Wild Place Jared Spurgeon on IR as Defensive Depth Takes Another Hit

The Minnesota Wild just placed 36-year-old defenseman Jared Spurgeon on injured reserve, proving once again that Father Time remains undefeated and untied in the NHL.

According to Daily Faceoff, the move makes it official after Spurgeon took a heavy hit in the third period of a recent game. Yahoo Sports reported that he finished the contest, took another shift, and then apparently woke up the next morning to find his body had filed a formal grievance.

"Daily Faceoff reported the transaction."

This is not exactly a new theme for the veteran. Spurgeon has already dealt with lower-body issues that cost him a chunk of games, and now he is back on the shelf. When your defensive anchor is collecting IR stints like loyalty points, your blue line depth chart quickly turns into a suggestion box.

The timing is brutal for a Minnesota squad trying to find some consistency. The Wild have been riding a chaotic wave lately, dropping a 5-2 game to Winnipeg on October 14 before bouncing back with a 5-4 win over St. Louis two days later.

Losing Spurgeon throws a massive wrench into their defensive stability. If you are staring at the under for upcoming Wild games, you might want to factor in what happens when a team loses its security blanket. Missing a top-pairing guy usually turns the defensive zone into a public park.

Minnesota hosts the Columbus Blue Jackets tonight before heading out to face the Edmonton Oilers on October 21. The Wild need to figure out their defensive rotation immediately, or this IR stint is going to turn a manageable stretch of the schedule into a shooting gallery.