Minnesota Wild captain and defenseman Jared Spurgeon will miss the rest of the season, the team announced Thursday.
The Wild said that Spurgeon will have left hip surgery Feb. 6 and will then undergo back surgery four weeks later. The expectation is that Spurgeon, who had five points in 16 games this season, will have fully recovered from his surgeries ahead of training camp in September.
Ruling Spurgeon out for the remainder of the season brings an end to what has been a tumultuous experience for the 34-year-old defenseman. He was placed on injured reserve Jan. 3, and while the Wild didn't disclose Spurgeon's injury at the time, he had been working through a lower-body injury during the season.
Adjusting to life without Spurgeon has become one of the narratives surrounding the Wild's challenging season. He missed all of October and returned in November only to then miss seven games in December before returning later that month.
Moving Spurgeon and his $7.575 million salary cap hit to long-term injured reserve means the Wild now have additional space to strengthen their back end. CapFriendly projects that the previously cap-strapped Wild have $5.125 million in available space after moving Spurgeon to LTIR.
The Wild currently have eight active defensemen which includes veteran Jonas Brodin and Calder Trophy challenger Brock Faber, who leads the team in 5-on-5 minutes and average ice time. Earlier this season, the Wild traded for Zach Bogosian to help solidify their back end.
Losing Spurgeon for the season also means the Wild will seek their fifth straight playoff appearance without their captain. The Wild (18-20-5) entered Thursday having lost seven of their last 10 games while also being eight points behind the Nashville Predators for the final Western Conference wild-card spot.