Article: Jared Spurgeon's Time In Minnesota Shouldn't Be Over

[Tony Abbott]

View full article

[Citizen Strife]

I want Spurgeon back...if he's healthy.  That's going to be the biggest thing.  There's no really replacing Brodin and Spurgeon yet (outside of a big trade or a high draft pick).  Until the Wild can show they have a new guy to add to Faber's emergence, if Spurgeon is good to go, keep him.  I'm not sure trading him (even with money retention) will do.  I don't know if teams will value Spurgeon the way he is here.

[mnfaninnc]

I had a lot more to say in the matter on Thomas' article mentioning Spurgeon's out for the season. In summary, I am very concerned/worried that this is it for him. Many players recover from hip surgery, or back surgery. However, Spurgeon is facing both, and we have no idea how one is connected to the other.

Still, it would not be right, at least in my eyes, to buyout the player. If he comes back as damaged goods, LTIR is the best place for him. Other players watch what teams do with their injured players, and since he was injured on the ice, his contract needs to be fulfilled and there is a remedy for this: LTIR. 

I also believe that if this is the case, Spurgeon can still be a very valuable member of the team either in coaching or front office. If he's on LTIR, I'd think he could be working in either spot. 

Player goodwill is a real thing, and building loyalty among players is important, but loyalty is a 2-way street and doing the right thing is important. This particular thing is something I believe Guerin takes seriously and is very good at. 

I'm not sure what the ramifications would be should Spurgeon decide to retire, but giving a hip and back to the team, to me, warrants getting to the end of your contract. As damaged goods, I would say he is virtually untradeable mainly because the knock on him is his size and can he hold up.

I don't think I'd necessarily replace him on defense now, I think I'd take the rest of the season to find out what I had in the A. I think I'd reassess in May and see how Spurgeon's rehab is going and sit down and have this hard conversation with him. If I'm Spurgeon's wife and kids, I may not want to risk my husband/dad being crippled for life.

I'm also very worried/concerned that the surgeon's will find prior damage in both areas. These surgeries are not cut and dry. The risk of him being broken again, I think would be high.

[B1GKappa97]

You are making it sound like he'd have a decent trade market then.. 

What if we trade Spurgeon, get a decent pick back, and use about half his would-be cap-hit to replace him with Dumba in the offseason?

Seems like a win-win to me!

[MNCountryLife]

1 hour ago, B1GKappa97 said:

What if we trade Spurgeon, get a decent pick back, and use about half his would-be cap-hit to replace him with Dumba in the offseason?

I like Dumba.  He is a solid player.  Spurgeon is better... and it isn't even close.  What is worse is that Dumba has already been injured and his play is already dropping at 29 years old.  He isn't coming back.  

[MNCountryLife]

If you want a competitive team, you start the build at defense.  It is a must to have 4 quality D on the team.  Spurgeon, Brodin, Faber and Middleton fit this mold and will again next year.  The problem comes about when 1 or 2 of them is injured.  The drop off to Alex, Merrill, Hunt, Mermis etc... is massive.  It's okay that they are not top 4 quality... but we need better from 5, 6 and 7.

[Willy the poor boy]

A few nights ago BG had his midseason Press Conference. He had to know at that point what was happening with El Capitan, yet he said the push was for the playoffs and he believed the team was good enough to get there.

I haven't checked the standings in awhile but this team has got to be quite a ways from a play off spot and in a pretty good position for the draft lottery. It will be interesting to see what he does here. I believe if he makes a deal for a defenseman it just cements my position that he needs to go.

At this point of the season this team just needs to get some of the AHL guys experience and let's see what we have.

Edited January 19 by Willy the poor boy

[Burnt Toast]

I’m thinking JS transitions well to 3-6 D positions quite well as needed. Of course that’s after we develop replacements in the top pairing then middle D. I think he’s a team leader through and through. I don’t think losing the C would affect him one bit either. 

[mnfaninnc]

3 hours ago, B1GKappa97 said:

You are making it sound like he'd have a decent trade market then.. 

What if we trade Spurgeon, get a decent pick back, and use about half his would-be cap-hit to replace him with Dumba in the offseason?

Seems like a win-win to me!

Dumba is a perfect example of this. He can't even shoot anymore. He's in the scratch and dent section of the store. I loved Dumba as a player here, but everyone has to realize when it's over, and it's over. 

[mnfaninnc]

1 hour ago, MNCountryLife said:

The drop off to Alex, Merrill, Hunt, Mermis etc... is massive.  It's okay that they are not top 4 quality... but we need better from 5, 6 and 7.

I would argue that Goligoski and Merrill should be moved and we let Hunt, Mermis and Lambos learn up here. I can take "learning" play from the kids, but when the vets continue to make the mistakes, I do not have the tolerance for that.

Plus, to me, Hunt and Mermis have passed them on the depth chart. I'd keep scratching Goligoski hoping he waives his NMC.

[mnfaninnc]

39 minutes ago, Willy the poor boy said:

I haven't checked the standings in awhile but this team has got to be quite a ways from a play off spot and in a pretty good position for the draft lottery. It will be interesting to see what he does here. I believe if he makes a deal for a defenseman it just cements my position that he needs to go.

At this point of the season this team just needs to get some of the AHL guys experience and let's see what we have.

I sort of agree with this. I think if he brings someone in, it would have to be a solution for the future. We have solidified our position as 6th in the draft (without the lottery) I am still rooting for Lindstrom, the 6'3" 215 center who plays a Tkachukian style. 

Outside of that, the 6'7" Russian defender is my next target. I'm just hoping Guerin doesn't sell the future for 3 months of the present. Both Pesce and Hanifan could be resigned, and are top 4 guys.

[WIWild]

Also, remember we've lost our 'cap guy'. It was odd hearing that, the NHL was going to be 'helping us' with that for the rest of the season. Makes me wonder  (given our dumpster fire) how handicapped we are with our decision making: we will be playing checkers while others are playing chess. You have to think definitely, no end of season type, we've get enough cap to help you swing this Ryan O'Reilly trade for pick(s).

[Mateo3xm]

21 hours ago, Willy the poor boy said:

yet he said the push was for the playoffs and he believed the team was good enough to get there.

Either him and the owner are delusional or he thinks us fans are incredibly stupid.

its actually insulting that he made a comment like that.

[MNCountryLife]

On 1/19/2024 at 2:38 PM, mnfaninnc said:

I would argue that Goligoski and Merrill should be moved and we let Hunt, Mermis and Lambos learn up here. I can take "learning" play from the kids, but when the vets continue to make the mistakes, I do not have the tolerance for that.

Plus, to me, Hunt and Mermis have passed them on the depth chart. I'd keep scratching Goligoski hoping he waives his NMC.

It wouldn't be an argument.  I agree.  If you have defenders all producing the same results... you choose the ones that have potential to improve.  I have no idea why Merrill and Goligoski are on the ice... ever.

I thought the last game against Florida was Brodin's best in the last few weeks.  Not surprising it took him a game or 2 to get his game back in shape.  He plays hard minutes.  Brodin and Faber were so much better than everyone else it becomes easy to understand why we have a losing record when both Spurgeon and Brodin have been out for a large chunk of the season.  Middleton doesn't match Faber, Spurge and Brodin on skill..  but he makes up for it with size, strength and determination skill to become a very viable top 4 D man.. and the drop off between our top 3 and him is not that noticeable.  He is close.

If we had 3 more guys at or near the skill level of Mid we would be fine.  But we don't... and we aren't.   This is why losing Dumba hurt.  His level is on par with Middleton.  Properly building a team means you start with the D.  We seem to have them in the pipeline.  You have mentioned a number of them in several posts.  The faster we get them here the faster we can improve our D and our W/Ls.

[mnfaninnc]

Did anyone else notice this deployment against FL? 

Brodin-Faber

Middleton-Mermis

Goligoski-Bogosian

Yet, when it came to crunch time with about 10 minutes left in the game, and we were scratching and clawing, clinging on to a 1 goal lead, the deployment went

Brodin-Faber

Middleton-Bogosian

Mermis-Goligoski-benched

I'd say that puts into perspective exactly where we are at. Mermis and Goligoski could have sniffed some TOI if one of those 4 were penalized. I think that Hynes has figured out a pretty good depth of each defender.

[Will D. Ness]

Mermis is a call up 7D.  Some games he looks like he could make a starting roster as a 3rd pair guy but on average I don't think he is there.  He is what I thought Merrill was last season.

Merrill has fallen off a cliff.  Goligoski is in free fall right next to him but for some reason given a pass (probably because he makes 2M).  

Hunt is clearly better than all three but is a little green and lacks confidence.  I'm really glad he is getting PP time and has shown aptitude for it.

[Pewterschmidt]

On 1/20/2024 at 11:42 AM, Mateo3xm said:

Either him and the owner are delusional or he thinks us fans are incredibly stupid.

its actually insulting that he made a comment like that.

Every good dictator says and does what he thinks is right regardless of what others tell him or what reality presents.  If Benito spends any capital to bring a re-tread d-man for this seasons delusional playoff push we can mark the tape, and call this Benito’s past the point of no return as Wild GM.  

Your move hot shot