-19 season. The 33-year-old veteran has finished top-10 in game-deciding goals three times in his career, with the most recent time coming back in 2016-17. He'll look to stay hot when the Wild face Dallas and Tampa Bay on Friday and Saturday respectively.

Despite a slow start to the season, Staal remains confident that he can replicate last season's scoring production, Dan Rosen of NHL.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Last season, the 33-year-old veteran tallied 76 points, including 42 goals. Both he and his teammates are confident that Staal can continue being a top-end point producer but owners would like to see some proof of that, sooner rather than later. The eldest Staal is pointless through two games so far this season.

Staal scored a goal and an assist in a 4-3 preseason victory against the Jets on Wednesday.

EDGE Analysis

The oldest Staal brother has experienced a resurgence in Minnesota. Since joining the Wild, he's scored at least 28 goals and 65 points in each of the last two seasons. In 2017-18, he tallied 42 goals, which was his most since 2005-06, and 76 points. He might not score 40 again, but Staal is a viable center option for owners after the top talent is gone.

Staal, who is heading into a contract year, has expressed interest in sticking with Minnesota, Sean Leahy of NBC Sports reports.

EDGE Analysis

Fresh off one of his best seasonal outputs as an NHLer -- Staal contributed 42 goals and 34 assists without missing a game --- there are questions about how likely he is to eventually re-sign with the Wild. The heady veteran is currently only making $3.5 million in annual salary before he'd have the option of hitting the open market as an unrestricted free agent next summer. However, Staal isn't in a rush to strike a deal, particularly because he's allowing new GM Paul Fenton to settle in. "We had some kind of conversation as far as we'll kind of approach it here once we get rolling in the season and go from there," Staal said. "I'd like to [stay]. I like it. Minnesota's been a great fit for me and I enjoy playing there, but that isn't a secret. But those are things that we'll discuss and figure out as we move forward in the next couple of months."

Staal scored a goal and added an assist in Sunday's 6-2 win over the Jets in Game 3.

EDGE Analysis

All the Thunder Bay, Ontario native needed to get his first (and second) points of the series was a little Minnesota home cookin', as the Wild dominated the Jets after dropping the first two games north of the border. Staal was one of five home skaters to put up two points against Winnipeg netminder Connor Hellebuyck.

Staal scored a third-period goal -- his 40th of the season -- during Tuesday's 2-1 overtime loss to Nashville.

EDGE Analysis

This was the veteran's first 40-goal showing since the 2008-09 campaign. Staal has easily been one of the most valuable fantasy contributors this year, which is especially true considering where he was being ranked and selected entering the season. Duplicating his 18.3 shooting percentage in 2018-19 will be nearly impossible, so it's probably wise to bank on some negative regression in the goal column, but Staal also has room to decline before it's a major concern.