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Minnesota Wild Name Jared Spurgeon as the Next Captain

By Aaron Heckmann

ST PAUL, MINNESOTA - OCTOBER 20: Jared Spurgeon #46 of the Minnesota Wild controls the puck against the Montreal Canadiens during the game at Xcel Energy Center on October 20, 2019 in St Paul, Minnesota. The Wild defeated the Canadiens 4-3. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
ST PAUL, MINNESOTA - OCTOBER 20: Jared Spurgeon #46 of the Minnesota Wild controls the puck against the Montreal Canadiens during the game at Xcel Energy Center on October 20, 2019 in St Paul, Minnesota. The Wild defeated the Canadiens 4-3. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /
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After the Minnesota Wild parted ways with Mikko Koivu, they have named their next captain.

Mikko Koivu was the Minnesota Wild’s first full-time captain in franchise history. The Wild parted ways with him and wanted to move forward in a different direction. The Wild’s longtime captain left and signed a one-year deal with the Columbus Blue Jackets.

This left the captaincy needing to be filled. At first, there was talk about whether or not the Wild would name a captain right away. Minnesota Wild GM Bill Guerin made it clear that he would name a captain before training camp which in my opinion is the right call.

There were several different candidates that likely were considered to be the second full-time captain in franchise history. That included Jared Spurgeon, Zach Parise, Ryan Suter, and Marcus Foligno. Some longshots could have included Kevin Fiala or Jonas Brodin.

The Minnesota Wild announced Sunday morning that Jared Spurgeon will be the second full-time captain in franchise history.

https://twitter.com/mnwild/status/1345734056537956354

In my opinion, the Wild made the right decision. Spurgeon has all the qualities of a leader, he is respected in the locker room, and is here long term. Zach Parise and Ryan Suter will remain alternative captains.

It is just an added bonus that Spurgeon signed a seven-year extension that is the richest annual salary in franchise history.

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Spurgeon’s 82 goals rank first among Wild defensemen and he’s second in games, assists, and points among defensemen in franchise history.

While there were a couple of other candidates like Foligno or Parise who could have been solid options as well, Spurgeon makes the most logical sense. While Spurgeon is not the most vocal leader like Foligno, he leads in different ways.

From drafted in the 6th round to a captain in the NHL, it has not been an easy path for Spurgeon. He has crushed every opportunity or challenge that has come his way.

There is no doubt that Spurgeon deserves this, he does everything right, but it often goes unnoticed.

This is all without mentioning that the analytics display Spurgeon being a top 10 defensemen in the NHL.

The Wild now have their captain with the upcoming season just over a week away from opening night.

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