Wild place Jared Spurgeon on injured reserve

A some roster management in the State of Hockey, as one of the key players on the Minnesota Wild roster remains out of action.

On Sunday, Wild general manager Bill Guerin announced that the team has placed captain Jared Spurgeon on injured reserve. In response, the team has recalled defenseman Carson Lambos and Hunter Haight from its American Hockey League affiliate, the Iowa Wild.

Spurgeon’s placement on IR is retroactive to Oct. 12, meaning he won’t be eligible to return to the lineup until Tuesday, when the Wild visit the Edmonton Oilers.

Spurgeon has already missed the past two games thanks to an upper-body injury. The team hasn’t specified what knocked the veteran rearguard out of action, but it’s enough to keep him out for at least three games. In his absence, the Wild fell to a surprising Winnipeg Jets team last Tuesday before beating the St. Louis Blues on Thursday night. In playing each of Minnesota’s first six games of the 2026-27 campaign, the 36-year-old has scored a goal and four assists for five points, sitting tied for third on the team in helpers. Spurgeon has a plus/minus of +4, while averaging 22:22 of ice time.

Staying healthy has been a struggle for Spurgeon for his entire NHL career. Only one of the Edmonton native’s 17 seasons saw him appear in every game, that coming during the 2018-19 campaign. He did play in 79 games last year, which came just two years after Spurgeon was limited to a mere 16 contests.

Lambos played in just one game with Minnesota last year, as he made his NHL debut on Dec. 18 against the Columbus Blue Jackets. The 23-year-old has spent the majority of his young career with Iowa, having posted two points in six games so far this season. Haight appeared in nine games with the big club in 2025-26, notching a goal and an assist. The 22-year-old has had a strong start with Iowa this year, posting five points in six games.

The Wild (5-2-1) are at home on Sunday, hosting the Blue Jackets.