When you name Minnesota Wild defensemen, Jared Spurgeon typically isn’t the first one to roll off the tongue. We look at whether his efforts for the team are being overlooked.
The Minnesota Wild have significant money tied up in three defensemen; namely Ryan Suter, Matt Dumba and Jared Spurgeon.
Of these three players, it’s Jared Spurgeon that is the overlooked on, in my opinion.
With a slightly lesser cap hit, though not be much, of $5.5 million; I guess there’s just a fewer sets of eyes on his every move.
However, I believe there should be more focus on him – he does so many things well, but spending the large majority of his time alongside Suter just means he’s a little bit forgotten.
Last season, he posted a 50.22% Corsi; meaning he was a positive possession player when on the ice. The best defense is to keep the puck away from the other team, after all!
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He started more of his shifts outside the offensive zone than in it yet still offered 1.5 points per 60 minutes. That’s good point scoring for someone having to help his team into the offensive zone, especially given his defensive partner is the stronger scorer.
Averaging 24:33 as his ice time, it became clear he was a reliable performer and Bruce Boudreau wasn’t afraid to reward him with extra time. He netted 37 points in just 61 games yet still is very much seen as the third man.
I think it’s time he stopped being overlooked; if Suter struggles in his injury return, it’s up to the likes of Jared Spurgeon and Matt Dumba to pick up the slack for the Minnesota Wild.
Especially, if Suter has lost a step or two over the summer; it’ll very much be on Spurgeon to protect his older partner.
At only 28 years old, he still can be a very valuable part of this team for a good few more years. A little more focus on Spurgeon wouldn’t be a bad thing – he seems to put in a ton of effort; let’s give him credit where it is due.
Statistics courtesy of Dobber Sports.