The Minnesota Wild will be without their captain for at least tonight’s tilt against the Calgary Flames after the team announced defenseman Jared Spurgeon is out day-to-day with a lower-body injury on Thursday.
It became clear Spurgeon could miss time yesterday when, after he missed practice, Minnesota called up the AHL trio of forward Vinni Lettieri and blueliners Daemon Hunt and Dakota Mermis from the Iowa Wild.
Spurgeon’s injury adds to the Wild’s defensive depth issues after Jonas Brodin, another top-four defenseman for Minnesota, hit the LTIR after Edmonton forward Evander Kane checked him into the boards over the weekend. Kane was not called for the hit.
The Wild will likely have to rely on a makeshift top pair of Brock Faber and Jake Middleton, the defensive partners for their injured veterans, until Spurgeon’s return.
While Middleton is a reliable banger, and the 21-year-old Faber has been one of the top defensemen in the NHL this season, the loss of Brodin and Spurgeon could undo the defensive strides they have made under new coach John Hynes, under whom they have surrendered just 1.86 goals per game.
#mnwild defenseman Jared Spurgeon is day-to-day with a lower-body injury and will not play tonight vs. Calgary.
— Minnesota Wild PR (@mnwildPR) December 14, 2023
For Spurgeon, the injury setback is his second of the 2023-2024 campaign after he missed the Wild’s first 13 games of the season. The 34-year-old’s return significantly boosted Minnesota’s struggling defense, which has become a juggernaut under Hynes.
The 10-12-4 Wild’s new-look blue line will see its first test at home against a Calgary outfit on a three-game skid. Minnesota has won five times in seven tries under Hynes since Dean Evason’s dismissal on November 27, and are four points adrift from the last wild card berth.
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