The Minnesota Wild already have more than their fair share of injuries so far this season, the most notable of which was the fractured skull of top-pairing defenseman Brock Faber, suffered during a preseason game against the divisional rival Dallas Stars.
And with several players already missing from the lineup, the Wild have suffered yet another concerning injury setback, this time to another key defenseman who happens to serve as team captain.
The Minnesota Wild Have Now Lost Captain Jared Spurgeon To Injury
The Wild, who are set to take on the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday evening in Manitoba, announced that captain Jared Spurgeon would be unable to play because of an upper-body injury.
“Wild Injury Update: Jared Spurgeon (upper body) will not play in tonight’s game,” the Wild reported on X, formerly known as Twitter.
So far this year, Spurgeon has played in six games, and has one goal with four assists.
Jared Spurgeon Has Played His Entire Career With The Wild
After five seasons with the Spokane Chiefs, undrafted defenseman Jared Spurgeon earned a contract with Minnesota following the Wild’s 2010 training camp and began the season with AHL Houston.
He quickly earned an NHL call-up, recording his first assist in January 2011 and first goal the following month. Spurgeon finished his rookie season with eight assists in more than 50 games and helped Houston reach the Calder Cup Final before taking on a larger role with Minnesota the following year.
During the 2012-13 lockout, Jared Spurgeon briefly played in Switzerland before returning to Minnesota, where he recorded 15 points in 39 games. He later set a Wild playoff record for defensemen with three goals during the 2014 postseason.
Spurgeon signed extensions in 2015 and 2019, the latter a seven-year, $53.025 million deal. He scored a natural hat trick in 2020, becoming just the second defenseman in Wild history to do so.
Named captain in 2021, Spurgeon reached 300 points that season and became Minnesota’s all-time leading defenseman in scoring in 2023. After missing the 2023-24 season with injuries, he returned and reached 400 points in his 900th game before playing his 1,000th NHL game on March 14, 2026, all with Minnesota.
So far in his NHL career, he’s skated in 1,018 games and has 124 goals with 319 assists for 443 points. He’s also added nine goals and 22 assists in 84 career Stanley Cup Playoff games.
Wild Dealt Yet Another Concerning Injury Blow