The Minnesota Wild announced that defenseman and captain Jared Spurgeon will be out for the rest of the season with an injury. While the injury that sidelined him at the beginning of the season was a shoulder injury, his current injury was described as a “wear and tear” injury without any single event or moment.
Spurgeon will have left hip surgery on February 6th, followed by back surgery approximately four weeks later. GM Bill Guerin said that Spurgeon should be good to go for next season. He has been out of the lineup since January 3rd.
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There have been rumblings among Wild fans about Spurgeon’s future in hockey. Spurgeon seems to be injured frequently, and this latest double injury seems more complicated than previous injuries. He’s also 34 years old and even though he is still in good shape when he’s not injured, it does mean he’s only got a handful of years left in the league. Both of those things combined with his already small size have added to a team that is already dealing with complicated circumstances.
This season has been a mix of a tight salary cap and a constant stream of players being out of the lineup with injuries. With Spurgeon out of the lineup, the Wild suddenly find themselves in need of a good defenseman. While the bottom of the defensive lineup has consistently contained a few AHL call-ups, Guerin has an extra $7 million to play with now that Spurgeon will be on LTIR for the rest of the season. As the trade deadline approaches, he’ll surely be on the lookout for a replacement to help the Wild in their desperate push to make the playoffs.
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