Contending Team Suffers A Major Blow As They Lose Their Captain For The Rest Of The Season

Multiple reports have come in this afternoon confirming that Minnesota Wild captain Jared Spurgeon is done for the year with a pair of injuries. Spurgeon will have surgery on his left hip and then also on his back.

Spurgeon has been limited to just 16 games this season due to those injuries. The Wild have begun to fall behind in the playoff race and the absence of a leader like Spurgeon in the lineup certainly will not help their efforts to get back into the playoffs.

In the bigger picture Spurgeon is 34 and will be turning 35 shortly after next season begins Coming back from not one but two major surgeries that late into a career has proven difficult in past cases.

The Minnesota Wild might need to start having a conversation about next steps regarding Jared Spurgeon. At 34 he has another 3 seasons on his contract beyond this year. The Wild are already dealing with hefty buyout fees from Zach Parise and Ryan Suter but might be forced to do the same with Spurgeon.

The Wild likely won't buyout Spurgeon this offseason as he is still the captain and coming back from injury would be poor timing. However, if Spurgeon returns and struggles to look like the player he was the discussion might need to begin.

This Minnesota team has always been on the verge of a roster reset. When they hit on players like Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy as well as landing Brock Faber things looked hopeful. However, a struggling start and a mid-season coach firing have put the direction of the team in doubt.

As Spurgeon's recovery progresses into next season the discussions will likely begin on where the team is going and where Spurgeon fits within that.