Wild captain Jared Spurgeon to miss 'two to three weeks'

Originally posted on Bring Me The News
By Jonathan Harrison | Last updated Jan 2, 2025 6:56 PM ET

Captain Jared Spurgeon has avoided serious injury and will only miss two to three weeks with a lower-body injury, Wild hockey boss Bill Guerin told reporters Thursday.

Guerin said that Spurgeon's injury was "not as bad as we originally thought." The 35-year-old defenseman fell feet first into the boards after being slew-footed by Nashville's Zach L'Heureux in Minnesota's 5-3 win on New Year's Eve. Spurgeon was unable to put weight on his right leg and needed assistance leaving the ice.

#mnwild President of Hockey Operations Bill Guerin said captain Jared Spurgeon (lower-body injury) will be sidelined two to three weeks after getting slew-footed by Nashville's Zachary L’Heureux. "It's not as bad as we originally thought," Guerin said.
— Sarah McLellan (@sarah__mclellan) January 2, 2025

L'Heureux was issued a three-game suspension on Thursday for the illegal move that injured Spurgeon. While it is L'Heureux's first NHL suspension, the 21-year-old has been suspended 11 times during stints in both the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League and American Hockey League.

It's a 3-game suspension for Nashville's Zachary L'Heureux for the slew-foot hit that injured @MnWild captain Jared Spurgeon.

The max suspension once the NHL decided to give him a phone hearing was five games.

This is his 12th suspension going back through his QMJHL & AHL days. pic.twitter.com/eRkddmsaeG
— Chris Long (@ChrisLongKSTP) January 2, 2025

Spurgeon has played in 32 of the team's 38 games so far this season. He has four goals and nine assists.

The Wild are 23-11-4 this season and sit in second place in the Central Division. Minnesota is back in action Thursday when it visits the Washington Capitals.

This article first appeared on Bring Me The News and was syndicated with permission.

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