The Minnesota Wild have one of their key defenders back as Jared Spurgeon has been activated from injured reserve. Spurgeon hasn’t played since December 3rd when he suffered a broken hand blocking a shot against the Florida Panthers.
The Wild were on a ten-game point streak and were one of the hottest teams in the NHL when Spurgeon went down, but have now lost four of their last six and find themselves three points out of a playoff spot in the Western Conference. The return of the 30-year old defenseman should help turn things around, though obviously it may take him some time to get back up to speed.
To make room, the team sent Brennan Menell back to the Iowa Wild after playing in five NHL games. Menell, 22, averaged just under 14 minutes in those games but actually showed that he might be an option down the road for Minnesota.
Spurgeon is listed as a game-time decision for tonight’s game against Taylor Hall and the Arizona Coyotes.