Jared Spurgeon Out Vs Edmonton Oilers On Friday

The Minnesota Wild will be without the services of Jared Spurgeon when they take on the Edmonton Oilers Friday night.

Running uncharacteristically thin on top-4 defensemen, the Wild’s blue line will be even thinner as Jared Spurgeon is already ruled out for Friday night’s game in Edmonton.

Spurgeon, 25, was injured in Wednesday’s win over the Calgary Flames when he took a puck to the chin early in the first period. He left the ice immediately and did not return. The good news is that Spurgeon was not placed on injured reserve today and he traveled with the team to his hometown of Edmonton rather than flying back to St. Paul for further evaluation. This leads me to believe he’s got a concussion rather than structural damage to his face.

If it is a concussion, don’t expect a timetable on his return to action. Head injuries, no matter the severity, are tricky. There’s no telling when a player will return and how severe the post injury symptoms are. Spurgeon has already missed time in his career due to a concussion sustained in 2012.

The offensively gifted blueliner, who also spends time on the power play, has 18 (7G-11A) points in 50 games this season, putting him on track for a career high 28 points. He’s also got a career high 23:08 average time on ice per night.