Jared Spurgeon Lands on IR in Flurry of Minnesota Wild Roster Moves
The Minnesota Wild keep winning, despite losing players to injury at a breakneck pace. The latest blow came when Jared Spurgeon was slew-footed into what is now a stint on injured reserve.
Head coach John Hynes is going to be without his captain and veteran defenseman for some time. Although the Wild may have dodged a more serious bullet there, the roster continues to need talent from Iowa.
Minnesota Wild moving and shaking roster
Back home against the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday night, the Minnesota Wild will have a handful of new players on the bench, including Travis Boyd, Brendan Gaunce and Carson Lambos. Hynes has players unavailable at multiple positions, so general manager Bill Guerin needed to coordinate multiple travel plans.
With #mnwild dealing with injuries and illnesses, forwards Travis Boyd and Brendan Gaunce recalled and defenseman Carson Lambos. Jared Spurgeon placed on IR.
— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) January 6, 2025
Minnesota sends Spurgeon to injured reserve after he has played in 32 games this season. The defenseman has four goals and 13 points while averaging just shy of 21 minutes on the ice. After playing just 16 games last season, he certainly can’t be looking forward to more missed time.
It’s a good thing that defensemen Jacob Middleton is trending towards a return. Illnesses also shouldn’t have Mats Zuccarello and Freddy Gaudreau out too long. That doesn’t mean Kirill Kaprizov is any closer to returning though, and it’s going to be a bit for Spurgeon.
Bogosian: maintenance
— Jessi Pierce (@jessi_pierce) January 6, 2025
Zuccarello: illness
Gaudreau: illness
Middleton: return “imminent”
Lauko: first real practice so still unsure on timeline
No update on Kaprizov or Spurgeon. Kirill still not skating.#mnwild https://t.co/6a8T03nPLx
Related: NHL Insider Urges Minnesota Wild to Trade for Old Friend
Travis Boyd has played in three games for the Wild this season. He has three total shot attempts and has a total of 23:25 minutes on the ice while recording three blocks. His next game will be his 300th career across eight NHL seasons. The Hopkins native has to appreciate every opportunity on his hometown team.
“Childhood dreams are meant to come true”
— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) September 25, 2024
🗣️ Travis Boyd on growing up a massive Wild and Golden Gopher fan#mnwild pic.twitter.com/JcKfojCsP2
Gaunce is a former first round pick that is in his first season with Minnesota. He has played five games this year and has four shots on goal. Gaunce has recorded six hits and the center is looking for his first goal since recording a pair last season with Columbus.
The Wild made Carson Lambos their first round pick at 26th overall in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. He has yet to appear in an NHL game. In 27 games for Iowa this season, Lambos has two goals and three assists. The defenseman has also taken seven penalty minutes.
It remains to be seen what condition the Wild depth will be in on Tuesday. It’s possible that there is more shuffling prior to puck drop at the Xcel Energy Center. Minnesota continues to be tested, and keeps rising to the occasion.
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