Originally, this was supposed to be the Minnesota Wild’s final report card for their defensive core on captain Jared Spurgeon. He had a very up-and-down season that ended early due to nagging injuries. However, after reviewing his stats, he only played 16 games this season, which isn’t enough to qualify for a grade. It also wouldn’t be fair to use those games for a grade since he was still battling injury in most of those games.
Instead of a grade, we’ll look at his performance in those games, the players who stepped up in his absence, and what they need from him next season. The Wild were pretty lucky when they lost Spurgeon. They had a seventh defenseman who stepped up, and they could rotate others in. We’ll start with Spurgeon’s performance and move on to his teammates.
Spurgeon’s Shortened Season
Those who’ve followed the Wild since Spurgeon started in the 2010-11 season know he’s had injury issues on and off, mainly due to his smaller stature. He can hold his own, but it doesn’t help his case when he gets run into the boards by someone quite a bit bigger than him. This past season, he played in 16 games and had five assists. He had four consecutive games with assists towards the middle of his 16-game run, but it stopped.
However, he made up for it on the defensive side with an amazing 29 blocks in those 16 games. He averaged nearly two blocks a game and had only one turnover during that time but had three takeaways. Spurgeon is a very talented player with the puck and did what he could in his limited time.
For those who watched the Wild this season, it was pretty easy to see that Spurgeon wasn’t at 100 percent right away. As the season went on, he started to look closer to himself, but right when he seemed to be comfortable, he was knocked out for the season due to hip and back surgeries. It is planned that he’ll be ready for the start of next season, and hopefully, he’ll be healthy for a long time following his return.
Wild Full of Leaders
Spurgeon’s defensive game is just part of the reason he means so much to the Wild; the other part is his leadership abilities that led to him being named the second permanent captain in Wild history after the departure of Mikko Koivu following the end of the 2019-20’ season. Following in Koviu’s footsteps, Spurgeon is not an enormous voice on the ice, but what he provides is more than just about being vocal.
He leads by example with his play on the ice and his ability to have the rest of the team follow. However, that had to change after he was injured, and while he could lead from the sidelines and support the guys in the locker room, on the ice was a different scenario. That’s when the team looked to Marcus Foligno and Kirill Kaprizov, their alternate captains and the two who helped lead at Spurgeon’s side.
Foligno and Kaprizov did well leading by example like Spurgeon, but both of those players suffered injuries during the season, and at the same time it was announced that Spurgeon would be out for the rest of the season. The team then had to figure out leadership outside of those three until at least one of them could return.
Joel Eriksson Ek wore the third “A” while Spurgeon was out, but they also relied on the veteran players Jonas Brodin, Mats Zuccarello, and Marc-André Fleury. Despite being one of the roughest parts of their season, they made it through until Kaprizov and Foligno could make it back. The season didn’t end well, but they overcame adversity and showed they could get through injuries.
Wild Need Spurgeon
The team may have made it through one of the toughest times yet, with so many injuries to top players at one time, but they obviously needed Spurgeon. The team is full of leaders and talented players, but certain players are the glue that makes everything go, and he’s one of those players. In some teams, it’s easy to tell the captain struggles to keep everyone on the same page, but not Spurgeon.
As stated earlier, he may not be the most vocal player, but he knows how to lead, and everyone on the team follows him. Hopefully, his surgeries work, and he’ll be able to return healthy and better than ever when next season starts. The team needs him not only for his defensive game but also for his leadership, and hopefully, they will get both not only next season but the rest of his career with the Wild.
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