The Minnesota Wild are battling to climb the Central Division standings at the midpoint of the 2023-24 NHL season. The Wild have 41 points after beating the New York Islanders on Wednesday. To make matters worse, Minnesota received grim news on Jared Spurgeon's injury status.

The Wild look to overcome Jared Spurgeon's unfortunate injury update

Minnesota President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Bill Guerin announced that Spurgeon will miss the remainder of the season due to injury, per NHL.com. The captain defenseman is scheduled to have left hip surgery on Feb. 6th. Then, he will undergo back surgery approximately four weeks later.

Spurgeon is expected to make a full recovery by the start of the fall 2024 training camp. Still, his absence hurts Minnesota, who sits at the bottom of the Central Division. Hopefully, the veteran defenseman has a safe and efficient recovery.

The Wild put Spurgeon on the long-term injured reserved list in October after he suffered an upper-body injury during a preseason game. He fought his way back to the ice but still dealt with injury woes. In the end, he only played 16 games for Minnesota, amassing five assists and five goals.

Spurgeon's injury is a setback, but rest assured he will come back stronger for the 2024-25 season. In the meantime, the Wild look to improve their record amid a down year. Minnesota had a solid showing against the Islanders on Jan. 18th, as they shut the team out 5-0.

Can the Wild rally and go a run as the midpoint of the NHL season approaches?