Wild’s Jared Spurgeon out week-to-week with lower-body injury

Another ailment for the Minnesota Wild’s captain.

On Thursday, the team announced that defenseman Jared Spurgeon is considered week-to-week with a lower-body injury.

Spurgeon was injured in a game against the Nashville Predators on New Year’s Eve. Minutes into the second period, when chasing a puck into his own zone, Spurgeon was taken out by Predators forward Zachary L’Heureux, who slew-footed the veteran.

L’Heureux was handed a match penalty for the act, while Spurgeon left the ice and didn’t return to the game. The Wild still went on to win the game, 5-3. Spurgeon reportedly left the arena on crutches with a brace on his knee.

L’Heureux was later suspended for three games by the NHL Department of Player Safety, the first suspension of his NHL career, but not of his entire hockey career.

For Spurgeon, this injury is another ailment on the laundry list of injuries that has plagued the 35-year-old over the last few years. He already missed six games with a different lower-body injury in October. This is after he needed hip surgery last January, which kept him out for the remainder of the 2023-24 campaign.

In all, Spurgeon missed 66 games last season due to injuries, registering just five assists across 16 appearances. Over his 15-year career, he has played an entire 82-game season once, which came during the 2018-19 season.

In 32 games so far this year, the Edmonton native has scored four goals and nine assists for 13 points, registering a plus/minus of +3 while averaging over 20 minutes of ice time.

The Wild (23-11-4) are second in the Central Division, five points back of the league-leading Winnipeg Jets. Minnesota is set to take on the Washington Capitals on Thursday night.