Minnesota Wild captain Jared Spurgeon is out for the remainder of the season, according to the team.
Jared Spurgeon Out For Season
Spurgeon has played in just 16 games this season, scoring just five assists. He has been on the long-term injured reserve list since January 4th after getting a lower-body injury against the Calgary Flames two days earlier.
Spurgeon didn’t join the Wild this season until November 10th after suffering an upper-body injury in the pre-season. It’s been an injury-plagued year for him, as he also missed games in December. The defenceman is leaving a team that will be hard-pressed to make the playoffs this year. They currently sit seventh in the Central Division, eight points and five teams back of a wild card spot.
Despite his age, the 34-year-old Spurgeon is on the Wild’s top pairing, skating over 23 minutes per night. His most frequent partner, Jacob Middleton, has skated with rookie star Brock Faber in Spurgeon’s absence. That the pair hasn’t been as effective isn’t a surprise, but they haven’t been a disaster, either.
What This Means
Jared Spurgeon is scheduled for two surgeries right now. The first, for his hip, will be performed on February 6th. Depending on how he recovers from that, he will undergo back surgery approximately four weeks later. The Wild say that he should be fully recovered by the start of training camp in September of this year.
Minnesota has not been having a good time of it on the injury front, with only eight skaters playing every game. In fact, most of their team has missed five or more games, which on a talent-thin team has had predictable results. This news should add fire to a management team looking to rebuild at the trade deadline.
More must-reads: