ST PAUL, Minn. — The Minnesota Wild will be without their captain for the rest of the season.
On Thursday, general manager Bill Guerin said that defenseman Jared Spurgeon's season is over as he's scheduled to have surgery in the coming months on both his hip and back. According to team officials, Spurgeon is scheduled to have hip surgery on Feb. 6, followed up by a procedure on his back one month later. He's expected to be fully recovered before training camp in September.
The loss is a major blow to the Wild, who have been battling injuries for the better part of two months. Spurgeon is the team's most reliable defenseman, and provided stability for a unit that has been up-and-down for much of the year. The Wild are surrendering 3.30 goals per game (11th highest in the league).
Spurgeon, 34, has only played in 16 games this season, and hasn't been on the ice since Jan. 2. He'll finish the year with five assists and a plus-5 rating.
The Wild, who have been battling injuries recently, got a much-needed boost over the weekend with the return of star forward Kirill Kaprizov and goalie Filip Gustavsson. However, the loss of Spurgeon is a major blow to the Wild's chances of climbing back into playoff contention.
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