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Jared Spurgeon Still Dealing With Effects From Last Season’s Surgeries

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Wild captain Jared Spurgeon is still experiencing “soreness and stiffness” following back and hip surgeries that ended his 2023-24 season in January, which general manager Bill Guerin told reporters yesterday is why he’s missed their last two games (per Michael Russo of The Athletic). Guerin said he’ll miss their next three games at least but could join the team midway through their road trip and suit up by their Oct. 26 game against the Flyers. As such, defenseman Daemon Hunt has been brought back up from AHL Iowa ahead of tomorrow’s game against the Blue Jackets, Russo reports.

It’s not an entirely unexpected absence, and Guerin says it’s “part of the healing process.” Team doctors confirmed this week that while Spurgeon isn’t 100%, he hasn’t experienced a proper setback and isn’t in danger of missing an extended period, Russo relays. He’s expected to start skating again next week after staying off the ice for a few more days to “let things calm down.”

Spurgeon’s unavailability to start the year has given Wild head coach John Hynes a lack of right-shot defensemen to work with. Zach Bogosian and Brock Faber are the only two righties on the blue line on the roster with Spurgeon out, and Hunt, their only legitimate NHL recall option from Iowa, is a left-shot. His absence isn’t sustained enough to persuade Guerin and Hynes to pursue an acquisition. However, that will change if Spurgeon still needs load management in the back half of the season.

The 34-year-old is listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury, so he’s likely dealing with more ill effects from the hip procedure than the back one. Regardless, it’s been a brutal stretch for Spurgeon, who finished top-15 in Norris Trophy voting in 2021-22 and 2022-23. The 2008 sixth-round pick of the Islanders has emerged as one of the league’s premier two-way defenders over the past decade. Over that recent dominant two-year stretch, he posted 21 goals and 74 points in 144 games, averaging 21:31 per night with a sparkling +64 rating. That last mark trailed only Devon Toews (+91) and Matt Grzelcyk (+68) for best in the league during that time.

For the 22-year-old Hunt, it’s already his third recall of the season. He’s only played in one out of Minnesota’s four games, though, and there’s no guarantee he’ll draw into the lineup against Columbus tomorrow with six other defenders available. The 2020 third-round pick had two shots on goal and two blocks while playing 8:01 against the Blues earlier this week.

Wild Reassign Daemon Hunt

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Oct. 16: The Wild returned Hunt to Iowa today, the team announced. He entered the lineup as a seventh defender in Tuesday’s 4-1 win over the Blues, recording two shots on goal and a hit in 8:01 of ice time. Hunt could be recalled again before the Wild kick off a road trip later this week if Spurgeon isn’t ready to return, relays Michael Russo of The Athletic.

Oct. 14: The Minnesota Wild have added some defensive depth with team captain Jared Spurgeon sustaining a lower-body injury. The organization announced they have recalled defenseman Daemon Hunt from their AHL affiliate, the Iowa Wild.

Minnesota used Declan Chisholm as the injury replacement for Spurgeon in yesterday’s overtime loss against the Winnipeg Jets. He was largely left off the scoresheet with one hit and one shot in just over 17 minutes of ice time, and Chisholm will likely fill in the void for the time being.

The 2024-25 season marks the third full season for Hunt in the Wild’s organization after concluding his WHL career with the Moose Jaw Warriors. He’s primarily played with AHL Iowa collecting six goals and 42 points in 118 regular season contests.

He made his NHL debut with the Wild last year on October 27th in a shootout loss to the Washington Capitals after securing 4:12 of ice time. He finished the year with one assist in 12 games for Minnesota while averaging 11:30 of ice time throughout those games.

Spurgeon’s lower-body ailment is only supposed to last for a few days, meaning Hunt’s second call-up this season will be shortlived. He’s already tallied one assist for AHL Iowa in two games this season and will look to expand on that when he is inevitably reassigned.

Central Notes: Wild, Avalanche, Korchinski

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The Minnesota Wild have shared that  Jared Spurgeon (lower-body) and Joel Eriksson Ek (broken nose) will both miss the team’s Tuesday night matchup against St. Louis. Forward Marcus Johansson is also questionable with an undisclosed injury, shares Michael Russo of The Athletic. Johansson was absent from the team’s Tuesday morning practice, while both Spurgeon and Eriksson Ek also missed the team’s Sunday game.

Injury news hasn’t favored Minnesota through the early going. The absentees – Spurgeon and Eriksson Ek – stand as two of the most-utilized Wild skaters, each playing over 19 minutes of ice time in the team’s season debut. Eriksson Ek recorded an assist and three shots in the outing, while Spurgeon’s only recorded stat was a pair of shots. The duo are both pillars of Minnesota’s lineup, and they left big shoes to fill when they went down with injuries. The Wild responded by moving Zach Bogosian and Marco Rossi into bigger roles on Sunday, though that outing resulted in an overtime loss to Winnipeg.

Minnesota now not only has to find fill-ins for a pair of top-liners, but could also need a replacement for Johansson’s spot on line-three. Johansson has recorded two points in three games through the early going – one of just five Wild with multiple points so far. It’ll be extra forward Travis Boyd who steps in, should Johansson be downgraded to out.

Other notes from the Midwest:

  • The Colorado Avalanche also have a pair of injury updates, announcing that defender Devon Toews (lower-body) is hopeful for the team’s Wednesday game, while forward Jonathan Drouin (upper-body) has been ruled out, per Corey Masisak of The Denver Post. Drouin seemed to suffer an injury in Colorado’s season opener last Wednesday, and has missed both games Colorado has played since. No specifics of his injury have been revealed. Toews also missed Colorado’s most recent game. The specifics of his injury are also unclear, especially with no clear indication of when the injury occurred. Oliver Kylington filled Toews’ role on the top-pair in his’ absence, and stands to continue garnering more minutes should the star sit out once again.
  • Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Kevin Korchinski scored a flashy, coast-to-coast goal in the AHL Rockford IceHogs’ season debut, leading to conversations about when Korchinski may be ready to return to the NHL. He played in 76 games on a deprived Blackhawks blue-line last season, but posted a less-than-inspiring 15 points and -39. That prompted Chicago to assign him to the minors to start this season, with Hawks general manager Kyle Davidson telling Scott Powers of The Athletic that the team hopes it’ll boost Korchinski’s confidence. Davidson acknowledged that the team may have asked too much of the rookie last season, and that building up his confidence will be top priority in the AHL. He told Powers, “You just want him to get that confidence back that he had in junior, and that’s going to take time, especially at the pro level.” IceHogs head coach Anders Sorensen agreed with Davidson, adding that he’s encouraging Korchinski to drive the puck downhill and challenge opposing forwards more. The 20-year-old defender certainly showed that ability with his inaugural AHL goal, and could be on a quick route back to the NHL roster once he gains the confidence to do that routinely.

Wild Announce Roster Moves With Joel Eriksson Ek, Jared Spurgeon Out

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3:30 PM : Minnesota has issued an injury update, adding that team captain Jared Spurgeon will also miss Sunday’s game with a lower-body injury. He’s been designated as day-to-day. Spurgeon has recorded one assist, four hits, and six blocks through the first two games, while averaging 19:35 in ice time.

3:00 PM : The Minnesota Wild will be without Joel Eriksson Ek in their Sunday matchup against the Winnipeg Jets, as the centerman bears through a head injury, shares Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. The team specified that the injury is a broken nose. Eriksson Ek left Minnesota’s Saturday matchup midway through the second period after taking an elbow to the face from Seattle defender Adam Larsson.

Minnesota has utilized an emergency recall on forward Travis Boyd, and sent goaltender Jesper Wallstedt to the minor leagues, in response to Eriksson Ek’s absence.

Eriksson Ek has served in a pivotal role for Minnesota in the early going, recording 20 minutes of ice time and a goal in the team’s season opener, and adding just shy of 12 minutes of ice time before leaving on Saturday. He’s been the Wild’s clear top centerman, deployed alongside the team’s leading scorer Matt Boldy. That’ll be a tough role for Minnesota to fill for even one game, though top youngster Marco Rossi could be in a prime position to step up. He’s recorded two assists on the season while operating in the middle-six, and seems to have added a strong layer to his game this summer. Rossi will compete with Ryan Hartman for the ice time opened by Eriksson Ek.

Meanwhile, Boyd will look for space in the bottom-six after recording two points in the AHL Iowa Wild’s season opener. He scored eight points in 16 games with the Arizona Coyotes last season but had his season in December by a torn pectoral muscle. Boyd had managed a pair of strong seasons with Arizona in 2021-22 and 2022-23, scoring 35 and 34 points respectively. This recall will provide his first chance to work back to that stout scoring since going down with injury.

Morning Notes: Eriksson Ek, Roy, Aston-Reese

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Minnesota Wild forward Joel Eriksson Ek didn’t travel with the team to Winnipeg for tonight’s game against the Jets after he suffered an apparent injury in last night’s game against the Seattle Kraken (as per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman). Eriksson Ek was left bloodied after a second-period hit from Kraken defenseman Adam Larsson caught him on the nose. Larsson’s elbow appeared to catch the 27-year-old up high, forcing him to leave the game for the remainder of the second period.

Eriksson Ek attempted to return to the game in the third period and took one shift while wearing a bubble shield on his helmet. He left after one shift and didn’t return or get on the team’s flight after the game. Minnesota head coach John Hynes did not provide a post-game update.

In other morning notes:

  • Newly acquired Washington Capitals defenseman Matt Roy left the game last night during his Capitals debut (as per Sammi Silber of The Hockey News). The 29-year-old played his last shift about three minutes into the second period and didn’t appear to suffer any obvious injury. He ended the night playing just 8:39 and Washington announced he would not return near the end of the second period. Roy signed a six-year $34.5MM with the Capitals on July 1st and was expected to be a regular in the team’s top four. He missed just one game over the past two seasons as a member of the Los Angeles Kings.
  • Columbus Blue Jackets forward Zach Aston-Reese left last night’s game against the Colorado Avalanche with an upper-body injury (as per Blue Jackets reporter Jeff Svoboda). The 30-year-old appeared to suffer the injury when he was hit up high during his first shift of the night. Aston-Reese was acquired off waivers last week from the Vegas Golden Knights and started the season on the Blue Jackets’ fourth line. The eight-year NHL veteran was hoping to secure an NHL role once again this season after spending almost all of last season in the AHL. Aston-Reese played just three games last year in the NHL with Detroit and remains a strong defensive forward, but brings very little in the way of offense. If he can’t play on Tuesday when Columbus takes on Florida, Dylan Gambrell will likely take his spot.

Wild Recall Jesper Wallstedt, Reassign Daemon Hunt

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Oct. 11: After Hunt was scratched as expected for yesterday’s home opener, the team announced he’s been returned to Iowa while Wallstedt is back with the NHL club. The move indicates Chisholm will likely be ready to return tomorrow against the Kraken if needed.

Oct. 10: The Wild have recalled defenseman Daemon Hunt from AHL Iowa, per a team announcement. Hunt will serve as Minnesota’s seventh defenseman while Declan Chisholm, who’s dealing with an illness, is unavailable for tonight’s home opener. Without an open roster spot to execute the transaction, the Wild sent down goaltender Jesper Wallstedt in a corresponding move. He wasn’t expected to dress tonight anyway, with Marc-André Fleury backing up Filip Gustavsson, per Michael Russo of The Athletic.

Drafted in the third round out of WHL Moose Jaw in 2020, Hunt landed in the AHL two years ago and climbed up the depth chart to make his NHL debut last season. He’s posted 41 points (6 G, 35 A) with a -2 rating in 116 games for the Iowa Wild. While a left-shot defender, he can also comfortably log time on the right side.

A strong skater with good physicality for his 6’1″, 201-lb frame, Hunt made a strong impression in training camp after logging an assist and a -1 rating in his first 12 NHL appearances in 2023-24. He’s still waiver-exempt, though, and his level of play didn’t warrant exposing a depth piece like Chisholm or Jonathon Merrill to waivers. The 22-year-old will remain waiver-exempt throughout the season and should receive frequent call-ups whenever injuries affect the Minnesota blue line.

However, Hunt will likely have to wait a bit to make his season debut in the NHL. He’s projected to sit in the press box while Merrill and Zach Bogosian comprise the Wild’s bottom pairing.

As for Wallstedt, the Wild still thoroughly plan on having him in the NHL as part of a three-goalie rotation. Since he’s one of the few waiver-exempt names on the roster, expect him to be papered down to Iowa at other points this season if Minnesota needs an open roster spot in a pinch.

Michael Milne Assigned To AHL Iowa

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Colorado Avalanche reporter Adrian Dater wrote on his Substack today that forward Mikko Rantanen has said that he won’t hold contract extension talks with the Avalanche during the regular season. This disputes a report from earlier this summer that the two sides were close to a new deal, and it also is in stark contrast to what Meghan Angley reported yesterday when Colorado general manager Chris MacFarland said he didn’t have concerns about the extension talks with Rantanen spilling into the season.

Dater cites NHL sources for his reporting, but it is possible that Rantanen’s camp is posturing and using the threat of his impending free agency next summer to create some urgency around Avalanche management. However, if Colorado does feel that they can’t re-sign Rantanen it will certainly make for an interesting season as they could look to trade the 28-year-old to one of the teams that aren’t on his nine-team no-trade list.

In other Western Conference notes:

  • Thomas Drance of The Athletic tweeted that Vancouver Canucks forward Pius Suter is questionable for the Canucks season opener against Calgary this evening. Suter has been dealing with an upper-body injury and will be a game-time decision tonight. He practiced on the Canucks third line the last few days but doesn’t appear to be fully healthy to start the regular season. If he can’t go, then Aatu Raty will likely take his spot. The 28-year-old is entering the second season of the two-year $3.2MM contract he signed with Vancouver last summer and was a bargain last year, tallying 14 goals and 15 assists in 67 games.
  • The Minnesota Wild have activated forward Michael Milne and assigned him to their AHL affiliate in Iowa. Milne was a third-round pick of the Wild back in 2022 and has yet to see NHL action in his first two professional seasons. The 22-year-old has dressed in 97 AHL games over the last two years, tallying 15 goals and 19 assists. Milne could be destined for Iowa’s bottom six this season where he will look to continue to be a force in the defensive zone and a puck retrieval machine.

Wild Notes: Leipold, Boldy, Middleton, Chisholm

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The owner of the Minnesota Wild, Craig Leipold, took part in a lengthy interview with Joe Smith and Michael Russo of The Athletic carrying a wide array of topics. Despite not making the playoffs last year and not advancing past the second round since 2003 Leipold assures Wild fans the organization is firmly committed to bringing a Stanley Cup to the State of Hockey.

Leipold shared that Minnesota was never interested in a full-scale rebuild and the organization is now in year two of a five-year plan to win a Stanley Cup. The major factors in this rebuild are extending star player Kirill Kaprizov next summer and bringing in some marquee free agents when they have more financial flexibility.

The longtime Wild owner touched on the importance of the inevitable negotiations with Kaprizov saying, “Am I convinced that we can (persuade him to stay)? No. Am I convinced that we will have a better offer than anybody else can do in the league? The answer is yes. I told you that this five-year plan is not a straight line. He’s the most important piece of our five-year plan. I think I can say that“.

Minnesota is still financially reeling from the buyouts of Zach Parise and Ryan Suter from a few years ago with $14.74MM owed to the players this season. That number will drop to only $1.66MM next summer giving the Wild a ton of room to work with as the cap continues to rise.

Other Wild notes:

  • The injuries that limited forward Matt Boldy and defenseman Jacob Middleton during training camp will not extend into the regular season. Jessi Pierce of the NHL reports that both players are expected to be in the Wild lineup tomorrow for their regular season opener. Boldy was suffering from a lower-body injury and was originally designated as week-to-week on September 23rd before being downgraded to day-to-day on October 1st.
  • One player confirmed to not be in the lineup tomorrow night is defenseman Declan Chisholm who is battling an illness (X Link). There was no guarantee Chisholm would have been in the lineup if healthy as the team may have opted for Jonathon Merrill and Zach Bogosian on the bottom pairing regardless. Minnesota did use Chisholm more than he ever has in his career last season averaging 16:52 of ice time in 29 contests after being claimed on waivers.

Wild Sign Jesper Wallstedt To Two-Year Extension

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The Wild announced today that they’ve signed goaltender Jesper Wallstedt to a two-year, $4.4MM extension, keeping him under contract through the 2026-27 season. It’s a one-way deal in both years with a cap hit of $2.2MM.

It’s a significant commitment to a goalie with just three NHL starts under his belt, but it’s indicative of his status as arguably the best prospect at the position in the sport. Wallstedt, who turns 22 next month, was under consideration for a top-10 pick throughout most of his draft year in 2021 but ended up falling to Minnesota at No. 20 overall.

Thus far, nothing indicates they should be unhappy with the pick. The 6’3″, 214-lb netminder has kept a rather hapless AHL Iowa team afloat during his two seasons in North America, posting a 2.69 GAA, .909 SV%, three shutouts, and a 40-34-9 record in 83 appearances as their starter. He’s been outstanding in senior-level international play as well, logging a .947 SV% in three appearances for Sweden at the 2023 World Championship.

His NHL career got off to a bit of a rocky start, allowing seven goals on 34 shots in his debut against the Stars on Jan. 10 last season. But he came back with a much more solid performance in two showings against the Blackhawks and Sharks in April, stopping 51 of 53 shots he faced in those games.

He enters 2024-25 on the Wild’s opening night roster with a 2-1-0 record and .897 SV% in his brief NHL showing. He’ll look to build on that while competing with Filip Gustavsson and 40-year-old vet Marc-André Fleury for starts in a three-goalie rotation in Minnesota. He could cement himself as the No. 2 option behind Gustavsson, with Fleury’s workload likely to stay low in his final NHL season.

Wallstedt will still be an RFA upon the expiry of his extension in 2027. He won’t be eligible to test the UFA market until 2030 at the earliest.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Liam Ohgren, Jesper Wallstedt Expected To Make Wild Roster

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Minnesota is expected to maintain top prospects Liam Ohgren and Jesper Wallstedt on their opening night roster, per Michael Russo of The Athletic. Minnesota’s brass has named both players as favorites to make the team since the start of training camp.

The Wild are showing no hesitation in placing perhaps the league’s best goalie prospect – Wallstedt – into a three-man rotation with Marc-Andre Fleury and Filip Gustavsson. All three goaltenders made two appearances in the preseason, with Wallstedt leading the trio in save percentage with a .930 to Fleury’s .925 and Gustavsson’s .898.

Fleury and Gustavsson split starts last year, making 40 and 45 appearances respectively. Neither were particularly productive, each posting save percentages below .900 – a feat Fleury hadn’t managed since his rookie season of 2005-06. Those muddling performances leave plenty of room for excitement in Minnesota’s goaltending room – something Wallstedt may be able to bring quickly. The former first-round pick has posted two strong seasons as an AHL starter, collectively posting 40 wins and a .909 save percentage in 83 appearances.

Ohgren should have a much clearer path to an NHL role, having spent five preseason games on the team’s third-line. He certainly seemed comfortable in the role, posting one goal and one assist – the same statline he managed in his first four NHL games at the end of last season. An upper-body injury delayed the start of Ohgren’s 2023-24 to late November, but he played well immediately upon returning, ultimately recording 19 points in 27 games in Sweden’s SHL –  the highest scoring pace of any U20 SHL player last season. Wild general manager Bill Guerin has previously praised Ohgren’s ability to produce from any spot in the lineup, which could mean he’ll have to work his way up to a high-usage role – though a fully healthy season could make quick work of that challenge.

Both Ohgren and Wallstedt seem poised to bring big impacts to the Minnesota lineup – a welcome relief to the team that ranked in the bottom 15 of both goals scored and goals allowed last season. They’ll each be names to watch closely, as Ohgren fights for healthy footing and Wallstedt looks to claw above two proven NHL starters.

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