The last month or so has been difficult on the Minnesota Wild regarding injuries and illness. At one time they were without seven players, six who are on the roster normally. However, as time went on, they’ve gotten nearly all those players back, with the exception of two. The first in Vinni Lettieri, who’s been in and out of the lineup most of the season. he’s out an unknown amount of time but was in a walking boot for Fleury’s 552nd win team picture.
While it’s likely Lettieri will be out for quite some time, the news for Jared Spurgeon was the worst it could get for this season. It was announced shortly before their game against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday, Jan. 18, that he would miss the rest of the season due to having both hip and back surgeries. It’s planned he’ll be back in time for the start of next season. Here, we’ll focus on this season and how the Wild will struggle and get through this without him.
Wild Lose Leadership & Consistency
Over the past 14 seasons, Spurgeon has proven himself to be a strong, consistent, and capable defenseman. He hasn’t let his smaller size of 5-foot-9 and 166 pounds stop him from being the best he could be and eventually Wild captain. He’s played in just 16 games this season due to injuries that led to these surgeries, but normally, averages around 60 games a season.
Spurgeon is a quiet leader who brings a calming presence to the blue line that the Wild will miss. When things get hectic, he takes the puck and gets everything back under control. His ability to slow and control the play on both the power play and penalty kill are also items that will be missed while he’s gone.
While they’ve been without him for most of the season already, when he was in the lineup he provided a boost to their morale and play. Now that they know he’s not coming back, there’s likely to be some disappointment and worry going through that locker room, but they’ll have to find a way to persevere.
Injuries happen all the time, and unfortunately, the Wild have joined the long list of teams who are missing key players for long periods, like the Toronto Maple Leafs’ John Klingberg, San Jose Sharks’ Matt Benning, and the New Jersey Devils’ Dougie Hamilton.
Wild Will Struggle
It’s safe to say that without Spurgeon, the Wild will struggle in certain areas. They’ve figured out how to win without him, but they knew he would eventually come back. As time passes, they will miss his stability on the blue line and his ability to calm situations down. He may not be a loud voice, but the team respects and listens to him.
