The Wild are eager to see what their new center can do for the playoff push, and coach John Hynes said Monday that Marat Khusnutdinov will likely make his Minnesota debut this week — possibly as early as Tuesday against the Arizona Coyotes at Xcel Energy Center.

“Whether or not that’s tomorrow, we’re going to talk with him again this afternoon, get him a full morning skate tomorrow,” Hynes told reporters after an optional practice Monday at TRIA Rink. “If he doesn’t play tomorrow, we probably would have him come in, go through the meetings, warmup — similar to what we did with Chisholm.

The Wild picked Declan Chisholm off waivers from Winnipeg on Jan. 29, and he didn’t play his first game for the Wild until Feb. 17. Part of that was because of the all-star break, and part because Chisholm had played in only eight games, two in the NHL, all season.

That’s not an issue for Khusnutdinov, 21, who just finish his fourth KHL season in Russia, recording six goals and 20 points in 55 games between SKA St. Petersburg and HK Sochi. A second-round pick in the 2020 entry draft, Khusnutdinov signed a two-year, two-way entry level contract on Feb. 29 and arrived in Minnesota on Saturday.

The rookie already has connected with fellow Russian Kirill Kaprizov, and the two have been hanging out together — although the eight-hour time difference between St. Paul and Moscow has been an issue.

“They were supposed to go to dinner and Marat slept through it. They didn’t get to dinner,” Hynes said. “That’s why there’s more to it. We want to see him play, and he’s going to get an opportunity. But he’s been through a lot.”

The Wild are host to Arizona on Tuesday and Anaheim on Thursday, then play Saturday at St. Louis as they continue a last desperate push to earn one of the two Western Conference wild-card playoff spots.

“He looks good on the ice; we just want to make sure we communicate with him and give him the right opportunity to come in, whether it’s tomorrow or Thursday or Saturday,” Hynes said. “It will be one of those games, for sure.”

The Wild have moved back into ninth place in the West, six points behind Vegas for the eighth and final playoff spot with 17 regular-season games remaining. The Wild think Khusnutdinov can help.

Khusnutdinov was at Xcel Energy Center for Sunday afternoon’s victory over Nashville. Asked for his first impression of the NHL, he told reporters, “Speed. Smart guys. Physical guys.”

As for how he would fit in, he said through an interpreter, “I can’t say I think it’s going to be easy, but I think it’s my legs and my head that will help me make it in this league.”

Risk, reward

So desperate are the Wild for points, Hynes pulled goalie Marc-Andre Fleury in overtime for a 4-on-3 advantage against Nashville on Sunday, and it quickly paid off in a 4-3 victory.

What a lot of fans, and some players, didn’t know was that under NHL rules, the Wild would have lost their OT point had they lost — the risk of pulling their goalie for a reason other than a delayed penalty.

“You don’t want to lose a point, obviously, but you also have to understand the situation that you’re in and try to give our team every chance to fight down the stretch,” Hynes said Monday.

“I know some of the players don’t know (the rule), but maybe if they know, they don’t feel as comfortable.”

Injury update

Marcus Johansson, who has missed the past three games because of a lower-body injury, participated in practice Monday.

“Johansson was good,” Hynes said. “I don’t have any feedback for you whether he’s going to play or not tomorrow, but we did progress from skating, and things like that, to some contact, and gave him a good push today.”

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NORTH PORT, Fla. — Carlos Santana spent the first half of his major-league career playing in Cleveland. The second half has been spent ping-ponging around the country, joining different teams. Since late 2017, he has been with Philadelphia, Seattle, Cleveland again, Kansas City, Seattle again, Pittsburgh and Milwaukee.

FILE – Milwaukee Brewers’ Carlos Santana reacts after hitting an RBI double during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres Saturday, Aug. 26, 2023, in Milwaukee. The Minnesota Twins added a veteran bat on Friday, Feb. 2, 2024, agreeing to a one-year contract with Carlos Santana that is worth $5.25 million.(AP Photo/Morry Gash, File)

Now, after all that movement, the 37-year-old first baseman has found a new home in Minnesota for the upcoming season.

It’s tough, he readily admits, moving around so much, especially with three young kids. But it also means, he pointed out, that all these teams want him.

And part of the reason they want him — aside from the sturdy glove at first base and his offensive production, of course? Santana, who turns 38 on April 8, has been remarkably durable over the course of his career.

“I have a trainer. I have a kitchen, a guy that cooks for me,” Santana said. “I try to be healthy, not drink, sleeping good, eat healthy, a lot of work (on) my body. So that’s why I’ve been healthy all of my career.”

He has played in at least 150 games in nine seasons, and that doesn’t include the truncated 2020 season in which he played all 60 games.

“The best ability is your availability” is a commonly uttered phrase within the walls of the Twins’ clubhouse, and the switch hitter is almost always available, despite his age.

“When you’re 40 years old, your body can break down on you,” manager Rocco Baldelli said. “He has been so durable, that’s what I think allows him to take the field productively. He puts in the work.”

Staying healthy goes far beyond the work he puts in when he gets to the ballpark. Santana has a trainer, who he works with in Tampa, Fla. He also has a chef who cooks for him.

His chef lives with him and travels with him as well. And refining his eating habits, Santana said, has made a difference in his ability to stay healthy. He’s mostly eating Dominican food “but healthy,” he said — mangú, a dish of boiled and mashed plantains, is a favorite.

The routine that has kept him on the field all this time is an ever-changing one, adapted each year as he ages.

“I have to change because every year … I’m more old, so when you’re more old, you have to work more,” he said. “Work more, better approach for everything.”

The biggest change this year?

“I sleep more,” Santana said.

He’s shooting now for eight hours a day rather than the six or seven that he used to get. Before night games, he likes to sneak in a 45-minute nap during the day.

Whatever he’s doing, it’s working.

Only one player currently signed to a major-league contract has appeared in more games than him (Andrew McCutchen at 2,007). Santana should reach his milestone 2,000th game played — he is currently at 1,930 — this season, another testament to his durability.

“He works really hard,” Baldelli said. “He also has the body that bounces back, that allows him to do it. He’s (37) now? He’s almost 40 years old, and he can put on the reps that allow him to stay sharp. Most people who are 39 years old cannot do that. It’s very difficult to get them out there, regardless of sport, regardless of drill. You just can’t work your body that much.”

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If you’ve ever read a book that is super place-specific and then visited that area immediately after, you’ll know how I felt on a recent trip to Spokane, Washington. I’d recently read Jess Walter’s 2020 best seller, “The Cold Millions,” a novel set during the labor and free speech demonstrations that exploded here in the early 1900s. Surfacing from the book’s pages into its real world setting evoked an eerie sense of deja vu, with the city’s modern self lightly superimposed over the historic landmarks that fill a reader’s imagination.

Spokane is less touristy than other Pacific Northwest gems, and its mix of past and present makes it a delightful destination, even if you haven’t read “Cold Millions.” And there’s no better place to set up headquarters for your dive into the past than the Historic Davenport Hotel in downtown Spokane.

This century-old, majestic beauty is a treasure. When it opened in 1914, it was the height of modernity, the first hotel in the country to offer air conditioning. Obviously, that’s not why you’ll be checking in here. You’re coming for the grandeur, the ornate lounge and ballrooms, and an expansive indoor courtyard that’s known as Spokane’s living room.

Spokane’s 110-year-old Historic Davenport Hotel is known for its ornate ballrooms, including the grand Hall of Doges. (Courtesy of The Davenport Hotel Collection)

This central gathering space has long been a hub for the arts, these days thanks to Grammy-nominated singer Sacha Boutros and her Sacha’s Supper Club, which hosts a “Swing with Bing” series celebrating the music of Bing Crosby, a Spokane native and once-frequent hotel guest. Speaking of the crooner, the vintage Bing Crosby Theater is just steps from the hotel. The venue, which opened in 1915 during the first wave of motion pictures, still hosts film presentations as well as live music and theater.

The hotel itself is said to be haunted, and perhaps it really is. It’s certainly easy to imagine a few literary ghosts hanging out here — Ursula the Great, say, a vaudeville singer in “The Cold Millions,” sipping martinis at the Davenport’s Peacock Room. The Jazz Age lounge is known for its stunning stained-glass ceiling, which depicts peacocks, of course, its cocktails and its popularity with the theater crowd, who flock pre- and post-show for cocktails and bites.

The Peacock Room at Spokane’s Historic Davenport Hotel is a favorite with theatergoers who flock there before and after shows. (Courtesy of The Davenport Hotel Collection)

A 10-minute walk north toward the Spokane River brings you to the dramatic Spokane Falls. Hop aboard the Numerica SkyRide gondola for a closer view and spare a moment to reflect on the labor force that built the city’s bridges and railroads. Then stroll through Riverfront Park for a bit more history and be sure to take a peek at the hand-carved Looff Carrousel. Built in 1909 by Charles I. D. Looff, who made the carousel for the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk two years later, Spokane’s merry-go-round offers 54 horses, a giraffe, a tiger and two Chinese dragon chairs and, of course, a brass ring.

Traveling with kids or grandkids? Check out the park’s Garbage Goat, an interactive metal goat sculpture, and the 40,000-square-foot Ice Age Floods Playground, which opened in 2021 with a three-story Columbian slide tower, Glacial Dam splash pad, a log jam climber and a mammoth bones dig convey the geology and history of this region.

A trio of gondola cars hovers above the Spokane River in Washington. (Getty Images)

There’s plenty more to explore in Spokane, where more than two dozen craft breweries dot the cityscape. Be sure to check out Lumberbeard Brewing, where the brew list includes half a dozen hoppy IPAs, such as the Bluetooth Sharpie, as well as helles, pilsner, sour and barrel-aged beer, like a Maple Goodness barleywine. And don’t miss No-Li Brewhouse, the city’s oldest taproom which opened in 1993 with a lineup of IPAs, hazy ales, stouts and seltzers and a tasty food menu that includes fully-loaded nachos, burgers and chicken sandos, as well as grilled cheese for the kiddos.

Wine lovers will find 20 wine tasting rooms here, with more than a dozen clustered in the downtown “Cork District.” Among them: Greg Lipsker and Michael White’s Barrister Winery. Housed in an old brick building, Barrister has an unusual distinction: It offers “train settled” wines. The barrel room lies under a train trestle, and every time one of BNSF Railroad’s trains pass through — some 25,000 times per year — the vibrations gently shake the barrels, which helps the sediment settle out.

Washington’s Spokane Falls spill dramatically near Spokane’s historic downtown. (Getty Images)

Spokane’s restaurant scene is thriving too. The downtown quarter offers the Cochinito Taqueria, a fun spot for tacos with inventive fillings — from heritage duroc pork cheek carnitas to fried maitake mushrooms — and great drinks. Wooden City opened in 2020, offering cocktails and tempting fare including wood-fired pizzas and crispy artichokes.

Slightly east of Riverfront Park, you’ll stumble onto a block full of great spots, including vintage shops, a natural grocery store and the Saranac Commons food hall, which houses Peace Pie Pizzeria — think New York style slices — and Hatch Beaker + Burr, a coffee geek’s dream come true. Restaurateur Celeste Shaw opened Cafe Coco just across the street last summer. The European-style cafe serves decadent baked goods, including a striped pistachio croissant.

Spokane’s Cochinito Taqueria is a fun spot for tacos with inventive fillings and great drinks. (Courtesy Amber Turpin)

On the north side of the river, the year-old Sorella in the Kendall Yards neighborhood is an Italian spot whose fresh, housemade pasta has set Spokane abuzz. (Psst, you’ll need reservations.) Also in that neighborhood: upscale ice cream at The Scoop, where the flavor rotations range from passionfruit cheesecake to caramel coffee toffee and Hostess Ding Dong. The same space houses the Hidden Bagel shop — and the nearby river and waterfall views are a bonus.

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And USA Today readers recently named Jenny Slagle’s Indigenous Eats the No. 4 best new restaurant to open in the U.S. in 2023, praising its take on Native American comfort food, such as frybread topped with huckleberry sauce.

If You Go

The Historic Davenport Hotel: Rooms start at $158 at this historic property at 10 S. Post St. in Spokane; www.davenporthotelcollection.com.

Numerica SkyRide:, Tickets $9-$13. The Riverfront Park SkyRide is open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on select days at 720 W. Spokane Falls Blvd.; www.my.spokanecity.org.

Bing Crosby Theater: Find the show schedule for this venue at 901 W. Sprague Ave. at https://bingcrosbytheater.com.

Lumberbeard Brewing: Opens at 11:30 a.m. daily at 25 E. Third Ave.; www.lumberbeardbrewing.com.

No-Li Brewhouse: Opens at noon daily at 1003 E. Trent Ave.; www.nolibrewhouse.com.

Barrister Winery: Opens at noon daily at 1213 W. Railroad Alley; www.barristerwinery.com.

Cochinito: Open for lunch and dinner Monday-Saturday at 10 N. Post St.; www.cochinitotaqueria.com.

Wooden City: Open for dinner daily at 821 W. Riverside Ave. Walk-ins welcome, but reservations are recommended to avoid the wait; www.woodencityspokane.com.

Saranac Commons: Open daily at 19 W. Main Ave.

Café Coco: Opens at 8 a.m. Tuesday-Saturday at 24 W. Main Ave.; www.instagram.com/dearcocoonmainstreet.

Sorella: Open for dinner Tuesday-Saturday at 1122 W. Summit Parkway. Reservations are a must;  www.sorellaspokane.com.

The Scoop Kendall Yards: Opens at 2 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday at 1238 W. Summit Parkway. Hidden Bagel  is open from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. those days in the same spot. Find details at www.thescoopspokane.com and www.hiddenbagel.com.

Indigenous Eats: 829 E. Boone Ave.; www.instagram.com/iespokane/