Jonas Brodin will miss “significant time” due to injury.

The Minnesota Wild may have to make due without arguably their best defenseman through the holiday season.

On Friday night, Wild defenseman Jonas Brodin was injured when he was on the receiving end of a questionable hit from Edmonton Oilers forward Evander Kane, a hit that we now know will cost Brodin significant time. Wild insider Mike Russo was the first to report that Brodin would miss "significant time" although an additional update has now been shared by another National Hockey League insider.

On Saturday night, during the Hockey Night in Canada broadcast, insider Elliotte Friedman established a timeline for Brodin's return, one that won't see him return until the new year.

"That's a huge loss, he's one of their better players," said Friedman of the Brodin injury. "Some said about 4 weeks for Brodin."

The loss of Brodin for any length of time is a huge blow to the Wild, given that Brodin has arguably been the team's top defenseman this season. In 25 games Brodin has 1 goal and 8 assists and currently boasts a plus minus rating of +7.

The one silver lining for the Wild here may be the fact that, should Brodin indeed be out for a month, they will be able to place him on long term injured reserve in order to receive cap relief. That would in turn allow the Wild to make a number of call ups from the American Hockey League, so stay tuned for more on that front.