Minnesota's Declan Chisholm Goes Down After Brutal Hit From Marcus Pettersson

With another must-win game down the stretch, the Minnesota Wild can't afford to lose any key players, but in their comeback win over the Vancouver Canucks, they may have just lost a key defenseman in Declan Chisholm.

During the game, Chisholm was fighting for a puck on the boards before he was absolutely crunched by veteran blue liner Marcus Pettersson, with the talented defenseman immediately taken to the locker room.

It looked bad on first viewing, and now the Wild risk losing another key piece of their team right on the eve of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, with the team facing a must-win in Game 82 to clinch their spot in the post-season.

On the play, there was no call on Pettersson, and while some believed it was a dirty hit, others saw it as clean, but whatever the case, it was a very hard hit that saw Chisholm slammed into the glass.

Whether it was clean or not, there's a good chance that Chisholm misses the teams next game, and after being signed to his ELC in recent days, this could open the door for star defenseman Zeev Buium to make his NHL debut.

As of yet, there has been no update on Chisholm's condition, and while fans will no doubt want to see Buium in action, the hope is that Chisholm can return for the teams next game and the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but for now, only time will tell.