Wild Place Jared Spurgeon on IR as Defensive Depth Takes Another Hit
Daily Faceoff reported the transaction.
The just placed 36-year-old defenseman on injured reserve, proving once again that Father Time remains undefeated and untied in the NHL.
According to Daily Faceoff, the move makes it official after Spurgeon took a heavy hit in the third period of a recent game. Yahoo Sports reported that he finished the contest, took another shift, and then apparently woke up the next morning to find his body had filed a formal grievance.
This is not exactly a new theme for the veteran. Spurgeon has already dealt with lower-body issues that cost him a chunk of games, and now he is back on the shelf. When your defensive anchor is collecting IR stints like loyalty points, your blue line depth chart quickly turns into a suggestion box.
The timing is brutal for a squad trying to find some consistency. The Wild have been riding a chaotic wave lately, dropping a 5-2 game to on October 14 before bouncing back with a 5-4 win over two days later.
Losing Spurgeon throws a massive wrench into their defensive stability. If you are staring at the under for upcoming games, you might want to factor in what happens when a team loses its security blanket. Missing a top-pairing guy usually turns the defensive zone into a public park.
hosts the tonight before heading out to face the on October 21. The need to figure out their defensive rotation immediately, or this IR stint is going to turn a manageable stretch of the schedule into a shooting gallery.