The Minnesota Wild got one encouraging injury update on the blue line and one frustrating one.
Brock Faber has cleared the return to play protocol, while Jared Spurgeon is now listed as week to week with an undisclosed injury. Faber still doesn’t have a target date for his return, but the next step is clear: he can get back on the ice and start skating again.
Faber has not played at all in the regular season after taking a shot off the left side of his face in the Wild’s September 25th 2-1 preseason loss to the Dallas Stars. That blow left him with a skull fracture, and he underwent surgery on September 27th to repair it. Since then, he’s been working his way back.
When he was last on the ice, Faber was coming off the best season of his career. He finished with 15 goals and 36 assists for 51 points in 80 games, setting personal highs in goals and points. Much of that production came after Quinn Hughes was acquired last December, when Faber flourished alongside the Norris Trophy winner.
Spurgeon’s situation is less clean. He was hurt in the second period of Tuesday’s 3-1 win over the Utah Mammoth after blocking two shots in the same shift. He has not been placed on injured reserve yet.
This is another setback in a season that has already been interrupted for Spurgeon. He missed four games earlier this month with an upper-body injury, and Tuesday was only his fourth game back.
In total, he has played 10 games this year and put up one goal and four assists for five points. He has not finished a season at 0.5 points per game or better since 2021-22.
With Spurgeon out, the Wild’s defense group is still taking shape. David Spacek was the only healthy scratch on the back end, so he’s the most likely to step in. One of Spacek, Zach Bogosian or Matt Kiersted is expected to slide into the top four in Spurgeon’s place.
In Other News...
Wild Face An Islanders Lineup Still Searching For Answers
Injuries have forced the Islanders back into a more familiar structure as they get ready to face the Wild, with Peter DeBoer opting for a traditional 12 forwards and six defensemen after recent absences along the lineup. The shakeup comes amid missing pieces up front and on defense, leaving New York to piece together a group that has not had much time to settle.
Kyle MacLean is back in the mix as the Islanders try to steady themselves after a recent loss, while Ilya Sorokin is set to handle the start in goal. The changes give New York a chance to reset, but they also underscore how much the roster is still searching for answers as it comes into Minnesota shorthanded and trying to stop the slide. [Read more 🡒]
Leafs Trade Talk Just Took A More Serious Turn
The trade market around the league is starting to move from speculation to something much more real, and Minnesota has at least one name worth monitoring. While the Wild are weighing what to do next with Quinn Hughes and the ripple effects of his uncertain contract situation, the broader picture has become more fluid, with Toronto insisting no player is fully off limits and Vancouver exploring changes that could put more veterans in play.
The most striking development is in Detroit, where the captains status has added urgency to conversations that were already heating up. For Minnesota, that matters because the club is always watching for a chance to address its blue line or make a bigger swing if the right deal opens up, and the latest chatter suggests the market may be headed toward exactly that kind of moment. [Read more 🡒]
Senators Roster Shift Just Got More Complicated At The Worst Time
The Wild added another defensive piece to the organizational mix by claiming Cameron Crotty off waivers from Ottawa, a move that came as the Senators were trying to navigate a roster shuffle of their own. Ottawa had put Crotty on waivers Wednesday, and Minnesota stepped in to grab the blueliner as the Senators continue to sort through the ripple effects of a changing lineup.
For Ottawa, the timing is hardly ideal. Warren Foegele is headed to the sidelines for an extended stretch after a knee-on-knee hit against Vegas, while the club is also preparing to welcome Thomas Chabot back into the lineup against the Los Angeles Kings and finally get its full defensive group together. Even with that good news, the loss of Foegele leaves another hole to manage, and it underscores how quickly one roster move can complicate the next. [Read more 🡒]