In the meantime, Spurgeon will rest, with the team not wanting him to take a step back, and the Wild are hopeful he can join the group for the second half of the trip; the Wild also have stops at Florida, Tampa Bay, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, and they will add Daemon Hunt from the minors to have an extra defenseman.
Last season, Spurgeon appeared in only 16 games. His debut was delayed by a preseason shoulder injury. Then in January, the 34-year-old was shut down to address his nagging hip and back issues.
“It’s just part of that process of getting his body back to being able to do what these guys have to do every day,” Hynes said.
Overall, the Wild are 2-0-2 and haven’t trailed in any period.
“This is the first little bit of adversity that we’re having, and so far the guys have really stepped up and played really well,” Guerin said. “This is part of pro sports. We have to be able to play through this stuff.”
