The Wild captain played in just 16 games this season, notching five assists, and last played on January 2nd. This, meanwhile, came after Spurgeon missed the start of the regular season, first appearing in a game on November 10th. He missed the first six weeks of the season with an upper-body injury.

He played 13 games, but missed 20 days between Dec. 20th and 30th, returning for three more before landing on the shelf again.

“Spurgeon is expected to be fully recovered before the start of training camp in September,” the Wild said in a press release.

With Spurgeon hitting the LTIR, it frees up roughly $7.575-million in cap space for Wild GM Bill Guerin, who, as reported by The Athletic’s Michael Russo, is expected to be in the market for a pending UFA defenceman.

Michael Russo

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#mnwild captain Jared Spurgeon is having season-ending hip and back surgery. He’s expected to be ready by next season. With Spurgeon on LTIR, Wild can exceed the cap by roughly his $7.575M AAV (minus callups). I anticipate Bill Guerin is now in the market for a pending UFA dman

10:00 PM · Jan 18, 2024

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THE NHL NOTEBOOK IS PRESENTED BY BETWAY

What could Lindholm land Flames?

We’re under two months away from the NHL’s trade deadline, and work is being done across the NHL evaluating potential fits for players.

One such player who could find himself with a new address by March 8th is Calgary Flames forward Elias Lindholm. A pending UFA, his $4.85-million cap hit will help his appeal reach far wider than that of other players with larger hits.

Over at Daily Faceoff, Frank Seravalli dove into Lindholm as a trade option:

Archetype and Ideal Role
Second Line Center, Elite Support Player
Lindholm is two seasons removed from being voted a runner-up for the Selke Trophy, a distinction he won’t achieve again this year. He won’t drive play, but he plays best with high-end producers and everyone around him benefits from his high Hockey IQ. Lindholm contributes in all situations, on both special teams, and can impact the game in a number of different ways.

Potential Suitors
Boston Bruins: Still looking to fill the void from Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci. Short on assets.
Colorado Avalanche: Ryan Johansen isn’t cutting it. If Avs also get Valeri Nichushkin and Gabriel Landeskog back? Look out.
Vancouver Canucks: They’re on the prowl for a top six forward, but a complementary center would make a ton of sense.
Vegas Golden Knights: If Jack Eichel is out until the playoffs, they’d have cap money to play with and a need at center. Vegas seems to have a connection with big name players represented by Newport Sports.
Winnipeg Jets: The Jets have played their way into contender status – and Lindholm would boost an already stout defensive team. They could also probably afford to re-sign him.

And in terms of comparable trades, Seravalli cited the Toronto Maple Leafs’ 2023 acquisiton of Ryan O’Reilly, and the Islanders’ 2023 acquisition of Bo Horvat.

We’ve seen enough now to know Lindholm isn’t going to do it on his own. He needs elite offensive linemates in order to pile up points, but he also has the defensive makeup to shut down opponents. Lindholm isn’t going to transform a strong team into a Cup contender, but he could help make a Cup contender into a favorite.

Zach Laing is the Nation Network’s news director and senior columnist. He can be followed on Twitter at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach@thenationnetwork.com.

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