Heart breaking remarks made by Jared Spurgeon following the injury-plagued Wild campaign.
There is no way to sugarcoat the awful 2023–24 season the Minnesota Wild had. For the first time since 2019, the team did not make it to the postseason, and they witnessed team captain Jared Spurgeon suffer a season-ending injury that kept him out of the game for the majority of the season.
In 2024, Spurgeon went up about the harsh nature of the various ailments he was suffering with, which ultimately led to his shutdown in mid-January as the team endured an exceptionally long offseason.
During games, Spurgeon would experience numbness in his foot that would last for several hours, as he revealed to Michael Russo of The Athletic at the end of the season.
“Obviously, it’s difficult to just try to skate and all that; it got to the point where you were picking your toes and having a lot of frustration.” Though you don’t feel like you’re helping the squad, you still want to support them. That was something that disappeared after the procedure. There was none of that on my first skate back. It was a fantastic sensation.
Without Spurgeon in the lineup—he had to have surgery for back and hip injuries after suffering a shoulder injury in the preseason—the Wild were a very different club, according to Russo.
Despite the underwhelming 2023–24 season for both Spurgeon and the group he leads, the seasoned player is optimistic about his readiness for 2024–25.
The 34-year-old said, “Every day, stuff has been a thousand times better than it was before,” revealing that he has been skating for the past month. I’m overjoyed with that. There is something fresh every day. All you’re attempting to do is return your body to its pre-injury state. Things went smoothly during my post-operative visit with one of the surgeons a few days ago. Thus, merely moving forward as necessary.
Spurgeon’s recovery in time for the upcoming season will be crucial to the Wild’s efforts to make it back to the dance in 2025. So will the inevitable Hall of Fame goalie Marc-Andre Fleury’s comeback and last flourish.
The bright spot of the underwhelming 2023–24 campaign is Marc-Andre Fleury’s return.
The inevitable Hall of Famer Fleury, who has been a fan favorite his whole career, just signed a one-year, $2.5 million contract extension to play in the State of Hockey for the 2024–25 season. Fleury said that he would be returning for one more season.
The three-time Stanley Cup champion also declared it to be his final season, putting an end to any rumors that he will retire as the goalie.
“I want to return and attempt to win more matches. That’s really all that matters to me, I believe,” Fleury said to Russo. I consider myself really fortunate to have been doing this for a long time and to have many happy memories in many locations and structures. However, I’m not sure. I don’t require further focus. I’m doing well.
Fleury’s return for one final dance will be welcomed by the Wild, who have benefited much from his presence over the past few years.
Spurgeon described him as “just a special player and teammate, and it’s awesome to have him back and go back at it with him again.”
With Marc-Andre Fleury returning and Jared Spurgeon healthy, the team will be well-positioned to guarantee that playoff hockey returns to the Xcel Energy Center in 2025, despite the fact that it will be a long offseason in Saint Paul.