Wild's Spurgeon out for season with hip, back injuries

Minnesota Wild captain Jared Spurgeon will miss the remainder of the 2023-24 season, the team announced.

He's set to undergo left hip surgery on Feb. 6, then back surgery approximately four weeks later. Spurgeon is expected to be ready before the start of training camp in September.

The 34-year-old has been limited to 16 games this season due to injuries. He missed the first 13 contests, another seven in December, and now has missed the club's previous seven games.

Spurgeon has recorded five assists this season while averaging 23:20 per contest - the third most on the Wild. He's received down-ballot Norris Trophy votes in five of the past seven seasons for his strong two-way play, finishing as high as 11th in 2018-19.

Spurgeon's absence will continue to force veteran Zach Bogosian into the top-four role he's occupied for much of the season.

The Wild entered Thursday eight points out of the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference and with a 7% chance of making the postseason, per MoneyPuck.com. However, general manager Bill Guerin said on Tuesday that he isn't ready to wave the white flag on the team's season.