37 Kyle Rau C

Rau was reassigned to Minnesota's taxi squad Friday.

Rau has appeared in two top-level contests this season, going scoreless while averaging just 7:53 of ice time per game. It's unclear if he'll be added to the Wild's active roster ahead of Minnesota's next game, which is currently scheduled for Thursday against the Blues.

Rau was activated from the taxi squad Sunday.

Marcus Foligno was placed in the league's COVID-19 protocol Sunday, Kevin Fiala is suspended for two more games, and Marcus Johansson (undisclosed) is day-to-day. As a result, Rau will get an opportunity with the big club, and he'll have a chance to crack the lineup for Sunday's matchup against the Avalanche.

Rau secured a one-year, two-way contract with Minnesota on Thursday.

Rau failed to crack the Wild roster this season, instead spending the year in the minors with AHL Iowa, for which he registered 14 goals and 29 helpers in 51 appearances. With the departure of several veterans this offseason, Rau should have an opportunity to earn a spot on the 23-man roster during training camp.

Rau was reassigned to AHL Iowa on Monday.

By sending Rau down to the minors, the club clears the way from Pontus Aberg (lower body) to be activated off injured reserve. The move will also give Rau the opportunity to log some more minutes, as he averaged just 7:01 of ice time in his six NHL contests. With the 23-man roster limit lifted following the trade deadline, the Minnesota is a prime candidate to be recalled from the minors.

Rau was called up from AHL Iowa on Monday, Michael Russo of The Athletic reports.

Rau will have to beat out Luke Kunin for a spot in the lineup and will likely be forced to serve as a healthy scratch versus Buffalo on Tuesday. Rau has yet to appear in a game for the Wild this season and figures to be sent back to the minors once Pontus Aberg (lower body) is cleared to return.

Rau was waived by the Wild on Saturday, Michael Russo of The Athletic reports.

The Eden Prairie, Minnesota native pitted one goal against a minus-2 rating over four preseason games. A shifty depth center, Rau will head to AHL Iowa in the likely event that he passes through waivers unclaimed.

Rau signed a two-year, two-way contract with the Wild on Wednesday.

Rau only appeared in three games with the Wild last season, picking up one assist while firing four shots on goal over that span, but he was highly productive in the minors, racking up 23 goals and 50 points in 69 contests. The 2011 third-round pick will almost certainly spend the majority of the next two campaigns with Minnesota's AHL affiliate, so there's no reason for fantasy owners to have him on their radars.

Rau will make his playoff debut Friday evening against the Jets, Michael Russo of The Athletic Minnesota reports.

With the Wild down 3-1 in the series, coach Bruce Boudreau evidently felt the need to tinker with his lines ahead of the do-or-die Game 5. When Rau was drafted by the Panthers (2011 third-rounder), scouts talked a lot about the diminutive center's raw skills and quickness, so perhaps the feisty bugger will be able to make a tangible difference in the series. The University of Minnesota product compiled 164 points (67 goals, 97 assists) over 160 games for the Gophers from 2011-15, but he's since been limited to 36 regular-season games between the Panthers and Wild with some AHL stops in between.

Rau was recalled from AHL Iowa on Sunday, Michael Russo of The Athletic Minnesota reports.

Rau played three games for Minnesota this season and notched one helper. He spent the rest of his time with AHL Iowa, accruing 23 goals and 50 points in 69 games. The 25-year-old's being recalled because AHL Iowa's season is over, but he won't slot in for Game 3 against the Jets.

The Wild assigned Rau to AHL Iowa on Thursday.

The 25-year-old pivot will play for the Wild's minor-league affiliate during the NHL's upcoming all-star break, but there's a chance he'll be recalled by the big club for a second time ahead of Tuesday's clash with the Blue Jackets. Rau has tallied a single assist in two games with Minnesota this campaign.

The Wild recalled Rau from AHL Iowa on Friday, Sarah McLellan of the Star Tribune reports.

Rau has been moderately productive in the minors this season, totaling 11 goals and 21 points in 36 contests. The Wild only had 12 healthy forward on their roster prior to Rau's promotion, so he'll round out the big club's depth up front for the foreseeable future.

Rau signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Wild on Saturday, Chris Long of KSTP-TV Sports reports. The 24-year-old center will make $700,000 in the NHL or $200,000 if he's assigned to AHL Iowa.

Rau hails from Eden Prairie, Minnesota, so this will be a homecoming of sorts for the speedy pivot. He wasn't given much of an opportunity in the NHL with the Panthers the past two seasons, scoring twice with a single assist over 33 games. Still, this is a guy who added 164 (67 goals, 97 assists) points for the University of Minnesota between 2011-15, so the potential is there for him to make an impact with the Wild in due time.

Rau was reassigned to AHL Springfield on Friday, George Richards of the Miami Herald reports.

Rau has been held without a point in his last 14 appearances in addition to being a healthy scratch six times since he last wrote his name on the scoresheet Nov. 15. Although the 24-year-old has only played in two minor-league games this season, he racked up 17 goals and 14 helpers with AHL Portland last year. A fantastic collegiate player, the University of Minnesota product has yet to put it all together at the professional level.

Rau earned his first career NHL point Sunday in a 5-2 win over the Red Wings. He received 10:07 of ice time.

Playing in his third game of the season after sitting the last one out as a healthy scratch, the 24-year-old officially got onto an NHL scoresheet. A point-per-game player for four years at the University of Minnesota, the 2011 third-round pick put up 31 points in 63 AHL contests last season but put up a big fat goose egg in nine games with the Panthers. Now that Rau has gotten his first point off his shoulders, it'll be interesting to see how long it takes him to start flashing some of his offensive flair from his collegiate days in Sunrise.

Rau will not play Saturday afternoon against the Sabres, Joe Yerdon of NHL.com reports. He appears to be a healthy scratch.

The Panthers wish to get Shawn Thornton into the lineup for the first time this season, and that leaves Rau on the bench after the diminutive center went minus-2 without so much as a shot in Thursday's loss to the Maple Leafs.

Rau will be in the lineup against the Avalanche on Sunday, David Dwork of CBS Miami reports.

Jussi Jokinen has been ruled out for Sunday's contest with a minor knee injury, so Rau gets the nod in his stead. Scouts have raved about the 23-year-old's hockey smarts for some time, but it's worth noting that he struggled in a nine-game sampling of the NHL last season -- he was held pointless with a minus-1 rating in that span.

The Panthers recalled Rau from AHL Springfield on Friday.

Jussi Jokinen (knee) is considered questionable for Saturday's game against Colorado, so Rau will act as an insurane policy in case Jokinen isn't able to go against the Avalanche. Rau was a decent contributor in the minors last season, totaling 31 points (17 goals, 14 assists) over 63 games with AHL Portland, but failed to tally a single point in nine games with the Panthers in 2015-16.

Rau was reassigned to the Portland Pirates of the AHL on Sunday.

Rau went pointless in the nine games he played during his recall, but showed some promise in the stint. Though undersized, Rau was able to score at least 40 points in each of his four seasons at the University of Minnesota (finishing with 164 points in 160 games) and could find a role as a scoring third-liner in the NHL before his career comes to an end.

Rau has been recalled from AHL Portland.

Rau averaged more than a point per game between 2011-15 at the University of Minnesota, and he's dented the scoresheet to the tune of 17 goals and 10 assists in 48 games with Portland this campaign. While he doesn't have ideal size at 5-foot-8 and 173 pounds, Rau is a dual threat in that he can score and set up goals all the same. However, he has yet to debut in the NHL and likely won't be much of a factor this season, given the lack of experience.