Wild put Jared Spurgeon on IR, recall Haight and Lambos

A short-handed roster explains why both call-ups happened on game day. Michael Russo had the details first.

Michael Russo

@RussoHockey

Wild recall Hunter Haight and Carson Lambos to provide insurance tonight with no extra forwards or D on roster. Jared Spurgeon is placed on IR but can come off as early as Tuesday’s game in hometown Edmonton

So this is mostly paperwork. The Wild didn't have a spare forward or a spare defenseman for tonight against Columbus, and one more injury in warmups would have left them dressing a short lineup. Putting Spurgeon on IR opens a roster spot, so they brought up 2 bodies from AHL Iowa just in case. Either guy could end up a healthy scratch, but at least John Hynes has options.

Spurgeon got hurt in the Wild's October 12 game against Vegas. He looked like he was bothered by his shoulder in the 3rd period, and he hasn't played since. He sat out the Winnipeg game the next night, and Sunday's IR move came with him having missed 2 straight. Before that he had 1 goal and 4 assists through 6 games and was doing the usual Spurgeon stuff: 14 blocked shots and a lot of minutes nobody notices until he's gone.

The real story is how fast the injuries are piling up. Nico Sturm went on IR after a puck hit him in the head in that same Vegas game. He needed help getting off the ice and went to the hospital to get checked out. Olli Maatta missed the last 6 minutes of the Jets game. The Wild were already missing 6 other guys before any of that, and the season is barely 8 games old. That's how a team ends up with zero extras on a Sunday afternoon.

Lambos has had 1 goal and 1 assist in 6 games with Iowa this season. Haight is the forward insurance. Neither one is being asked to save the season. They're here so Hynes can still put a full team on the ice if somebody else goes down.

Now watch Tuesday. Since the IR stint is backdated, Spurgeon can come back as early as the game in Edmonton, his hometown. Hynes hasn't given a timeline, so that's possible, not promised. If the captain plays in front of family and friends at home, the Wild get their best defenseman back right when the injuries are getting out of hand. If he doesn't, Minnesota keeps getting by with Iowa call-ups and hopes nobody else gets hurt.