The Wild plan to prioritize signing defenseman Jared Spurgeon to a long-term contract extension this summer, GM Paul Fenton told reporters, including Sarah McLellan of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. For his part, Spurgeon certainly appears to be interested in sticking around as well:
My family loves it here. We love it here. I want to win here, so you can just go about it the way you can and let your agent do his thing.
Spurgeon has one year remaining on his current contract that carries a cap hit of just under $5.2MM. While the deal came under fire when it was initially signed back in December of 2015 when he hadn’t established himself as a long-term top-four option, it’s one that looks like a bargain now. Spurgeon had a career year in 2018-19, collecting 14 goals and 29 assists in 82 games while his total ice time played was the eighth-most in the league.
The 29-year-old has spent his entire nine-year career with Minnesota after not signing with the Islanders who actually drafted him in the sixth round back in 2008. He’s now logged over 600 career games between the regular season and playoffs and as a core part of the back end for the Wild, Spurgeon is poised to earn a decent-sized raise on his next contract, one that would likely take him close to retirement if he does indeed sign a long-term deal.
Because of the fact he’s signed for next season, any extension can’t officially be signed until July 1st but discussions can occur before that time.