Jiricek has a goal and three points in 12 appearances between Columbus and Minnesota in 2024-25. It's possible the Wild are sending him down to free a roster spot ahead of activating a player -- Marcus Johansson (concussion), Jonas Brodin (lower body), Kirill Kaprizov (lower body) and Jared Spurgeon (lower body) are all on either IR or LTIR. However, Minnesota doesn't play until Thursday, so the Wild also have the option to simply recall Jiricek or another player before the squad's next game.