Dec 29, 2024; Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Wild defenseman Jared Spurgeon (46) chases an Ottawa Senators shot as Minnesota Wild goaltender Filip Gustavsson (32) went to the bench for an extra attacker in the third period at Xcel Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Blewett-Imagn Images

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Minnesota Wild Place Jared Spurgeon on IR, Recall Three Players

Wild captain Jared Spurgeon sidelined due to injury; Minnesota recalls three players to bolster the roster ahead of upcoming games.

As anticipated, the Minnesota Wild have put defenseman and captain Jared Spurgeon on injured reserve since he is expected to be out for the next two to three weeks due to a lower-body injury. Travis Boyd, Brendan Gaunce, and Carson Lambos will fill Spurgeon’s position on the roster, along with two additional vacancies, after being brought up from their AHL team, the Iowa Wild.

Regardless of whether it was expected, Spurgeon’s stint on injured reserve has greatly affected the Wild in the last two seasons. Minnesota’s highest-scoring defenseman in history participated in 79 games in the 2022–23 season but only managed 16 games the previous year because of back and hip issues that eventually necessitated surgery.

Minnesota Wild Place Jared Spurgeon On IR, Recall Three https://t.co/9HFLIdh8gt
— Pro Hockey Rumors (@prohockeyrumors) January 6, 2025

This year, owing to ongoing problems from last season’s surgeries and additional injuries, including the present one, Spurgeon has participated in only 32 of the Wild’s 40 games.

Being the highest-paid defenseman on the team this season with a salary of $7.575MM through 2026-27, Spurgeon may significantly impact the Wild’s salary cap situation if he fails to complete a full season. Spurgeon has tallied four goals and 13 points while averaging 20:43 of ice time for the Wild this season.

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The recall of Boyd and Gaunce might earn them a place in the lineup, yet they provide important forward depth nonetheless. The two players have not contributed any points with the Wild this season across eight games, but they are one and two in scoring for the AHL Wild with 20 points and 17 points, respectively.

Lambos is once again selected instead of the emerging top defensive talent David Jiříček. The previous 26th overall selection from the 2021 NHL Draft has faced significant challenges since moving to professional hockey last year.

Image Credit: Matt Blewett-Imagn Images

Jared Spurgeon

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Anamika Shrivastava

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