Report: Wild’s Faber clears return to play protocol, Spurgeon out week to week
The Minnesota Wild got a couple updates regarding injuries to their defensemen, as Brock Faber has cleared the return to play protocol, while Jared Spurgeon will be out on a week-to-week basis.
Faber has missed the entirety of the regular season for the Wild after sustaining a skull fracture when a shot struck him on the left side of his face during their September 25th 2-1 loss to the Dallas Stars in the preseason. He underwent surgery to repair the fracture on September 27th, and has since been recovering for his return to the lineup.
At this point in time, the update on Faber does not come with an idea for when he can return. However, it does mean that he’ll be able to take the next step of his recovery, which is to get on the ice and skate.
Faber is coming off of the best season of his career thus far, as he had 15 goals and 36 assists for 51 points in 80 games. The goal and point totals were the best of his career, as he flourished alongside Quinn Hughes after the Norris Trophy winner was acquired last December.
The Wild will need Faber as soon as they can get him, because they’ll be missing another key defenseman in their lineup with Spurgeon announced as being out week-to-week with an undisclosed injury. He sustained the injury in the second period of Tuesday’s 3-1 win over the Utah Mammoth after blocking two shots in the same shift. At this point in time, he hasn’t been placed on injured reserve.
Spurgeon has already missed four games with an upper-body injury earlier this month, with Tuesday’s game being only his fourth since returning. He’s played 10 total games on the year, and produced well when he has been healthy with one goal and four assists for five points. He hasn’t had a season with a 0.5 points per game or higher since 2021-22.
At this point in time, it’s unclear what the Wild’s defense lineup will look like with Spurgeon out. David Spacek was the team’s only healthy scratch on their blueline, so he will likely draw into the lineup, with one of him, Zach Bogosian or Matt Kiersted expected to draw into the top four in Spurgeon’s place.
The Wild have done well despite their blueline injuries, as they currently sit in first in the Central Division with a 9-3-2 record. They’ll look to continue to survive without Faber and Spurgeon when they host the New York Islanders on Thursday at 7 p.m. CT.
