Minnesota Wild Activate Jared Spurgeon

The Minnesota Wild announced today that captain Jared Spurgeon has been activated off of injured reserve. In a corresponding move, the Wild have reassigned defenseman Carson Lambos to their AHL affiliate, the Iowa Wild.

The Wild have a full 23-man active roster, making Lambos’ reassignment compulsory in order to create the necessary roster space to be able to activate Spurgeon. Spurgeon, who has been dealing with an upper-body injury, has not played since Minnesota’s 4-2 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights on Oct. 12. He’s missed four games as a result of the injury, but he’s set to return to the lineup in time for tonight’s game against the Calgary Flames.

Spurgeon, 36, remains a crucial defensive anchor for the Wild. While he’s lost his spot as the team’s top overall defenseman to Norris Trophy winner Quinn Hughes, he’s their most reliable defensive stopper and a key locker room voice. Before suffering his injury, Spurgeon had gotten off to a fast start to the 2026-27 campaign. He’s already notched five points through six games this season, and is averaging 22:21 time on ice per game. Spurgeon’s 3:28 short-handed time on ice per game leads all Wild skaters.

When he’s healthy, Spurgeon typically lines up on the Wild’s top pairing, alongside Hughes. Standing 5’9″, 165 pounds, Spurgeon is one of the few partners Hughes has had in his career who has actually been shorter, and lighter, than Hughes himself.

But just as he has done for the entirety of his 1,018-game NHL career, Spurgeon has been able to consistently perform as one of the league’s very best shutdown defensemen despite not possessing the size or heft of a prototypical defenseman in the role he occupies.

Their shared status as “undersized” defensemen has not stopped Hughes and Spurgeon from forming a dominant two-way pairing. Spurgeon’s return to the ice tonight will give Hughes even more breathing room to take offensive risks and dazzle fans with his dynamic scoring ability.

In Spurgeon’s absence, the Wild utilized veteran Jonas Brodin as Hughes’ partner. Brodin is an accomplished shutdown defenseman in his own right, and with Spurgeon back in the lineup, Brodin will be able to anchor the team’s second pairing alongside Olli Maatta.

While Minnesota’s defense stands to improve significantly thanks to Spurgeon’s activation, not everyone will benefit from this development. Lambos, 23, has lost his spot on the Wild roster, only a few days after he was originally recalled. The 2021 first-round pick has not quite lived up to expectations as a former top prospect, but he has still steadily grown into a capable depth defenseman for the Wild. He scored 19 points in 70 games last season and has two points through six AHL games this year.

While Lambos didn’t dress for any games during this recall, it seems likely he’ll get into the lineup at some point down the line if more injuries hit.