The Minnesota Wild endured a difficult 2023-24 season — there's no sugar coating it. The team missed the playoffs for just the first time since 2019, and watched as team captain Jared Spurgeon went down to a season-ending injury that cost him the back half of the campaign.
As the franchise endures an unusually long offseason in 2024, Spurgeon spoke out about the brutal nature of the multiple ailments he was dealing with, eventually causing him to be shut down in mid-January.
“My foot would go completely numb during games and just wouldn’t come back for a couple hours,” Spurgeon told The Athletic's Michael Russo at the conclusion of the season.
“So, obviously, it’s tough when you’re out there just trying to skate and all that stuff; it got to the point where you’re toe-picking and stuff like that, and it’s very frustrating. You want to help the team, but you don’t feel like you’re helping them, either. That was something that once the surgery was done, it went away. My first skate back, there was none of that. It was an awesome feeling.”
The Wild were just a completely different team without Spurgeon on the ice, who dealt with a shoulder injury in the preseason and ended up being shut down due to back and hip injuries that needed surgery, per Russo.
Despite the disappointing 2023-24 campaign — for both Spurgeon and the team he captains — the veteran is confident he'll be ready for 2024-25.
“Every day, stuff has been a thousand times better than it was before,” the 34-year-old explained while confirming that he has been skating for the last month. “I’m very happy about that. Every day is something new. You’re just trying to get your body back to the way it felt before you had that injury. I had the post-op appointments a couple days ago with one of the surgeons, and things went well. So, just progressing as need be.”
Having Spurgeon healthy for next season will go a long way in helping the Wild in their quest to return to the dance in 2025. So will the return — and last hurrah — for surefire Hall of Fame goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury.
Marc-Andre Fleury's return is silver lining to disappointing 2023-24 campaign
Fleury, who has been a fan favorite throughout his career and is destined for the Hall of Fame, confirmed he'd be back for one more season after recently signing a one-year, $2.5 million contract extension to spend 2024-25 in the State of Hockey.
The three-time Stanley Cup champion also confirmed it would be his last season, ending all retirement speculation for the netminder.
“I want to come back and try to win more games. I think at the end of the day, that’s all I care about,” Fleury told Russo. “I’ve been very lucky to be doing this for a long time and have a lot of good memories in different buildings and places. But, yeah, I don’t know. I don’t need more attention. I’m good.”
Fleury has had a positive impact on the Wild over the last few years, and the organization will be happy to have him back for one last dance.
“He’s just a special teammate, special player,” said Spurgeon, “and to have him come back and to go back at it with him again is awesome.”
Although it'll be a long offseason in Saint Paul, the team will be well-positioned — with a healthy Jared Spurgeon and another season of Marc-Andre Fleury — to ensure that playoff hockey returns to the Xcel Energy Center in 2025.
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