Rebuild Rules state: There will be games you don't want to play. Teams you don't want to face. Ex-Captains you'd rather not see dominate in your own rink. Fuck it. Just go play and have fun!

WILD (7-3-2) at CANUCKS (2-9-1)

10 p.m. ET; SN, MINNHL, Wild+

Here we are in the middle of an indeterminate losing streak, some fans grumpy about how long the rebuild process takes [spoiler: longer than a month] - now our former superstar D and convicted mercenary bastard swaggers into the ROG. Nice setup for a blowout, eh?

On the bright side, this is just another hockey game against a far better team. Big deal. We've lost to even better. And worse. We're here for all the losses we can eat and hurl out.

Some Nucks fans feel a little bitter about how traitor Hughes betrayed us. As if there were better ways for him to betray us. Imagine how Wild fans feel. Watched their GM trade some promising young players for a generational talent who would lead their team to (no) Cup glory.

A generational talent that will betray Wild fans faster than his previous Nucking betrayal. Quinnie and his merry band of maga mercenaries will be sipping sodas by the rising salary-cap waters on the Jersey shore in July.

The best way to enjoy this game is to pretend that securing our freshly reclaimed basement suite is like winning. If the Daly balls of doom drop in our favour.

Wild projected lineup

Kirill Kaprizov -- Joel Eriksson Ek -- Matt Boldy

Maxim Shabanov -- Danila Yurov -- Yakov Trenin

Blake Coleman -- Michael McCarron -- Bobby Brink

Nico Sturm -- Ryan Hartman -- Tyler Pitlick

Quinn Hughes -- Jared Spurgeon

Jonas Brodin -- Olli Maatta

Matt Kiersted -- Zach Bogosian

Calvin Pickard

Jesper Wallstedt

Scratched: David Spacek, Rieger Lorenz, Mason Shaw

Injured: Brock Faber (skull fracture), Marcus Foligno (lower body), Nick Foligno (upper body), Filip Gustavsson (hip)

Canucks projected lineup

Drew O'Connor -- Elias Pettersson -- Brock Boeser

Jake DeBrusk -- Marco Rossi -- Brendan Gallagher

Liam Ohgren -- Filip Chytil -- Jonathan Lekkerimaki

Arshdeep Bains -- Max Sasson -- Linus Karlsson

Elias Nils Pettersson -- Filip Hronek

Zeev Buium -- Tom Willander

Guillaume Brisebois -- Luke Schenn

Leevi Merilainen

Kevin Lankinen

Scratched: Jamie Oleksiak, Victor Mancini, Paul Cotter

Injured: Thatcher Demko (hip)

Status report

The Wild did not hold a morning skate after a 5-1 win at the Seattle Kraken on Saturday. Pickard is expected to start for the second time this season after Wallstedt made 23 saves in Seattle. … The Canucks held an optional morning skate; it appears Cotter, a forward, will be a healthy scratch for the first time this season. … Ohgren returns to face his former team after being a healthy scratch for the first time this season on Thursday, a 5-2 loss to the Detroit Red Wings. … Oleksiak, a defenseman, will be replaced by Brisebois, and Schenn comes back into the lineup after being scratched Thursday for Mancini, a defenseman..

GAME DAY CHATTER

Surprising turnovers? Not in the ROG.

Rebuilds start slowly, then suddenly.

GAME DAY BATTLE HYMN

Possibly the Nucks D-zone hymn on the night. Possibly??? Enjoy the chaos, not the result.

Go Canucks Go.